ULI Urbanizing Suburbia Walkshop Backgrounder, Report, Recommendations

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in partnership with

ULI Toronto | September 10, 2019 | Brampton, ON

Urbanizing Suburbia Walkshop: From Vision to Implementation Backgrounder | Report | Recommendations


TOD Tech

+ Place making Public Realm

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Table of Contents

About Urban Land Institute 4 About ULI Urbanizing Suburbia 6 About Case study city: Brampton, Ontario, Canada 14 ULI Urbanizing Suburbia Walkshop: Unlock Downtown Brampton 26 12 Key Challenges 28 12 Key Recommended Action Items 29 Walkshop Speakers 9 Macro View 10 Micro View 11 Municipal View 12 Unlock Downtown Brampton #1: Potential for Integrated Transit-oriented Development 30 Unlock Downtown Brampton #2: Building a Tech-friendly Ecosystem 40 Unlock Downtown Brampton #3: Meanwhile Strategy for Arts and Culture 56 Unlock Downtown Brampton #4: “Riverwalk� Transforming the Public Realm 72 ULI Urbanizing Suburbia: Nordic Solution 86 Nordic Panel Questions 88 Finer grain active transportation and smart mobility integration 90 Climate readiness and sustainability 91 Create 20 minute complete walkable neighbourhoods 92 Effective civic operations for city-building and stewardship 94 Social integration, intergenerational and affordable housing 95 Nordic Panel Speakers 96 ULI Membership 97 3


ULI Urban Land Institute ULI is the oldest and largest network of cross-disciplinary real estate and land use experts in the world. ULI is its members — delivering the mission, shaping the future of the industry, and creating thriving communities around the globe. About Urban Land Institute The mission of the Urban Land Institute is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. ULI is committed to: • • • • • •

Bringing together leaders from across the fields of real estate and land use policy to exchange best practices and serve community needs; Fostering collaboration within and beyond ULI’s membership through mentoring, dialogue, and problem solving; Exploring issues of urbanization, conservation, regeneration, land use, capital formation, and sustainable development; Advancing land use policies and design practices that respect the uniqueness of both the built and natural environments; Sharing knowledge through education, applied research, publishing, and electronic media; and Sustaining a diverse global network of local practice and advisory efforts that address current and future challenges.

Established in 1936, the Institute today has nearly 42,500 members worldwide, representing the entire spectrum of the land use and development disciplines. ULI relies heavily on the experience of its members. It is through member involvement and information resources that ULI has been able to set standards of excellence in development practice. The Institute has long been recognized as one of the world’s most respected and widely quoted sources of objective information on urban planning, growth, and development. Our mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. ULI Toronto carries forth that mission by serving the Greater Toronto Region’s public and private sectors with pragmatic land use expertise and education through engaging in regional issues, raising the profile of the Toronto real estate market, creating opportunities for emerging leaders and community stewardship.

About ULI Toronto District Council Our mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. We provide our members with independent forums for discussion and debate about city building issues and best practices. ULI Toronto carries forth that mission, while helping to shape a sustainable and thriving future for the Toronto Region. We are supported by over 2,000 public and private sector members. 4


ULI Global Priorities

Creating Resilient Communities

• What are the best new models in the real estate and land use industry, and how can we support their development? • How can we best adapt and reuse existing real estate while eliminating obsolete space in order to create thriving communities? • How can we influence land use leaders locally and around the world as they reshape the process of community building and developing both social and physical infrastructure?

Understanding Demand & Market Forces

• How can we best understand demand (quantity, type, price, and location of the need) for real estate & discover what the market wants short term versus what it needs long term? • How can we help balance local, regional, national, and global interests, as well as public and private interests, in terms of how they affect land use decisions and development? • How will changing technology influence building and the development of communities as a whole, and how will people’s use of technology influence how they interact with the physical environment?

Promoting Intelligent Densification & Urbanization

• What are the most responsible ways to provide costeffective housing for a rapidly increasing global population that is becoming increasingly urbanized? • How can we advance the understanding of the relationship between a high quality of life and the built environment in order to promote creation of high-quality, appropriately priced density that is attractive to users? • What is the relationship between a thriving economy and a thriving city — between a dynamic society and the built environment?

Integrating Energy, Resources & Uses Sustainably

• How can we best reduce the negative impact of the built environment on our natural resources and climate? • What are the best ways to use the world’s energy resources and protect the built environment from volatile and unpredictable conditions? • How will trends in energy and resources affect the future best use of land?

• How can we best generate value in the built environment that is greater than its cost?

Connecting Capital & the Built Environment through Value

• What are the best ways to ensure the attractiveness of real estate as an investment as institutional capital allocators continue to change and become more global? • What is the most effective way to demonstrate and explain the relationship between investment in both public projects (including infrastructure) and amenities and the impact on real estate value?

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ULI Urbanizing Suburbia

WALKSHOP + PANEL DEBATES + TOURS + INTERNATIONAL INSPIRATIONS

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On September 10, 2019, ULI Toronto District Council piloted “Urbanizing Suburbia Walkshops� at one of the fastest growing, culturally diverse urban centre within the 905’s. Through a half a day, interactive walk-and-talk forum, over 80 city-building professionals from diverse disciplines and different parts of the Region engaged in critical conversations on citybuilding issues and opportunities through experiencing first-hand the multiple dimensions of current challenges and future opportunities. Leading to the evening is expert panels that draw on international and GTA experts from both public and private sectors on critical conversations to enable urbanization through paradigm shift and culture change. The goal was to build ideas and common ground on practical solutions that will serve both immediate and long term interests on urbanizing suburbia.

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ULI Urbanizing Suburbia ULI Walkshop • Drive critical conversations as catalytic force for urban centers revitalizations, transit-oriented developments, technology integrations, arts and culture destinations, public realm transformation and placemaking • Draw on insights from panelists and audience from mixture of public and private sectors • Build common ground on executable practical solutions to the issues surrounding urbanizing suburbia

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1 Foundation • Build upon ULI current information resources in setting standards of excellence in current development practice, urban planning, and sustainable growth management

2 Presentation • Industry experts present site context, current trends and challenges, best practices and strategies.

3 Tour • Tour of land conditions • Use visuals in booklet as reference • Speakers and audience identify challenges and opportunities

4 Dialogue • Dialogue between speakers and participants • We look forward to hear about your ideas.


SPEAKERS

Alex Taranu

Bilal Farouq

Bob Bjerke

Brent Raymond

Director of Policy Planning, City of Brampton

Partner, DTHA

Jayne Holmes

Director of Capital Works, City of Brampton

John MacRitchie Assistant VP, Zone Learning & Strategic Initiatives, Ryerson University

Ken Greenberg

Laura Lukasik

Richard Blundell

Robert Catherall

Suzy Godefroy

Senior Advisor of Public Works and Engineering, City of Brampton

Managing Director, MaRS Discovery District

Canada Research Chair, Ryerson University

Coordination of Strat. Culture Projects, City of Brampton

Principal, Greenberg Consultants

Executive Director, Downtown Brampton BIA

Manager of Tourism and Special Events, City of Brampton

Yvonne Yeung

Manager of Urban Design, City of Brampton

Bryce Miranda

Cherise Burda

Daniel Haufschild

Devin Ramphal

Michael Vickers

Oliver Paul

Paul Aldunate

Quentin Hanchard

Partner, DTHA

Co-Director, Akin

Executive Director, Ryerson CBI

Co-Director, Akin

Principal, ARUP

Expeditor of Economic Development, City of Brampton

Sector Manager of Innovation and Technology, City of Brampton

Associate Director of Development, TRCA

Zhixi Zhuang

Graduate Program Director (Interim), Ryerson University

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ULI Urbanizing Suburbia MACRO VIEW ULI Suburban Development and Redevelopment Product Council North America is in the midst of “suburban remix.” A perfect storm of challenges has broken apart a 70-year-old suburban growth model shaped around car-focused, relatively affluent, and dispersed development. But as this model falls apart, another far more resilient model is taking shape: walkable, dense, diverse, compact and urban. In 21 years, Ontario’s population will grow by almost 4.3 million. 67% of this growth (i.e. 2.9 million) is anticipated to take place within the Greater Toronto Area, the fastest growing region of the province. Over 76% of this growth will be from international migration which further diversify the cultural landscape of the Greater Toronto Area. Children and youth will represent 20% of the future population, and seniors will represent 24% of the population in 2041. While all other regions within Ontario is shifting to an older age structure, the GTA is expected to remain with the youngest age structure as a result of strong international migration and positive natural increase. With the announcement of the $28 billion Regional Transit Plan, the Greater Toronto Area is getting more connected. The combine effect of rapid population growth and international migration also shape our suburban areas (i.e. represent 80% of the GTA) to urbanized centres connected by high order transit. While many of these new urban centres are suburban in their current state, municipalities have invested in plans for an urbanized future. These collective “nuclei” of growth and transformations create a multi-centred Region in a significant way. Why shift suburbia • demographic is shifting • offerings are shifting • lifestyle is shifting • economy is shifting (knowledge industries, high skilled, non-routine interpersonal job focus) • new opportunities open up through transit connections (which drive animation along corridors and nodes around stops) and global connections (virtual network, entrepreneur network) Why shift city-building • implementation through changing culture, enabling partnerships and working across boundaries • ride the demographic wave, generation Y as key driver of demand for compact, walkable places • sustain citizens engagement through creating thriving destinations, places and events • lead through proactive comprehensive community planning and urban design to meet changing needs • common global problems, different local opportunities

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Yvonne specializes in participatory approach to visioning, master-planning, implementation and advocacy of sustainable and resilient transit-oriented complete communities. Appointed to the ULI Urban Land Institute Suburban Development and Redevelopment Product Council and the ULI Toronto District Council Management Board, Yvonne leads the strategic engagement to the Greater Toronto Region, promoting progressive city-building practices and collaborations between public and private sectors. She has served on the City of Toronto Public Art Commission Review Panel, OALA Editorial Board, CSA Design Standards Committee, GBCI LEED Exam Review Committee and has served as speaker at Smart Cities Expo, AMCTO Municipal Leadership Forum and university design studios at Toronto, Waterloo, Ryerson, Guelph, Oklahoma, and York. Her community-driven urban design process with the St. James Town Community was profiled at Design Exchange and was awarded honour by the American Society of Landscape Architects. Yvonne travels regularly and has recently been to Oslo, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo to document the emerging trends and innovation in transit-oriented system, technology, and land development business model.

Yvonne Yeung

Manager of Urban Design, City of Brampton ULI Suburban Development and Redevelopment Product Council


MICRO VIEW ULI Toronto District Council Advisory Board The City of Brampton is one of the fastest growing, most diverse and “youngest” cities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe surrounding Toronto. It is in the throes of a major transformation from an auto-oriented post-war suburban community to a more sustainable, denser transit-oriented future. Brampton is moving away from the postwar growth model of auto-oriented sprawl, and beginning to implement a new growth model - the urbanized suburb. This transition is occurring not only in Brampton, but also throughout the Greater Toronto region. Despite being known as a global city region, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is only 20% urban. Downtown Brampton, the heart of this suburban city, is changing; not being re-built from the ground up, but being re-developed in a way that highlights its legacy urban fabric, major investment in transit, unique demographics as an ‘arrival city’ for new Canadians, and opportunities for strategic intervention. It is being re-imagined as a resilient, urban, dense, and walkable version of itself. Why shift Brampton • role as test-bed to represent North American post-war suburban cities transformation • post war impact: first boom in 1981 from 41k to 150k population, next boom in 1996 to 270k population, last boom in 2006 to 440k population, then growth slowed down in 2016. what is missing? • robust transit connection: then, now, future. what are the opportunities? • international human capital and innovation advantage: immigration of entrepreneurs to compliment Canadian high technical skill set, young demographics 42% under 29 years old to compliment post secondary education focus which lay foundations for future prosperity and innovation • macro factors open up opportunities: GTHA population growth, rapid transit extension, need of “home” for “missing middle” population that will stabilize neighbourhoods, most wanted companies locate to where talents are, how can we take best advantage of these? Why shift Brampton city-building • Vision 2040 laid out end-state of transformation • lead through proactive comprehensive community planning and urban design to meet changing needs • window of opportunity: from policy projects to precinct plans to new official plan • acupuncture over vast area: 220 acre within Queen Street Urban Growth Centre, and more • an elephant in the room: rethink road widening - transforming arterial to urban corridors • connect the dots: re-orient transit and land use integration • create hubs and centres: create 20 minute walkable complete neighbourhoods • finer grain active transportation more choices to move around, more freedom to empower citizens • full life-cycle, inter-generational living, housing affordability and social equity • climate readiness, sustainability, urban sponges to enable development

Ken Greenberg is an urban designer, teacher, writer, former Director of Urban Design and Architecture for the City of Toronto and Principal of Greenberg Consultants. Cities as diverse as Toronto, Hartford, Amsterdam, New York, Boston, Montréal, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary, St. Louis, Washington DC, Paris, Detroit, Saint Paul and San Juan Puerto Rico have benefited from his advocacy and passion for restoring the vitality, relevance and sustainability of the public realm in urban life. Ken is the recipient of the 2010 American Institute of Architects Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Design Excellence and the 2014 Sustainable Buildings Canada Lifetime Achievement Award, Board Member of Park People, Director of the Bentway Conservancy Board, cofounder and Vice Chair of the new City Building Institute at Ryerson University, author of Walking Home: the Life and Lessons of a City Builder, and Toronto Reborn: Design Successes and Challenges, urban design lead and client representative for The Bentway, advisor to Sidewalk Labs for Quayside on the Toronto waterfront, and Urban Design Strategic Advisor for the City of Brampton.

