As cities grow at an unprecedented pace, the need for smart, sustainable infrastructure has never been greater. But true sustainability isn’t just about better materials or more efficient design—it’s about people. Infrastructure has the power to enable choice, transform communities and shape lives.
What if we stopped building for people and started building with them? Imagine infrastructure that doesn’t just connect places but empowers the people who use it. Roads and transit systems that drive economic opportunity. Accessible public spaces that foster connection. Neighborhoods designed to make sustainable choices the easiest and most efficient for everyone.
Join us for a bold conversation with leading experts that will challenge the way we think about infrastructure. We’ll explore how cities can move beyond traditional top-down planning and towards co-creating infrastructure with the communities it serves. We’ll dive into the intersection of sustainability, accessibility and economic empowerment—because the most transformative infrastructure isn’t just about what we build. It’s about who we build it for.
This is a Disruptors and Dilemmas speaker series event.
This event is co-hosted by: University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, Faculty of Arts & Science, Rotman School of Management and School of the Environment
About the speakers
Professor Marianne Hatzopoulou
Chair, Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering
Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Transportation Decarbonization and Air Quality
Director, Positive Zero Transport Futures
Head of the Transportation and Air Quality research group (TRAQ)
David Boroto
(EngSci 1T9)
Interim CEO, Engineers Without Borders
Professor John Robinson
Professor, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy
Professor, School of the Environment
Presidential Advisor, U of T Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability
Sarah Bertollo
(HBSc ’05, MBA ’10)
Director, Energy Evolution, Enwave Energy Corporation
Our moderator
Claire Kennedy,
(BASc ’89 Chemical Engineering, Applied Science & Engineering, Hon LLD ’23)
Senior Advisor at Bennett Jones LLP
Co-chair, Defy Gravity Campaign
Proudly sponsored by U of T affinity partners:
