Kourosh Rad

Regional Lead, Halifax

Kourosh Rad is an entrepreneur and urban planner with expertise in areas of placemaking, public consultation, and real estate development. As of February 2020, Kourosh is the owner of the Garden Food Bar in Downtown Halifax. Through his previous role as a planning consultant, he was responsible for the design and approval of over 3,000 residential units and 1 million sq. ft. of commercial spaces. Kourosh has initiated several projects to inspire change at the regional, national and international level. These initiatives include the “Art of City Building Conference” and “Sweden-Canada Cleantech Matchmaking Platform.” He has also led workshops around the world on a variety of topics, including public consultation, equitable real estate development, creative bureaucracy, and sustainable development. In 2019, he was a speaker at MIT Real Estate Forum, Amsterdam’s We Make the City Conference, and Valencia’s Placemaking Week Europe. Kourosh received the 2017 Young Planner Award from the Canadian Institution of Planners for his contribution to the field. He has also served as a jury member for the Government of Canada’s Smart Cities Challenge.