Ken Greenberg Principal, Greenberg Consultants, ULI Toronto Advisory Board

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ULI Urbanizing Suburbia MUNICIPAL VIEW City of Brampton The City of Brampton is entering into a period of unprecedented growth and change. By 2040, Brampton will reach 1 million residents, becoming home to an additional 385,000 residents and 185,000 jobs. In May 2018, the City of Brampton Council endorsed the Brampton 2040 Vision in response to the shifting demographics, lifestyles, economy, and connections that have already occurred in recent years. In March 2019, Council established the Term of Council Priorities to move the City towards implementing the Vision through four strategic directions: City of Opportunities, Mosaic, Green City, Healthy and Safe City, and Well-Run City. In May 2019, City departments further established work plans with key initiatives to deliver these priorities. They include 1) building complete communities, 2) unlocking uptown and downtown, 3) creating community hubs for urban neighbourhoods, 4) strengthening the alignment of planning, economic development, and transit, and 5) creating an innovative entrepreneurial environment. The City is currently developing precinct plans and an implementation framework to establish a solid foundation for a new Official Plan to be undertaken over the next two years while building upon Brampton’s competitive advantage, which includes: • • • • • •

Municipally-owned rapid transit connections and Züm rapid transit; Close proximity to Pearson International Airport; Culturally diverse demographics (77% visible minorities, 52% immigrants) with entrepreneur skills and connections; Young population (42% under 39 years old, overall one of the youngest populations in Canada) Investments from post-secondary institutions; Part of the Toronto Region tech hub and is located within the Toronto-Waterloo Region Corridor (2nd largest technology cluster in North America); • Large household size (average 3.5 person per units) and multi-generational living-style (25% of household); and • Is the second fastest growing city in Canada on the cusp of shifting to a sustainable future. Downtown Brampton is an ideal test case for a new growth model, as much of the framework is already in place and would benefit from innovative solutions that unlock its potential and bridge the gap between the present and future development needs.

Robert (Bob) Bjerke is the Director of Policy Planning with the City of Brampton where he oversees departmental-wide initiatives implementing the Brampton 2040 Vision. With over 18 years of senior municipal leadership experience, Robert is the former Chief Planner of Halifax , where he spearheaded the award winning Centre Plan which set the blueprint for a dense, livable and prosperous Regional Centre, initiated and led Halifax’s successful Integrated Mobility Plan. As Director of Housing for the City of Edmonton, Robert led the development of innovative policies focused on integrating affordable housing, green, efficient design with community supports and delivered the Cornerstone II Housing Program. He has also served as the Director of Planning and Sustainability for the City of Regina, where he led the development of a new official community plan with focus on creating complete neighbourhoods with integrated sustainability, diverse housing and mobility options. In addition Robert has worked in the private and the non-profit sectors and was the founding president of a Community Economic Development organization. Robert is a past president of the Saskatchewan Professional Planners Institute, has served on the National Council of the Canadian Institute of Planners and the national board of the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association.

Bob Bjerke

Director of Policy Planning, City of Brampton

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Case study city: Brampton, Ontario, Canada

Brampton is moving away from the postwar growth model of auto-oriented sprawl, and beginning to implement a new growth model - the urbanizing suburb. This transition is occurring not only in Brampton, but also throughout the Greater Toronto region. Despite being known as a global city region, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is only 20% urban in any real sense. Downtown Brampton, the heart of this suburban city, is changing; not being re-built from the ground up, but being re-developed in a way that highlights its legacy urban fabric, major investment in transit, unique demographics as an ‘arrival city’ for new Canadians and opportunities for strategic interventions. It is being re-imagined as a resilient, urban, dense, and walkable version of itself. Downtown Brampton is an ideal test case for this new growth model, with much of the framework has already in place, but still in need of innovative solutions that unlock its potential and bridge the gap between the present and future development needs. Currently, Downtown Brampton is a special policy area due to the increased flood risk associated with its location in Etobicoke Creek’s historic floodplain. However, it is set to reach a pivotal point in 2020, when the environmental assessment currently taking place will identify a preferred solution that will reduce flood risk to the downtown while at the same time produce opportunities for revitalization.

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Case study city: Brampton, Ontario, Canada Brampton is a young, diverse and dynamic city on the cusp of a remarkable shift to a more sustainable future as it experiences unprecedented growth. We will visit the pivotal moment in the transformation on the City of Brampton, as the City shift from 2040 Vision into implementation. In 21 years, Brampton’s population will reach over 1 million. Brampton will be: • home to additional 385,000 residents; and • place of employment for additional 185,000 jobs. To accommodate this growth, the council endorsed Brampton 2040 vision, direct growth to the below Centres and Town Centres:

Uptown Brampton 80,000 population 53,000 jobs

Jobs-to-household 1.8 Persons per unit 2.7 Large City-owned land Yes 16

Downtown Brampton

Bramalea

Town Centres

Jobs-to-household 1.3 Persons per unit 2.8 Large City-owned land Yes

Jobs-to-household 1.3 Persons per unit 2.8

Jobs-to-household 1.5 Persons per unit 2.8

55,000 population 26,000 jobs

50,000 population 24,000 jobs

85,000 population 46,000 jobs


Civic Investments as catalyst for revitalization Civic investments as catalyst for revitalizing Downtown Brampton and building complete community Civic investments include: • Centre for Innovation & Library

• Riverwalk

• Downtown Reimagine

• Entrepreneur Centre

• City-building Centre

Centre for Innovation

Riverwalk

Brampton Entrepreneur Centre Brampton City-Building Centre

Downtown Reimagine

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Rapid transit investments unlock opportunities for growth Rapid transit investments present opportunities for integrating planning + urban design + transit + development in city-building. Current rapid transit connections include: • Brampton Züm Transit with 3 to 5 minute headway • GO Transit 30 min headway to Downtown Toronto • 27 min ride from Bramalea GO to Pearson International Airport

26min

Markham Centre

AM PEAK Richmond Hill Centre

TO UNION STATION 27min

York Viva

AM PEAK

TO / FROM AIRPORT

Vaughan Metropolitan Centre

Promenade Terminal

SUBWAY VMC

Brampton Züm

York University

Brampton Civic Hospital

36min AM PEAK

Trinity Common Terminal GO

TO UNION STATION Train & Bus

Metrolinx GO

Georgetown

Bramalea Terminal GO

GO GO

GO

Humber College

Bus

Mount Pleasant Terminal

GO

Downtown Brampton Terminal

Peel Memorial Hospital

MI Brampton Bus 407 Gateway Park & Ride Terminal GO MI Sheridan Bus Bus College

GO

Mount Pleasant

Malton

Bus

Brampton

Train & Bus

GO

Etobicoke General Hospital

GO

GO

Bramalea Toronto Pearson International Airport

Etobicoke North

Toronto TTC GO

Bloor

GO

Kipling

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Lisgar MI GO Bus

Train & Bus

Mississauga City Centre Transit Terminal

Mississauga Transitway

UNION STATION GO Train and Bus


Release untapped current and future value Current Rapid Transit and Trail Connections

Planned Rapid Transit and Trail Connections (2041 tentative)

Brampton ZĂźm

Brampton ZĂźm

Trinity Common Terminal

Trinity Common Terminal Bramalea Terminal

GO

GO GO GO

Mount Pleasant

Brampton

Bramalea Brampton Gateway Terminal

LRT

Bramalea Terminal

GO

GO Toronto Pearson International Airport

Bramalea

GO GO MI

Mount Pleasant

Brampton

Brampton Gateway Terminal

Toronto Pearson International Airport

MI

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Cross-department implementation supported by Term of Council Priorities 2018 - 2022 Term of Council Priorities for implementing Brampton 2040 Vision include:

1. Build complete communities and revitalize existing neighbourhoods; 2. Unlock development potential of Downtown and Uptown to shift balance of

employment towards local jobs; 3. Support the community hub concept to increase flexible spaces and diversify

education and program opportunities; 4. Prioritize jobs within urban and town centres to spread employment opportunities

across the City and align planning with economic development and transit; and 5. Attract investment and employment through strategic investments in Brampton’s

brand that nurture a creative, innovative, and entrepreneurial environment.

Implemented through

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Precinct Plans for Urban Precincts 2019

Integrated Complete Community Master Plan 2020

Implementation, Partnerships and Co-development Framework 2021

New Official Plan 2022 (tentative)


Tech-friendly Ecosystem to achieve 60% of residents working within Brampton

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Downtown Brampton Urban Growth Centre

Do wn to

wn

Pr ec in

ct

Qu

ee

nS

tre

et

Pr

ec

inc

t

Downtown Brampton Urban Growth Centre

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3km


Waterfront Toronto Regeneration Areas Waterfront Toronto Regeneration Areas

East Bayfront Precinct West Don Lands Precinct

3km

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Unlock Downtown Brampton: the opportunities

Peel

Brampton

Additional 0.7 million population in Peel in 2041 (25% of total GTA growth) source: Ministry of Finance, Metrolinx

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Rapid transit expansions in 2014

Multi-generational homes for “missing middle� population in urban neighbourhoods

Most wanted companies locate to where talents are


Regional Network: “Green to Blue” Trail Potential “Green to Blue” Trail Potential

Downtown Brampton

29 km

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ULI Urbanizing Suburbia Walkshop: Unlock Downtown Brampton #2 TECH CORRIDOR C

C

A D

A D

E

E

#4 RIVERWALK

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#3 MEANWHILE STRATEGY

B

#1 TOD

B


Urbanizing Suburbia Walkshop: From Vision to Implementation AGENDA 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: Lunch at Fanzorelli’s A Welcome / Introduction to Urbanizing Suburbia. Walkshop kick-off at Garden Square. 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm: Unlock Downtown Brampton # 1 Potential for Integrated Transit-Oriented Development B This Walk Shop will examine the opportunities around Brampton GO & Downtown Mobility Hub. Speakers will discuss First Mile/Last Mile solutions as well as tech-based transitions – how to fill the gap between current conditions and future challenges. The tour will conclude with a presentation at the Old Shoe Factory. 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm: Unlock Downtown Brampton # 2 Building a Tech-Friendly Ecosystem C This Walk Shop will examine opportunities around the Brampton Entrepreneur Centre & City-Building Exhibition. It will explore the opportunities enabled by co-working spaces and examine how technology, health and knowledge-based industries can better attract and retain talent through an improved tech-friendly ecosystem. The tour will conclude with a presentation at the Conservatory. 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm: Unlock Downtown Brampton # 3 Opportunities for a Meanwhile Strategy D This Walk Shop will explore the area surrounding the Rose Theatre and the opportunities for pedestrian-oriented spaces. Speakers will discuss ways to sustain engagement through festivals and events and nurture arts and culture through placemaking. The tour will conclude with a presentation at the Rose Theatre Atrium. 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm: Unlock Downtown Brampton # 4 Transforming Public Realm E This Walk Shop will delve into the potential of Brampton’s Riverwalk project. Speakers will examine the ways in which the Riverwalk can help to revitalize Brampton’s downtown and make it healthy, sustainable and resilient by engineering an innovative long-term solution to the flood risk. The tour will conclude with a presentation at the Brampton YMCA. 27


12 Key Challenges Below are 12 key challenges that are potentially key stepping-stones to unlock the potential of Downtown Brampton: Transit-oriented Development Challenge 1 What are the best practices for transit-oriented and transit-integrated development and how can rail transit trigger broader centre-wide transformation? Challenge 2 What are the best strategies to deal with last mile (in neighbourhood with mix of population density) and reduce the need for parking at stations? Challenge 3 What opportunities exist for integrated transit-oriented developments, creation of new landmark for the community and a shift away from auto dependence? How to create a condition that enable partnerships to unlock land development potential and leverage transit investment? Tech-friendly Ecosystem Challenge 4 What roles do co-working and tech-sector play in the city? What are needed to better leverage tech and health sectors to bring jobs to downtown? Challenge 5 What is unique about Brampton’s diversity and demographics to provide human capital to enable this tech-friendly ecosystem? Challenge 6 How to create and capture value through a sustainable urban structure? Opportunities for a Meanwhile Strategy Challenge 7 What opportunities exist to transform experience through arts and culture, pop-ups, adaptive reuse and vibrant public spaces? Challenge 8 How to create destinations in downtown? Challenge 9 How to take advantage of downtown’s unique qualities and assets while awaiting long range development and major infrastructure investment? Transforming Public Realm Challenge 10 What role does Riverwalk play in the City? What opportunities exist to create a new civic precinct related to this new expansion of the public realm? Challenge 11 How can floodproofing be leveraged to create new community facilities, place for celebration and special events, and new parks and open space network? Challenge 12 How can Riverwalk help to revitalize Brampton’s downtown and make it healthy, sustainable and resilient?

