Rob Spanier

A seasoned real estate professional specialised in mixed-use development and place-making. With two decades of hands-on experience, Rob has brought to life more than 80 legacy projects throughout North America, Europe and the Caribbean.

Rob is an international real estate development advisor dedicated to creating innovative, next-generation destinations and places, with expertise in creating thriving communities with uniquely curated specialty retail experiences. By playing an integral role on multi-disciplinary project teams, Rob commits his extensive knowledge in large-scale mixed-use development, master planning, specialty leasing and deal making as well as programming and activation in order to create vibrant and prosperous communities.

Rob has spent two decades working in the real estate sector on complex retail and mixed-use development projects, including 11 years as a Partner & Principal at Live Work Learn Play Inc. where he opened and led the Toronto operations and helped develop numerous large and small-scale mixed-use destinations. Prior to that , Rob spent 5 years at Intrawest Corporation, where he led an international leasing team that created iconic destination resort towns worldwide. Most notably, Rob was involved in helping develop: the 147-acre mixed-use development on Mississauga’s waterfront (“Lakeview Village”), the 680-acre parcel of land at Woodbine Racetrack (“Woodbine Districts”) in Toronto, the 2015 PanAm Games Athletes Village (“Canary District”), the redevelopment of the Toronto Waterfront, the development of the Florida State University’s (“College Town”) in Tallahassee Florida, the development of Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort (“Village of Baytowne Wharf”) in Destin Florida, as well as the Presidio Trust in San Francisco, California. Rob was also actively involved in the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre development (VMC), as well as the City of Mississauga and Downtown London Ontario, working directly with each city and with many land owners to help advance each project.

Passionate about place-making and developing great places, Rob has been actively involved with the Urban Land Institute (“ULI”) since 2007. He currently sits as a Member of both the Advisory Board and Governance Committee for ULI’s Toronto District Council (2018-2022) and has previously served as Governance Committee Chair (2016-2018), Chair of the Board (2014-2016), Vice Chair for Mission Advancement (2010-2014) and Program Committee Co-Chair (2008-2010). He continues to passionately grow ULI in Canada, solidifying its contributions locally as the organization evolves globally, and was recently appointed to the ULI Placemaking Product Council (2018-2022). Rob was also appointed to the Ontario Business Improvement Authority Association “Return on Investment” Advisory Committee (2016-2017) to provide strategic direction and guide the development of the report alongside industry and governmental leaders from the Province of Ontario, as well as appointed to the Transit-supportive Development Working Group (June 2017 to Present) as an advisor to share insights and knowledge in the creation of solutions to better promote transit-supportive development and planning across the province of Ontario.

Rob is a regular speaker as a subject matter expert on city building, place-making and mixed-use development in Canada and the United States. He has spoken at organizations including the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO), The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO), Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO), Toronto Real Estate Forum and Land & Development, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ministry of Tourism Culture and Sport of Ontario, and at various universities and colleges.

Rob holds an Interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts Degree in Industrial Relations with a minor in Economics from McGill University where he graduated with honors. Rob grew up in Montreal, Quebec and is passionate about helping to develop places where people can connect with each other and to their environments; where memories are born and last forever.