TORONTO, October 3, 2012 – Jennifer Keesmaat, newly-appointed chief planner for the City of Toronto, will speak at York University on Friday, Oct. 5, 2012 about what is next for planning practice, particularly in Canada’s largest city.
As head of the City Planning Division, Keesmaat will lead a number of significant projects, including the five-year Official Plan review, and will steer other important initiatives such as the new City-Wide Zoning Bylaw through to completion.
In her presentation at York, Keesmaat will explore the role of public sector planning in leading and shaping policy development and will speak in particular about how the public and politicians shape longterm policy.
Keesmaat graduated from York with a master’s degree in Environmental Studies after studying the political processes that shape our urban environments. She has led master planning initiatives in Toronto, Vancouver, Mississauga, Regina, Moncton, London and Halifax and other Canadian municipalities, and has worked on projects in the United States, Ireland and Greece.
A founding partner of Office for Urbanism, a planning and design firm that specializes in the integration of planning, design and consensus building processes, Keesmaat has been recognized by the Canadian Institute of Planners, Ontario Professional Planners Institute, the Design Exchange, and the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) for her innovative work in Canadian municipalities. She is the founder of Project Walk, which premiered its first short film in 2011, as an official selection at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). In 2012, she debuted her first TED talk, Walk to School.
Her presentation is part of the City Seminar Series, organized by the City Institute and the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University.
WHAT: “Re-imagining Planning in Practice in Toronto,” chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat
WHEN: Friday October 5, 2012, 11:30am - 1:00pm
WHERE: York University, Keele Campus, 140 Health Nursing & Environmental Studies Building
MAP: Number 31 on map http://www.yorku.ca/web/futurestudents/map/keele_map.html
York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 55,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 250,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 11 Faculties and 28 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
Media Contact:
Janice Walls, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22101 / wallsj@yorku.ca
Robin Heron, Media Relations, York University, 416-736-2100 x22097/ rheron@yorku.ca
