The CITY Institute is saddened to learn of the loss of the great urbanist Tony Coombes. Tony, through the Neptis Foundation, was a great supporter and partner in various CITY events and projects. He will be missed.
COOMBES, Anthony Christopher: Born July 17, 1937 to Frederick (Ben) and Enid Coombes in Sydney, Australia, Tony passed away in the early hours of June 10, 2013 at his home in Toronto. Tony leaves to mourn his much loved daughter Zoe Coombes (David Boira), his grandson Pau, his sister Beverley Mainsbridge (Ray) in Sydney, his partner Patricia Goodwin, and his best friend and colleague, Martha Shuttleworth. Tony enjoyed a successful career as an architect, city planner, and urban designer. He served as chief planner for the Central Area district for the City of Toronto in the 1970s, then as senior vice president of development for Olympia and York, co-ordinating the design of the World Financial Center at Battery Park City in New York and then Canary Wharf in the Docklands, London, England. Returning to Toronto in 1993 he was the principal of City Formation, and advised on projects in Lebanon, China and Saudi Arabia. From 1999 on Tony was the executive director of Neptis, a charitable foundation based in Toronto dedicated to the funding of research and education, on the growth and change of urban regions. Tony will be hugely missed by many friends, relatives and colleagues in Sydney, Toronto, Tianjin, and New York. A memorial service in celebration of Tony’s life will be held at a later date. The family would like to thank the caring staff at Princess Margaret Hospital.
Source: http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/Deaths.20130613.93322462/BDAStory/BDA/deaths