David Amborski

BA, MSc, MA

Professor
Ryerson University

Founding Director
Centre for Urban Research and Land Development (CUR)

David Amborski is a Professor at Ryerson University’s School of Urban and Regional Planning, and a professional urban planner.  He holds graduate degrees in both Urban and Regional Planning and Economics. He is the founding Director of the Centre for Urban Research and Land Development (CUR) and was the founding Academic Director of the City Building Institute, both at Ryerson University. His research and consulting work explore topics where urban planning interacts with economics including land and housing markets. His specific interests include the area of municipal finance, land development, housing, and land value capture tools.  

Amborski has served as president of the Association of Canadian Urban Planning Programs, is an academic advisor to the National Executive Forum on Public Property and is a member of Lambda Alpha (Honourary Land Economics Society). 

He has undertaken studies for the Federal, Provincial and a range of municipal governments. His recent consulting work includes an evaluation of the financing for the Smart Track financing for the City of Toronto, studying the building permit process across Canada for Infrastructure Canada, and he is currently working with MPAC on how to put a planning lens on the property tax assessment process.

At the international level, he has undertaken work for the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) World Bank, the Interamerican Development Bank, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and several other organizations in Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Asia.