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12 Recommended Action Items Below are 12 recommended action items that are potentially key stepping-stones to unlock the potential of Downtown Brampton: Transit-oriented Development Action 1 Prioritize development of critical mass of mixed-use density within the Brampton GO Parking lot. Action 2 Develop and implement on-demand service to meet first-and-last mile needs to and from Brampton GO. Action 3 Prioritize development of partnership and implementation framework including value capture, finance, legal, marketing, and planning tools. Tech-friendly Ecosystem Action 4 Utilize co-working spaces as anchors to attract retail development in their immediate vicinities; drawing businesses such as restaurants, coffee shops, and other retailers that cater to dense populations of white-collar workers Action 5 Prioritize attraction and retention of talent through creation of a walkable downtown with 1) rich amenities; 2) clean and safe streets; 3) a sense of place and place management; 4) a lively environment with entertainment, art and cultural attractions; 5) a wide range of transportation; 6) housing and public amenities; 7) office spaces that reflect innovative and creative company culture, such as repurposed industrial buildings, inspired architecture and open office spaces. Action 6 Prioritize development of partnership and implementation framework including flexible lease terms, pre-built out spaces, establishment of a broader regional/international co-working network. Opportunities for a Meanwhile Strategy Action 7 Prioritize activation of storefronts, adaptive reuse of heritage and publicly owned properties through creative placemaking, creative pop- ups, clear and compelling wayfinding, and establishment of an arts and culture district. Action 8 Prioritize activation of the street level environment by introducing lights, shade, and art into the streetscape, improving connections to Riverwalk while enhancing the visibility of cultural assets, and activating alleys and crosswalks. Action 9 Prioritize development of partnership and implementation framework that includes a centralized data base of vacant properties, flexible lease-terms, flexible leasing hours (such as different uses within same unit / area throughout the day) for co-working space, temporary retail space, food stalls, event spaces, bars, etc. Transforming Public Realm Action 10 Prioritize implementation of flood mitigation, creation of new public parks and public realm as unlocked through the Riverwalk project. Action 11 Prioritize the opportunity to leverage publicly owned lands to create a new urban gateway for the Etobicoke Creek trail system and set the stage for a broader inter-city “green to blue” trail network (one hour bike ride, 20 km unobstructed route to waterfront). Action 12 Prioritize development of partnership and implementation framework including opportunities for a municipal development corporation, cross- government partnerships, funding timing alignment to meet the Greater Toronto Area and the City’s anticipated growth rates.

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #1: Potential for Integrated Transit-Oriented Development

With the announced $28 billion Regional Transit Plan, the provincial government is seeking to capture a significant amount of the land value created through massive infrastructure investments. A new approach is being taken to fund public infrastructure and deliver transit-oriented development (TOD). The goal is to drive project planning and implementation timelines with nearly two-thirds of the plan’s funding, sourced from other levels of government and benefiting land-owners. Studies have shown that 1) transit oriented development (TOD) can generate between $1.13 and $2.20 in tax and non-tax revenues for every $1 of public services provided to residents and employees; 2) median household income per unit for TOD projects is more than 10% higher than non-TOD units; 3) TOD’s sustainable mixed-use communities built around rail access can reduce traffic congestion, improve the health of residents and stabilize property value which may potentially provide low- and middle-income residents with access to housing closer to transportation hubs. The Brampton GO station is located centrally in downtown Brampton, and is a station on the Kitchener-Toronto commuter rail line that is being converted to two-way, all-day service with 15-minute headways; it is also directly connected to the municipally-owned Züm bus rapid transit. The surface parking lot associated with the Brampton GO is comprised of 8 acres of table-land which is outside of flood-prone and environmentally sensitive areas. This is the only contiguous piece of large table-land within 800 metres from the Brampton GO station, and holds significant potential for future development. At present, the majority of transit riders get dropped-off or ‘park and ride’ at the Downtown Mobility Hub and Brampton GO station rather than walking, cycling, or taking connecting local transit. There is also a need to address the problem of first and last mile access to the surrounding lower density neighbourhoods. Currently, conventional bus routes are present, but they are in low frequency and operate on fixed routes. Bilal Farooq, Director of Laboratory Innovations in Transportation at Ryerson University, proposed that Brampton should consider on-demand public transit as a solution to this issue. In Farooq’s words, “To address the first/last mile problem in low demand areas, by using information and communication technologies, municipalities can provide flexible-route on-demand public transit that has already proven its efficiency and high adoption rate in the Canadian context.” A culture shift is needed - new objectives and partners are needed to leverage major infrastructure investments and improve how vital transit is integrated into the city fabric. The goal is to further unlock development opportunities within the province-designated Downtown Brampton Urban Growth Centre.

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Artist concept of TOD at Brampton GO

8 acre (approx)

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #1: Potential for Integrated Transit-Oriented Development MICRO-INTEGRATION: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? Excerpts from Transit-oriented developments offer monetary boost for local governments by Sean Barry, Construction Dive, January 11, 2017 Transit-oriented housing schemes can result in significant financial savings for local governments. The study examined 10,000 transitoriented developments (TODs) and non-TOD apartment units within the Baltimore-Washington, DC, metropolitan region, with ULI noting that four of the selected TODs generated between $1.13 and $2.20 in tax and non-tax revenues for every $1 in public services provided to residents and employees. If the same four TOD projects were not located at or near a transit rail station, they would have only generated between $0.77 and $1.35 in tax and non-tax revenues for every $1 spent on public services. The study also found that the median household income per unit for TOD projects is more than 10% higher than non-TOD units. 32

The latest study by ULI on the impact of TODs, looking specifically at workforce housing that offers lowand middle-income households access to work in city centers, concluded that it is not only the best use of urban land and infrastructure, but it can also be a tax boost for municipalities. The report comes as TODs are gaining traction nationwide as many metro centers struggle to keep pace with booming housing demand as population levels rise, while affordable housing inventories also languish. TODs, which are sustainable mixed-use communities built around rail access, are also believed to reduce traffic congestion, improve the health of residents and stabilize property values. Last month, work started on the 71unit Gateway North project in Lynn, MA, that aims to provide low- and

middle-income residents access to housing close to transportation hubs. Washington, DC is looking at TOD schemes to help alleviate housing shortages as the city grows. Comstock Homes announced in November that it was teaming up with Stratford Capital Group on a transit-oriented, multifamily project near a Maryland station on the Metro rail system. Honolulu is also set to see its first TOD, with the city council approving the $700 million.


Brampton GO Train Station

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Future Downtown Central Central Area Mixed-use Designation

Future West Precinct City Hall mixed-use high-rise Manaolana Place, which will be located near a light rail station.

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #1: Potential for Integrated Transit-Oriented Development MICRO-INTEGRATION: HOW TO DEAL WITH FIRST AND LAST MILE CONNECTIONS? Excerpts from Walkability Now May Outweigh Transit Access in Valuing Location by Kevin Brass, Urbanland, October 9, 2018 Walkability Now May Outweigh Transit Access in Valuing Location

just a development next to transit, is growing more critical.”

Ride-hailing services and autonomous vehicles are already starting to change the economic formulas for transit-oriented development (TOD), a panel of developers and investors said during the 2018 ULI Fall Meeting in Boston.

The emphasis these days is more on walkability than a direct rail or metro connection, said Matt Birenbaum, chief investment officer at AvalonBay Communities, an equity real estate investment trust (REIT). The ability to walk to shops and restaurants can add more value than proximity to a rail link, he said.

Public transportation ridership is declining in most major cities, holding negative implications for TOD projects, said David Bragg, managing director of Green Street Advisors, who moderated a discussion on the impact of changing transportation technologies and behaviors on TOD assets. “Access to transportation was more important a decade ago than it is today,” largely due to changes in the demographics of the workforce, said Doug Linde, president of Boston Properties. “Creating a place, not 34

Ride-sharing services are having an impact on transportation planning in cities around the United States. In San Francisco, where ride sharing is widely used, single-occupant car trips have fallen from 82 percent of total trips in 2009 to an estimated 40 percent in 2019, according to Green Street data. The consequences of ride sharing will affect many aspects of development, across sectors, Bragg said. Two-car households likely will become one-car households,

freeing up garage space, he noted. The need for self-storage facilities may also decline, he said. “Low quality” retail may also suffer as driverless vehicles speed the adoption of online services, he said. Parking is another area in which developers and investors are struggling to find the right balance between short- and long-term plans. The ratio of parking spaces to developed space is declining in many markets, but tenants still demand as much parking as possible. Little catch-up is needed for some office clients, Briggs said. “When you bring suburban tenants in [to an urban area], they don’t believe that employees will use transit,” he said. “You still have a psychological barrier to reducing parking requirements.” Public agencies are trying to find new ways to deal with parking and

transit centers. In New Jersey, the city of Summit is subsidizing Lyft rides to the train station rather than creating a parking lot, Bragg noted. Even though proximity to a transportation hub may not be the deciding factor, AvalonBay often looks at public investment in transportation infrastructure when it evaluates a market, Birenbaum said. For example, transit projects in Denver may not increase the value of specific projects, but the public investment still drives the market from the company’s perspective, he said. Asked about the impact of scootersharing services on transportation dynamics, Linde said Boston Properties is trying to incorporate parking areas for scooters, but many jurisdictions are still wrestling with regulating the new services, making it difficult to plan for the future.


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Unlock Downtown Brampton #1: Potential for Integrated Transit-Oriented Development MICRO-INTEGRATION: HOW TO DEAL WITH TRANSITION? Excerpts from ULI Talk: The Bay Area’s Transportation Future by Roger Rudick, Streetblog SF, February 28, 2018 The Mandela Transit Village is a $900 million housing, office, and retail development proposal for the West Oakland BART Station. The Mandela Transit Village, a $900 million housing, office, and retail development proposal for the West Oakland BART Station, would be built on land that is now surfacelevel parking. Meanwhile, Sean Brooks, Real Estate and Property Development Manager for BART, also wants “more seamless connectivity with TNCs and future autonomous vehicles,” he said, adding that fare payment technology has to “let all systems integrate and talk to each other.” Especially in BART’s more suburban environment, that could reduce demand for parking, because people could bike to stations or take a TNC. That would free up surface parking lots to be 36

developed for housing and shopping, which would allow people to live closer to the stations, which in turn could reduce driving further–at least in theory. “Do we grow up or out as a region? Do we continue to expand our system to the Stocktons of the world, or do we intensify and densify the land uses around our stations? The answer is a combination of both.” He said the key is to slowly replace surface level parking with drop-off locations and mixed-use developments. Tumlin wondered if, given the price of land and the cost of maintaining parking spaces, it wouldn’t be cheaper for BART to develop its parking lots into housing and pay for a last-mile trip in a TNC for BART patrons. “BART controls some of the most valuable real estate in the region,” he said. “A parking spot costs at least $20 per

day,” to maintain that real estate, “and if you’re charging $2 or $3 for a parking spot, it’s cheaper to provide free Lyft service than to continue to subsidize parking.” As his company develops Mission Bay, it is trying to keep new parking structures flexible. As he explained, housing needs financing, and bankers require a certain amount of parking. So, he said, they are focusing on parking structures rather than street parking, and on consolidating parking into those structures. “How do we do it so we can potentially use that structure for other uses?” He explained that by keeping the top floors of the 3,000 spot parking structures flat, they hope some day to convert them to more housing or office space. “We developed the first master plan that doesn’t have one on-street parking spot–it’s all delivery zones

for TNCs, with parking aggregated into one building to keep the cars at the perimeter,” Knorpp explained.


The Mandela Transit Village, a $900 million housing, office, and retail development proposal for the West Oakland BART Station, would be built on land that is now surface-level parking. Image: BAR

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #1: Potential for Integrated Transit-Oriented Development TOD TALK AT OLD SHOE FACTORY • • • •

What are the best practices for transit-oriented and transit-integrated development and how can rail transit trigger broader centre-wide transformation? What opportunities exist for integrated transit-oriented developments, creation of new landmark for the community and a shift away from auto dependence? What are the best strategies to deal with last mile (in neighbourhood with mix of population density) and reduce the need for parking at stations? How to create a condition that enable partnerships to unlock land development potential and leverage transit investment?

In Farooq’s words, “To address the first/last mile problem in low demand areas, by using information and communication technologies, municipalities can provide flexible-route on-demand public transit that has already proven its efficiency and high adoption rate in the Canadian context.”

Bilal Farouq

Canada Research Chair, Ryerson University

Daniel Haufschild Principal, ARUP

Bilal Farooq is Canada Research Chair in Disruptive Transportation Technologies and Services. He is currently an Assistant Professor in Transportation Engineering at Ryerson University and also the Founding Director of Laboratory of Innovations in Transportation (LiTrans). He has received the Early Researcher Award both in the province of Québec (2014) and Ontario (2018). Bilal is interested in understanding the network and behavioural effects of emerging technologies like connected and automated vehicles as well as new concepts like mobility as a service.

