Building better cities with nature

Sharon Nadeem is a multimedia journalist specializing in long-form projects. As a producer, she works on documentaries and podcasts addressing topics such as supply chains, migration, corruption, and housing. Her work has appeared in PRX, PBS’ FRONTLINE, Al Jazeera, BBC, and The Walrus. She is also a sessional instructor at UBC’s School of Journalism, Writing, and Media. She is a first-generation settler of Indian ancestry who grew up in the Middle East. She lives, reports, and teaches on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

Dr. Keun Park is an Assistant Professor of Urban Forestry at UBC and leads the Urban Nature Design Research Lab. His research examines how cities can be designed to improve equitable access to urban nature, with a particular focus on how transportation systems and urban design shape people’s ability to access and experience parks and green spaces. His work informs planning and policy for healthier, more just, and resilient cities. He previously taught at Utah State University. He holds degrees in landscape architecture from Seoul National University and a PhD in Urban Planning and Design from the University of Utah.

Penny Gurstein is a Professor Emeritus and immediate past Director of the School of Community and Regional Planning, and founding Director of the Housing Research Collaborative at UBC. Her research focuses on pathways to creating affordable housing. She has served on the boards of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, BC Housing, and the Vancouver Health Board (now Vancouver Coastal Health), and currently sits on the boards of Tikva Housing Society and PHS Community Services Society. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from York University, a Bachelor of Architecture from UBC, and a Master’s and PhD in Architecture from University of California, Berkeley.

Thomas Davidoff is an Associate Professor at the UBC Sauder School of Business, where he studies housing markets, real estate economics, and public policy. His research focuses on housing affordability, property taxation, and how government policies shape real estate development and urban outcomes. A widely cited expert, his work has informed policy discussions across Canada and has been featured in national and international media. At UBC, he teaches real estate finance and urban economics, helping students understand the forces shaping cities and housing markets. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University, a Master of Arts from Princeton University, and a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.