CanU Summits

2020

Past CanU Summits / CanU 1 - CanU 8

For full write ups on each summit please click on the event title.

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CanU8 Urban Shift: Implementing People-Centered Design

Sept 22 -14, 2016 Edmonton, Alberta

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CanU7 Canada’s Urban DNA: The Art & Science of Creating Meaningful Places

Oct 14 -16, 2015 Ottawa, Ontario

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CanU6 Cities at the Edge: Urbanizing Suburbia

Sep 18 – 20, 2014 Toronto, Ontario

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CanU5 National City-Building Leadership Summit

Sept 27-29, 2014 Halifax, Nova Scotia

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• Board ratified and signed Charter for Canadian Urbanisms

  • As we reminded our delegates at the Halifax Summit, ours is not a membership service organization – it’s a movement, for a better, healthier, more sustainable and resilient urbanism coast-to-coast.

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CanU4 Symposium

October 2012 Calgary, Alberta

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• As established at the Calgary CanU4 Summit in October 2012, membership in the Council for Canadian Urbanism (CanU) is now open to all professionals interested in CanU’s goals, and in promoting sustainable, livable and authentic Canadian Urbanism.

  • CanU membership advantages and opportunities to contribute include:

  • Be part of a professional advocacy organization and a community together with the most prominent urbanists in Canada

  • Take an active part in promoting Canadian Urbanism, contributing to CanU activities and becoming a member of one of the Working Committees

  • Be invited to take part in the annual Summits and other CanU organized and sponsored events

  • Be included on CanU’s communication materials (broadcast emails, newsletters, discussion groups, etc)

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CanU3 Symposium

2011 Vancouver BC

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• CanU3 explored key topics around Urbanizing the Region –  an interest to planners, designers, architects, engineers, developers, and urbanist of all stripes.

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CanU2 Symposium

2010 Montréal, Québec

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• Took place at the Montreal Biosphere included the following sessions: “Learning from Montreal,” The “Leading Edge Urbanism: Canada’s Largest Cities,”The final session focused on the organization’s role, mandate, priorities and activities leading up to the next national symposium conference in 2011. The urbanization of suburbia was considered a key priority for organization in achieving its goals for a more sustainable and healthily Canadian  urbanism. The Symposium was followed by an urban design mini-charrette organize by CanU for the CIP Conference.

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CanU1 Symposium

Oct 3 -4, 2009 Toronto Ontario

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• Opening remarks were given by the members of the newly formed Board of Directors of the Council: Brent Toderian (President), Robert Freedman (Chair), Alex Taranu (Secretary). The draft of the new CanU Charter was unveiled and presented by Brent Toderian. Mark Guslits spoke about the remarkable Regent Park project, one of the landmark projects demonstrating what Canadian Urbanism is about.

• The event was structured in four sessions based on the provisions of the draft Charter including very brief presentations by the Board members followed by ample discussions.

• The first session was focused on the history and tradition of Canadian Urbanism and was led by David Gordon, Professor and Director of the Planning School at Queen’s University in Kingston.

• The second module of the day was led by Brent Toderian and Robert Freedman and presented an overview of various aspect of regional incarnations of what is thought to be Canadian Urbanism.

• The third module was led by Dan Leeming and Alex Taranu and was focused on the key issue of sustainable and healthy development in Canadian Urbanism including brief presentations by Robert Freedman (Toronto’s Green Development Guidelines), Mark Guslits (Regent Park project) and Brent Toderian (Vancouver’s Eco-Density).

• To conclude, the final discussion was focused on the group’s mandate, priorities and activities. The new Board of Directors of the recently formalized Council for Canadian Urbanism was introduced. The Board members represent a balance of various regions of the country and a mix of municipal, consulting and academic urbanists with leading roles in the profession.