1. Four Cities with Similar
Problems; Seeking Solutions
Dorlisa Cassanova & Lorna Walters 1

2. Urban Development is defined as a, “technical and political process
concerned with the control of the use of land and design of the urban
environment, including transportation networks, to guide and ensure
the orderly development of settlements and communities. It concerns
itself with research and analysis, strategic thinking, architecture, urban
design, public consultation, policy recommendations, implementation
and management”.
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_planning
Dorlisa Cassanova & Lorna Walters 2

3. According an article in The Hamilton Spectator, in 1996 Toronto
identified a potential eye sore. Two historic, manufacturing districts on
both the east and west edges of Toronto’s downtown and were centred
on King and Parliament, needed major redevelopment.
http://www.thespec.com/opinion/article/848490--hamilton-a-city-fit-
for-a-king
Dorlisa Cassanova & Lorna Walters 3

4. Enlisted were a team of Toronto planners, urbanists and politicians, who
were brought together to bring about redevelopment to this city. At the
time the major players involved with this endeavour were Barbara Hill
(former Mayor of Toronto), former Planning Chief, Paul Bedford and
internationally renowned Urbanist, Jane Jacobs. “The strategy was
centred on the simple concept that the city should reward development it
wants by giving developers more of what they want. In Toronto, this
meant, in part, historic preservation in exchange for more density, or the
ability for developers to build higher than they would normally be
allowed under the old zoning rules.”
Dorlisa Cassanova & Lorna Walters 4

5.  Vacant warehouses and factory buildings were
restored, repurposed and filled with new users
 Conservation of 16 heritage structures that might
have been lost.
 The development of the Distillery District. This is
a unique mix of shops, services, galleries and
breweries all housed in a restored industrial
complex complete with cobblestone streets.
Dorlisa Cassanova & Lorna Walters 5

6. According to the article, http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca, from a
socio-economic/urban planning standpoint, this city was in desperate
need of revitalization. In the 1980’s, Brantford was once known as the
Nation’s, “most important industrial-manufacturing centres”, this was
based on farm equipment manufacturers such as: White Farm and
Massey Ferguson. However when these plants closed down, the city
then became known for “unemployment and hard luck and, for 20 years, the
downtown was in steep decline”.
http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/2010/01/11/how-campus-helped-
revitalize-core
http://www.brantford.ca/business/revitalization/Pages/Community
Impact.aspx
Dorlisa Cassanova & Lorna Walters 6

7. The strategic plan used was utilizing education as a catalyst and the
development of post-secondary education in the city's downtown core.
This has led to urban renewal and economic transformation for the
City of Brantford.
Dorlisa Cassanova & Lorna Walters 7

8.  Brantford has been able to attract strategic investment from
post-secondary institutions, the business community and
other regional partners.
 Engaged and supported by the City of Brantford, Wilfrid
Laurier - the first post-secondary institution in Brantford -
opened its doors with 39 students in September 1999.
 Strategic partnerships have grown to include Nipissing
University and Mohawk College, with the addition of
Conestoga College and McMaster University this fall. In the
next 12 years, post-secondary institutions' enrollment is
expected to grow from 2500 students in 2011 to over 15,000
students.
Dorlisa Cassanova & Lorna Walters 8

9. The downtown core, specifically along Twelfth Avenue along the north
side of the Victoria Park is in need of revitalization. The intention of
this city renewal proposal is to transform the city in livable, pedestrian-
friendly and attractive downtown.
http://metronews.ca/news/regina/343674/city-adopts-regina-
downtown-neighbourhood-plan/
http://renewcanada.net/2010/a-tale-of-three-cities/
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10.  Putting money into the entertainment industry, by proposing a
$386-million entertainment facility that would be built across the
Canadian Pacific Railway tracks in a space currently filled with
shipping containers. New public spaces would be developed
around the entertainment facility. The area would link to the
downtown via three new pedestrian connections, including one
bridge that could become a destination itself.
Dorlisa Cassanova & Lorna Walters 10

11.  Regina City Council approved the downtown
development plan on Monday February 4, 2013.
 Office for Urbanism’s Jennifer Keesmat says,
”Regina’s master plan took the city from having a very
weak regulatory framework to a very strong one,
something that actually attracted developers, rather
than turned them away”.
 The city has had interest from Vancouver and
Toronto developers because they see the promise
of an environment where quality will be expected.
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12.  Have a master plan/long term plan: Toronto, Brantford, Regina all
had theirs
 Engage, engage and engage! Dialogue with business and
community persons is crucial
 Both private and public funding: taxpayers alone should not bear
the economic cost.
 Think outside of the box; like Toronto did by relaxing their by-
laws (the carrot) to attract businesses while holding them to a type
of development which saw the preservation of the city’s historical
buildings/heritage
 Execute, execute, execute! Plans are useless if they are not put into
action
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