Planners and Developers

My name is Steven Webber and I’m the principal of Urban Formation, an urban planning consulting practice with a land economics focus. In my former life I was a faculty member at Toronto Metropolitan University (Ryerson when I was there), and prior to that at the University of Toronto/Innis College. On that note, I want to extend a big hello to my talented former students who continue to make a positive impact in the world.

Starting a blog about the relationship between planning and real estate development is something I have considered for a while. The common ground that exists must be properly acknowledged and strategically leveraged as small and large communities across Canada continue to deal with their local housing challenges. This awareness creates a framework for collaborations that will expedite housing delivery through planning initiatives that align with economic realities.

Planners understandably approach development from a perspective that is shaped by their education and professional experience. Largely absent from their knowledge base is an awareness of the real estate investment process. Developers justifiably express concerns over this gap because financial feasibility is a key consideration that should be incorporated into planning decisions. My goal is to equip planners with the tools and insights they need to assess their impacts on potential real estate investments. But let’s not forget that developers are also responsible for making a good faith effort to clearly communicate with planners. The two-way street analogy is something that should always be front and centre in the minds of developers.

Efforts to bridge the gap between planners and developers motivated me to create and teach undergraduate and graduate development feasibility courses at TMU. Throughout the semester students were introduced to pro forma fundamentals and given the opportunity to apply their high-level models to real world situations. Adding to the learning experience were guest speakers from the private, non-profit, and public sectors who graciously met with the students and provided their valuable perspective of the inner-workings of the development world.

I have incorporated the content and spirit of these university courses into a series of pro forma workshops. These introductory sessions use a plain-language approach to review pro forma terms, assumptions, calculations, and results. My intention is to support planners in their efforts to gain a level of literacy that will allow them to engage in meaningful discussions about development feasibility.

These workshops always generate thoughtful and lively discussions that are informed by the participants' experiences with developers. Planners want (need) to understand the developers, and these sessions provide an opportunity ask relevant questions and express valid concerns in a constructive setting. The Urban Formation blog will rely on this tone to explore development and pro forma topics that will hopefully encourage productive conversations between planners and developers.

Feedback and suggestions are always welcome, I can be contacted at: steven@urbanformation.com