
AGENDA
Wed. Oct. 8
7:30 AM — Registration & Badge Pick-Up OPENS
WRLDCTY Lounge @ SLATE - 670 Smithe St, Vancouver
Coffee and refreshments at the offsite WRLDCTY Lounge, just down the street from the theatre.
9:00 AM — Opening Remarks: WRLDCTY Global Forum Begins
Annex Theatre - 823 Seymour St, Vancouver
Chris Fair, President & CEO, Resonance
Jasmine Palardy, Director, WRLDCTY
Land Acknowledgment & Welcome
Jacob Lewis, Director of Community Development, Nch'ḵay̓ Development Corporation
The Destination City: Power in Partnerships
Royce Chwin, CEO, Destination Vancouver
What does it mean for a city to be a destination not just for tourists, but for talent, investment, and civic life? A welcome to Vancouver, and a provocation for what it takes to activate a city’s full potential.
Arena Districts: Changing the Game for Downtowns
Chris Fair, CEO, Resonance
Jonathan Mallie, Managing Director, Americas, POPULOUS
Arena districts are redefining the role of major venues in urban ecosystems - becoming forces of opportunity for downtown revitalization that shape future-forward neighbourhoods, accelerate inclusive growth and build economic resilience - beyond the stadium.
Reconciliation City: Breaking Rules to Repair
Ginger Gosnell-Myers, Principal, Ginger Gosnell-Myers Consulting
Vancouver was the first city in Canada to unveil a Reconciliation City plan and commitment to implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Ginger walks us through how the city learned to break its own rules and rewrite a more prosperous urban future through deeper collaboration.
Toward Planetary Urbanism: Civic Imagination for an Urgent Future
Ilana Lipsett, Co-founder, Civic Foresight Project
Conventional planning won’t meet the demands of a polycrisis world. We need imagination at scale, an "abundance" mindset, and a penchant for action.
10:40 AM — NETWORKING BREAK
11:00 AM — More Interestingly Less Wrong: Building with Delight, not Consensus
Iain Montgomery, Now or Never Ventures
Perfection is a conspiracy against progress. Cities, their leaders, and even companies spend so much time trying to be “right” that they forget the future is built by people willing to be distinct. Iain argues that urbanism has fallen into the trap of appeasing everyone and avoiding controversy.
Creating an Ambitious City: Lessons from Urban Moon Shots
Nadia Levi, SVP, Land Use, Colliers
Steven Cornwell, Global Diretor, ERA-co
Ghigo DiTommaso, Partner, Gehl
Emiliano Espasandin, Founder, PALO Arq.
In a risk-averse world, bold urban transformation demands courage, coalition, and conviction. Let's dive into what it really takes to deliver ambitious city-building projects—from embracing calculated risk to forging unconventional partnerships and sustaining collective will.
Getting It Done: A Playbook for Municipal Development Corporations
Kate Thompson, CEO, Calgary Municipal Land Corporation
Development corporations are emerging as agile vehicles to build what cities need - faster. Kate demystifies how municipal land and development entities operate, how to establish one, and the governance and funding models that allow them to accelerate complex, city-shaping projects.
The Welcoming City: Countering Displacement
Becky Zimmermann, CEO, DesignWorkshop
The question isn’t whether cities will change - but who they change for. With a focus on belonging, Beck outlines emerging approaches in design, development, and governance that move beyond placemaking toward placekeeping, aiming to reduce displacement.
Postcard from Copenhagen: 2025 WRLDCTY Global Fellows
12:30 PM — LUNCH & NETWORKING AT THE WRLDCTY LOUNGE
WRLDCTY Lounge @ SLATE - 670 Smithe St, Vancouver
2:00 PM — WRLDCTY CONTINUES AT THE ANNEX THEATRE
Annex Theatre - 823 Seymour St, Vancouver
A Letter from The Future
Youth Voices at WRLDCTY
0–99: Healthy, Youthful and Longevity Cities
Raj Ahuja, Longevity Cities Fellow
Melissa Higgs, Principal, hcma
Gary Gaston, CEO, Civic Design Center
Cities that support thriving childhoods and dignified aging are often the most liveable for everyone. This session explores how lifecycle-based design, social infrastructure, and intergenerational policy can foster well-being across every stage of life.
WOMEN CHANGING CITIES: Global Stories of Transformation & Leadership
Melissa Bruntlett, Author & Director, Modacity Creative
Chris Bruntlett, Author & International Relations Manager, Dutch Cycling Embassy
Cities around the world are reimagining their streets and public spaces, transforming them into places for enjoyment and spending time instead of simply for moving through. As more cities, businesses, and local advocates search for the perfect recipe for urban vitality in their communities, a number of cities are leading the way. (hint: they have something in common …)
3:00 PM — NETWORKING BREAK
3:20 PM— Paradox of Proximity: Addressing the Loneliness Epidemic
Ann-Britt Elvin Andersen, Chief Communications Officer, BLOXHUB
Why are people lonelier in walkable, amenity-rich neighbourhoods than ever before? BLOXHUB shares new data and case examples from Copenhagen and beyond, offering spatial and systemic strategies to design for connection in an increasingly fragmented world.
