Pier Giorgio Di Cicco has authored 17 collections of poetry since 1976 and was a seminal figure in Canadian Multiculturalism with his edition of the first anthology of Italian-Canadian writers and through his collaborative work with the Multiculturalism Directorate, the Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council. He was born in Arezzo, Italy, raised in Montreal, Baltimore and Toronto and did post-graduate work at the University of Toronto. In 1984 he removed himself from the world of letters and became an Augustinian Brother, and was subsequently ordained to the Roman Catholic Priesthood. He returned to the world of

literature and education in 2000 with four successive volumes of verse, including The Dark Time of Angels which was nominated for the Trillium Award in 2004. In 2004 he was the Emilio Goggio Visiting Professor in Italian Studies at the University of Toronto and appointed by the City of Toronto as its second Poet Laureate. His ideas on civic aesthetic have inspired the agenda of "creative cities" in forums ranging from urban design and architecture, to public spacing and issues of diversity in the global city. He was an author of the Imagine Toronto Report (a joint project of The Province of Ontario and The City of Toronto to develop strategies to build Toronto and Ontario's creative capacity). His contributions to the Mayor's "Round-Table on the Arts" have been widely broadcast and publicized in federal and municipal discussion from Florida to Vancouver. He has been key note speaker for The Innoversity Summit Conference (Toronto), The City of Toronto Architecture and Urban Design Awards (AGO), The Walk21 International Conference, The Creative Place and Spaces Conference (Artscape) and The 10th International Metropolis Conference. He has been an advisor to the Toronto Branding Project, The Maytree Foundation, Creative Tampa Bay, The Prime Minister's External Advisory Committee on Cities and Communities and The Couchiching Institute on Public Affairs. He is an urban consultant, Curator of The Toronto Museum Project and Global Center for Cities and a member of the design team of BMI/Pace Architects and Planners.

His monographs on civic aesthetic can be accessed on the City of Toronto Poet Laureate Web Site at http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/culture/poet_laureate.htm

More about Pier Giorgio Di Cicco (http://www.municipalmind.com)

Pier Giorgio Di Cicco is an urban consultant and urban strategist specializing in the psychology of social capital and design for urban engagement. He is Principal and founder of Municipal Mind Consultancy and Poet Laureate Emeritus of The City of Toronto. He is the author of the ground-breaking book Municipal Mind: Manifestos for The Creative City, about which Richard Florida has said: "His writing captures the essence of the creative community, its great potential, its contradictions, and the challenges we all face". Most recently Di Cicco has been a public art consultantfor St. Clair Revitalization, contracted to
BMI/Pace and subcontracted to BMI/Pace for the restoration of the Thunder Bay Waterfront.

He has worked closely with Waterfront Toronto and waterfront stake-holders. He has conducted stake-holder and public consultation workshops for Waterfront Toronto re: the future of the Gardiner, and was consultant to the Waterfront Design Panel in its international competition for waterfront design. His consultancy includes, as one of its partners, Castlepoint Development, the major private owner of the waterfront land adjacent to the Gardiner at Donlands.

Most recently, Mr. Di Cicco has conducted revisioning seminars for York Region Transportation on the design of streetscapes, keynoted the 2009 Industrial Strength Conference and joined as consultant to developer blocks of York Region, mandated to reduce traffic congestion through web and design strategies.

Addendum

Pier Giorgio Di Cicco has played a key role in some of North America and Europe's most influential municipal and urban initiatives. He has been an advisor and consultant to:

- The Prime Minister's Advisory Committee on Cities and Communities
- The Toronto Waterfront Development Corporation
- The Toronto Waterfront International Design Competition
- Ontario's Growth Management Plan
- The Toronto Branding Project
- Brand Architecture, New York
- COMEDIA (UK)
- Institute Without Boundaries
- EPCOR Centre Alberta
- Ryerson University
- The Liberal Party's Federal Task Force on Arts and Culture
- The City of Toronto, Toronto Culture
- The City of Niagara Falls
- The City of Guelph
- The City of Tampa
- Blue Print for Cultural San Diego
- The City of Tehran
- The City of Lisbon
- The Future of Chicago Project
- Tourism Toronto
- King City Tourism
- Maytree Foundation
- Coouchouching Policy Conference
- The Urban Land Institute
- The New Work Foundation
- OLG (Policy and Government Relations)

He co-authored Imagine Toronto: A Report on Creative Economies (Province of Ontario, City of Toronto) and was a member of the leadership team for the Creative Cities Strategies Project (City of Toronto/London Development Council)

He has spoken to numerous organizations on the topic of creative economies, urban regeneration and cultural and social capital; among them:

- Creative Cities 2.0 Summit - Detroit
- The GlobalCONNECT 2006 Conference
- The North American Professional Convention Management Association
- George Brown College
- The City of Dunedin
- The Italian Canadian Chamber of Commerce
- Innoversity
- Ryerson University
- Niagara Falls City Council
- The University of Windsor
- The London Development Agency
- The University Club of Tampa Florida
- The American Architectural Association
- Moses Znaimer's IdeaCity
- Calgary City Council
- TEDCO
- The University of Toronto School of Architecture
- The Art Gallery of Ontario
- Open Doors Toronto
- The City of Toronto Archives
- IPAC
- City of Toronto, Toronto Culture
- Ontario College of Art and Design
- The Urban Land Institute
- Office of Public Consultation, City of Toronto
- The Mothercraft Foundation
- Faith and The Common Good
- The University of Toronto
- Ryerson University

His documents on municipal design and civic aesthetic have been accessed by, published or and partnered with:

- Will Alsop Studios
- Bruce Mau Design
- The Urban Land Institute
- The Creative City Network
- Tacoma Maryland City Council
- The City of Vancouver
- The Richard Florida Group
- The City of San Francisco
- The Toronto Summit Alliance
- Fix It Buffalo
- Fashion Capital (UK)
- Filmport (Toronto)
- The City of Toronto
- Canadian Urban Libraries Council
- The City of Ottawa
- Project for Public Spaces, New York
- Artscape
- The MaRS Centre for Innovation
- The City of Hamilton Arts Council
- Portugal's High Commission for Emigration and Ethnic Minorities
- The Scarborough Arts Council
- Canadian Urban Libraries Council
- The City of Ottawa
- Toronto Arts Council
- International Center for Creativity and Imagination
- The George Lucas Educational Foundation
- Building Magazine

He has hosted and been official moderator/ commentator for various organizations including:

- Metropolis International
- The World Association of Major Metropolises
- The Institute of Public Administration
- The 8th Annual Walk21 International Pedestrian Conference
- COMEDIA (UK)

He is the recipient of a 2007 Urban leadership Award from The Canadian Urban Institute, and resident consultant with BMI/PACE Architects and Planners