Sticky Places: The Economics of Placemaking

At Symposium 2026, Brad Jones, Chief Development Officer at Wesgroup Properties, and Michael Mortensen, Founder of Liveable City Planning Ltd., came together for a fireside on Sticky Places: The Economics of Placemaking — unpacking how thoughtful placemaking creates places people want to gather in, return to, and share with others.

Brad and Michael dug into the tension — and symbiosis — between placemaking and development economics, making the case that truly great places often demand investing ahead of returns to unlock lasting cultural and economic value.