Uniting research academics with those responsible for matters of policy and implementation at the municipal, provincial and even federal levels can lead to benefits for the public good.
The recent Planning Advancements in Transportation and Housing Conference (PATH 2025) in Toronto on Tuesday, February 11, hosted by the Mobility Network, allowed the sharing of a broad scope of research and partnerships with regional stakeholders. With a nearly even split of academics and government representatives over the 150 attendees, the event fostered the network of those assembled to explore evidence-based decision-making and innovative solutions.
The goal of the conference was to be the first step in building a robust, interdisciplinary knowledge community looking to create a more sustainable and equitable future for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Overall, it allowed bringing all the moving parts together involving research projects and allowing sharing of data, policy recommendations and more to enhance the ability of local governments to implement best practices and contribute to the region's long-term success.
Topics ranged from sustainable infrastructure planning, to transit-oriented development to AI and data-driven innovation.
The speakers for many of the concurrent sessions were firmly representative of CivMin faculty and research-stream students, with Professors Baher Abdulhai, Marianne Hatzopoulou, Eric Miller, Khandker Nurul Habib, Shoshanna Saxe and Amer Shalaby providing guidance as moderators.
The day's formal portion was capped with a debate topic selected to polarize opinions. The debate, Cars Are Still the Future of Mobility in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, drew upon CivMin's Prof. Shoshanna Saxe to oppose and Prof. Murtaza Haider of TMU supporting the motion. The event was not all barbs and sparks, as several instances saw humorous moments and even moderator Prof. Steven Farber, the Mobility Network's interim director, asking the audience to weigh on the "truthiness" of views and statistics provided on the fly.
Speaker Professor Daniel Rodriguez from UC Berkeley was the academic who travelled the furthest for the gathering, while a Government of Canada representative, coming from Ottawa via train, was the policy-maker who made the longest trek. Representatives from Hamilton, Peterborough and many other municipalities made up the 10 regions who attended, complementing the six educational institutions involved.
By Phill Snel
