Inclusive Local Economies
Adriana Beemans Named Bousfield Distinguished Visitor in Planning by the University of Toronto
2022

We are delighted to share that Adriana Beemans, Metcalf’s Inclusive Local Economies Program Director, has been named a Bousfield Distinguished Visitor in Planning by the University of Toronto.

Situated within the Department of Geography & Planning, the Bousfield Visitorship brings in established planning academics and practitioners to teach, give public lectures, and participate in collaborative research projects.

Adriana’s term as the Bousfield Distinguished Visiting Scholar will run from January–May 2023, during which time she will take a leave of absence from her position at Metcalf.

As part of her Bousfield Visitorship, she will be delivering a public lecture on her reflections and learnings from over a decade of working on improving economic opportunities for low-income people and communities in Toronto; discussing social change strategies with students; and collaborating with faculty on how the planning department engages with the community development sector.

 

During my time at Metcalf, I’ve seen the importance of ideas being enriched and informed by practice to enable long-term, durable social change. I’m looking forward to sharing my insights from 20 years of community development practice with students and faculty, and likewise, learning from them. I’m excited by this opportunity to build new relationships, immerse myself in new research and thinking, and to bring fresh ideas back to inform my work at Metcalf and our continued efforts to advance a more just and equitable economy in Toronto.

Adriana Beemans, Inclusive Local Economies Program Director, Metcalf Foundation

Past Bousfield Visitors have included Mexican architect and urban planner Alfonso Valenzuela-Aguilera, former Executive Director of the Centre for Young Black Professionals (CEE) Kofi Hope, and former Chief Planner for the City of Toronto Jennifer Keesmaat.