Magic Moment: One milestone was the first time I published an article in the Globe and Mail. I had never been published before and I had so many fears associated with this task. For example, the fear of criticism and the fear of failure. However, through this experience I learned how important it is to move beyond fear and take action. After all, fear is not real. It is just the ego’s way of trying to keep us small.
Key Influences: Wanda Parker – From Wanda, I learned all about excellent customer service. She always worked hard to go the extra mile for her clients to make them feel special.
Mary Murphy – Mary taught me how to be an engaged leader. She always took the time to listen to our issues and concerns. She always championed her team. She pushed us to be our best.
Next Big Challenge As An Industry: I see leadership as one of the biggest challenges. Many organizations promote people into leadership positions without providing them with any training or support. This is a huge mistake as leaders are MADE not born. Organizations need to invest in their people and provide them with the skills necessary to achieve their vision.
Secret Talent: I will be publishing my first book in 2017. This is a dream that I have had for a decade!
On Championing Others… I have supported ULI for the past five years. I volunteer my time to provide training for ULI’s mentor program. I also have several clients who are ULI members. I help these organizations to develop happier, more focussed and successful people.
One word that captures you: Positive.
yulia April 14th, 2017
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Magic Moment: I have been a life-long advocate of environmental planning. In my early profession, it was an uphill battle to explain the value of environmental planning as a key to great communities. I have had so many magical moments as young planners come to me to express the desire to follow this path and expand our knowledge of resilient and sustainable community planning practices.
Key Influence: Ian McCarg – Designing WITH nature… it empowered me.
Next Big Challenge As An Industry: We need to remember we are a bio-region – to plan with nature, we need to look at natural and physical systems. Don’t get me wrong, I support and appreciate our focus on intensification and downtowns but we rely on the regional landscape for our health = for our water, food, resources – cement, salt, glass. We can’t turn a blind eye to where our city-building and support systems come from.
Secret Talent: I raise chickens and grow hops!
On Championing Others… I instigated a foundational program at Dillon to attract and retain women (WiD/Women in Dillon) that has shown significant, progressive change in supporting woman to achieve leadership roles at Dillon and to enshrine progressive policy for flexibility. I am a lifelong mentor to women in planning.
One word that captures you: Collaborative
yulia April 14th, 2017
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Magic Moment: It’s important to acknowledge those who support us in our work. I remember the first time I received a handwritten note (before email!) from a client expressing their gratitude for my work. I was blown away. Also, a few years ago I was asked to take on a role I was not ‘qualified’ for but I took the challenge and had amazing results. It is important to take a leap of faith.
Key Influence: Julia Child – She was her own woman and followed her own path! Mentors aren’t always in your field; they just need to exhibit traits that you admire.
Neal Irwin, IBI Group – Firm in his beliefs and yet diplomatic. Dedication and commitment to ensuring a job is well done.
Next Big Challenge As An Industry: We need to be aware of the consequences of our actions. I find some of the work that is being done deals with very high level issues and does not dig down deep enough to understand impact or unintended consequences. We need to educate our young professionals in the market/financial side of urban planning and development because they can mean success or failure around policy and plans.
yulia April 13th, 2017
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Magic Moment: The latest milestone in my life has been the birth of my daughter Mira, 8 weeks ago. Becoming a mom has changed my life in ways that I never even imagined. However, I know that I want to return to work full time. As a mother I have had to learn patience and be able to create calm in stressful situations that I believe will translate well to my career.
Key Influence: Danny Klempfner – Do something that you love and if you are not happy it is up to you to create the path to change.
Next Big Challenge As An Industry: As an industry, a challenge that is relevant to me is the promotion of deserving woman to senior positions. In order to achieve this it is extremely important to highlight women in the industry and their successors, provide mentors to women at all stages of their career and women in senior positions taking initiative to help the next generation advance their careers
Secret Talent: I love to sail.
On Championing Others… I am constantly meeting with women who are eager to enter the real estate industry to answer their questions and share my career experiences with them. I am on the mentorship committee for Toronto CREW.
One word that captures you: Motivated
yulia April 13th, 2017
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Magic Moment: There have been a number of magic moments in my career. When I started my own company because I saw a gap in consulting services and persevered in spite of prevailing negative wisdom. When I realized the advocacy work I was doing for my brother with developmental disabilities, developed unique qualities/perspectives that set me apart in my transit/transportation profession.
Key Influence: Grade 13 Math teacher – He introduced me to engineering and showed me how to be persistent and become the first young lady in my school to graduate from engineering.
Next Big Challenge As An Industry: The influence of technology driven millennials with sustainable, balanced lifestyle, integrating with the community infrastructure we have been building.
Secret Talent: Finding the thread in a complex convoluted situation that helps us move forward
On Championing Others… There are numerous women and men that I mentor informally. I encourage those whom I work with to take the center stage and be the lead, and I take pride in being the wind beneath their wings. I also speak at events that help tell my story and show how others can succeed.
One word that captures you: Passionate
yulia April 13th, 2017
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Magic Moment: My journey has been shaped by seizing opportunities when they showed up. I love the challenge of going to a new place and learning new skills and approaches to problems, so this is my 8th job. In my personal life, of course, the decision to adopt my daughter from Russia as a single parent, is the best decision I’ve ever made.