Daniel leads Arup’s Canadian Integrated Planning practice. He is currently Project Director for the planning of the Vancouver SkyTrain extension to UBC, which is examining land development opportunities early in the planning process as a way to unlock the infrastructure investment. He is also leading the Queen Street Bus Rapid Transit business case for Metrolink. Previously, he was planning director at Metrolink for five years where his remit included bus and rail network planning and station area planning.

ACTION ITEMS THAT ARE POTENTIALLY KEY STEPPING-STONES TO UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL OF DOWNTOWN BRAMPTON: 1. Prioritize development of critical mass of mixed-use density within the Brampton GO Parking lot. 2. Develop and implement on-demand service to meet first-and-last mile needs to and from Brampton GO. 3. Prioritize development of partnership and implementation framework including value capture, finance, legal, marketing, and planning tools. 38

In Farooq’s words, “To address the first/last mile problem in low demand areas, by using information and communication technologies, municipalities can provide flexible-route on-demand public transit that has already proven its efficiency and high adoption rate in the Canadian context.”


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Unlock Downtown Brampton #2: Building a Tech-Friendly Ecosystem Brampton is located in the centre of the Waterloo-Toronto Region Corridor and is part of Canada’s Innovation Super Corridor. This 112 km corridor of innovation is comprised of 16 universities and colleges, and 6 million technology professionals; with over 150 languages spoken. It is a global centre of talent, growth, innovation and discovery, and the second largest technology cluster in North America. The city is home to a number of innovation and technology companies, including Rogers Communications Inc., Canon Canada, Entertainment One Ltd., and Amazon. In addition, the City of Brampton, along with post-secondary institutions such as Ryerson and Sheridan, groom talent in the technology industry via education and business incubators. For example, earlier this year, the City opened its first Entrepreneur Centre which provides co-working space, networking opportunities, and training for start-ups and technology-related businesses. Studies show that Canada is home to a large number of professionals with technical skills, particularly in the engineering and informational technology disciplines. However, there is a contrasting undersupply of professionals with business skills and entrepreneur experience. Brampton’s culturally diverse immigrant population (52% of the population are immigrants; 39% of immigrants are between 25 to 44 years old) may be part of the solution, able to provide entrepreneur skills to fill this talent gap. Brampton is also one of the youngest cities in Canada (42% of Brampton’s population is under 34 years old). To grow the talent pool and build up the young population, the City is focused on investing in post-secondary partnerships with Ryerson, Sheridan, and Algoma universities. Currently, Downtown Brampton is the home of Chang School of Continuing Education, part of Ryerson University; Brampton will be the future home of a cybersecurity hub – a development led by Ryerson in partnership with the City, Rogers Communications, and other significant groups. John MacRitchie, Assistant Vice-President of Zone Learning and Strategic Initiatives at Ryerson, describes the hub’s role as one of “multiplying, amplifying and celebrating the innovation activities in the community rather than creating them from scratch.” The City has the opportunity to use its extensive existing technological resources, including 320,000 trained professionals, to create a tech-friendly ecosystem that attracts and retains talent in the technology, health, and knowledge-based industries. There is an opportunity to further utilize co-working spaces as anchors to attract retail development in their immediate vicinities; drawing businesses such as restaurants, coffee shops, and other retailers that cater to dense populations of white-collar workers. Studies show that by 2020, more than 40% of the North American workforce, about 60 million people, will be freelancers, contractors, or temporary workers. Co-work is becoming such an attractive option that large corporations such as American Express are now placing some of their small teams off-site in co-working spaces in order to develop contacts, meet potential clients, and gather business intelligence. Co-working spaces are also occurring in non-traditional forms; such as the restaurant that rents out its space to tenants during the day while the restaurant is not in operation. Tenants of such operations are attracted to spaces that 1) are pre-built out, 2) have flexible lease terms, 3) provide amenities and services, and 4) allow for collaboration and sense of community. Rental spaces that meet these requirements typically have a high rate of occupancy. Similarly, shared spaces like WeWork provide professional settings to conduct business, while keeping overhead costs low and giving the flexibility to work from different WeWork sites when traveling to different cities, thus supporting the international nature of the tech sector. There is also an opportunity to attract and retain talented workers and build upon Brampton’s young population through creating a walkable downtown. Studies have shown that this population gravitates towards environments that possess certain features, which include 1) rich amenities; 2) clean and safe streets; 3) a sense of place and place management; 4) a lively environment - entertainment, art and cultural attractions; 5) a wide range of transportation; 6) housing and public amenities; 7) and office spaces that reflect on innovative and creative company culture - such as repurposed industrial buildings, inspired architecture and open office spaces. 40


Part of Toronto Region Tech Hub and located along Toronto-Kitchener Tech corridor Build a tech-friendly ecosystem to attract talents & tech companies

Brampton

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #2: Building a Tech-Friendly Ecosystem GLOBAL NETWORK, LOCAL CONNECTIONS: HOW TO ENABLE CO-INNOVATION THROUGH CO-WORK SPACES ALONG INNOVATION CORRIDOR?

Excerpts from How Co-working is Transforming the Office by Patrick J. Kiger, Urban Land, June 2, 2014 In Washington D.C.’s Chinatown neighborhood, a stately 133-year-old building that once housed a furniture store has been transformed into what may be the workspace of the future. Co-working spaces typically offer a range of options, from desk space in a bullpen area to enclosed spaces for small-business people who want a quieter atmosphere, where individual tech entrepreneurs may be sitting alongside professionals such as attorneys and interior designers. For as little as $325 a month for table space to $3,600 for a six-person enclosed office, WeWork seems to cater particularly—though not exclusively—to young members of the millennial generation, who have grown accustomed to starting and running their own businesses on a shoestring. Welcome to the world of co-working, a rapidly growing phenomenon that seems likely to have a significant impact on both the economy and 42

development of urban and suburban cores where such spaces tend to be located. Since its beginnings in the mid-2000s in San Francisco, coworking has spread to the point where there are probably more than 1,000 co-working spaces across the United State. Whereas the earliest co-working spaces were barely a step up from a table at Starbucks, larger providers have emerged to offer more sophisticated infrastructure and amenities, from event space and child care to smartphone apps that notify clients that their appointments have arrived. Coworking also has diversified, with a dizzying array of options and hybrids, ranging from spaces such as San Diego’s Hera Hub, which serves women entrepreneurs, to buildings that cater to specific industries or to nonprofits and environmentfocused businesses. And they have grown beyond office work to include

“maker spaces,” where tenants may share tools, industrial machines, or even commercial kitchens. When sisters Tammy Magney and Peggy Stefan decided to open a coworking space, the Commons, they settled on Excelsior, Minnesota, about a 20-minute drive from Minneapolis. Co-working spaces also have the potential to be anchors that attract development nearby—­restaurants, coffee shops, and retailers that set up shop to cater to the infusion of office workers. Elam, who developed one of her co-working spaces in a shopping center, notes, “When I signed my lease, the center was at 20 percent occupancy. Now it’s at 90 percent. I’d say that we helped that.” Similarly, Pierre expects WeWork’s new location in the old Wonder Bread factory in Washington’s Shaw neighborhood to provide economic stimulus there. “We’ll have 550 entrepreneurs working in Shaw,” he says. “It’s going to drive more businesses to stay open during

the day and get people to reassess the neighborhood. When clients come by, they’re going to see it. I think it’s one of the coolest neighborhoods—the kind of place where you would find someone like me on a Friday night.” Co-working is becoming such an attractive option that big companies such as American Express are now placing some of their small teams off site in co-working spaces in order to develop contacts and potential clients and gather business intelligence. Other companies, King notes, are redesigning their offices to feature open spaces that foster more interaction, in the fashion of coworking. But everyone seems to agree that co-working is a trend on the rise. Elam cites a 2013 study by Intuit that predicts that by 2020 more than 40 percent of the U.S. workforce— about 60 million people—will be freelancers, contractors, or temp workers.


Culturally diverse demographics with entrepreneur skills and connections International human capital Innovation advantage Brampton Entrepreneur appeared on Dragon’s Den

International entrepreneur & business skills

Canadian high technical skills (Engineering, IT)

BRAMPTON ENTREPRENEUR CENTRE

73% of Brampton population are visible minority 52% of Brampton population are immigrants source: Statistics Canada, Census data 2106

39% of Immigrants are Age 25-44 33% of Immigrants are Asians (including Southeast Asians)

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #2: Building a Tech-Friendly Ecosystem LEARNING TO SHARE: WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF CO-WORKING AND CO-LIVING?

Excerpts from How Co-working is Transforming the Office by Joshua Skolnick and Taylor Stout, ULI Washington, November 16, 2018 On October 30, 2018, over 100 real estate professionals gathered at ULI’s headquarters to observe an engaging panel discussion: Learning to Share: The Future of Co-Working and CoLiving. The expert panel discussed key elements of co-working and co-living space and about the future of the shared-space model. Moderated by Adam Glaser (Planning and Strategies Leader, Perkins+Will), the distinguished panel included Robert Summers (President/CEO, Pantera Management Group), Revathi Greenwood (Head of Americas Research, Cushman & Wakefield), Martin Ditto (CEO, Ditto Residential), and Jeff Chod (Managing Regional Director, Tishman Speyer). The panel brought a wide array of experience and backgrounds in the real estate industry and were able to give multiple perspectives on the value of shared space use. Adam kicked off the discussion by asking the panelists where they saw 44

the co-working and co-living space heading. Revathi pointed out that while 1% of the current D.C. market is made up of co-working space, that number could rise to 5-10%. With the rise in number of jobs, especially from small business or from contracting, there will be a need for smaller, more flexible office space which co-working space can provide. Jeff alluded to the fact that many jobs in D.C. are related to the government and therefore are dependent on federal funding, making the flexibility of a short-term lease more appealing. Jeff discussed four appealing characteristics that co-working space could provide to potential tenants: 1) Having prebuilt out space, 2) flexible lease terms, 3) amenities and services, and 4) collaboration and sense of community. The fact that shared space like WeWork, provided a professional setting to conduct business, while keeping overhead

costs low and the flexibility to work from different WeWork sites when traveling to different cities. Martin then gave great perspective on the co-living space, what it really means today, and the opportunity for co-living to improve tenants’ health and wellbeing. While office space is often looked at as either just traditional space or shared space, it is likely that in the future there will be a number of categories and scales that office space could fall into catering to different tenant needs. While convenience and location to home is a factor in office space, it is not considered the driving factor. Martin pointed out that co-working space is already happening out in the suburbs, just maybe not in the traditional sense that one might think. He referenced an example of a restaurant in the suburbs renting out its space to tenants during the day, while the restaurant was not in operation. The general consensus was that co-working space is still something that people want regardless

of where they live. Co-working could benefit from a recession because of the flexibility it provides tenants, however, some tenants may choose not to renew their leases in favor of the rent-free coffee shops and restaurants options. One topic with co-working space that continued to be brought up was the community aspect. Martin felt that co-living space created a sense of community by holding events geared to health and wellbeing. Jeff mentioned that the number one reason people go to co-working space was the sense of community. The open floor plan results in more informal face-to-face interactions that results in a sharp decrease in formal meetings. Rob added that the more interactions and open space plans tend to increase productivity as people are held more accountable.


Young population & post secondary education investments

RYERSON UNIVERSITY CYBERSECURITY HUB IN BRAMPTON

ALGOMA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS IN BRAMPTON

42% of Brampton population are under 34 years old (2016) source: Statistics Canada, Census data 2106

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #2: Building a Tech-Friendly Ecosystem WHAT MAKES INNOVATION DISTRICTS WORK? As economies around the world face exponential disruption from technology companies across all sectors, cities are trying to figure out how they can become the next hotbed for tech innovation. Initiatives range from the creation of planned innovation districts to creating conditions for innovation clusters to emerge organically.

Excerpts from What Makes Innovation Districts Work by Building, Building.ca, July 29, 2019 Catherine Osborne, a writer and editor with an expertise in architecture and urbanism, described an ‘innovation district’ as the urban phenomenon – born organically with the rise of Silicon Valley – where tech entrepreneurs cluster based on needs, to share knowledge and talent. The main feature of innovation districts is that they are community based, not siloed office buildings. “We previously used to measure efficiency of an office building by how many people we can populate on a floor-plate, but now the focus is really about what events can transpire, what amenities does this building have, what kind of programs can promote community activity,” said Patrick Fejer, Senior Design Principal at B+H, whose firm has worked with some of the world’s leading technology companies such as Google, Microsoft and Twitter, and was the lead designer for MaRS Phase II building in Toronto. “We worked on a project in Vancouver and we took the whole idea of lobby 46

and flipped it on its head. Instead of being a formal arrival space we made it a place where people can hang out. Instead of marble, we put in rough concrete, instead of a security desk, we said let’s have a barista serving coffee. We called it the ‘Anti Lobby’.” Beyond the workplace, what makes an innovation district – whether planned or organically formed – sustainable? How do we design our cities, streets and urban cores to sustain this kind of growth? Half the size of Toronto, the City of Melbourne has esteemed educational institutions and is becoming a leader in the educational technology and biotech sectors, which is attracting both local and international tech companies to lay roots in the city. This is contributing to a $2.2 Billion startup market. “Why are they choosing to stay here?” questioned the City of Melbourne’s first-ever Chief Digital Officer, Michelle Fitzgerald.

