Michael O’Neill is Project Manager for C40’s Green and Thriving Neighbourhoods programme. Michael supports cities in using urban planning and urban design approaches at a neighbourhood scale to reduce emissions while also improving people’s quality of life, health and well-being.
Before joining C40, Michael worked as a Policy and Project Advisor at the City of Toronto, where he led the development of the City’s first standalone neighbourhood parks plan, which aims to ensure that everyone has access to high-quality greenspace within a 15-minute walk of their home. He also managed applications for sustainability and resilience-focused grant funding, coordinated his team’s relationship with the City Council, and co-developed an internal learning series on Indigenous topics in park planning. Before that, he worked as a transportation planning consultant, contributing to projects ranging from the development of complete street policies to plans for new subway lines.
Michael holds a Master of Urban Planning from McGill University and a Bachelor of Arts in Human Geography from the University of Alberta.