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The Case for Conversions

What if we could revitalize downtowns and increase housing supply at the same time? Our report says WE CAN.

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CUI is Canada’s Urban Institute.

We're a national platform for the best in Canadian city building. Through research, engagement and storytelling, we support vibrant, equitable, livable, and resilient cities.

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Canada’s Placemaking Community

Introducing an online space to expand our collective imagination around placemaking. Part of the Healthy Communities Initiative, a partnership with Community Foundations of Canada and funded by the Government of Canada.

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My Main Street

We're partnering with the Economic Development Council of Ontario to help drive business and restore vibrancy to local communities in the aftermath of COVID-19.

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We believe urbanism is for everyone.

We connect policymakers, urban professionals, civic and business leaders, activists, and academics from coast to coast to coast.
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Initiatives

We collaborate with community leaders, academics, and activists to promote local solutions to the challenges facing Canadian cities.

CityTalk Canada

Our popular series of online, candid conversations brings together city builders of all stripes to discuss what’s working, what’s not, and what’s next for urban communities across Canada.

COVID Signpost

A COVID-themed research series offering important directions for urban Canada about the lingering challenges we face.

CityShare Canada

A real-time, crowdsourced platform that houses resources, tools, and stories on how city-builders and residents are responding to COVID-19.

CUI x Local

A series of week-long virtual residencies on the issues facing cities across Canada. We’ll be learning from local leaders about their most pressing challenges, and surfacing examples of innovative and locally-driven solutions.

Insights & Publications

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What We Heard

How do 400+ housing organizations, experts, and advocates feel about Canada’s National Housing Strategy? “What We Heard” compiles their observations and urgent suggestions to ensure the plan meets its targets and cuts homelessness in half.

Windsor Blooms

In Windsor, we heard diverse perspectives on what it’s like to live there, what people are concerned about, how they view the city and its institutions, and how they are coping with—and driving—change.

Victoria Nurtures

This report is an invitation to discover Victoria, to dip in and out, visiting its corners and its main streets, to hear how the city is moving. It reflects what we heard and offers some of the best guidance Victoria can offer.

Events

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May 20, 2023

What We Heard: Solutions for the Improving the National Housing Strategy
An in-depth conversation about housing precarity, policy gaps, and possible solutions for improving the National Housing Strategy.
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April 22, 2023

Summer Crisis: Are Encampments Coming Back to Stay?
How can municipalities balance their responsibility to steward civic spaces, respect the legal and human rights of unhoused people, and manage the social and economic needs of their neighbourhoods?
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March 18, 2023

Solving for Supply: Shared Challenges and Opportunities
In this candid conversation, panellists with differing perspectives discussed the perceived benefits and potential implications of supply-side solutions to housing affordability.
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