Marnie
McGregor
Ad-Hoc Expert
Generic Skills
B.1. Understanding of integrated and sustainable urban development:
I have a Master’s of Science in Planning from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Queens University.
Throughout my career in Canada, the United States, Australia and Europe, I have been committed to sustainable urban development in global cities and have focused on projects that address environmental, economic and social policy issues.
Specifically, I have been involved in high-profile initiatives in the fields of sustainable mobility, land use and resilience planning, green buildings and affordable housing, and have focused on the linkage between housing and transportation. I know that now more than ever, cities need transformative approaches to sustainable development to fight climate change.
I am currently a member of the inaugural EU Climate-Knowledge Innovation Communities (Climate-KIC) Greece Pioneers Into Practice leadership programme working to create innovative new products and services to boost the low-carbon economy.
B.2. Understanding of exchange and learning processes at transnational level:
Working with the City of Vancouver for 12 years, and over the last four years in close collaboration with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) in my capacity as the City of Vancouver Intergovernmental Relations & Strategic Partnerships Director, I was part of many international urban networks and professional exchanges. Some of these exchanges were part of formal programmes, or events, and some were informal, but all of them provided invaluable learnings on best practices, current research, policy and regulations, as well as critical contacts for strategic partnerships and advocacy.
Also, as the only Canadian part of the inaugural Climate-KIC Greece Pioneers into Practice leadership programme, I have experienced first-hand the benefits of transnational level exchanges with cultural, policy, program and networking outcomes and benefits. My professional background and North American experiences have been a valuable addition to the Greek Pioneer group, and I have learned a great deal from my fellow participants given their backgrounds and skill sets.
B.3. Proficiency in English:
I am a native English speaker, and writer, as well as a professional communicator. I have over 20 years of experience writing materials for various audiences including senior elected officials at all levels of government, stakeholder groups, citizens and the media. My specialty is taking complex policy information and distilling it into clear, concise and compelling messaging.
I also am a regular public speaker at international conferences including The Economist Third Annual Sustainability Summit for Southeastern Europe & the Mediterranean held October 16 and 17, 2019 in Athens, Greece.
Expertise for the design and delivery of transnational exchange and learning activities:
Thematic expertise:
Theme / Policy:
Sustainable Urban Mobility
Summary Thematic expertise:
- New York Times Athens Democracy Forum October 2018 and 2019 UN Sustainable Development Goals Workshop Facilitator: led the workshop design, material development, strategic partnerships, and development of workshop outcome reports for all forum participants.
- OECD 4th Meeting of Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth March 2019: created a report to the elected Mayor & Council Members on the outcomes of event, including key outcomes, learnings on core policy areas, best practices.
- City of Vancouver Transportation 2040 Plan stakeholder engagement: created a diverse Stakeholder Advisory Group, production of policy engagement discussion guides, and international expert peer review panel
- Have a Masters’ of Science in Planning and am a regular contributor to Spacing Magazine – a Canadian urban affairs publication – on various sustainable urban mobility topics including taxis and ride-hailing apps, and a November 2019 book review on improving bus service in cities.
Theme / Policy:
Environmental Issues
Expertise support to local authorities and other stakeholders in designing & delivering integrated and participatory policies
E.1. Knowledge on participatory methods and tools for co-production and implementation of local polices :
At the 2018 and 2019 New York Times Athens Democracy Forum, I worked with students from the Athens College of Greece and the Global Liberal Arts Alliance, and the UN Sustainable Development Solution Network (SDSN) Greece Youth leaders team to co-produce concise outcome reports on four SDG areas from forum workshops. These reports captured key elements of the workshop discussions, learnings, best practices and tangible solutions for businesses, universities, and civil society to implement four of the 2030 sustainable development goals.
The final reports were circulated to all forum participants, and were directed specifically at city practitioners, and urban global policy-makers. These reports were shared on the New York Times Athens Democracy Forum website and through social media channels.
I was the UN SDSN Greece lead on this participatory project, which involved proactive outreach to a diverse range of stakeholders, conflict resolution and mediation between competing interests (i.e. students, sponsor organizations, colleagues etc.).
E.2. Knowledge on integrated approach for the design, delivering, monitoring and evaluation of urban strategies/policies:
Throughout my career, I have been involved in the development, implementation and evaluation of multiple sustainable urban development and mobility strategies and policies. The City of Vancouver’s Renewable City Strategy was initially developed in 2015, in advance of the 2015 Paris Climate Summit Conference of Parties (COP 21). This policy was developed through extensive research, policy analysis, stakeholder and community engagement, global peer review, and the development of effective monitoring and evaluation systems.
I supported the stakeholder engagement process to ensure that the policy development was truly a participatory process, as well as the government relations and strategic communications campaign to obtain the support of other global municipal governments and global climate action networks and coalitions. Urban policy monitoring tools used included carbon/greenhouse gas emission (GHG) tracking using international standard metrics, stakeholder engagement databases and regular policy implementation progress updates to Vancouver City Council.
E.3. Awareness of the main policy and funding schemes for sustainable urban development at EU and national level:
I am part of multiple global sustainable urban development networks, both in the EU and North America including Climate-KIC Greece and UN SDSN Greece, Global Covenant of Mayors, C40, 100 Resilient Cities, EUROCITIES, World Resources Institute Ross Center, UCLG etc. I subscribe to targeted sustainable urban development digital newsletters, social media and follow key influencers in this field (Twitter, LinkedIn, FaceBook, Instagram etc.) to receive current policy reports, trends, funding opportunities and information on events and conferences.
I also participate in EU and North American webinars and conferences focused on sustainable urban development and climate action and focus on how local governments can influence national governments in this policy field.
E.4. Ability to understand specific local situations and adapt tools and content to different local realities:
With the Municipality of Athens Resilience office during the summer of 2018, I adapted a City of Toronto Refugee Food Training Program to the local context for Athens, Greece. I designed the local program framework, budget, and local and national EU funding proposal. This involved participation and input from Athens elected officials, community NGOs working on global refugee issues, as well as guidance from the City of Toronto program leaders to ensure consistency in the program design and delivery of results, yet tailored to the unique Greek policy, social and economic landscape.
Summary Expertise:
- City of Vancouver: design and delivery of comprehensive and participatory stakeholder engagement strategies for multiple sustainable urban development and mobility policy initiatives such as the Transportation 2040 Plan, and the Renewable City Strategy.
- Municipality of Athens: adapted a City of Toronto Refugee Food Training Program to the local context for Athens, Greece that included designing the local program framework, budget, stakeholder and elected official engagement, local and national EU funding proposal.
- New York Times Athens Democracy Forum October 2018 and 2019 UN Sustainable Development Goals Workshop Facilitator: led the workshop design, material development, strategic partnerships, and development of workshop outcome reports for all forum participants.
Informations
Residence location:
Greece
Languages:
English - Mother tongue
Foreign Languages level:
Foreign languages:
Email:
marnie@marniemcgregor.ca