Covid-19

Cities in the time of COVID-19

This new CUI 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.

Recent Discussions

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From the Ground Up: How is COVID-19 Driving Community Leadership in Urban Canada?

Join Abhilash Kantamneni from Local Insights, Leigh Stickle from Aryze Developments, Mansib Rahman from Radish, Christy Morin from Arts on the Ave, and CUI’s Kate Graham, as they explore examples of community innovation and leadership throughout the past year. 
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Provocations on the Future of Downtowns: What’s Possible?

What might downtowns look like in the future? What are the possibilities for new ideas and approaches?
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The Future of Downtowns and Central Business Districts Around the World

Joining CUI’s Mary W. Rowe on “The Future of Downtowns and Central Business Districts Around the World” are Alicia John-Baptiste, President & CEO, SPUR; Greg Clark, Global Head of Future Cities and New Industries, HSBC Group; Gabriella Gomez-Mont, Founder and Principal, Experimentalista; and Abha Joshi-Ghani, Senior Adviser, Public Private Partnerships, The World Bank.
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Why Downtowns and Central Business Districts Matter

Joining CUI’s Mary W. Rowe on “Why Downtowns and Central Business Districts Matter” are Craig Alexander, Chief Economist & Executive Advisor, Deloitte Canada; Richard Barkham, Global Chief Economist, CBRE; and Richard Florida, Professor, Urbanist, and Writer.
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What don’t we know about COVID-19 in Canada’s cities?

Joining CUI host Mary Rowe for our session “What don’t we know about COVID-19 in Canada’s cities?” are Kate Graham, Senior Fellow of Municipal Leadership at the Canadian Urban Institute, Thierry Lindor, Founder of the Colors of Covid, Mayor Patrick Brown, the Mayor of Brampton, and Janice Abbott, CEO at Atira Women’s Resource Society.
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How are Community Leaders Inspiring Change in Mohkínstsis (Calgary)?

Joining CUI host Mary Rowe for our session “CityTalk In Residence: How are Community Leaders Inspiring Change in Mohkínstsis (Calgary)?” are Beth Gignac, Chief Operating Office of Calgary and Area United Way; Jason Ribeiro, Director of Strategy of Calgary Economic Development; Patti Pon, President & CEO of Calgary Arts Development, Karen Gosbee, Co-Chair of Community Action on Mental Health and Addiction Stewardship Group; and Tim Fox, Calgary Foundation’s Vice President of Indigenous Relations & Equity Strategy. #CUIxLocal
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CityTalk Blog

Original insight, analysis and stories on how local government and communities across Canada are responding to the new urban reality under COVID-19.

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The democratic deficit in Canadian cities during COVID-19

Municipalities across Canada have been faced with some of the most challenging governance issues in the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the decisions most directly affecting the daily lives of Canadians have been made by municipalities. By Anneke Smit, Hana Syed, Aucha Stewart, Terra Duchene, and Michael Fazzari Read the full report here.
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A Call to Courage: An Open Letter to Canadian Urbanists

Jay Pitter, award-winning placemaker and CUI Senior Fellow, Equity-Based Placemaking, releases A Call to Courage: An Open Letter to Canadian Urbanists, with a toolkit of resources for responding to anti-Black racism in urbanist practices and conversations.
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COVID-19 has exposed how vulnerable Canadian cities really are

Now that we have seen how our cities truly function at their most vulnerable, what possible excuse do we have to not emerge solely committed to fixing them?
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