Should Municipal Planning Departments be Transformed into “Municipal Planning and Economics Departments”?

Should Municipal Planning Departments be Transformed into “Municipal Planning and Economics Departments”?

SPEAKER: Alain Bertaud, Urbanist, Author and Research Scholar

In his new book, Order Without Design: How Markets Shape Cities, Alain Bertaud argues that applying the theories of urban economics to the practice of urban planning is the way to improve the productivity and the welfare of citizens in urban regions like the Greater Toronto Area: “Instead of being exclusively focused on land use and regulatory issues, planning departments should also be involved in economic analysis on a day-to-day basis.”

Alain is an urbanist and senior research scholar at the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management. He previously held the position of principal urban planner at the World Bank before retiring in 1999 to work as an independent consultant. He has worked as a resident urban planner in a number of cities globally.