Just announced: Future Cities Canada’s six-week program #UnexpectedSolutions extended

(TORONTO, ON – November 18, 2020) – Future Cities Canada, the national cross-sector initiative designed to accelerate innovation to transform cities, kicks off its sixth week of #UnexpectedSolutions  with five new sessions on its virtual city building agenda. This final week features critical conversations, ranging from housing as a fundamental human right to how infrastructure strategies from around the world could shape our own in Canada. Led by Evergreen, Future Cities Canada: #UnexpectedSolutions has brought together over 150 urban thought leaders, private- and public-sector innovators, and mayors and community leaders to showcase and build the innovative solutions needed to create more resilient and sustainable futures – on now until Friday, November 27, 2020. Register today for access to the full list of sessions.

“Each week #UnexpectedSolutions has been delivering ideas and solutions from a powerhouse of speakers who are reimaging our urban future – one that is profoundly more complex, uncertain and fast-moving that ever before,” said Geoff Cape, Evergreen Founder & CEO, and one of the founding partners of Future Cities Canada. “The final week of our program showcases the bold, innovative work by some of the leading minds addressing issues such as the housing affordability, infrastructure investment and social equity to ensure we build the future we all want and need.”

This season of solutions features seven streams of immersive content covering key issues related to Smart Cities; Infrastructure, Housing & Development; Arts & Cultural Heritage; Placemaking & Placekeeping; The New Economy; Climate Adaptability and Urban Foresight. The thought-provoking panels and conversations with national and international speakers, inspiring interactive workshops with industry leaders, and creative networking opportunities focus on connectedness, innovation and sustainability. Register to access some of the 60-plus free virtual sessions on-demand.

Week Six Session Highlights:

The Right to Housing

Monday, November 23, 2020, 10 a.m. EST

A conversation with Evan Siddall, President and CEO of CMHC, and Leilani Farha, Global Director, The Shift, explores the housing landscape in Canada, looking at housing as a commodity, as a fundamental human right, and as a heart of inclusive, connected communities. The session, following National Housing Day, asks how can we continue building a national housing strategy that has local relevance and ensures no one is left behind?

TD Future Cities Speaker Series: Leading Beyond Limits: Creating Inclusive Spaces

Monday, November 23, 2020 at 1 p.m. EST

Civic assets are the structure of the city, and they guarantee access to it – but access to whom? As we reflect on who public spaces have been built for, we can begin to craft a vision of reconciliation and anti-racism, where spaces are designed as not just epicentres for leisure. Moderator Erinn T. Corbett-Wright, VP, Charitable Foundation, Program Manager, Office of Charitable and Community Giving, TD Charitable Foundation, is joined by Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners (FAICP), and Lanrick Bennett Jr, Managing Director, 8 80 Cities. The TD Future Cities Speaker Series is a program supported by TD Bank Group through its corporate citizenship platform, The Ready Commitment.

Canada’s Smart Cities Challenge: Catching up with the Winners – Live interactive Q&A

Wednesday, November 25, 2020, 1 p.m. EST

The Smart Cities Challenge winners share their experiences and insights since being announced winners of the Challenge in May 2019. Moderated by Infrastructure Canada’s Director General Jenny Tremblay, the panel discussion features speakers from Montreal (QC), Guelph and Wellington County (ON), Bridgewater (NS) and the Katinnganiq Makerspace Network (Nunavut), followed by an interactive Q&A with the winners.

Curbing Carbon: Global Economics of a Low Carbon Future – Live panel discussion

Friday, November 27, 2020, 10 a.m. EST

Cities across Canada and around the world are taking action to develop strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to increase renewable energy production. As cities design action plans, they will need to learn from each other and share best practice related to technology, infrastructure, transportation and design. The session explores the role that cities in Canada and around the world will play in helping realize Net-Zero 2050 targets, and what a vibrant, low carbon future might look like, featuring Curtis Probst, Co-CEO, New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation and Tom Delay, Chief Executive, The Carbon Trust, moderated by Andy Chisholm, Board Director, Evergreen.

Building Our Urban Futures: Inside Canada’s Infrastructure Strategy – Live panel discussion

Friday, November 27, 2020, 11:15 a.m. EST

Old cities, new cities, smart cities, sustainable cities, resilient cities, big cities, little cities, inclusive cities – they are all growing. This session explores ideas from around the world that will help shape our ambitions in Canada for the next 50 years and beyond. Evergreen Founder & CEO Geoff Cape is joined by Chris Luebkeman, Foresight and Strategy Advisor at ETH Zürich to explore Our Urban Future.

For the latest information on #UnexpectedSolutions, sign up to the Future Cities Canada newsletter and follow @FutureCitiesCA.

Future Cities Canada: #UnexpectedSolutions

Lead Funder: Infrastructure Canada

Lead Sponsors: TD Bank Group, McConnell Foundation, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Lead Media Partner: The Globe & Mail

Convened by: Evergreen

For media information, please contact: 
Renee Tratch | Sr. Manager, PR & Content | Evergreen | 416-596-1495 X 273 | Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Avenue, Suite 300, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3X8

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Future Cities Canada is a national cross-sector initiative with the mission to accelerate innovation to transform cities for the benefit of all. Drawing on the expertise of its founding organizations – The McConnell Foundation, TD Bank Group, Evergreen, Maison de l’innovation sociale and Community Foundations of Canada – and together with a diverse and growing network of partners, Future Cities Canada collectively strives to address the challenges facing cities and city-dwellers to reimagine cities that are equitable, regenerative and prosperous. www.futurecitiescanada.ca

Evergreen is dedicated to making cities flourish. Since 1991, the national not-for-profit has been hard at work transforming spaces into great places so that communities can thrive. We believe that by connecting people, natural and built worlds, we can enable Canadians to do great things that will shape our cities for the better. www.evergreen.ca