Bridging the Gap: Alberta School of Business Hosts 3rd Annual City Building Conference

The Alberta School of Business hosted its third annual City Building Conference on October 24, 2024. Now a vital platform for dialogue among city leaders, planners, researchers and other key stakeholders, this year's conference welcomed 150 attendees who represented nonprofits, local and regional governments, U of A faculty, staff and students, as well as private sector partners.

“All in attendance were — and are — committed to building a better city,” says David Dale-Johnson, academic director of the Centre for Cities and Communities and executive professor and the Stan Melton Chair in Real Estate at the Alberta School of Business. Dale-Johnson explains that the conference was born out of a need to highlight the valuable, yet often siloed, work done at the U of A.

“There are a large number of university faculty members working on research and teaching initiatives, many with local governments, NGOs, and the private sector, but much of this work, while ‘city building’ related, is not well known among the many communities within the university and outside,” he says.

“The goal of this conference is to ‘bridge those gaps.’”

Over the years, the event has gained significant traction as a focal point for interdisciplinary collaboration — a critical opportunity for experts to share their knowledge and build stronger connections across sectors.

The keynote speaker, Jen Beverly, associate professor in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life, and Environmental Science, delved into the topic of wildfire causes and vulnerabilities in Alberta communities—a subject made increasingly relevant by recent wildfire events in Jasper and Fort McMurray.

“A better understanding of her research and insight into the current environment and managing risk in the future is both a challenge and an opportunity to build safer, livable communities,” says Dale-Johnson. Beverly’s work with communities highlighted the importance of integrating climate resilience into urban planning and city management in order to adapt to the growing impacts of climate change.

The sessions also addressed challenges such as affordable and social housing, essential elements of the transportation network, implications of changing demographics, revitalizing Edmonton’s low-density urban core, reducing the built environment’s carbon footprint, creating urban vibrancy, managing infrastructure, and meeting housing demand as Edmonton grows into a city of two million.

“The last session focusing on downtown revitalization brought home the true challenge we face in Edmonton with a population density of 3,420 people per square mile versus Calgary at 4,124, Toronto at 11,468 and Vancouver at 15,000,” explains Dale-Johnson. “Density offers an opportunity to create lively and happy neighborhoods in the community. As argued by Henry Edgar, president of real estate developer Autograph, we really have to focus our revitalization efforts geographically—that is, target a neighborhood—to have a positive impact and drive change.” 

“Every one of these topics is vital,” continues Dale-Johnson, “and each has to be addressed as our community grows and as we take on the challenge of making Edmonton the best place to live.”

Vikas Mehrotra, Dean of the Alberta School of Business, reflects on the broader impact of interdisciplinary research and relationship-building in addressing community challenges: “At the Alberta School of Business, we see interdisciplinary research as the cornerstone of impactful innovation. It’s through the intersection of diverse fields that we gain the most profound insights into the challenges facing our communities.

Building strong partnerships between academia, industry, and public sectors enables us to create solutions that are not only innovative but also sustainable and inclusive. This collaborative approach is how we ensure that our research translates into real-world progress, shaping resilient, vibrant cities for the generations to come.”

Looking to the future, Dale-Johnson envisions the City Building Conference continuing to expand its influence by deepening connections between diverse urban stakeholders. “The visions of the Centre for Cities and Communities and the Annual Conference are the same. We aim to create more vibrant, sustainable cities through collaboration and shared knowledge,” he says.