Growing UP: Livability in Vertical Cities
Ashley Bauman, Founder, Beyond the Buildings
Marc Ricou, EVP, Commercial, Bosa Properties
Darryl Condon, Managing Principal, hcma
As vertical living becomes the new norm, cities must rethink the mechanics of everyday life in towers. This discussion considers the design choices, investments, amenities and social strategies that can ensure high-density environments are not only efficient - but meaningfully livable. (hint: it's about community)
KEYNOTE: Are Cities Killing Our Humanity? Rebuilding Trust and Connection
Charles Montgomery, Author & Urbanist, Happy Cities
Trust is infrastructure. Drawing from a decade of global research, Charles Montgomery examines how - as city-builders - we can either fracture or fortify social cohesion and human flourishing in the modern city. Here's how we can all do better.
4:45 – 6:00 PM — Happy Hour & Networking
8:00 – 10:00 PM — WRLDCTY AFTER DARK PARTY Presented by Hudson Pacific Properties
595 Burrard St, Vancouver
Must wear your name badge for access.
Cloud32 is located in Bentall 3 on the 31st floor.
Please enter from Dunsmuir Street, and someone will be available to guide you upstairs.
THU. Oct. 9
8:30 AM - ARRIVAL & CHECK IN FOR ROUNDTABLES
(pre-registration WAS required)
Microsoft Downtown Campus - 725 Granville St Suite 700, Vancouver
9:00 – 11:00 AM — Happy Cities in an Age of Despair: Workshop & Roundtables
(pre-registration WAS required)
Microsoft Downtown Campus - 725 Granville St Suite 700, Vancouver
Seats are limited. Pre-registration required. Please have name badge and ID ready for check in at this venue.
In an era of growing isolation and inequality, designing for joy, wellbeing, and connection is one of the most pressing challenges of our time. Join Happy Cities in this fast-paced workshop for inspiring stories and hands-on activities. Collaborate with city-makers from around the world to gain hope in the face of troubling headlines. Let's co-create practical — and radical — solutions for the crises that feel so pervasive in 2025.
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM — Self-Guided Lunches
Explore all that Downtown Vancouver has to offer!
1:00 PM — WRLDCTY CONTINUES AT THE ANNEX THEATRE
Annex Theatre - 823 Seymour St, Vancouver
From Our Downtown to Your Downtown
Jane Talbot, President & CEO, Downtown Van
Welcoming remarks and reflections on where downtowns are headed as we look past today and into the future.
Tale of Two Cities: Meeting Challenges at Scale
Michael Koh, Director, Centre for Liveable Cities
Josh White, GM, Planning, Urban Design & Sustainability at the City of Vancouver
Mary Rowe, CEO, Canadian Urban Institute
Limited land area, rising sea levels, critical housing demands, rich cultural histories, and transforming industries - Vancouver and Singapore have as much in common as they do different. In this candid exchange, Singapore's Centre for Livable Cities and the City of Vancouver explore various approaches cities can take to "meet the moment" and address challenges at scale in ways that set a city up for its next generation(s).
The Screen Killed the City
Greg Lindsay, Futurist & Urbanist
Technology promised connection—but delivered isolation. Greg maps the cultural and infrastructural impacts of the screen on urban life, and outlines how city-builders can design for digital-era citizenship, interaction, and shared public value.
Beyond the Low Hanging Fruit
Mark Nelson, Associate Principal, Sustainability and Climate, Arup
The climate doesn't give a hoot about talk. Low-hanging fruit won't cut it any longer, big plays and big policy are the ways to ready our cities for the future. Mark shares how design + policy can help cities adapt and thrive while bettering our planet.
2:15 PM — NETWORKING BREAK
2:30 PM — Abandoned to Ambitious - How to ReIgnite Community Resilience in Underserved Spaces
Ilana Altman, Co-Executive Director, The Bentway
Elinor Seath, Ramsgate XID
Andrea Bartoli, Founder, FARM Culture Park and Countless Cities
How do we breathe life into deserving communities and spaces? From pop-up museums in coastal Italian towns, community care nights, and exhibitions in former prisons, we'll show how empty spaces unlock human potential.
CBDs and Placemaking: Benefits of Activated Podiums and Plazas
Ashley Chandler, Sr Manager, Programming & Events, Hudson Pacific Properties
How can commercial real estate catalyze public good? In an era of downtown reimagining - Ashley shares strategies for activating podiums, plazas, and frontages in ways that build cultural capital, support local enterprise, and deliver value to both tenant and city.
When Extreme Becomes Normal: Climate-Ready Design
Samantha Peart, Global Head of Sustainability, HASSELL
Audrey Girard, Design Director, Lemay
Jen Angel, CEO, Evergreen
Wildfires, floods, heat domes, extreme cold...we can talk about climate resiliency all we want, but as time passes our cities experience more extremes, more often, we're often left to react quickly while policy catches up. Here we dive into novel approaches and design-led solutions that are making our cities more habitable and future-fit - now.
3:45 PM — NETWORKING BREAK
4:00 PM — KEYNOTE: Messy Cities – Why We Can't Plan Everything
Zahra Ebrahim, Co-Founder, Monumental Projects
Order isn’t always the answer. Zahra Ebrahim makes a compelling case for embracing the productive messiness of city life - from informal economies to spontaneous placemaking - as vital expressions of community agency, cultural identity, and democratic urbanism.
GRAND FINALE: THE WORLD'S NEXT CITIES
Chris Fair, President & CEO, Resonance
Antonio Gomez-Palacio, Chair, DIALOG
Sofia Song, Global Leader, Cities Research, Gensler
What if the world’s most admired cities aren’t the best indicators of our future? Reflecting on all we've heard thorugh the past few days, these WRLDCTY leaders will challenges prevailing narratives around ‘model cities’ and explores lesser-known places (and approaches) that are pioneering inclusive, regenerative, and next-generation urbanism. What's next - and what are our next steps?