{"id":17009,"date":"2023-05-13T19:19:35","date_gmt":"2023-05-14T02:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/toronto-set-to-demonstrate-urban-juggernaut-status-at-uli-spring-meeting-next-week\/"},"modified":"2023-05-13T19:19:37","modified_gmt":"2023-05-14T02:19:37","slug":"toronto-set-to-demonstrate-urban-juggernaut-status-at-uli-spring-meeting-next-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/toronto-set-to-demonstrate-urban-juggernaut-status-at-uli-spring-meeting-next-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Toronto Set to Demonstrate ‘Urban Juggernaut’ Status at ULI Spring Meeting Next Week"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Thousands of professionals from different fields across the wide-spanning land use industry are set to converge in Downtown Toronto next week for the Urban Land Institute<\/a>\u2019s (ULI) Spring Meeting<\/a>. Drawing attendance from the various global branches of the distinguished organization, the three-day gathering is one of the most significant annual events in the city building sphere, and is slated to bring international attention to the processes of urbanization taking place here in Toronto while discussing best practices for the creation of healthy cities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With a packed schedule of presentations and tours scheduled to kick off on Tuesday the 16th, we had a chance to speak with Richard Joy, Executive Director of ULI Toronto, before the event gets underway to learn more about the Spring Meeting and what it means for Toronto.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Toronto will Host the ULI’s Spring Meeting for the first time since the 1980’s, image by UT Forum contributor mburrrrr<\/span><\/p>\n

For Joy, and the rest of the ULI\u2019s Toronto Branch, being chosen as the host city for the Spring Meeting is an exciting opportunity to put Toronto under the land use microscope; the last time Toronto hosted the event was almost 40 years ago, and in that time the City has seen transformational change. Over all, Joy expressed that he is confident that the group of international attendees will be inspired by what they see.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a long time since this global ULI stage has been in our City, and what a stage we have here,\u201d he said. \u201cToronto is an urban juggernaut in North America. There\u2019s no faster growing metropolitan region, and there\u2019s certainly no metropolitan region that\u2019s growing in such a decidedly urban fashion.\u201d In particular, Joy cited mixed income communities, suburban density, and high levels of immigration as areas where Toronto can be viewed as a model for other cities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the ULI is represented across the globe, however, the vast majority of its branches, estimated at about 85%, are found in the United State, a number that will be reflected in the Spring Meeting\u2019s attendance. \u201cThis is going to be a huge U.S audience in Toronto, which is probably the standout aspect of who is in the room,\u201d Joy noted. \u201cI think there\u2019s going to be a lot of interest from American companies who are going to think, \u2018why are we not here\u2019. When they see the incredible appetite for more development, it\u2019s going to wow a lot of the U.S attendees, I\u2019m certain of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of the reason why this opportunity is so important for Toronto, Joy explained, is due to the lack of attention the City gets for its highly advanced city building industry; despite being a leader in North America, the dearth of recognition has begun to sting after all these years. \u201cThe fact that we are not higher profile has always been a curious thing to me,\u201d Joy said,\u00a0 \u201cbut I think that is going to change next week.\u201d<\/p>\n

The benefits for Toronto go far beyond simply earning a nod from a group of large American businesses though, with the event also creating an opportunity to build new professional relationships. \u201cIt\u2019s creating a lot of pride across the board,\u201d Joy said. \u201cShowing off our city, our talent, and our expertise is a great business development opportunity, and also a great energizing moment for us as a City.\u201d For a market currently facing a particularly challenging economic climate, Joy expressed that \u201cthe timing is great.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking about what he hopes will be some of the key takeaways from the event, \u201cI hope that our guests from out of town gain some inspiration from what we are doing here and spread that leadership to other parts of the world, because I think we have a lot to offer,\u201d Joy told us. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting to finally get our chance to stop talking about it and to actually show people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Spring Meeting will take place at The Metro Toronto Convention Centre, running from Tuesday to Thursday, with an additional event, the Resiliency Summit, scheduled for Monday. More information about the suite of presentations, tours, and networking opportunities, as well as how to register can be found by visiting the website here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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