About

Attend the Urban Experience Alliance’s annual symposium for a day of talks and panels, conducted by some of Canada’s leading urban placemakers as they address the state of our downtowns.

Mission
Schedule
SYMPOSIUM - MAY 1, 2025
Public Event
Emily Carr Reliance Theatre
Public Event
12:00 PM
Check-In

Arrive at the Reliance Atrium to check in and grab a beverage and pastry before moving to the Reliance Theatre for talks at 12:30 PM.

Working with Developers to Create Local Heart & Soul
Jess Reno will explore the biggest challenges to today's hospitality industry and discuss how developers can best support independent hospitality operators to enhance the communities where they build. Reflecting on his own experiences with Nemesis’ recent expansions, including their new Surrey location, Jess will highlight what is required for local businesses to thrive in today's challenging economic climate.

Jess Reno (Nemesis Coffee) in conversation with Josh Vanderheide (Field House Brewing & East Abby Hospitality Group)

Creative co-creation: Recentering place and the human experience in our urban environments.
Standard development processes and rigid city planning regulations often strip cities of their local culture, identity, and playfulness. Drawing on her global experience working across the globe in cities including Copenhagen, Melbourne, San Francisco and Vancouver, Sofie Kvist, Director, Gehl Studio, will demonstrate how cities can embrace flexibility, trust, and process facilitation to create more vibrant, human-centered urban environments.

Sponsored by: Hapa Collaborative

Sofie Kvist (Gehl Architects)

Placemaking in Toronto’s Urban Centre Using Data
Tim Ng will demonstrate how real-time market data, buyer insights, and behavioral analytics shape Toronto’s urban landscape. He will discuss how data-driven strategies enhance placemaking, personalize the buyer experience, and optimize sales and marketing efforts for more successful developments across Canada.

Tim Ng (ADHOC STUDIO & BLACKLINE)

Saving our Downtown: A New Role for BIA’s as Advocates for Political & Civic Change
Karam Rai, Lead, Community Safety at DTVAN will discuss how effective placemaking in our downtowns can act as a catalyst for social cohesion. As the Business Improvement Association for Downtown Vancouver, DTVAN has an evolved framework for achieving a vibrant, diverse, and safe downtown. Karam will share insights into the current perception of safety advocacy work and demonstrate how placemaking-focused events including Summer Movie Nights and Granville Block party re-engage our public spaces.

Karam Rai (Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association - DVBIA)

How the Workplace Shapes Our Urban Experience
Janay Koldingnes, Ted Mildon and Chuck We will engage in discussion about how cities are redesigning workspaces and public realms by integrating retail and hospitality to evolve downtown office spaces. They will explore the opportunities landlords have to transform traditional office buildings into experience-driven destinations to encourage downtown recovery and bring people back into cities in a post-pandemic world.

Janay Koldingnes (EDIT Studios), Ted Mildon (Oxford Properties Group), Chuck We (Hudson Pacific Properties) 

Synergies Between Private Development and Public Amenity in Emerging 15-minute Cities
City builders Lisa Spitale, New Westminster, Graham Brewster, Wesgroup, Mitchell Reardon, Happy Cities, and Ali Kenyon, HCMA, will explore how emerging master-planned community hubs—including River District, Brewery District, and Inlet District—represent new downtowns and examine their role in shaping the region. They’ll demonstrate how effective partnership between private development and public organizations intersect to create happier, more resilient communities and well-connected urban environments.

Ali Kenyon (hcma), Mitchell Reardon (Happy Cities), Lisa Spitale (City of New Westminster), Graham Brewster (Wesgroup)

UEA Project Labs - Collaborations To Elevate Urban Placemaking
Debut Short Films: Join us as we explore, collaborate and advance urban projects across the Lower Mainland. Projects Labs provides opportunities for our UEA members to take action through funded seed projects: experiments, prototypes and pilots to apply and validate ideas and expand impact across communities.

Jorden Foss (Stee l& Oak Brewing Co.), Brandon Grossutti (PiDGiN Restaurant), Alex Beim (Tangible Interaction & Graffiti+), Jordan MacDonald (fabric living), Cory Douglas (Modern Formline Design), Ginger Gosnell-Myers (Ginger Gosnell-Myers Consulting), Chief Ian Campbell (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw) and Tim Grant (PCI Developments)

Revitalizing Ancient Knowledge Throughout the Cultural Ribbon
Cory Douglas, Ginger Gosnell-Myers and Chief Ian Campbell will explore historical challenges, successes, and the future vision for integrating Indigenous knowledge, history, and design in today's cities. They’ll discuss The Cultural Ribbon, a groundbreaking policy that advances reconciliation and best practices for urban planning and development in Vancouver.

