Our Work

The power of community, with its ability to open minds and hearts, reminds us why most of us choose (despite the deepening issues) to live together in cities. In this final of four CityTalk episodes recorded at CUI’s State of Canada’s Cities Summit in Ottawa on November 30th, host Mary Rowe presents highlights from afternoon conversations around innovative, uplifting solutions that build community.

Whatever the scale and scope of the tough issues being discussed in a single day, solutions often seem to be within reach after lunch. In the third of four CityTalk episodes recorded at CUI’s State of Canada’s Cities Summit in Ottawa on November 30th, host Mary Rowe presents highlights from afternoon sessions featuring local and national experts offering practical, street-tested solutions.

When wanting to find solutions to urban issues, it’s always best to talk to those professionals directly involved. Better yet, invite them to talk to each other. In the second of four City Talk episodes recorded at CUI’s State of Canada’s Cities Summit in Ottawa on November 30th, host Mary Rowe presents more highlights from morning sessions focussed on the key challenges and opportunities faced by every sector of urban life, and where collaboration can make all the difference.

Sometimes great things happen when you bring the right people together to talk. In this first of four CityTalk episodes recorded at CUI’s State of Canada’s Cities Summit in Ottawa on November 30th, host Mary Rowe presents highlights from morning panel conversations exploring both the global context for Canadian urban issues, and challenges shared with American cities.

An urban neighbourhood can be many things to its residents beyond a shared place to live. It can be where to find and/or offer support to community members, join others in working for better public services and resources, and where residents can lead flourishing lives. However, it can also be a fragile place.

In the first in a special series leading up to the Canadian Urban Institute’s upcoming ‘At the Crossroads’ conference, CityTalk host Mary Rowe resumes her ongoing conversation with Zita Cobb, co-founder of Shorefast (Fogo Island, Newfoundland & Labrador) on the growing importance and value of nurturing local economies to serve and sustain everyone in the community, urban or rural.

As the price of entry into many neighborhood housing markets continues to sky-rocket, we need more models for both renting or owning a home. President and CEO of the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation Romy Bowers discusses the need for government policies and support, and the crucial role for everyone in Canada’s housing ‘system’ must play to create a more diverse mix of housing choices that meet our collective needs.

Mental Health and Homelessness are inextricably linked crises affecting Canada’s urban communities. Medical Director at Inner-City Health Associates, Dr. Andrew Bond speaks about his on-the-ground experience in providing coordinated supports, and how essential local models of practice are the best solution to not only rebuilding coordinated systems across jurisdictions, but also restoring the levels of civic trust so crucial to healthy, diverse downtowns and main street neighborhoods.

Millions of square feet of office space sit empty across Canada and fewer workers are coming downtown. What opportunity do these vacant and underutilized office spaces present for increasing housing supply while making downtown districts across Canada vibrant, equitable, livable, and resilient?

The challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic revealed many possibilities for how urban design could create better public places to serve the public good. This episode discusses new models for how neighborhoods and districts function, what progress looks like, and how public infrastructure such as public libraries can be leveraged in new ways.

A look back at the lessons learned from pandemic response efforts surrounding public safety, placemaking, social inequities, the financialization of the housing sector and what changes are possible through community and government collaboration.