Key Influence: Ross Hitch, my Dad – My Dad was a municipal lawyer. From him, I learned to think about land for its potential instead of just as a piece of land.
Jan Sucharda – Jan helped me deepen my comprehension of the business side of the deal which helps me to focus on negotiating the stuff that actually matters.
Next Big Challenge As An Industry: Land is forever but everything else is in flux. As an industry, a big challenge is to stay ahead of the speed of progress. There’s really no point in discussing parking ratios based on what we do today if driverless cars will be dropping us at the door and parking themselves in 10 years. Energy, land use, transportation, communication – we need to see these in 50 year spans, not 5 years!
Secret Talent: I’ve inherited my Dad’s talent for telling stories that make people laugh.
On Championing Others… I love to coach and help people develop – informally and formally. I love to share what I know and to think through solutions when I don’t already know the answer. To me mentoring is organic so I probably informally mentor – sometimes whether or not people want it!!
One word that captures you: Creative
yulia April 13th, 2017
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Magic Moment: I joined Dan Leeming and Philip Weinstein to start Weinstein Leeming + Hinde in 1991, a year before the recession. We survived the recession in part by doing everything ourselves – from vacuuming the office, answering the phones, printing and binding our reports, shopping for office supplies to doing our “real work” designing new communities – still love printing and binding.
Key Influence: Bob Allsopp, DTAH – It’s not done until it’s as good as you can possibly make it – even if you THINK you are done – second, third, fourth look is never a bad thing.
Jim Balfour, Dillon (retired) – We get 90% of our work because clients want to work with us – it has nothing to do with the criteria on the consultant evaluation matrix.
Next Big Challenge As An Industry: I believe in urbanism. I raised my kids at Bay and Davenport. We need to build more infill and laneway housing to give ourselves, our kids, their kids, our grandparents more options for living downtown – infilling every nook and cranny in our residential neighbourhoods. There’s got to be more options than boxes in the sky – small affordable ground contact housing.
Secret Talent: Shopper for bargains.
On Championing Others… I try to make time – for coffee, to write reference letters, to make connections for them with colleagues.
One word that captures you: Tenacious
yulia April 13th, 2017
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Magic Moment: Becoming a partner at John Bousfield Associates when I was still in my twenties. Becoming a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Planners while I was still in my sixties.
Key Influences: John Bousfield – Who taught me the importance of professionalism in planning
My husband, Rupert – Who believed I could achieve anything I set out to do, and provided the support at home to allow me to do just that.
Next Big Challenge As An Industry: A city-region can only be successful if it has the financial resources to build the necessary infrastructure. This can be achieved either through a change in the taxation system and/or through a different federal/provincial funding model. It is our responsibility to bring to the attention of the public just how important this is and to lobby our politicians so there is action.
Secret Talent: Knitting complicated Arran sweaters.
On Championing Others… I really do not specifically “champion” anyone in the industry. I do try to be supportive of the women and men who work with me, and try to lead by example. I do support various women’s organizations which help women who have had a much more difficult time than me (Canadian Women’s Foundation).
One word that captures you: Dogged
yulia April 13th, 2017
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Magic Moment: After five years of working on city building strategies for the Central Transit Corridor in Saint Paul, Minnesota, being able to ride the “yellow line” once it had opened and seeing the results of our work in real time.
Key Influence: Sybil Frenette, Director, Kitchener Housing- Lessons – She taught me to think creatively and solve many problems at once; effectively and tenaciously advocating your ideas.
Next Big Challenge As An Industry: Thinking and acting as the third largest city region in North America. For example, we need to overcome our backlog in investment in transit and mobility at the regional scale. This will require collaboration, cooperation and strong leadership within communities and between levels of government and agencies. The industry can play an important role by setting the expectation that this will happen.
Secret Talent: To be secretive………..
On Championing Others… I have had the pleasure to mentor, support and watch the growth of many young professional planners. I try hard to listen and provide honest advice, thinking about the longer term trajectory of their careers.
One word that captures you: Sincere
yulia April 13th, 2017
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Next Big Challenge As An Industry: These are critical times for investing in infrastructure with a focus on low-carbon objectives, building sustainably, and supporting climate change adaptation and resiliency. A holistic broad based approach that includes ecological systems and focuses on new development but also the retrofitting of our existing urban environment is necessary to approach this pivotal moment. As an architect, I believe good design is the lens through which these initiatives will achieve a better built environment for all.
On Championing Others… I have the honour of being on the advisory committee for BEAT – Building Equality in Architecture Toronto. BEAT is an independent organization dedicated to the promotion of equality in the profession of Architecture through advocacy, mentorship, networking and promotion.
I taught studio and participated as a guest reviewer at the University of Toronto and Waterloo, I am also a mentor for intern architects under the Ontario Association of Architects. However, I believe my most effective championing of young men and women architects is a result of our studio based practice (gh3), where a spirit of collaboration permeates throughout the office through an open exchange of ideas allowing decisions to be made based on a shared vision and a holistic understanding of project requirements.
yulia April 13th, 2017
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