Exit Interview: Brent Toderian, Vancouver’s Ousted Planning Director

By Nate Berg, The Atlantic Cities

February 13, 2012

 

For a guy whose name has lately been splashed all over the local media after being fired from his role as planning director of the city of Vancouver, Brent Toderian is eager to talk up his city. We met to talk and tour the city about a week after the news became official that Toderian’s contract had been ended “without cause,” a high profile change in city administration that has left some urbanist-types worried about the city’s future (and some developers in a state of relief or even celebration). Toderian had been a controversial figure for the past six years, but now, as we walk through the city and see some of its hallmark projects, it’s clear that the weight of municipal government is one he’s happy to have off his shoulders. More …