To the editor:
Re: "Sullivan baggage, personality sink Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»city planner," Feb.3.
We are recently retired assistant directors of planning who worked with five directors, including Brent Toderian, and many city councils.
Brent worked tirelessly to address the urgent issues of sustainability and affordability, while maintaining Vancouver's tradition of good urban design and liveability. He inspired city staff with his enthusiasm. Brent has a very strong commitment to neighbourhood consultation: we witnessed him working hard to revise proposed plans based on public input. Regarding relationships with developers, we observed Brent's openness to and encouragement of new forms of development for "density done well."
In addition to the often conflicting pressures of neighbourhoods and developers, Brent faced new challenges including filling the shoes of the two previous co-directors, major staff retirements, hiring freezes, economic downturn, and councils' diminished respect for professional advice.
We are pleased to have worked with a director as principled and passionate as Brent.
Trish French, Ronda Howard, and Rob Jenkins, Vancouver
