Our Work

I Belong Downtown

A nation-wide initiative to recognize and celebrate Canadian downtowns as vibrant, welcoming and diverse places that make our communities, cities and country thrive. CUI visited five Canadian cities and worked with local BIAs and other partners to gather stories from people of all ages and backgrounds. The stories were incorporated into a video and interactive website facilitating a nation-wide conversation about the story of Canadian downtowns.`

Details

Type:

Initiative

Date:

2017

Partners:

Canadian Urban Institute
Downtown Victoria BIA (DVBA)
Downtown Saskatoon BIA (DTNYXE)
Downtown London BIA
Yonge Street BIA in Toronto
Downtown Halifax BIA

Related

Restore the Core
Restore The Core is focused on supporting the recovery efforts of downtowns all across Canada through research and by engaging with stakeholders and urban leaders across the country to reimagine the future of downtowns.

Northern Ontario Downtowns Project
A comprehensive community engagement and research initiative designed to help promote and illustrate the importance of Northern Downtowns (Thunder Bay, Sault St. Marie, Timmins, Sudbury and North Bay)

Downtown Moncton Evaluation
A resource for anyone who has an interest and stake in the success of Moncton’s Downtown

Business Competitiveness in the GTA: Why Toronto is Losing Ground
An analysis of the impact that current tax inequities between Toronto and the surrounding 905 have on the competitiveness of offices in Toronto

Main Street Design Challenge Playbook
The Design Challenge Playbook reflects the importance of design in revitalizing our streets and showcases creative and practical interventions to help us build back better than ever.The designs come from architects and students, planners and placemakers, community animators and artists. They range widely, from the highly prescriptive to the more conceptual. In some cases, they serve as blueprints; in other cases, they provide inspiration, with key details to be locally crafted.

Downtown Community Services and Facilities Strategy
The first area-wide Downtown Community Services and Facilities Strategy (CS&F) in 45 years, as part of Toronto Planning’s TOcore initiative

Bring Back Main Street
A nationally coordinated research and advocacy campaign about finding the best solutions to ensure our main streets recover from COVID-19 and emerge more resilient than ever

Mississauga Office Strategy Study
Recommending a package of fiscally responsible strategies and innovative official plan policies to help the City of Mississauga build on its competitive advantage as an office location

Bring Back Main Street: Block Studies
To better understand how COVID-19 has impacted main streets and businesses, Vancouver City Savings credit union (Vancity), Vancity Community Investment Bank, and the Canadian Urban Institute conducted a series of seven Block Studies in British Columbia and Ontario.

Quantifying the Value of Canadian Downtowns: A Research Toolkit
A toolkit to provide a downtown data standard, a common set of data and processes that will help Canadian place management organizations establish and sustain evaluation and compare progress among downtowns

Rapid Placemaking to Bring Back Main Streets
The Pandemic Recovery Toolkit for Local Communities provides examples of programming and interventions, as well provides advice on how to use inclusive process for rapid placemaking. It is can be used by residents, community groups, BIAs/BIDs, and city staff working to revive main streets and core spaces in big cities, suburbs and small towns.

The Value of Investing in Canadian Downtowns
This ‘living’ project is the first of its kind – examining 17 downtowns across Canada to assess changes in attitudes, perceptions, functionality and performance over time

The New Geography of Office Location
Recommendations aimed at facilitating a more competitive environment for GTA office employment and the development sector that supports it