Fotenn Presents at Accent on Planning 2016 CIP Conference

July 12, 2016

Fotenn Director of Urban Design and Landscape Architecture Michael Stott and Senior Planner Matthew McElligott were invited to speak at the Canadian Institute of Planners Accent on Planning 2016 National Conference, which took place July 5 to 8 in Quebec City.

Matt and Michael were invited to reflect on Fotenn’s recent experience redeveloping shopping centres across Ontario. Once a proud vision of suburban utopia, many of traditional shopping malls have run the course of their lifecycle, forcing cities and retail property owners to rethink their use. Some of the trends underpinning this rethink include changing demographics and consumer patterns, increases in online shopping, an aging population and increased urbanization. Sustainability concerns also play an important role as consumers are tending to prefer mixed use developments where they can live, shop and work all within walking distance – instead of having to get into a car and drive to a suburban mall. Michael and Matt presented to a standing room only crowd, highlighting the opportunities, challenges and best practices associated with re-imagining traditional shopping malls.

The Canadian Institute of Planners serves as the voice of over 6,300 planning professionals across Canada. Accent on Planning was the CIP’s 2016 national conference which brought together thousands of planners from across Canada to hear from a variety of keynote speaks, participate in a variety of concurrent sessions, workshops, and learning tours, and to develop skills and knowledge. The 2016 conference was held in Quebec City and the 2017 conference will be held in Calgary, Alberta.

Re-imagining the Traditional Shopping Mall

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