Our Work

Through responsive research, engagement and storytelling, CUI is building new forms of connective tissue across and within Canada’s communities to build a more vibrant, equitable, liveable, and resilient urban Canada. Explore our library of work.
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Transforming Canadian Cities Through Data
For decades, city planners, urban designers, architects, city managers, developers and their financiers have relied on “big data” to inform key decisions: interest rates, housing starts, commercial vacancy rates, and immigration projections. However, the planning has overlooked Canada’s main streets, limiting the effectiveness of investments aimed at creating “complete communities".
#MainStreets

Charting the Path to Office Conversions in Canadian Cities
Charting the Path to Office Conversions in Canadian Cities builds upon the work of CUI’s Solutions Lab. The research findings and accompanying Supportive Toolkit invite every municipality in Canada looking to support office-to-residential conversions to choose, adapt, and reorient elements responsive to their own unique contexts.

The Case For Conversions Guidebook
The Case for Conversions Guidebook is a compilation of three briefing documents circulated to interested parties in six Canadian cities: Halifax, Moncton, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Regina, and Victoria. This Guidebook provides a summary of our findings from the Solutions Lab and serves as a collection of resources to support office-to-residential conversions across the country.

Supporting Communities During Major Transit Infrastructure Projects
This report seeks to understand the impacts of significant infrastructure investments on the vitality of local communities. Focusing on Thorncliffe Park as a case study, CUI explores the impacts of Ontario Line construction on the vitality of establishments and identifies the mitigation supports needed to ensure their survival through the multi-year construction process.

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.

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?

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.

Black Influence in Urban Planning
How we build cities can either perpetuate or reduce social inequities. Watch the discussion on Black influence in urban planning across Canada, and hear from community leaders working to make our cities more just and equitable for all.

The Summit on the City: Recovering Canada’s Downtowns
Join us and leaders from every sector across Canada in crafting integrated, urgent, and practical solutions for downtown recovery.

My Main Street: Innovative Placemaking Mobilization Session
Join our partners Re: Public Urbanism for a presentation on ambitious and inspiring placemaking projects, and how My Main Street funding can support bold and impactful work.

Initiatives

Programs and projects developed with partners to build vibrant, equitable, livable and resilient cities

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Leading Canada’s She-covery From the Ground Up

Archived

On June 24, 2021, the Canadian Urban Institute and the Pay Equity Commission of Ontario held a summit on addressing the post-COVID gender gap in Canada’s cities. Prior to the summit, CUI released a conversation primer, which provided a snapshot of what we know today about gender and COVID in Canada’s cities, based on a survey of more than 180,000 Canadians conducted and provided in-kind by Advanis.

Restore the Core

Active

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.
#Downtowns

CUI x Local

Active

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.

Bring Back Main Street

Active

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
#COVID19 #Downtowns #MainStreets

CityTalk Canada

Active

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

Active

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

Publications & Tools

Research and tools for action that promote effective urban policies and best practices

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Let’s Talk About Placemaking

Let’s Talk About Placemaking is a new magazine-like publication developed collaboratively by Canada’s Placemaking Community, the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI), PlacemakingUS, and a range of leading practitioners across Canada and internationally. It’s a visually rich resource that provides a comprehensive look at the value created by contemporary placemaking in Canada.

Making the Case for the Middle: The Potential of Middle Housing Production in Alberta

Making the Case for the Middle, in collaboration with mddl, explores the potential of middle housing to alleviate Alberta’s housing challenges, scale production and meet demand by 2030. Middle housing includes a range of housing types, including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, courtyard apartments, and live/work housing types. This project was made possible through a grant from the Alberta Real Estate Foundation.

Remaking Main Streets: Scaling Housing Options Through Intensification on Canada’s Main Streets

Remaking Main Streets, dives deep into the possibilities of intensifying housing along Canada’s main streets, positioning this approach as feasible, financially viable, and desirable for communities and their residents. Canada has over 248,000 opportunities for housing intensification on main streets — But how do we unlock that potential?

A Jump Start: Providing Infrastructure for More Housing

A Jump Start: Providing Infrastructure for More Housing, estimates that the cost of housing-enabling infrastructure across Canada averages over $100,000 per new home. Considering Canada’s housing targets, the report suggests there are likely hundreds of billions of dollars required to fund the housing-enabling infrastructure needed across the country. This report offers solutions for municipalities seeking housing solutions.

Both/And: Integrating Natural Asset Management into Federal Housing Supply Policymaking

Both/And: Integrating Natural Asset Management into Federal Housing Supply Policymaking by the Natural Asset Initiative and CUI asserts the importance of incorporating natural asset management (NAM) into Canada’s federal housing strategies. This approach promises not only to enhance community resilience to climate change, but also to elevate the quality of life for all Canadians.

A Living Capital: Investing in Downtown Ottawa for a Dynamic Future

A Living Capital: Investing in Downtown Ottawa for a Dynamic Future is an agenda for aligned action aimed to reimagine and rejuvenate Downtown Ottawa, making it more diverse, resilient, and vibrant for generations and challenges to come. The agenda was created by CUI for the Ottawa Board of Trade.

Insights

Briefs and videos featuring original insight, analysis, and stories about what’s working, what’s not and what’s next for urban Canada

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Transforming Canadian Cities Through Data

For decades, city planners, urban designers, architects, city managers, developers and their financiers have relied on “big data” to inform key decisions: interest rates, housing starts, commercial vacancy rates, and immigration projections. However, the planning has overlooked Canada’s main streets, limiting the effectiveness of investments aimed at creating “complete communities”.
#MainStreets

Mind the Gap: The Post-COVID Gender Gap in Canada’s Cities

This report highlights how the gender gap has widened in Canada’s cities over the past year, drawing on a combination of labour force data and a survey of more than 200,000 Canadians during the pandemic. With an intersectional lens, the report highlights dimensions of the gender gap which should be prioritized by policy and decision makers alike.
#COVID19

Planning and Urban Design to Bring Back Main Street

This solutions brief, from Fathom Studio, identifies opportunities to use planning and urban design to support the long-term recovery and resilience of main streets.
#COVID19 #Downtowns #MainStreets

Operational Trends and Potential Actions for Main Street Retail Recovery

This solution brief, from J.C. Williams Group, focuses on the role that local business organizations can take to help ensure that main streets remain lively areas of commerce. It presents an analysis of the trends and challenges experienced by retailers and suggests a series of potential actions for supporting the reopening, recovery, and renewal of main street commercial areas.
#COVID19 #Downtowns #MainStreets

Supporting Main Street Recovery Through Small-Business-Friendly Policy

This solution brief from, 360 Collective, focuses on the role governments can play in supporting main street retail business sustainability and driving recovery. It presents an analysis of the key requirements of business success and suggests retail policy solutions in 5 areas.
#COVID19 #Downtowns #MainStreets #PublicFinance&Governance

COVID200 Regional Perspective: The Territories

Jay Massie dives into trends and changes at Day 200 in the Territories, and what it means as we look ahead in a time of uncertainty and anxiety, but also of collective purpose in urban Canada.
#COVID19

Events

Forums and events that link city builders to the most effective solutions and ideas

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May 20, 2024

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.
Watch the discussion

April 22, 2024

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?
Watch the discussion

March 18, 2024

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.
Watch the discussion