Porter's plan to extend the runway to allow for more flights at longer distances is a hot topic—and exactly the type of thing that Ryerson University's new Centre for Urban Research and Land Development (CURLD) will analyze, says one of men who helped established the centre, urban and real estate economist Frank Clayton. CURLD is the first research centre of its kind, dedicated to studying the economic impact of urban policies in the Greater Golden Horseshoe area, one of the country's fastest-growing regions. Investigating the economic effects of urban growth issues and making sure policy-makers have the data is exactly why the building industry has raised close to $2M to develop the centre, he says.

Ryerson students will very involved in the new centre. They also plan to have educational seminars for local politicians. "Municipal and urban policy should be conducted within a cost-benefit framework," Frank says. Fiscal resources are tighter, after all. The centre is all about bringing the different sides to development together more. "Developers will understand that there is a bigger picture, that it's just not about their development," Frank adds. (See the forest for the trees--then build around the trees to earn a LEED cert.) Ryerson School of Urban and Regional Planning professor David Amborski and Kylemore Communities prez Patrick O'Hanlon also founded the centre with Frank.