To explore the feasibility of a Design Review Panel for Toronto, the City Planning Division, in association with the Toronto Society of Architects, Canadian Urban Institute and Ontario Association of Landscape Architects held a public symposium in June 2005 entitled "Design Review; Toward a Made in Toronto Solution".

Symposium speakers and panelists featured local stakeholder representatives as well as recognized national and international experts on design review, who are involved in the Design Review Panels of their respective jurisdictions. The event was attended by over 300 members of the public and a portion of the proceedings was broadcast on live television. The symposium concluded City staff's ongoing evaluation of Design Review Panels in other jurisdictions.

Lessons learned underscored the effectiveness of Design Review Panels for ensuring high quality design of the public realm in other cities and the applicability of a Design Review Panel in our local context. Through debate and discussion, the event demonstrated public interest in exploring this process for Toronto.

Part I
Lessons from Other Places
(To view biographies, click on speaker names)

Session Chair: Allan Leibel, Co-Chair, Goodmans LLP

Setting the Agenda for Toronto:

• Ted Tyndorf, Chief Planner & Executive Director, City Planning
  
• Robert Freedman, Director of Urban Design, City Planning

Learning from Other Places
(Click beside the "" icon for a video of the speaker's discussion)

• Larry Beasley, Director of Planning, City of Vancouver
  - Video
  
• Adrian Sheppard, McGill University, Architecture and Urbansim Committee Chair, City of Montreal
  - Video 1of2 - Video 2of2
  
• Joanna Averley, Director of Enabling, CABE Program, United Kingdom
  - Video
  
• David Carlson, Boston Civic Design Commission, Boston Redevelopment Authority
  - Video 1of2 - Video 2of2

• Joe Berridge, Partner, Urban Strategies, TWRC - Video

Part II
Toward a Made in Toronto Solution
A critical debate with international and local design review experts and local stakeholder representatives.

Session Moderator: Adam Vaughan, CityTV

• Comments from Mayor David Miller
  
  
• Setting the Stage:
  Ted Tyndorf, Chief Planner & Executive Director, City Planning
  Robert Freedman, Director of Urban Design, City Planning
  
  
• Panel Discussion
  Out of Town Panelists:
  • Larry Beasley Director of Planning, City of Vancouver
  • Adrian Sheppard, McGill University, Architecture and Urbansim Committee Chair, City of Montreal
  • Joanna Averly, Director of Enabling, CABE, England
  • David Carlson, Boston Civic Design Commission, Boston Redevelopment Authority
  • John Smit, Ottawa Downtown Design Review Pilot Project
  
  Local Panelists:
  • Councillor Kyle Rae, City of Toronto
  • Joe Berridge, Partner, Urban Strategies, TWRC
  • Michael Kirkland, Kirkland Partnerships, Niagara Falls Design Review Panel
  • Allan Leibel, Co-Chair, Goodmans LLP
  • Anthony Coombes, City Formation International
  • Brigitte Shim, Shim Sutcliffe Architects
  • Alan Vihant, Vice President, Concord Adex Toronto
  • Cynthia Wilkey, South East Downtown Economic Redevelopment Initiative (SEDERI), West Don Lands Committee, Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC)