Sam Carter-Shamai is an urban planner with a penchant for the unexpected and overlooked opportunities that cities have to offer. As a planner, Sam applies an inquisitive and critical approach, seeking to work with communities through direct engagement and participatory interventions to demonstrate viable solutions for complex urban challenges. With a Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University in Montreal and a Masters of Planning from Ryerson University here in Toronto, Sam draws on a broad skill set informed by a multi-disciplinary background in cultural geography, photography, and collaborative design facilitation.
Sam has worked and studied in cities across northeast Canada and the United States; Newport News Virginia, Halifax, Montreal, Hamilton, and Toronto. Sam has a strong commitment to promoting an inclusive, equitable, and just city through progressive planning and development. His master’s research focused on realizing the potential of marginal and underused urban landscapes drawing on case studies in Toronto, Berlin, and Detroit.
Prior to joining the Bentway team, Sam worked as a development and strategy planner with SvN Architects + Planners, as lead researcher for the Ryerson City Building Institute investigating best practices in adaptive re-use, programming, and cultural planning for civic museums, and as Special Assistant to Councilor Joe Cressy. Sam currently serves on the board of Parkdale’s Neighbourhood Land Trust, working with residents to support a growing portfolio of community-owned housing and grassroots economic development efforts.