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Building Better Cities

Dialogue: Cities and Sustainability

Thursday, March 13, 10:30 - 12:30

With half of the global population living in cities, urban areas increasingly face critical environmental challenges. Different cities explained how they are creating more sustainable urban environments.

Larry Beasley, Retired Director of Planning, City of Vancouver, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Moderator)
Inga Bjork-Klevby, Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Executive Director, UN-HABITAT, Nairobi, Kenya
Ulla Hamilton, Vice Mayor of Environment and Real Estate, Stockholm, Sweden
Guenther Scholz, President & CEO, Siemens Canada Limited, Mississauga, ON, Canada

Moving Efficiently in Cities: Smarter Systems for Transportation

Thursday, March 13, 3:30 - 5:00

Technological innovation is helping cities develop strategies and systems for building better infrastructure such as smart roads, resilient bridges, lightrail, and public transit. This session showed how these innovations maximize mobility, reduce air pollution, and minimize congestion.

John DeCicco, Senior Fellow, Automotive Strategies, Environmental Defense, Dexter, MI, USA (Moderator)
Nicola Villa, Global Director, Connected Urban Development, Internet Solutions Business Group, Cisco Systems, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Rob MacIsaac, Chair, Greater Toronto Transportation Authority, Toronto, ON, Canada
Leslie Bellas, General Counsel and Director of Environmental Affairs, Intelligent Transportation Society of America, Washington, DC, USA

Future of Urban Energy

Wednesday, March 12, 3:30 - 5:00

Cities, towns and communities are increasingly challenged to find innovative ways to provide energy efficiently while at the same time, reducing GHG emissions and costs. Progressive cities exposed how they are striving to reduce their environmental impacts and the tools available to help them do so.

Sponsored by: PlascoEnergy Group

Keith McPherson, Director, Pacific Green Energy Initiative, The Cascadia Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Moderator)
Rod Bryden, President & CEO, PlascoEnergy Group, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Glen Laubenstein, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Kingston, ON, Canada
Terry O'Day, Executive Director, Environment Now, Santa Monica, CA, USA
Marvin J. Hunt, City Councillor, City of Surrey, BC, Canada

Building Better Buildings

Thursday, March 13, 3:30 - 5:00

Improvements to the traditional materials and techniques used to construct buildings and infrastructure can help create more durable structures. This session presented how the widespread adoption of these practices, technologies and materials can result in more sustainable buildings and physical infrastructure.

Teresa Coady, CEO & Founding Partner, Bunting Coady Architects, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Moderator)
Guido Wimmers, Architect, Equilibrium Consulting Inc., Vancouver, BC, Canada
Henk Kaan, Senior Researcher, Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands, Petten, the Netherlands
Yuka Kanehara, Director, Izumiya Research Institute Co. Ltd., Osaka, Japan

The Net Zero Building

Wednesday, March 12, 10:30 - 12:00

Net-zero energy design and construction is not only extremely energy-efficient, it can actually generate excess power for sale to the grid. This session explored how commercial and residential buildings can benefit from net-zero design.

Sponsored by: Industry Canada

Glen MacDonell, Director, Energy and Environment Industry Branch, Industry Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada (Welcoming remarks)
Gordon Shields, Executive Director, Net-Zero Energy Home Coalition, Toronto, ON, Canada (Moderator)
Peter Busby, Principal, Managing Director, Busby Perkins+Will, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Ryan Scott, CEO, Avalon Master Builder, Calgary, AB, Canada
Gary R. Hamer, Technology Innovation Manager, Residential & Commercial Conservation Innovation, Power Smart, BC Hydro, Burnaby, BC, Canada
Joe Van Belleghem, Managing Partner - Developments and Consulting, Windmill West, Victoria, BC, Canada

Higher Standards = Better Buildings

Friday, March 14, 8:30 - 10:00

The knowledge and technology to construct green buildings exists, but the political setting does not always foster green developments. The construction industry is rapidly evolving: designers, developers, and builders are delivering more and more green projects. They explained how governments and building professionals must work together to create the right conditions for advancing green buildings.

Sponsored by: Commission for Environmental Cooperation

John Robinson, Professor, Institute for Resources, the Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Moderator)
Kevin Hydes, Chair, World Green Building Council, Toronto, ON, Canada; Vice President of Buildings Engineering and Sector Leader for Sustainable Design, Stantec, Woodbridge, ON, Canada
Rodney McDonald, Chair, Canada Green Building Council, Manitoba Chapter, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Jonathan Westeinde, Chair, Advisory Group for Green Buildings in North America, Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Montreal, QC; CFO, Westeinde Group, Nepean, ON, Canada

Making Cities Resilient

Thursday, March 13, 1:30 - 3:00

Cities everywhere are bracing for change. The effects of climate change, population growth, and wealth disparity are challenging the ability of urban leaders to manage development and growth while preserving natural and cultural landscapes. Public awareness and political will are catching up to the need for change, and cities are quickly equipping themselves with the tools, knowledge and experience to handle these new challenges.

Delia Laglagaron, Deputy Commissioner and Deputy CAO, Metro Vancouver, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Moderator)
Marty Janowitz, Vice President of Sustainability, Jacques Whitford, Dartmouth, NS, Canada
Gary Lawrence, Urban Strategies Leader, ARUP, Seattle, WA, USA
Gwendolyn Hallsmith, Director, Planning and Community Development, City of Montpelier, VT, USA
Anders Franzén, Head of Strategic Planning, City of Växjö, Sweden

Revitalizing Cities from Within

Thursday, March 13, 8:30 - 10:00

Many cities are striving to address environmental issues and challenges due to historical infrastructure and planning decisions made decades ago. Greener cities can emerge as a result of the replacement of aging infrastructure and systems. This session showcased examples of communities and cities that are regenerating and becoming more sustainable.

Michael Geller, Adjunct Professor, Centre for Sustainable Community Development, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada (Moderator)
Robert Fung Jr., President, The Salient Group, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Mazyar Mortazavi, Principal, TAS DesignBuild, Toronto, ON, Canada
Brent Toderian, Director of Planning, City of Vancouver, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Dan Cohen, Vice President of Planning and Development, Catellus - A Prologis Company, Denver, CO, USA