She explained “It’s about the talent and the livability of the city, strong transit links, great school systems for people to raise a family, great coffee and food.” Rising in the ranks each year, Toronto is the fourth largest and fastestgrowing tech-hub in North America. “Toronto is a safe, wonderful place, and we have incredible timing based on what is happening in the US over the last couple years. I think MaRS, in particular, has benefited from Toronto’s ecosystem being a cluster of AI innovation. It was the global recognition of the AI eco-system which brought a lot of talent and capital here.” said Candice Faktor, Managing Partner, Faktory Ventures, an early stage fund investor in exponential technologies and network effects. Faktor is a strong advocate of Toronto’s tech economy. Previously, Candice was the Global GM for Wattpad, where she helped scale the digital storytelling platform to over 50

million users. Prior to Wattpad, Candice co-created Torstar Digital, the corporate innovation arm of Torstar. To balance affordability with great places to work, a new breed of co-living rental spaces which model the rise of the co-working space – units with more shared spaces, Instagram worthy décor, and recreational programming. Spaces are being re-imagined for “the mobile millennial talent who want to work in innovation hubs but can’t afford to live in the city,” said Faktor. The importance of having mixed-use neighbourhoods to sustain the growth of innovation districts, proximity to academia, the University Health Network, access to TTC – “It was ripe in terms of its location.” MaRS is currently launching a new innovation community on the waterfront, in partnership with Menkes. The residential development by the waterfront will have a huge impact to its success, Froebelius explained.


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Unlock Downtown Brampton #2: Building a Tech-Friendly Ecosystem BUILDING TALENTS: HOW TO NURTURE KNOWLEDGE BASED PIPELINE FOR TALENT POOL, WHAT ARE TECHNOLOGY, HEALTH AND KNOWLEDGE BASED INDUSTRIES LOOKING FOR? Excerpts from Walkable Downtowns Drawing Companies and Talent by Peter Slavin, Urbanland, July 1, 2015 According to a new report from Smart Growth America, “As job migration shifts toward cities and commercial real estate values climb in these places, a vanguard of American cities” have bet on walkable neighborhoods. A survey of 500 companies that have built or expanded in walkable urban neighborhoods pointed to a number of competitive advantages they gain from locating in walkable downtowns including: Attracting and retaining talented workers; Capitalizing on their surroundings to build their brand and corporate identity; Facilitating creative collaboration with nearby colleagues; Being close to business partners; Centralizing operations; and Supporting “triple bottom line” business outcomes (profits plus socially and environmentally friendly 48

investment in a city center). Businesses choosing to locate downtown are enormously diverse, represent more than 170 industries, including manufacturers, information technology companies, universities and colleges, advertising agencies, and oil and gas companies. Fifty-two are on the Fortune 500 and 12 are on Fortune’s 2015 list of “100 Best Companies to Work for.” “By far the most prominent reason companies cited for their move downtown,” the report said, “was to recruit and retain talented workers . . . in a fiercely competitive environment.” They meant millennials in particular. According to Zimmerman, studies show that millennials “place the choice of where to live” over what job to take. Adam Klein, chief strategist of American Underground, a startup incubator in Durham, North Carolina, put it this way: “We wanted to be in an amenity-rich

environment where our employees could walk to get a cup of coffee and participate in art, music, and the excitement of downtown. To attract young talent, you have to provide the whole package. It’s no longer just a job, it’s no longer just an office. It’s about the experience, it’s about creating a sense of place.” A place where, she says, employees can live, work, and play more seamlessly. “More opportunities for social interaction,” she adds, “are the key things that millennials are looking for.” Companies are looking for: Walkable neighborhoods where they can live and play (i.e., a vibrant mix of cafés, restaurants, shops, entertainment venues, and cultural attractions as well as housing). Accessibility by a wide range of transportation options as well as easy access to the rest of the city and region.

Great office space reflecting an innovative and creative company culture. Often this means renovated warehouses, inspired architecture, and open office space. A warm welcome from the city. This could be financial incentives, help with permitting and licensing, or simply a personal welcome or tour of the city. Clean, safe streets. Creating walkable downtown neighborhoods “is a crucial economic development strategy for cities,” says Geoff Anderson, Smart Growth America’s president and CEO. The report calls on cities without such downtown neighborhoods to take proactive measures to create them. The report concludes with a laundry list of steps—in urban design, infrastructure, housing, public amenities, place management, and so on—that cities can take to attract companies to their own downtowns.


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Unlock Downtown Brampton #2: Building a Tech-Friendly Ecosystem HOW CAN MUNICIPALITIES WORK WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO HELP ATTRACT MORE CREATIVE COMPANIES?

Excerpts from ULI Member Outlook for Attracting and Retaining the Creative Class by Ron Nyren, Urbanland, June 16, 2017 Municipalities should be open to changes in use of spaces. One of the things that makes some cities more vibrant than others is that they are more flexible in terms of the building code and zoning, whether it’s to allow the conversion of downtown offices to apartment buildings or the redevelopment of older office buildings to suit the needs of contemporary companies. In the Bay Area, the availability and affordability of housing are becoming [of] paramount [importance]. Many of the cities are doing a good job of trying to create urban nodes that can serve as a hub for transit and development, to centralize the energy that it takes to create a vibrant community. We’re working on some conversions of former military bases that have been lying fallow for years. We just finished a master-planning project for what used to be the Alameda Naval Air Station, now called Alameda Point. It has direct ferry service to the city, much better 50

bus transit, better connections to BART, and a network of open spaces. San Francisco has a number of projects along the waterfront that convert old industrial areas into areas where people can live in a way that’s well connected to both the urban context and the natural environment. Many places where “creatives” feel most comfortable tend to be on the margins of things. They are pioneers in the effort to transform spaces that were deemed useless. The private sector can provide resources to help sustain these efforts, but the people who are actually creating the transformation have to feel like they’re using their own resources to make it happen. In SoHo [the South of Houston neighborhood in Manhattan] and in [parts of] other cities, creative people moved into warehouses or industrial buildings because they were affordable. They were anointing these spaces as cool. Then private sector development started to pour money

into those settings. Typically, in these circumstances, municipalities are often at the very tail end of things, as in SoHo. Once there was a critical mass of these pioneers inhabiting these spaces illegally, municipalities tried to regulate it to address lifesafety concerns. That’s truly when the dampening spirit tends to pervade what was once the creative sparkle, and the thing becomes something different. It now becomes a commodity. Young people are acutely sensitive to the difference between authentic and inauthentic places. Even suburban cities like White Plains [in Westchester County, New York] or Jersey City have areas that feel authentically urban. They have sidewalks and older buildings. To attract companies that might otherwise locate in megacities, municipalities should focus development initiatives on the parts of the city that already have an authentic sense of place and then try

to support a concentration of retail, access to places that people can go after hours, and access to mass transit and an airport. Educational institutions, both colleges and universities, can play an important role in enhancing the cultural mix of a city, particularly in an urban setting. Learning environments and colleges align well with creative-class demographics and can serve as breeding grounds for creative companies, while adding a younger vibe to the urban core. College students at downtown campuses expand the tenant pool. Performing and visual arts organizations are key elements of a vibrant, active community. The creative class embraces the arts, both formal and informal, as part of their daily life experience.


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Unlock Downtown Brampton #2: Building a Tech-Friendly Ecosystem Value Capture Finance

Making urban development pay its way Excerpts from Urban Investment

Network VCF represents an innovative means of maximizing a city’s assets. It is a finance mechanism which not only shares the risks and costs of urban development between public and private actors, but also the rewards. VCF sees some of the costs associated with making urban development succeed internalized within the balance sheets of the developments themselves. Public goods are consequently provided by urban development without the proportional draw on the public resources which would otherwise finance them. This potentially means that value capture is an attractive idea to the public sector (as it provides additional resources for public goods) and for the private sector (as it ensures that the value created by development is at least partly locally reinvested rather than being more broadly dispersed). VCF involve a financial positive feedback loop with four components: i) ‘Value creation’ The unlocking of and increase in the potential value of underused assets (land and/or structures) as a result of a public sector intervention to 52

stimulate demand from the private sector. ii) ‘Value realization’ Subsequent investment and development from the private sector which ensures that potential asset value increase is realized. iii) ‘Value capture’ Arrangements by the public sector for the acquisition of a proportion of private sector returns for local reinvestment. This can take the form of monetary or in-kind contributions from the private to public actors. iv) ‘Local value recycling’ The reinvestment of acquired monetary or inkind contributions from the private sector within the same development site or scheme. This re-investment can pay for the initial public intervention but tends to fund further interventions. These further interventions must have a public good element to them but may also benefit the private sector by consolidating value gains already made. VCF is the appropriation of value, generated by public sector intervention and private sector investment in relation to an underused asset (land and/or structure), for local re-investment to produce public good and potential private benefit. VCF maintains both an: 1) Inward rate of return. The revenue return for the private sector following initial investment; and 2) External rate of return.


The proportion of this revenue which is reinvested in the same development scheme for the public good. In this way, VCF deals are designed to create a winwin situation from development which benefits both public and private sector actors. Value Creation: How are potential increased asset values created by public sector intervention?

development and increases in tourist flows as a result of enhanced area infrastructure and image. Value realization: How are potential increased asset values realized by private sector investment? Asset values are tangibly increased and unlocked by private sector involvement and investment in a number of ways:

Potential asset value increase can be facilitated by a number of types of public intervention:

• Direct investment. e.g. new buildings and facilities as well as existing buildings and facilities.

• Land use change using planning and regulatory tools. e.g. zoning, restrictive land use planning and planning permission.

• Comprehensive master-planning. e.g. for new uses of land and buildings.

• Enhanced infrastructure provision. e.g. road, rail, metro and airport links, as well as basic utility provision. • Environmental improvement. e.g. remediation of polluted land, or tackling of dereliction. • Enhanced service delivery and image. e.g. destination marketing, iconic architecture, event hosting and management, policing and cleaning. • Population increase. e.g. residential

• Area promotion. e.g. enhanced destination branding and marketing. Value capture: How are increased asset values captured for the public good and private profit? A prerequisite for a successful VCF project is that there must be sufficient value created that a proportion may be captured by both public actors and privates. The inward rate of return is secured as profit by the private sector. This private value capture is primarily via the rent or sale of new or enhanced housing, retail

or office units.

housing, and transport links and utilities provision and upgrade

A range of mechanisms are then used by the public sector to capture enhanced • Operating revenue: e.g. ticket sales and toll payments asset values realized by the privates: associated with infrastructure • Land transfers. e.g. land held in developments. private or public ownership is Local value recycling: How is this provided to the public promoter for captured asset value recycled for the public usage. public good? • Local taxation: e.g. local general The captured value (in monetary targeted taxation and local real form or ‘credit’ to leverage in-kind estate tax increments where contributions from the private sector) revenues are reinvested into the can be recycled or reinvested in the same area in which they were same development scheme for the collected. public good in two main ways: • Fees and levies: e.g. planning • Public sector led re-investment: approval fees, development levies Increased public revenues and infrastructure tariffs. captured from the private sector • Debt servicing/Loan guarantees: through enhanced local taxation, e.g. securing loans against the fees and levies pay for further increased or future increase value of government interventions within the land. the same development area. • Local service agreements: e.g. This reinforces asset values and private actors agree to prioritize the positive social-economic impacts. local community for access to new • Private sector led re-investment: facilities or manage basic public The public actor offers private services or public space. actors the opportunity to • Private-led local infrastructure deliver community-orientated and amenity provision and infrastructure directly. This also enhancement: e.g. schools, further increases asset values and community centres, affordable positive social-economic impacts.

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #2: Building a Tech-Friendly Ecosystem TECH-ECOSYSTEM TALK AT CONSERVATORY • What roles do co-working and tech-sector play in the city? What are needed to better leverage tech and health sectors to bring jobs to downtown? • What is unique about Brampton’s diversity and demographics to provide human capital to enable this tech-friendly ecosystem? • How to create and capture value through a sustainable urban structure? John MacRitchie, Assistant Vice-President of Zone Learning and Strategic Initiatives at Ryerson, describes the hub’s role as one of “multiplying, amplifying and celebrating the innovation activities in the community rather than creating them from scratch.” John MacRitchie Assistant VP, Zone Learning & Strategic Initiatives, Ryerson University

Richard Blundell Managing Director, MaRS Discovery District

John leads Office of Zone Learning overseeing the institutional strategy and direction of the 10 innovation Zones at Ryerson University. The community-connected Zones cover a full spectrum of sectors from a Biomedical Zone embedded in a Toronto research hospital to the Social Venture Zone supporting social entrepreneurs and innovators and including the DMZ, the globally No. 1 ranked university-linked incubator. Previously, John led institutional initiatives at the Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation including management of the Canadian Accelerator and Incubator Program and the Ontario Campus-Linked Accelerator (CLA) funding to the Ryerson University Zones. He is a founding director of I-INC, the national network of university-based innovation hubs, and he recently coordinated Ryerson’s $160M proposal for a new campus in Brampton, Ontario. Prior to joining Ryerson, John was regional director for a provincial innovation funding agency and in the private sector, spent over 15 years in international business development for large industrial control systems projects in China, United States, Brazil, Taiwan and Canada.

