Creating Sustainable Places: An approach to sustainable urban design
Schedule
Thu Feb 26 2026 at 11:30 am to 01:30 pm
UTC-05:00Location
Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship, School of Cities , Suite 853 | Toronto, ON
About this Event
About the talk
Despite wide agreement about its role in overall sustainability goals, physical planning and design remain a complicated, largely fragmented field of practice. The diversity of issues, scales, disciplines, and contexts make it challenging to deliver integrated outcomes that measurably advance sustainability goals. To address this challenge, Prof. Larco will be presenting the Sustainable Urban Design Framework, a comprehensive approach to sustainable design, collecting current research and best practices from across the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, planning, development, ecology, and environmental engineering.
The framework organizes over 50 specific urban design elements across outcome goals and scales, and can be used to guide project decisions, evaluate current and proposed conditions, and to engage a variety of stakeholders. The Sustainable Urban Design Framework is the focus of the recently published Sustainable Urban Design Handbook, a graphically rich and easy to use resource for designers, planners, developers, elected officials, and community stakeholders.
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About the speaker
Nico Larco, AIA, is an urban designer, architect, and Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the University of Oregon, where he directs the Urbanism Next Center and co-directs the Sustainable Cities Institute. He leads ELEMENT/Urban Design and serves as a Strategic Advisor at the Dutch national think tank, TNO. His research work focuses on sustainable urban design as well as on how emerging technologies, such as shared mobility, AVs, and e-commerce, are reshaping cities. He developed the Sustainable Urban Design Framework and is lead author of the Sustainable Urban Design Handbook. Prof. Larco advises cities on future-proofing strategies, has led various workshops internationally, and has provided testimony to various governmental bodies including the U.S. Congress.
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School of Cities leverages urban data and lived experience to improve policy and decision-making, and collaborates with communities to make cities and urban regions more sustainable, prosperous, inclusive and just.
Connect with the School of Cities:
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The School of Cities is committed to making its programs accessible to persons with disabilities. If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please write to [email protected] at least 48 hours prior to the program with information regarding the requested accommodation.
Where is it happening?
Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship, School of Cities , Suite 853, 55 Saint George Street, Toronto, CanadaEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
CAD 0.00
