A place to call home: Help shape more resilient cities

2020 has taken our cities by surprise.

Canadians are demanding productive, private, and personalized spaces to live, work, and play. The health and economic implications brought on by COVID-19 have exacerbated our housing challenges. But the crisis has also forced us outside our comfort zones to find new and unexpected solutions.

How can we create change where we live, change that has impact, change that drives the health and economic vitality we need in our communities?

Now is the time to realize the potential of cities for all people.

#UnexpectedSolutions – a virtual experience for resilient cities

Running now through November 26, 2020, Future Cities Canada: #UnexpectedSolutions features six weeks of free, virtual program showcasing and building the innovative solutions to create the cities we want and need.

Each week, experts from across sectors come together to share their solutions, their discoveries, and their big ideas for more resilient cities.

Join more than 150 speakers from across Canada and around the world as they share their thoughts on the big questions regarding infrastructure, housing and development.

Here are a just a few highlights from the six-week program. All virtual, all free.

Can’t make it? Don’t worry! Each of the following sessions will remain available on-demand the duration of the program.

1) Showcase: Innovative Solutions for Housing Affordability

Discover some of the biggest initiatives that are changing the future of affordable housing across the country.

Moderated by Graeme Stewart (ERA) and featuring Abi Bond (Housing Secretariat, City of Toronto), Faiz Abhuani (Brique par brique) and Matthew Hickey (Two Row Architect).

Join the conversation on November 24 at 11:00 AM.

See our full Spotlight: Housing Innovation program details here. The innovation showcase is funded through the National Housing Strategy (NHS) Demonstration Initiative.

2) Why Universal Design Is the Key to the Accessible City

Our cities are not designed with everyone in mind. All too often, a one-size-fits all approach is taken when designing everything from buildings to signage.

For those with disabilities, this means navigating an urban landscape filled with inaccessible spaces: From condominium lobbies and amenities to public parks and public parking lots. Attend this session to get new perspectives on how an improved accessible design process can benefit all residents.

Featuring: Orit Sarfaty, Chief Program Officer, Evergreen; David Lepofksy, Lawyer; Lezlie Lowe, Author; and Lanrick Bennett Jr. – Managing Director at 8 80 Cities

Catch this session on demand.

3) Smart Cities for People

Designing a smarter city means putting people at the center of solutions.

The push for smart, connected cities requires greater investment not only in technology and infrastructure, but in the confidence of citizens. Join this session to hear key players in the smart city space relay stories of how their work and projects have interacted with the currency of trust.

Featuring: Todd Hofley, Director, Property Relations, Beanfield; Noemi Chanda, Senior Manager, Data Protection and Privacy, Deloitte; Dr. Josipa Petrunic, President and CEO, Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC); and Melanie Nutter, Principal, Nutter Consulting (Former Director, San Francisco Department of Environment)

Join the conversation on November 24 at 11:00 AM.

4) FeminiCITY

Cities are made of all kinds of people, but they’re not built for all of us.

Looking around at your management team, your engineering and design teams, do the people who build your buildings reflect the people who live in them?

Tune in to FeminiCITY for a discussion of the building of our city spaces for all people.

Featuring: Joy Bailey-Bryant, Vice President and Managing Director, U.S., Lord Cultural Resources; Andrea DelZotto, Executive and Director, Tridel; Leslie Woo, CEO, CivicAction; Latoya Nelson-Kamdang, Head of Moody Nolan Architects; and Orit Sarfaty, Chief Program Officer, Evergreen
Join the conversation on November 19 at 10:00 AM.

5) TD Future Cities Speaker Series: Re-Indigenizing Cities

What does it mean to Re-Indigenize a city?

From honouring Indigenous treaties, land claims and inherent rights to actively decolonizing contemporary city building approaches, it’s a complex and important conversation. Join us for this TD Future Cities Speaker Series for an exploration of how the principles of Indigenous design can change cities around the world, followed by a live Q&A.

Featuring: Wanda Dalla Costa, Institute Professor, The Design School, and Associate Professor, School of Construction, Arizona State University; Jamie Bennett, Executive Director, ArtPlace America; Selina Martinez, Architectural Designer, Indigenous Design Collaborative, Arizona State University.

Join the conversation and live Q&A on November 17 at 10:00 AM.

How to participate?

Catch sessions as they air to participate in interactive chats and Q&As with speakers and other participants, or watch many sessions on-demand after they air.

#UnexpectedSolutions is brought you by:
Lead Funder: Infrastructure Canada
Lead Sponsors: TD Bank Group, McConnell Foundation, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Convened by: Evergreen