Richard Blundell is the Managing Director of Cleantech at the MaRS Discovery District. He leads the development of applied innovation networks for global, corporate partners and a team that delivers talent, capital and market related services to a network of over 340 Cleantech startups from pre-revenue to high growth ventures. Prior to that, Richard has 35 years of senior executive management experience in Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia in new business creation and management of growth-stage businesses in global markets. Richard also teaches the MBA programs at Rotman School of Management in sustainability, innovation and entrepreneurship. Mr. Blundell holds a BSc from the University of Toronto and an MBA from IMD, Lausanne.

ACTION ITEMS THAT ARE POTENTIALLY KEY STEPPING-STONES TO UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL OF DOWNTOWN BRAMPTON: 1. Utilize co-working spaces as anchors to attract retail development in their immediate vicinities; drawing businesses such as restaurants, coffee shops, and other retailers that cater to dense populations of white-collar workers 2. Prioritize attraction and retention of talent through creation of a walkable downtown with a) rich amenities; b) clean and safe streets; c) a sense of place and place management; d) a lively environment with entertainment, art and cultural attractions; e) a wide range of transportation; f) housing and public amenities; g) office spaces that reflect innovative and creative company culture, such as repurposed industrial buildings, inspired architecture and open office spaces. 3. Prioritize development of partnership and implementation framework including flexible lease terms, pre-built out spaces, establishment of a broader regional/international co-working network. 54


2:35 TECH Stop: Entrepreneur Centre & City-building Centre 1

2 2:50 TECHECOSYSTEM TALK AT CONSERVATORY

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #3: Meanwhile Strategy for Arts and Culture

As the identity of Brampton has changed from a historic suburban town to a diverse, young, artistic centre – hometown to creatives such as Alessia Cara (singer, songwriter and instrumentalist) and Rupi Kaur (poet, writer, illustrator, and performer), the identity of the city is being enhanced through festivals and events that support arts and culture, including farmers’ markets, annual food and music festivals. At present, Downtown Brampton is home to the 800-seat Rose Theatre, Peel Art Gallery Museum, Beaux Arts Brampton and Algoma University. Recently, Culture Brampton collaborated with NXNE (an annual music and arts festival with over 350,000 attendees) to produce “This is Brampton”, a showcase event of up-and-coming artists from the Brampton area. Future projects may include collaborations with organizations, such as AKIN (an arts organization that provides affordable studio space and arts-based programming), to provide low-cost interim spaces to artists, re-purpose laneways (for example, Vivian Lane), and create a culture hub. There is opportunity for a renaissance of the historic downtown centre to bring large economic benefits to the City through a “meanwhile strategy.” This strategy takes advantage of interim space and existing architecture to establish Downtown Brampton as an arts and culture destination. Within downtown, there are a large number of vacant properties (both heritage and commercial buildings) which provide opportunities for co-working spaces, temporary retail spaces, community engagement areas, and interim uses such as food halls run by local entrepreneurs, and bar and events programming. Main Street within Downtown Brampton is a key area comprised of a mix of heritage properties with distinctive characteristics which provide an opportunity to grow value through creative place-making and adaptive reuse. Further, activating storefronts with creative popups, establishment of a performing arts district, and upgrades to the public realm - introducing light, shade, and art into the streetscape, improving connections to the Riverwalk, enhancing the visibility of cultural assets, activating alleys and crosswalks, and developing clear and compelling wayfinding – will fortify the integration of the identity of Brampton with the downtown core.

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Vision for Diplock Lane, Downtown Brampton

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #3: Meanwhile Strategy for Arts and Culture CREATE PLACES: HOW TEMPORARY ACTIVATION OF VACANT BUILDINGS CREATE COMMUNITY DESTINATIONS

Excerpts from Growing Value through Creative Placemaking and Adaptive Reuse by Juanita Hardy, Urbanland, October 11, 2016 The Hall is the temporary activation of a warehouse building that had been blighted and vacant for seven years before Developers/Partners Tidewater Capital, a San Francisco–based investment and development firm, and War Horse, a Baltimore-based development firm, purchased the property in 2013.

entitlements to redevelop the site to provide 186 units of rental housing above 10,000 square feet (929 sq m) of retail space. The future development is planned to include a mix of market-rate and affordable housing and is expected to break ground next year.

The building is located in the Tenderloin, a San Francisco neighborhood that has long faced many social challenges such as drugs, unemployment, crime, and poverty.

The interim use consists of six food stalls placed in a foodhall setting and run by local entrepreneurs—all former foodtruck vendors. There also is a bar, plus events programming aimed at promoting positive change in the community.

The Hall, an experiment being conducted in 4,000 square feet (372 sq m) of temporary retail space, is focused on community engagement and urban revitalization while the development team seeks

The Hall is more than a culinary arts initiative. The space serves as a gathering place—a clubhouse of sorts. It was built with the intention of fostering connection among members of the community by creating a space to convene, break

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bread, and share experiences. Since opening in October 2014, the Hall has served more than 4,000 meals a week, been the site of more than 90 community events, and donated more than $35,000 to local nonprofit groups. Last year, it began serving monthly community breakfasts, open to all, during which the development team provides updates on the broader project, seeking input from stakeholders while also discussing such community topics as public safety, small business development, housing affordability, and arts in the community. Further, in an effort to address neighborhood unemployment, the Hall organized and sponsored two job fairs to help match employers with neighborhood job seekers. The Hall is a finalist for ULI’s 2016 Global Awards for Excellence.


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Unlock Downtown Brampton #3: Meanwhile Strategy for Arts and Culture ACTIVATING STOREFRONTS: HOW THE RENAISSANCE OF HISTORIC DOWNTOWN CENTRE BRINGS LARGE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY Excerpts from The Business Case for Creative Placemaking, by Juanita Hardy, October 5, 2018 Houston Street, the part of San Antonio’s historic downtown Center City is under-going a transformation representing over $1 billion of development. The Activate Houston Street campaign—launched by Centro San Antonio, a community development corporation with the mission “to mobilize people and resources to build a more prosperous downtown”—was charged with creating a placemaking action plan for the Houston Street corridor. Activate Houston Street is supported by the development community, including ULI members, who have active or planned development projects along Houston Street and in the Center City. San Antonio’s Center City Development & Operations Department (CCDO) is an implementation partner and champion of the campaign. The effort focuses on six blocks of Houston Street, beginning at the historic Alamo on the east and extending west to San Saba Street. 60

Centro has defined four discrete districts along this stretch—the Alamo, Performing Arts, Innovation, and Zona Cultural—each with distinct features and character. Surrounding development includes a world-class urban park on the 40-acre (16 ha) Hemisfair site, where the 1968 World’s Fair was held; mixed-use development designed to lure suburbanites to downtown residential living; and improvements to the San Pedro Creek, abutting Houston Street, including creation of the San Pedro Creek Culture Park, a linear park modeled after the River Walk. Centro spearheaded a charrette for San Antonio residents to imagine the possibilities for Houston Street. Pearl mixed-use development, formerly the Pearl Brewery, and the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts received a ULI Global Award for Excellence. Local chapters of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) produced a summary report, and among the top ten ideas identified in the summary, six were creative placemaking interventions.

These ideas include activating storefronts with creative pop-ups (temporary sites ranging from displays and exhibitions to cafés and artisan shops); developing clear and compelling wayfinding; establishing a performing arts district; introducing light, shade, and art into the streetscape; and improving connections to the River Walk and San Pedro Creek Culture Park while enhancing the visibility of cultural assets on Houston Street and activating alleys and crosswalks. Preparation for the charrette was guided by a 2017 study conducted by the International Downtown Association (IDA), which outlined proposed actions to activate Houston that reflect the needs of properties and adjacent neighborhoods. Each of the four districts along Houston Street has major development projects planned or underway. In the Zona Cultural district, for example, the city, in partnership with the county, Texas Public Radio, and La Familia Cortez, plan to restore the historic

Alameda Theater to its former glory. Completed in 1949 as a Mexican American entertainment venue, it was the largest venue of its kind dedicated to Spanish-language films and performing arts. Major artists from the United States, Spain, Mexico, and other Latin American countries performed there. The theater will be transformed into a multimedia live performing arts and film center featuring the American/Latino multicultural story. Historic sites such as the Alamo and Casa Navarro, the home of José Antonio Navarro, one of two nativeborn signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence, are being or have been preserved and improved. The Alamo, in addition to repair, restoration, and conservation activities, will get a new museum that features an expansive exhibit on the Texas Revolution. Casa Navarro underwent a $1 million restoration project in 2012 and in 2017 was named a National Historic Landmark.


UNTAPPED POTENTIAL THE WHY AND HOW OF BUILDING REUSE

Older buildings and neighborhoods are precious civic assets—as essential to cities as

In 2012 the National Trust and the Urban Land Institute ULI launched the Partnership for Building Reuse to better understand the market opportunity for reuse and uncover ways in which reuse could fuel revitalization efforts. A process was created, working with local ULI district councils, of interviewing stakeholders from a variety of fields—preservation, real estate, finance, community development, and city government—and discussing their shared experiences with reuse projects.

parks, schools, or public transit. They provide architectural character, sustain diversity, contribute to dense and walkable communities, and fuel local economies. Reusing older buildings advances community resilience and curbs climate change by reducing carbon emissions and material waste. Yet, millions of older buildings across the United States lie vacant and underused. To fully realize their potential, cities need new tools that remove barriers to reusing older buildings and discourage demolition.

TOP STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE BUILDING REUSE Cities across the country are using innovative approaches to make building reuse easier and more likely. Released in October 2017, the Untapped Potential report draws on a partnership between the Preservation Green Lab and Urban Land Institute designed to understand the barriers to building reuse nationally. The report outlines eight top-line approaches to make cities more reuse friendly, detailed below.

• What are the barriers faced by small-scale and reuse projects? • How does the regulatory environment impact these projects?

Retain and strengthen existing incentives for building reuse.

Knowing a city's built assets is the first step to being able to target incentives, programs, and infill development.

Support ongoing advocacy for the federal historic tax credit and new and strengthened state historic tax credits.

Eliminate, reduce, or recalibrate parking requirements. Fewer parking

• What tools are can encourage more redevelopment projects?

This poster outlines eight top-line strategies for promoting building reuse in various urban contexts. Developed over the course of the five-year Partnership for Building Reuse between the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Urban Land Institute, these strategies originally appeared in the Partnership’s cumulative report, Untapped Potential, in October 2017.

Leverage data and mapping tools to understand reuse opportunities.

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Update zoning codes to meet 21st-century needs. Promote new uses,

requirements incentivizes investment in older buildings. Shared parking in nearby locations can also fill this need.

greater diversity of uses, accessory dwelling units, and other context-sensitive zoning changes to provide more opportunities for reuse and infill.

Adopt a comprehensive adaptive reuse program. Adaptive reuse

Remove barriers that prevent change of use in existing buildings.

ordinances bring together incentives along with flexibility in building and zoning codes, removing unnecessary barriers to reuse projects.

Establishing provisions within the zoning code for appropriate and compatible “sister uses” can ease the transition to new uses by reducing red tape.

Cultivate new sources of public and private capital for smaller projects or projects in weaker markets.

Develop a “solutions database” for overcoming building code challenges. Daylighting creative solutions,

Leverage new and existing funds to cover gap financing, pre-development costs, and other expenses.

successful projects, and paths to navigate complex redevelopment problems can be invaluable to small-scale infill and adaptive reuse projects.

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #3: Meanwhile Strategy for Arts and Culture

Ruths.ai relocated its downtown Houston office to 8,457 square feet. The company provides an integrated analytics platform for oil and gas clients. UiPath, a global robotics process automation firm, leased 5,187 square feet to house a Houston team. The companies moved in last month. The offices, on Main Street near Commerce along the Metro Rail line, have original exposed brick walls and ceiling beams, refinished hardwood floors, stainless-steel kitchens and private bathrooms. “Restoring these iconic historic buildings and leasing the office space to cutting-edge tech firms is a testament that landmark real estate has a place in the future landscape of our city,” NewForm Real Estate President Dan Zimmerman said in an announcement.

Two cutting-edge technology firms have claimed the creative office space in downtown’s historic Main&Co redevelopment, developer NewForm Real Estate announced.

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The Main&Co project, which transformed a collection of buildings into office space, street-level retail and a contemporary art gallery, was completed in June. The fivestory Dorrance Building, 114 Main, was built in 1903 by John M. Dorrance, a vice president of the Houston Cotton Exchange. The Raphael Building, 110 Main, was built in the late 1800s. Other tenants at Main&Co are Cottonmouth Club, ETRO Nightclub and Lilly&Bloom cocktail lounges on Main Street, and LCD Gallery on the fifth level.


