The Future of Cities

ATB Financial’s Chief Economist, Todd Hirsch is joined by special guests to explore the economics, innovation and needs of Alberta’s cities today and into the future.

By ATB Financial 4 April 2022 3 min read

Towering skyscrapers may be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of cities. But as we explore the topic, intricate layers are revealed to disrupt our current perceptions about cities and the future.

From policy and innovation, to economics and how organizations can show up to build community, this series explores the trends and the future of the places so many of us call home.

This series features two episodes. In episode one, Todd Hirsch is joined by Catherine Warren, CEO at Innovate Edmonton and Jenn Johnson, managing director of sponsorships at ATB Financial. Episode two features an interview with Naheed Nenshi, Educator, researcher and former mayor of the city of Calgary for more than 11 years.

Episode 1 - Catherine Warren, CEO at Innovate Edmonton and Jenn Johnson, managing director of sponsorships at ATB Financial

This episode begins with an interview with Catherine Warren. Along with her team, Innovate Edmonton promotes home-grown innovation as a gateway to solving the world’s most pressing problems. Catherine and Todd discuss the importance of investing in innovation and creating space where innovators and thought leaders come together. Hear about the work that has been accomplished, and how it puts Edmonton, and Canada, on the map as leaders in innovation.

Next, Todd connects with Jenn Johnson, managing director of sponsorships at ATB Financial and board member of ActiveCITY Collective. Jenn works with her team to unite people within communities and cities around the things that they are passionate about. Hear how this work was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and what the pandemic taught the team about how they can provide even more value to communities through future sponsorships and events. Jenn talks about learning from other sectors, like arts and culture, and applying these learnings into ATB’s programming. She also reveals how innovation is playing a major role in providing accessibility to events for those inside and outside of the city.

All this, plus more!

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere podcasts are found.

"As technology becomes our baseline, we will need companies and governments to go beyond technological innovation and really think about outcomes, the impacts, and driving towards what people really need and want."

Catherine Warren

CEO, Innovate Edmonton

About Innovate Edmonton

Innovate Edmonton leverages, unites and promotes home-grown innovation as a gateway to solving the world’s most pressing problems. They harness the power of the private sector, ground-breaking academic research and purpose-driven investment to build a shared prosperity and open international markets. From sustainable climate solutions to public health and digital education, Edmonton is a leading global centre for inspiration, ingenuity and inclusion.

About ATB Financial’s Sponsorship & Community team

As an Alberta-born institution, we celebrate and invest in organizations, festivals and events that make Alberta an amazing place to live. Our sponsorships are about bringing ATB’s brand closer to Albertans by uniting them in their communities around the passions they love, and strengthening our relationship with them. Learn more about ATB's sponsorship and community initiatives at atb.com/community.

Episode 2 - Naheed Nenshi, former mayor of the city of Calgary and educator

In this episode, Naheed Nenshi and Todd Hirsch explore a future where humanity is an urban population, where more than two-thirds of the global population will reside in urban centers. With this lens, how can we build cities and neighbourhoods where people want to live, where innovation allows for cities to thrive, and where a city's assets can be reimagined and utilized to benefit citizens?

Hear about his experience as mayor of Calgary including implementing the first urban drone testing site.

As Naheed explores the future of cities, he focuses on how people interact and how resources are utilized as the determining factors in the resiliency of a city. How will density, diversity and a sense of discovery shape the cities of the future?

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere podcasts are found.

In this series

Chief Economist Todd Hirsch connects with Naheed Nenshi, Catherine Warren and Jenn Johnson to unpack the future of cities. How might a metropolis create physical space for people to flourish? What role do businesses have in creating a sense of community in the cities they operate in, and how does investing in innovation not only put cities on maps - but allow them to be center stage in solving some of the world's biggest challenges.

This series navigates the complex future of cities and the citizens that call them home.