Wednesday 18 November 2015

Former Toronto City Manager Joe Pennachetti to join World Council on City Data and Global Cities Institute at U of T

November 18, 2015World Council on City Data (WCCD) President and CEO, and Director of the Global Cities Institute (GCI), Professor Patricia McCarney, is pleased to announce the appointment of Joe Pennachetti as WCCD Executive Advisor – Global City Strategy and as a Global Cities Institute Senior Fellow at the University of Toronto.  Mr. Pennachetti will focus on the growth of the WCCD city network throughout Ontario, Canada and internationally while working with colleagues at the University of Toronto in developing data analytics to inform city dialogues worldwide. November 18, 2015
 
“On behalf of the WCCD and GCI, we are delighted to welcome Mr. Pennachetti to this new role. His years of service to the City of Toronto, most recently as City Manager, mark him as an ideal champion to help expand the WCCD network and inform utilization of the data to build analytic tools at the Global Cities Institute for city leaders worldwide. We look forward to his input, intellect and strategic advice,” said Dr. McCarney. “Alongside Senator Art Eggleton – Chair of the WCCD Global City Leaders Advisory Board, and Richard Sommer - Dean of the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto – we would like to congratulate Mr. Pennachetti on this appointment and we look forward to working with him.” 
 
Mr. Pennachetti served for thirteen years as Chief Financial Officer and City Manager at the City of Toronto, Canada’s largest city and sixth largest government. Working through several administrations, he is widely credited with ensuring that Toronto’s service levels and cost efficiencies were enhanced through a progressive performance management program.  Mr. Pennachetti has also been one of the driving forces behind the creation of ISO 37120, the first international standard for sustainable cities.
 
For more information, please contact:
 
James Patava
416-966-2368
james.patava@globalcities.ca
 
Established in 2014, the WCCD is operationalising ISO 37120 across cities globally – the first international standard for indicators on city services and quality of life. With 100 indicators, around 17 themes supporting city services and quality of life, ISO 37120 data is accessible through the WCCD Open City Data Portal which allows for cutting-edge visualisations and comparisons. The World Council on City Data Foundation Cities include: Boston, Toronto, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Bogota, Guadalajara, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Helsinki, London, Rotterdam, Barcelona, Minna, Johannesburg, Amman, Makkah, Dubai, Haiphong, Makati, Shanghai, and Melbourne.

The Global Cities Institute (GCI) is housed within the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto. Focusing on research to create sustainable, resilient, inclusive and prosperous cities of tomorrow, the GCI has been integral to the development of ISO 37120 – the first international standard for sustainable cities. In addition to its work on developing city indicators for standardized urban metrics, the GCI also engages in the global smart cities agenda, the emergent field of para-diplomacy, as well as leveraging its unique and longstanding contacts with the City of Toronto (and cities throughout the world) as a bridge between academia and local government. The work of the GCI is supported by its extensive, international and multi-disciplinary list of Senior Fellows who are leading scholars in the fields of Architecture, Geography, Political Science, Urban Design, Engineering, Public Affairs, Urban Finance and Management, Urban Policy and Economics. 

Tuesday 3 November 2015