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Unlock Downtown Brampton #3: Meanwhile Strategy for Arts and Culture SETTING FOR TRANSFORMATION: INVEST OUTSIDE OF WALLS, MICRO-SPACES AS NEIGHBOURHOOD MAGNETS Excerpts from Investing in Public Spaces to Make Placemaking a Value-Add, by Kathleen McCormick, March 4, 2019 “Trend alert: invest outside of the walls you’re building to see huge investments and returns,” said George Roberts, director of public spaces for Quicken Loans Community Fund in Detroit. “Investing in your neighborhood, in parks, streets, alleys, libraries, and places to hang out” was a proven strategy for urban vibrancy, and can become “the game-changer for asset value and the real estate market. Downtown Detroit is drawing global attention “because we invested in parks, plazas, streetscapes, and public gathering places needed to attract new workers and people,” he said, including more than 1,700 employees at Quicken Loans and Bedrock, which owns many downtown parcels. “Detroit has seen $1 billion in investments near Campus Martius,” with enhancements such as new park infrastructure and landscapes, a beer garden, maker shops, and a “winter living room” bar and food tent with couches and a 64

fireplace.

stores.”

“We’re working with BIDs [business improvement districts],” said Roberts. “If you don’t have one, start one. If you do, get active and use BIDs to find new ways” to create and activate public places, such as the pedestrian plaza with tables, artwork, and landscaping at Detroit’s Woodward and Jefferson avenues. “Streets and sidewalks are the greatest available public spaces in most cities,” he said. “Great placemaking is a co-creative process,” with architects, landscape architects, urban planners, artists, and others, said Glover. Mixed-use placemaking with retail requires interior and exterior considerations, he said. To create a relationship between tenants and a building’s surrounding open space, “look to celebrate local traditions, such as Christmas tree lighting and summer festivals, and weave them into the public realm. If you do it the right way, you have a community that supports the place and buys from the retail

In Seoul, South Korea, the reinvention of a shopping center into a public library “has become the new town center,” said Glover. “The success of this project is based on understanding that everyone is doing everything all at once.” It is a public library, an event space, and offers shopping. He noted that placemaking was an antidote to the global epidemic of loneliness: “We yearn to be outdoors, with friends, to be together as a community, and it’s important that we create places to do that.”

pop-ups allow for trying something until a final solution is created. In San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, a pop-up site with a bar and food stalls now has a mixed-use building. Glover suggested incubating talent through placemaking: select 10 food trucks for a site, and the public picks a winner who is given free rent.

“Resources like libraries are more relevant than ever,” added Roberts. “They have places to sit and work, research materials, and cost $400 less per month than WeWork.

Mackay said that cities can support developers by “rethinking city codes” to see how placemaking innovations could work, such as cantilevering a park over a public roadway. Phoenix involves the fire department, public works, and others on an adaptive use team. “Our old buildings are never going to meet codes, so we set up a team to look at how they could be redeveloped, as opposed to throwing up roadblocks.”

“These projects can happen at all different scales,” said Roberts. Consider what can be done quickly— add tables and chairs, music, artwork—and then make bigger investments later. Hardy said that

If you are making people happier, healthier, and more connected, said Roberts, “you’ve made a huge investment in the community.” Open and activated public places “are what people want and add real value.”


ARTIST RENDERING OF DIPLOCK LANE, DOWNTOWN BRAMPTON

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #3: Meanwhile Strategy for Arts and Culture DISTILLERY DISTRICT

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BRAMPTON DOWNTOWN DISTRICT

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City-owned parking structure

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #3: Meanwhile Strategy for Arts and Culture DISTILLERY DISTRICT

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BRAMPTON DOWNTOWN DISTRICT

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #3: Meanwhile Strategy for Arts and Culture MEANWHILE TALK AT ROSE THEATRE ATRIUM • What opportunities exist to transform experience through arts and culture, pop-ups, adaptive reuse and vibrant public spaces? • How to create destinations in downtown? • How to take advantage of downtown’s unique qualities and assets while awaiting long range development and major infrastructure investment? Michael Vickers Co-Director, Akin

Oliver Paul Co-Director, Akin

Suzy Godefroy

Executive Director, Downtown Brampton BIA

Michael Vickers is Co-Director of the arts organization Akin, and an artist with a practice that works in the space between sculpture, painting, and installation. Michael holds an MA in Art History from the University of Toronto and an Honours BA in Visual Arts & Communications and has exhibited locally and internationallyincluding exhibitions at Volta Basel, Mercer Union, Clark House Mumbai, and installations at the Art Gallery of Ontario and The Gardiner Museum. Oliver Pauk is a visual artist and arts professional based in Toronto, Canada. He hold BA (Hon) in Economics from the University of Toronto in 2005 and found Akin in 2008. Since that time he has acted as Co-Director for the arts organization which provides studio space to nearly 400 artists and creatives across Toronto as well as a range of arts programs. Oliver also maintains an artistic practice which includes sculptural, photographic, video, and installation-based elements. His work has been exhibited in Canada, the United States, Europe, and South America. oliverpauk.com akin.art Akin provides affordable studio space to nearly 400 artists across its 23 commercial units, totaling roughly 46,000sqft of space. In addition, Akin programs roughly 60 free or low-cost arts events per year and ongoing exhibitions in its gallery space, ‘Remote’. Akin’s studios provide a working environment that maintains a friendly and inspiring atmosphere where people can work on creative endeavours and entrepreneurial undertakings of all kinds. Akin builds community through monthly art critiques, workshops, open studio events, gallery tours, exhibitions, as well as various other art projects. www.akin.art

Suzy Godefroy is a downtown marketing and event specialist with over twenty-five years’ experience in the management of a number of downtowns in both Peel and Halton Region. Currently, she is the executive director for the Downtown Brampton BIA. Prior to her work in downtown Brampton, Suzy spent a large part of her career working in downtown Burlington and Oakville. Suzy holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) and a Sport & Event Marketing Diploma.

ACTION ITEMS THAT ARE POTENTIALLY KEY STEPPING-STONES TO UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL OF DOWNTOWN BRAMPTON: 1. Prioritize activation of storefronts, adaptive reuse of heritage and publicly owned properties through creative placemaking, creative pop-ups, clear and compelling wayfinding, and establishment of an arts and culture district. 2. Prioritize activation of the street level environment by introducing lights, shade, and art into the streetscape, improving connections to Riverwalk while enhancing the visibility of cultural assets, and activating alleys and crosswalks. 3. Prioritize development of partnership and implementation framework that includes a centralized data base of vacant properties, flexible lease-terms, flexible leasing hours (such as different uses within same unit / area throughout the day) for co-working 70 space, temporary retail space, food stalls, event spaces, bars, etc.


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1 3:40 MEANWHILE Talk

4:15 MEANWHILE Stop: Nelson Square and Diplock Lane

2 4:00 MEANWHILE Stop: Vivian Lane, Main Street

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #4: “Riverwalk” Transforming the Public Realm Historically, the Etobicoke Creek flowed through the centre of Downtown Brampton, but since 1952, flooding has been mitigated through a bypass channel. The provincial government has designated Downtown Brampton as a Special Policy Area (SPA) which recognizes that much of the area still lies within the floodplain, limiting opportunities to invest and do business. With the completion of environmental assessments and public realm transformation through the Riverwalk project, the SPA designation can be removed. This will enable the City to unlock the potential for urban growth and create a public space that provides a distinctive identity, becoming an area of civic pride to the residents. The Riverwalk project is identified as a priority in the Brampton 2040 vision and is directly related to many other transformational city-building initiatives both within Brampton and the broader Greater Toronto Region. Quentin Hanchard, Assistant Director of Development Planning and Regulation at the TRCA, described Brampton as having arrived “at a watershed moment.” He further explained, “The Riverwalk project and the current environmental assessment provide a key opportunity to achieve multiple benefits – using best available science to develop a current day solution to eliminate riverine flooding in Downtown Brampton, while creating a public open space amenity that has the potential to redefine and re-orient downtown Brampton, in its relationship with this new corridor – much like projects in the Lower Don, and Black Creek, are doing for Toronto and the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre respectively.” Successful Riverwalk transformations have taken place in other notable North American cities; for example, the San Antonio River Improvements Project has produced new public spaces and resulted in a possible $1.5 billion economic impact through the creation of new housing units, new downtown employment, residential growth, and increased tax revenues. Brampton’s Riverwalk project seeks to emulate this success, not only decreasing flood risk and increase available developable land, but enhancing Etobicoke Creek as a natural feature and transforming it into a community space accessible to all. Further, the entire public realm of downtown Brampton is being enhanced. From street lighting and foliage, to unit paving and community spaces, all aspects of the public experience at the pedestrian level are being reimagined to create a new sense of community and vitality. Pedestrian space and accessibility to active modes of transportation will also be increased as part of the public realm plan. “Projects such as Downtown Reimagined are successfully changing the way we think about transforming cities like Brampton,” said Bryce Miranda, Partner and Landscape Architect at DTAH. “Many future revisioning opportunities come on the back of necessary infrastructure improvements. The biggest opportunity being the focus on public realm being designed for people rather than for vehicles. Creating a pedestrianized downtown with future ready details, innovation green infrastructure and context sensitive materials helps make for unique cityscapes with an identity. They become cities that people want to identify with, live in and ultimately invest in.”

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RIVER WALK

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #4: “Riverwalk” Transforming the Public Realm PUBLIC REALM TRANSFORMATION: HOW TO UNLOCK URBAN PRECINCTS? Excerpts from Investing in San Antonio Focusing on Revitalizing Downtown with Office, Residential, and Green Space, by John Egan, August 10, 2017 and The Business Case for Creative Placemaking, by Juanita Hardy, October 5, 2018 San Antonio Focusing on Revitalizing Downtown with Office, Residential, and Green Space “Another” River Walk Every year, the River Walk in downtown San Antonio draws millions of visitors, making it the city’s top destination. Shops, restaurants, hotels, and other amenities line the San Antonio River to form this pedestrian-friendly experience. Now, a project is underway to turn 2.2 miles (3.5 km) of San Pedro Creek— located between the San Antonio River to the east and Interstate 35 to the west—into “another” River Walk and change the fabric of downtown. One highlight of the $175 million San Pedro Creek project is that it will make 40 acres (16 ha) of floodplain land available for housing and other developments, Houston said. 74

The project, undertaken by Bexar County, the San Antonio River Authority, and the city of San Antonio, is intended to “transform San Pedro Creek from a concrete-lined drainage ditch into a natural creek habitat and world-class linear park,” according to the project website. “The project will improve the creek’s function in flood control, revitalize natural habitat and water quality, and catalyze economic development.”

San Antonio River Improvements The renaissance of Houston Street and the surrounding area including improvements to the San Pedro Creek, creation of the San Pedro Creek Culture Park, a linear park modeled after the River Walk represents a large economic opportunity for San Antonians. Already, the San Antonio River Improvements Project has resulted in a $384 million investment through a partnership that includes the city, Bexar County (of which San Antonio is the county seat), the San Antonio River Authority (SARA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the San Antonio River Foundation. Improvements, completed in 2013, included flood control, ecosystem restoration, recreational upgrades, and public art. A $71 million investment in one of the river improvement projects

completed in 2009 was found to have delivered an annual economic impact of $139 million, according to a 2014 study conducted by Steve Niven and sponsored by the city, SARA, and the Paseo del Rio Association. The San Pedro Culture Park, a project primarily funded by Bexar County and managed by SARA, is transforming a downtown drainage ditch into a linear park and providing a recreational public space designed as a floodcontrol project able to contain 100-year-level floods anticipated for downtown San Antonio. One phase is scheduled for completion in 2020, and design for a future phase is underway. According to park leadership, once fully completed, the San Pedro Creek Culture Park is expected to spur an economic impact totaling $1.5 billion.


RIVER WALK

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #4: “Riverwalk” Transforming the Public Realm

RIVER WALK

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1952

Today

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #4: “Riverwalk” Transforming the Public Realm DON RIVER

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ETOBICOKE CREEK

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #4: “Riverwalk” Transforming the Public Realm WEST DON LANDS (DON RIVER)

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RIVER WALK (ETOBICOKE CREEK)

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #4: “Riverwalk” Transforming the Public Realm SAN PEDRO CREEK CULTURE PARK (SAN PEDRO CREEK)

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RIVER WALK (ETOBICOKE CREEK)

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Unlock Downtown Brampton #4: “Riverwalk” Transforming the Public Realm UNLOCK RIVERWALK TALK AT BRAMPTON YMCA • What role does Riverwalk play in the City? What opportunities exist to create a new civic precinct related to this new expansion of the public realm? • How can floodproofing be leveraged to create new community facilities, place for celebration and special events, and new parks and open space network? • How can Riverwalk help to revitalize Brampton’s downtown and make it healthy, sustainable and resilient?

