Culture Talks: Art, Architecture, the Public Realm and Social Infrastructure

Culture Talks: Art, Architecture, the Public Realm and Social Infrastructure featuring Mitchell Cohen.

Culture Talks continues conversations between artists, architects, designers, city builders and urbanists, shining a light on exemplary buildings, public art projects, placemaking and the public realm. 2025 delves deeper into social infrastructure.


Following the presentation, Professor Rick Haldenby from the School of Architecture, University of Waterloo will engage in a discussion with Mitchell Cohen.

Mitchell Cohen, CM, is president and CEO of The Daniels Corporation, steering the organization’s strategic and long-term vision since 1984. Under his leadership, Daniels has become known for building residential offerings for people at all stages of life, and for its commitment to building a healthy social infrastructure within each new community. Over the past four decades the company has also created innovative affordable rental programs as well as programs that help tenants become first-time homeowners. In 2019, Cohen was appointed to the Order of Canada in recognition of his "contributions to urban development and for his commitment to community building.”A songwriter and musician as well as a socially conscious real estate developer, Cohen seamlessly bridges the intersection of business and the arts.

Rhythms of Change

In the early 2000s, a remarkable renewal of Toronto’s Regent Park neighbourhood began. Designed as a “garden city” in the 1940s, the area gained a reputation over the decades as a “no go” zone. In 2005, Toronto’s City Council approved a revitalization that would effectively turn Regent Park into one of the city’s “go to” neighbourhoods.

Through captivating narrative that transcends urban planning, architecture, community development, and business, Rhythms of Change explores the revitalization journey through the eyes of Mitchell Cohen—a social activist, a musician, and the visionary CEO of The Daniels Corporation.

The Regent Park revitalization is now the gold standard for reimagining and transforming stigmatized neighbourhoods. Cohen’s firsthand account unveils key elements underlying an extraordinary metamorphosis into a healthy, resilient, and inclusive community.

Rhythms of Change brings you into the heart of strategic decision-making. It explores possibility, is a testament to the resilience of local residents facing upheaval, and offers a roadmap for those eager for positive changes within their communities.

Regent Park’s success is a world-renowned phenomenon. This extraordinary neighbourhood has become home to the World Urban Pavilion—a global Knowledge Exchange Hub established by UN Habitat, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and the Urban Economy Forum, sharing transformative city-building practices internationally.

Rhythms of Change is a must-read for anyone eager to be inspired, enlightened, and engaged in the change they wish to see in our cities. Click here to order your copy for $40.00 from Indigo.

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Mitchell Cohen bio photo, courtesy of the speaker. Photo by Alex Filipe.
Feature image: Toronto Regent Park Revitalization by The Daniels Corporation