Uploaded June 2014 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Two of North America's most influential urban planners— Harriet Tregoning, Director of the Washington, DC Office of Planning, and Jennifer Keesmaat, Chief Planner for the City of Toronto—will examine the biggest planning challenges facing their cities and how they are adapting to be more resilient.
Harriet Tregoning is a prominent smart growth advocate largely responsible for making DC a walkable, bikeable, and eminently livable. Her main priority as head planner is making DC the most sustainable city in the US, doing so by undertaking the re-write of the city's zoning code and collaborating with her transportation colleagues to expand transportation choices in the district, like launching Capital Bikeshare.
For more than a decade, Jennifer Keesmaat has been recognized numerous times for her innovative work in municipalities across Canada, amassing a variety of awards for planning excellence. She set Toronto's planning agenda back in September 2012—her first day as Chief Planner—in an op-ed in the Globe and Mail titled Our Cities Will Define Our Future: "I believe this is the best possible moment, both locally and nationally, to engage in city building and taking ownership of our shared future."
After addressing issues of urban resiliency, Harriet Tregoning and Jennifer Keesmaat comment on the future of DC and Toronto, respectively, and offer advice to local host Buffalo.
Two of North America's most influential urban planners— Harriet Tregoning, Director of the Washington, DC Office of Planning, and Jennifer Keesmaat, Chief Planner for the City of Toronto—will examine the biggest planning challenges facing their cities and how they are adapting to be more resilient.
Harriet Tregoning is a prominent smart growth advocate largely responsible for making DC a walkable, bikeable, and eminently livable. Her main priority as head planner is making DC the most sustainable city in the US, doing so by undertaking the re-write of the city's zoning code and collaborating with her transportation colleagues to expand transportation choices in the district, like launching Capital Bikeshare.
For more than a decade, Jennifer Keesmaat has been recognized numerous times for her innovative work in municipalities across Canada, amassing a variety of awards for planning excellence. She set Toronto's planning agenda back in September 2012—her first day as Chief Planner—in an op-ed in the Globe and Mail titled Our Cities Will Define Our Future: "I believe this is the best possible moment, both locally and nationally, to engage in city building and taking ownership of our shared future."
After addressing issues of urban resiliency, Harriet Tregoning and Jennifer Keesmaat comment on the future of DC and Toronto, respectively, and offer advice to local host Buffalo.
