Urban Thinkers Book Club

Have you spent too many nights up awake thinking about how Toronto can better activate it’s public spaces? Are your family and friends tired of you asking them to debate the merits of the 15” city or the new LRT project? If you are looking for a place that has kindred spirits who are just as invested in all things urban planning/city building as you are, then you have come to the right place! Urban Thinkers is a book club where we come together to read up on the latest developments in transportation, urban design, social policy and much more with the goal of expanding our knowledge of urban development in the company of good friends and a hot cup of coffee. Students and professionals actively working in the sector are encouraged to come, but anyone with an interest in learning more about this field is welcome ! We will meet once a month to discuss our latest read while taking in Toronto’s cafés and parks along the way.

This month (September 2023) we will be reading Breakthrough Community Change: A Guide to Creating Common Agendas that Change Everything by Paul Born. This book shares a practical process for organizing and uniting a diversity of community interests (private, non-profit, and government) around a common agenda. The first section of the book walks you through how to launch a community campaign. It breaks down how to create teams working towards change in your community, how to create a community engagement plan, a shared agenda, and a common set of performance measurements. Part II of the book details approaches and skillsets that can be employed to successfully implement a community campaign. This including how to conduct effective community engagement, foster community innovation and collaborative leadership, and leverage an asset-based community development approach.

For this session, please come prepared to discuss Part I of the book, as well as the Introduction and Conclusion.

As always, if there is a chapter that you would like to read beyond those listed, please feel free to do so and we can discuss your thoughts during the session.

Looking forward to seeing everyone soon!

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In addition, please find below a list of books that are being considered for future meetings to give you a taste of what’s on the horizon for our reading list. We are always looking for new suggestions as well, so feel free to leave a comment virtually or during our upcoming session.

◦ Ethics for the City: Building and Dwelling by Richard Sennett

◦ Great American City: Chicago and the Enduring Neighborhood Effect by Robert J. Sampson

◦ Sharing Cities: A Case for Truly Smart and Sustainable Cities by Duncan McLaren and Julian Agyeman

◦ Changing Places: The science and art of new urban planning by John Macdonald, Charles Branas and Robert Stokes

We look forward to seeing you later this month!

Host or Publisher Samantha