CUI’s Applied Solutions Lab

CUI’s Applied Solutions Lab

CUI’s technical practice helps the public and private sectors build capacity for informed, creative decisions; shape public policy; and implement the best community practices.

 

Through CUI’s Applied Solutions Lab, we apply knowledge developed over nearly three decades of experience in Canada and internationally. We visualize data and organize information to understand relationships. We generate insights and recommendations to inspire action.

Services

1. Research
We explore data and experience.

We carry out research to help communities identify needs and opportunities. We collect, analyze and visualize data from disparate sources to help understand the local context. To develop benchmarks, we analyze best practices and real-world lessons from community experiences. We are experts at organizing information to uncover and communicate patterns and relationships.

2. Solutions
We solve problems.

To develop practical solutions to issues confronting communities, we lead cross-disciplinary teams assembled from our staff and network of associates. By bringing diverse interests and expertise together, we seek to inspire holistic problem solving. We design our work to provide communities and stakeholders with a clear path forward.

3. Knowledge Sharing
We facilitate and educate.

Through community consultations, focus groups and interviews, we engage directly with stakeholders to resolve growth and development challenges. We create and manage partnerships to transform industry practices and hold events to share expert thinking and promote discussion on a variety of urban policy issues.

Areas of Expertise

Complete Communities

Promoting understanding of density and the attributes of complete communities.

Canada is increasingly becoming more urban. With more people in the same space means living at a greater density is inevitable. We identify and promote an understanding of density and the attributes of complete communities to help planners, designers, elected officials, and private sector builders design more complete communities and adapt existing communities over time, ensuring that not only housing but transportation, infrastructure, essential services and civic amenities are part of the mix.

Recent Projects

Downtowns & Main Streets
Making the case for investment in Canada’s neighbourhoods and downtowns.

Canada’s downtowns come in many shapes and sizes. They are economic centres, hubs of social and cultural activity and the source of pride and community. We use our skills in research, data measurement, visualization and engagement to support local governments and downtown stakeholders to make the case for increased investment in their downtowns and main streets.

Recent Projects

Community Resilience & Sustainability
Supporting the transition to resilient, low carbon communities.

Climate change presents opportunities to rethink the way we design, build and live in urban areas. Through our work, we help communities identify their biggest challenges to becoming more resilient and sustainable and develop the conversations, research, tools and strategies to make the changes needed to address them.

Recent Projects

Housing Affordability
Using new forms of equity, policy and land-use to increase housing affordability.

The lack of suitable affordable housing in cities across Canada is a significant problem that all orders of government must work together to address in partnership with the private, non-profit, and co-operative housing sectors. Our work focuses on understanding the housing market challenges and exploring how a variety of tenure options and alternative equity models can support affordable housing, particularly for the missing middle.  

Recent Projects

Data & Technology

Applying technology to empower and connect communities.

With the steady expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT), there is significant opportunity for Canadian municipalities to empower their communities through information and communications technology (ICT) and connectivity. We work with cities to help them understand how they can employ data and connected technology to support smarter, healthier, and more equitable and sustainable communities.

Recent Projects