Cory Douglas (Modern Formline Design), Ginger Gosnell-Myers (Ginger Gosnell-Myers Consulting), Chief Ian Campbell (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw)

Schedule
Reception
Nemesis Dinner
Nemesis Dinner
5:00 PM
An Evening to Support the Hospitality Sector in Our Downtowns
Reception

Reconvene after the symposium at Nemesis Coffee, just steps away from the Reliance Theatre, for a culinary collaboration between Nemesis Coffee and Michelin-recommended restaurant, PiDGiN. Also, be the first to try a limited-edition beer by Steel & Oak and PiDGiN, crafted especially for the UEA's Food For Thought initiative. 

Proceeds from the beer will donated to Mind the Bar, a Not-for-Profit organization dedicated to providing mental health support for hospitality workers. 

Sponsors
Matthews west
Logo key
Logo tera
Logo vela wealth
Logo momentum
Logo placecamp
Logo gbl
Logo beedie
Logo aragon
Logo hcma
Logo fabric
Logo wesgroup
Logo nchkay
Logo holborn
Logo placemark
Logo hudson
Logo project28
Partners
Quarterhorse
Hemlock logo black
Nemesis logo
Tiny vikings
Edit logo
Earth water logo black
Logo mind the bar
Logo pidgin
Logo steel and oak
Logo pci
Logo mas yukawa foundation
Save the date
May 1st, 2025
Emily Carr Reliance Theatre
Nemesis Coffee GNW

Our Alliance Members

Placemakers
  • CRAIG STANGHETTA
    Ste. Marie
  • ANDREW EMMERSON
    GBL Architects
  • JOSEPH FRY
    Hapa Collaborative
  • JESS RENO
    Nemesis Coffee
  • ANDREA PICCOLO
    Prado Cafe
  • JORDEN FOSS
    Steel & Oak Brewing
  • ADAM MILLS
    Four Winds Brewing
  • JOSH VANDERHEIDE
    Field House Brewing
  • JANAY KOLDINGNES
    Edit Studios
  • TAIZO YAMAMOTO
    Yamamoto Architecture
  • MELISSA HIGGS
    hcma
  • ANDREW LAING, ADAM KRAHN
    & MIKE SIMPSON
    Quarterhorse
  • RUFINA WU
    Perkins & Will
  • MATTHEW THOMSON
    Matthew Thomson Design
  • JESSICA BORICH
    PrismX Strategy
  • GINGER GOSNELL-MYERS
    Ginger Gosnell-Myers Consulting
  • ALI KENYON
    hcma
  • LAURA POTTER
    hcma
  • MITCHELL REARDON
    Happy Cities
  • CORY DOUGLAS
    Modern Formline
  • MIKI ELLIS
    Niwa & Dachi Restaurants
  • SUNNY HAHM
    Tandem Real Estate Strategy
  • JAMES HARRY
    James Nexw’Kalus-Xwalacktun Harry
  • DEREK LEE
    PWL Partnership Landscape Architects Inc.
  • KELTY MCKINNON
    PFS Studio
  • SEBASTIEN PANOUILE
    ThinkL Studio
  • DENIS AGAR
    Movement YVR
  • CAMILA RAMOS
    InformProjects
  • STEVE BONINI
    InformProjects
  • MITCHELL REARDON
    Happy Cities
  • NICK ROSSI
    Kitchen Table Restaurants
  • SPENCER COPPIN
    Opscotch
  • SHANTI WILLIAMSON
    Modern Formline
  • STEPHEN WHITESIDE
    Niwa & Dachi Restaurants
Storytellers
  • MARTIN GLEGG
    Wallop Film
  • MAXINE JAKUBKE
    PUBLiSH Partners
  • RYAN SAVELLA
    Arcade Original
  • RACHEL BEYER
    Rachel Beyer
  • ADAM BLASBERG
    Adam Blasberg Photography
  • GEOFF HUNT
    Tiny Vikings
  • ALEX BEIM
    Tangible Interaction
  • TIM NG
    ADHOC STUDIO & BLACKLINE
  • AMANDA OSTER
    Provoke Studios
  • MEGAN HYMANYK
    Scribe Communications
  • STEVEN COX
    Cause and Affect
  • ALBERT LAW
    Albert Law Photography
  • TERRY MCWHIRTER
    Vividus
  • MACKENZIE PAGE
    Mackenzie Page Design
  • MICHAEL MENTON
    Bouva Media
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