More Than 600 Community Planners Gather to Move Forward on the Public Realm

HAMILTON, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Oct. 5, 2016) - The Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI) kicks off its bi-annual Symposium in Hamilton, Ont., today featuring the best of the public realm.

The Symposium theme, Healthy Communities and Planning for the Public Realm, examines the many publicly owned places and spaces that belong to - and are accessible by - everyone. These places and spaces include municipal streets and lanes, squares, plazas, sidewalks, trails, parks, open spaces, waterfronts, conservation areas, and civic buildings and institutions.

"This is a critical moment in time when our priorities as planning professionals must reflect the highest ideals in the public interest for the Province of Ontario. This year's Symposium theme does just that - the public realm is crucial in achieving healthy communities across Ontario as it is this realm in which civic life flourishes, where society intersects and where people are encouraged to interact. I am very proud to be a part of the event and look forward to continuing the dialogue," says Andrea Bourrie, RPP, OPPI President.

Fred Kent, a leading authority on revitalizing city spaces and one of the foremost thinkers in liveability, smart growth and the future of the city, is a keynote at the Symposium. As founder and president of Project for Public Spaces, he is known throughout the world as a dynamic speaker and prolific ideas man. Fred has also been intimately involved with the expansion of placemaking into a global agenda, helping to achieve a level of international engagement that rivals other major international development efforts.

The Institute is pleased to announce that Adam Nicklin, principal and co-founder of PUBLIC WORK, is a keynote at the Symposium. Adam's work focuses on the re-imagination of public realm in densifying cities. He is currently the Project Director for TOcore, a comprehensive study for a new generation of parks and public space to support Toronto's intensifying downtown core.

OPPI will also launch its Strategic Plan 2020 at the 2016 Annual General Meeting on October 5, 2016. With input from over 1,700 people, this is more than just a strategic plan. It embodies a commitment to protect and further the public interest.

Over 600 community planners are expected to attend the two-day event featuring more than 60 sessions on public realm issues - including mobile workshops, interactive training sessions, fantastic keynote speakers and much more. The event is expected to be the biggest educational and networking event for professional planners in Ontario this year.

About The Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI)

OPPI is the recognized voice of the Province's planning profession. Our almost 4,500 members work in government, private practice, universities, and not-for-profit agencies in the fields of urban and rural development, community design, environmental planning, transportation, health, social services, heritage conservation, housing, and economic development. Members meet quality practice requirements and are accountable to OPPI and the public to practice ethically and to abide by a Professional Code of Practice. Only Full Members are authorized by the Ontario Professional Planners Institute Act, 1994, to use the title "Registered Professional Planner" (or "RPP").

Location:

Hamilton Convention Centre

Hamilton, Ontario

October 5-6, 2016

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Website: ontarioplanners.ca/Special-Pages/Symposium-2016/Welcome