Quentin Hanchard, Assistant Director of Development Planning and Regulation at the TRCA, described Brampton as having arrived “at a watershed moment.” He further explained, “The Riverwalk project and the current environmental assessment provide a key opportunity to achieve multiple benefits – using best available science to develop a current day solution to eliminate riverine flooding in Downtown Brampton, while creating a public open space amenity that has the potential to redefine and re-orient downtown Brampton, in its relationship with this new corridor – much like projects in the Lower Don, and Black Creek, are doing for Toronto and the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre respectively.” “Projects such as Downtown Reimagined are successfully changing the way we think about transforming cities like Brampton,” said Bryce Miranda, Partner and Landscape Architect at DTAH. “Many future revisioning opportunities come on the back of necessary infrastructure improvements. The biggest opportunity being the focus on public realm being designed for people rather than for vehicles. Creating a pedestrianized downtown with future ready details, innovation green infrastructure and context sensitive materials helps make for unique cityscapes with an identity. They become cities that people want to identify with, live in and ultimately invest in.”

Brent Raymond Partner, DTHA

Bryce Miranda Partner, DTHA

Quentin Hanchard

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Associate Director of Development, TRCA

Brent Raymond is a planner and landscape architect whose primary interests are related to city building. Brent has over 15 years of award winning experience with public and private clients in a range of work that includes community and campus planning, urban design, and landscape architecture. He has a particular expertise in built form guidance, public realm and street design, and has contributed to numerous studies and design efforts. Brent has led the firm’s contribution to a number of influential and transformational projects such as the Queens Quay Revitalization, Toronto Complete Streets Guidelines, Lower Don Valley Master Plan, Harbour Street Revitalization, the Green Line, Wascana Centre Master Plan, and Ryerson University’s Public Realm Plan. Bryce Miranda is a landscape architect with over 15 years of experience with waterfronts, streetscapes, parks, brownfield redevelopments and neighbourhood design. Bryce has played a key role in the design, management, and implementation in several of the firm’s award winning projects such as Evergreen Brick Works and numerous innovative public spaces along Toronto’s waterfront. He has also led the design for the John Street Cultural Corridor, Riverdale Park East, and Lower Don Valley Improvements. Bryce also served as an executive councillor with the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects. Quentin Hanchard is a professional planner with extensive expertise in environmental and land use planning. Quentin is Associate Director of Planning and Development at the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, responsible for TRCA’s planning teams covering some of the most rapidly urbanizing communities within the Greater Toronto Area. Quentin approaches environmental planning as a continuum, which includes both the built and natural systems. He has taught environmental and urban planning at the university level for more than 10 years, and worked in both Ontario and British Columbia in natural resource management and planning. Quentin holds a Bachelors Degree in Geography from the University of British Columbia, a Masters degree in Planning from York University, is a Registered Professional Planner, and a certified Environmental Professional.


5:10 TRANSFORM Stop: Queen Street and Centre Street 2

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4:40 TRANSFORM TALK: Brampton YMCA

ACTION ITEMS THAT ARE POTENTIALLY KEY STEPPING-STONES TO UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL OF DOWNTOWN BRAMPTON: 1. Prioritize implementation of flood mitigation, creation of new public parks and public realm as unlocked through the Riverwalk project. 2. Prioritize the opportunity to leverage publicly owned lands to create a new urban gateway for the Etobicoke Creek trail system and set the stage for a broader inter-city “green to blue” trail network (one hour bike ride, 20 km unobstructed route to waterfront) 3. Prioritize development of partnership and implementation framework including opportunities for a municipal development. corporation, cross-government partnerships, funding timing alignment to meet the Greater Toronto Area and the City’s anticipated growth rates.

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ULI Urbanizing Suburbia: Nordic Solution | Rose Theatre, Brampton From its innovation super corridor, to its young, diverse, educated population, the City of Brampton is brimming with potential. This event will be an opportunity to explore Nordic strategies for city-building and how such strategy can be applied to Brampton, one of Canada’s youngest, culturally diverse and the second fastest growing city. Join Nordic experts from Helsinki and Denmark as they discuss development in terms of mobility, affordable housing, and complete communities. Topics will also include tapping the innovation economy, the transformation of post war suburbs and the simplification of civic operations in dealing more effectively with ‘city building’ and stewardship. AGENDA 5:30 pm – 6:45 pm

Networking & Brampton Taste of Culture

Experience the diversity of Brampton through food and drink from around the world, with food menu orchestrated by nationally-acclaimed CBC food critic, Suresh Doss. Learn about the connections between food and culture in Brampton from CBC food critic. SPEAKER:

Taste of Culture Remarks: Suresh Doss, CBC Food Critic

7:00 pm – 7:20 pm

INTRODUCTION: URBANIZING SUBURBIA

Overview of Brampton 2040 Vision, Brampton’s competitive advantages, key city-building opportunities, key learning from Nordic countries. SPEAKERS:

Ken Greenberg, ULI Toronto Advisory Board and Yvonne Yeung, ULI Suburban Development and Redevelopment Product Council

7:20 pm – 7:45 pm

KEYNOTE: NORDIC-INTEGRATED TRANSFORMATION

Learn from the City of Helsinki on how their push to an innovative economy has translated into successful urban regeneration in areas of suburban transformation, transit-oriented development and the reorganization of civic government to prioritize city building. SPEAKER: Helsinki: Jani Moliis, Vice-Director, Economic Development, City of Helsinki 7:45 pm – 8:25pm

NORDIC CITY SOLUTIONS PANEL: MOBILITY, AFFORDABLE HOUSING & COMPLETE COMMUNITIES

Hear from local and international experts on the Nordic city building experience. Learn how Nordic cities and countries are planning for complete communities with an emphasis on mobility and housing, and how we can examine and implement these in a suburban Canadian context. MODERATOR:

Ken Greenberg, Principal, Greenberg Consultants

PANEL DISCUSSION:

Helsinki: Jani Moliis, Vice-Director, Economic Development, City of Helsinki Helsinki: Chris Morris, Architect, ALA Architects Denmark: Carsten Primdahl, Founding Partner & Architect, CEBRA Architects Cherise Burda, Executive Director, Ryerson City Building Institute

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Nordic Panel Questions Mobility • Though ridership is growing in the suburb, auto-centricity and congestion are still significant challenges that must be addressed moving forward. Transitioning to higher density neighbourhoods, increasing connections, and improving transit facilities will play a role in making streets more walkable and pedestrian-friendly. The City will take full advantage of its strategic location with highway, transit, and airport access, making the transition from a suburban identity to an urban tech hub a reality. • How can experts ensure that active and alternative transportation becomes an attractive and feasible option? • How can suburban cities accelerate and support the shift? Still a very strong orientation to the private automobile and a vast infrastructure built around that. Affordable Housing • The City of Brampton’s population is projected to reach 1 million by 2040. Students, young professionals, and families will make up a large proportion of Brampton’s new residents. To meet this growth, Brampton’s 2040 Vision integrates affordable housing throughout the city – eradicating homelessness – and introduces new housing typologies to accommodate students and young professionals within the urban area. Achieving a jobs-housing balance will also minimize overall commuting distances among residents. • What strategies can the City implement to ensure adequate housing for a diverse population? • What are the lesson learned in housing for complete communities? How can the city accelerate and support the shift to overcome the challenge of private ownership of land and fewer government resources for funding social housing? Complete Communities • The City of Brampton’s 2040 Vision outlines its goals for building complete communities. Brampton is not only emerging as a future tech-hub, attracting knowledge-based industries and innovation, but is making big moves towards sustainable living, providing adequate needs and services to all its residents, and fostering a growing arts and culture scene. The City will seize the opportunity to retain talent, establishing itself as an anchor for entrepreneurial and cultural endeavors. • How can the City achieve holistic walkable urban communities? • What can be learned in combining environments for living, working, shopping, recreation and culture? • How can we courage mixed-use and get beyond a legacy of segregated land use? 88


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Finer grain active transportation, more choices to move around, empower citizens through smart mobility and active lifestyle

Copenhagen, Denmark

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Hammarby Sjรถstad, Stockholm, Sweden


Climate readiness, sustainability, urban sponges to enable developments

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Create 20 minute walkable complete neighbourhoods

20 min neighbourhoods in Helsinki, Finland

Density 2,259 pp / km Population 603,346

Density Population

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2,952 pp / km 631,695

Opportunities for 20 min neighbourhoods in Brampton, Canada


West Harbour, Helsinki • 30,000 residents 20,000 jobs • 5 min to rapid transit network • diverse housing & business options • close to good services • sports and activity centres • cultural and teaching venue • integrated art and trail network • large park for leisure and recreation

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City of Helsinki’s ecosystem of complete communities • citizen focused culture • enabling partnerships and working across boundaries

Education

Urban Environments

Culture & Leisure

• 8-80’s focus • early childhood education • preschool education • basic education • upper secondary and vocational education • adult education • A.I. and digital skills

• City structure and land uses • Buildings and public areas • 90% of new homes in multistorey buildings • 77% of morning peak trips by public transit • High efficient use of City premises (4% low use) • In-house construction service,

• Culture, sports & youth • Mental, physical wellbeing, educational & active citizenship focus • 7 cultural centres • 3k active youth groups • Visitors generated / year: Theatre 0.2 million Museums 1.4 million Sports 1.8 million Libraries 6.5 million

• phenomenon-based learning

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rental, land lease, equity service

Social Services & Healthcare • Maintain and improve health and wellbeing through preventing social and health-related problems • Family, social, health care, hospital and rehabilitation care • Health and well-being centres • Family centres • Coordinated service package for residents


Full life-cycle, intergenerational living, housing affordability and social equity

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Nordic Panel Speakers Jani Moliis, Vice- Director, Economic Development , City of Helsinki Mr. Jani Moliis is a Vice-Director of Economic Development and Head of International Affairs at the City of Helsinki. He has a Master’s Degree in political science from the University of Helsinki and a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from Webster University. He has over 10 years of experience from management consulting, having worked for several leading global professional firms such as McKinsey & Company and Accenture. During his career, Mr. Moliis has focused on improving the effectiveness and impact of a broad range of public sector organizations. He’s a native Helsinkian who’s lived his entire life in western Helsinki, except for his years abroad living on four different continents. Cherise Burda, Executive Director, Ryerson City Building Institute Cherise Burda is an accomplished leader and champion for sustainability and progressive development in Canada. As the Executive Director of the Ryerson City Building Institute, she addresses critical urban challenges through innovative research, policy analysis and public outreach strategies. In the past, she has served as the Ontario Director of the Pembina Institute and as Program Director for the David Suzuki Foundation. She currently sits on the 2018 Sidewalk Labs Advisory Council and the City of Toronto’s Atmospheric Fund Advisory Group; past appointments have included Ontario’s Government Housing Supply Forum, the Premier of Ontario’s Transit Investment Strategy Advisory Panel, and Toronto’s Housing Affordability Working Group. She is a member of the Urban Land Institute’s Women Leadership Initiative. She holds a Master of Arts in Environmental Legislation and Policy from the University of Victoria. Chris Morris, Architect, ALA Architects Christopher Morris is an American architect wth a deep affection for Finland. Joining ALA Architects in 2017, he has been vital in bridging Finnish and Nordic culture in architecture for North America at ALA. He currently is co-lead in BIM technology integration at ALA, as well as a team architect on the Länsimetro extension in Helsinki. He has a deep affinity for public infrastructure projects and mixed-use housing from previous work in Seattle. In addition to receiving his Master of Architecture, he has also studied Finnish language and completed bachelor studies in Finnish language and Nordic studies from University of Washington in Seattle. Carsten Primdahl , Founding Partner & Architect, CEBRA Architect Graduated from Aarhus School of Architecture in 1998, Architect MAA and RIBA, board member of the Aarhus School of Architecture. Carsten Primdahl is a founding partner of Danish architecture and design practice CEBRA, which he started together with Mikkel Frost and Kolja Nielsen in 2001. For over 15 years, he has thus been at the head of CEBRA’s creative work and strategic development, specializing in sustainable urban development and architecture with special emphasis on educational, residential and commercial projects. Carsten’ creativity primarily orbits around the sustainable planning and development of our cities: How can we, by means of architecture and urban design, develop our cities to support human activities, behavior and innovation that contribute to solve some of the most compelling challenges of our time, e.g. climate change, technology or resource depletion? He has led cross-disciplinary teams on several of CEBRA’s master planning and urban design projects including Nye, a new sustainable suburb for 15-20.000 inhabitants in Aarhus, DK that integrates a wide range of innovative initiatives concerning social diversity, public health, transportation, rainwater and waste treatment, energy, circular and sharing economy. Carsten was also responsible for the development of CEBRA’s distinctive awardwinning residential complex the Iceberg, which spearheaded the transformation of Aarhus’ former container port into a vivid new neighborhood in connection with the city’s historic centre. As lead designer and partner-in-charge on numerous of CEBRA’s educational and commercial projects, he has also been a driving force behind developing these fields into two of the company’s core areas of expertise. Carsten is the head of CEBRA’s own recently established R&D unit WISE (Work, Innovation, Space, Education). Through this initiative, Carsten works intensively with linking cutting-edge ideas and research in the fields of pedagogy, entrepreneurship, cognitive psychology, neuroscience etc. with designing the learning and working environments of the future. 96


ULI Membership toronto.uli.org/about/membership

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in partnership with

ULI Toronto | September 10, 2019 | Brampton, ON

Urbanizing Suburbia: Nordic Solutions 98


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