Our Work

Through responsive research, engagement and storytelling, CUI/IUC is building new forms of connective tissue across and within Canada’s communities to build a more vibrant, equitable, livable, and resilient urban Canada. Explore our library of work.
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Coming Up: December 14

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.

Coming Up: December 7

Get Outside: Learn how to activate your park this winter!
Join us and the Healthy Communities Initiative to get inspired around winter programming and outdoor winter activities! Discover the many creative ways communities are getting people outside and moving around all winter and let us know what’s happening in your community.

Coming Up: December 7

My Main Street: Community Activator information session
Thinking about applying for the My Main Street Community Activator program? Join us on December 7th to learn more about My Main Street and how to apply. We’ll share examples of projects that are eligible, walk you through eligibility criteria and the application process and answer any questions you have.

Expanding Housing Options: How can we improve housing diversity in our cities?
Cities are grappling with challenges related to climate change, equity, and housing affordability. Join us for a conversation on how we can support "missing middle" housing, such as duplexes, triplexes, and walk-up apartments across low-rise residential neighbourhoods.

Post COP26, What’s next for cities?
Join us and leaders from across the country on the key takeaways from the COP26 summit in Glasgow and what actions Canadian cities must take to ensure a sustainable, climate friendly future.

Why is COP26 important for cities?
November’s United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) is a critical opportunity to push for bolder action to tackle the climate crisis. Cities have a key role to play in ensuring that COP26 leads to transformative climate action and a green and just recovery. Join us for our next CityTalk, as we explore with key stakeholders heading to Glasgow how cities can advance climate action through COP26.

Creating Vibrant Main Streets: What will it take?

Are we talking about a revolution? A case for the core
Join us for our next CityTalk, as we explore to the future of downtowns across the country. This session coincides with the release of our Case of the Core report, which presents three future scenarios to provoke thinking, dialogue, and positive change, based on nine key functions of Canada’s downtown cores, and is the result of CUI’s cross-country Bring Back Main Street initiative to support the recovery efforts of Canada’s downtowns.

A new normal: What’s next for Canada’s cities, post election?
Join us for our next CityTalk, as we explore the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead post election with our amazing panel: Shauna Sylvester, Executive Director, Simon Fraser University's Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Carol Anne Hilton, Chief Executive Officer at Indigenomics Institute and Founder of the Global Center of Indigenomics, Mayor Mike Savage, City of Halifax, Chief Dale McFee, Edmonton Police.

Our Future Halifax: Young People and Their City
Are you a young person living, studying or from Halifax? We would like to invite you to participate in a 2-hour workshop on Wednesday, September 22 from 6-8pm to explore how Halifax can be a better city for young people.

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

CUI x Local is a series of week-long virtual residencies to learn about local issues facing cities and connect the dots across urban Canada. We’ll be listening to and learning from local stakeholders on 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

Candid conversations, analysis, and commentary on the new urban reality under COVID-19
#COVID19

COVID Signpost

Active

The Canadian Urban Institute is conducting cross-Canada research and convening conversations about what’s working, what’s not, and what’s next. These signposts offer important directions for urban Canada about the lingering challenges we must face as a nation.
#COVID19

Publications & Tools

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

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Unboxing Uptown: The transformation of a main street from the inside out

Unboxing Uptown is the result of a nine-month research and engagement project completed by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) with the City of Brampton. Research for this project revealed that approaches to creating main streets in the context of new development are nascent and evolving. The City of Brampton has a unique opportunity to learn from and improve on this work.

The Case for the Core

This report presents three possible scenarios for Canada’s downtowns to provoke a sharp re-thinking, spur dialogue and inspire bold action. The report makes the case for why downtowns matter, and why the experience of COVID-19 presents a profound, radical opportunity to rethink and remake them.

 

Edmonton Activates

Edmonton Activates introduces city builders to the people, place and potential of this city. It reflects some of the best guidance Edmonton can offer to Canadians who are seeking inspiration and new ways of doing things to improve the quality of life in our cities. Here is what we heard.
#COVID19

Calgary Transforms

Calgary Transforms summarizes what Calgarians told us is happening in their city today. We heard diverse perspectives on what it’s like to live there, what people are concerned about, how they view the city and its organizations and how many are coping with and driving positive change. People from the arts, academia, business and industry, community agencies and many other sectors told us what they see as their successes, where they think needs more work and what their hopes are for a post-pandemic future.
#COVID19

Engaging Black People and Power

Created by placemaker and author Jay Pitter in collaboration with students and scholars in York University’s Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, this publication highlights engagement practice and policy approaches for addressing spatialized anti-Blackness in cities across North America.

COVID Signpost: 365 Days

Forced to stay apart, people came together: New COVID Signpost 365 report captures stories, shares perspectives of Canadians on the year that changed the world.
#COVID19

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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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

COVID200 Regional Perspective: British Columbia

Allison Ashcroft dives into trends and changes at Day 200 of COVID-19 in British Columbia, 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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Coming Up: December 7

My Main Street: Community Activator information session

Thinking about applying for the My Main Street Community Activator program? Join us on December 7th to learn more about My Main Street and how to apply. We’ll share examples of projects that are eligible, walk you through eligibility criteria and the application process and answer any questions you have.
Register Here

Coming Up: December 7

Get Outside: Learn how to activate your park this winter!

Join us and the Healthy Communities Initiative to get inspired around winter programming and outdoor winter activities! Discover the many creative ways communities are getting people outside and moving around all winter and let us know what’s happening in your community.
Register Here

Coming Up: December 14

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.
Register Here