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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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.

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.

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.

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?

A Municipal Comparison of Affordable Housing and Homelessness Delivery: Profiles across 11 Canadian city regions
This technical report provides a scan of the ways eleven Canadian cities and urban regions structure their responses to affordable housing and to homelessness. Selected jurisdictions are Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Peel Region, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and the Halifax Region. This data was collected from public sources and, where possible, verified through interviews during 2021.  

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.

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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What We Heard

How do 400+ housing organizations, experts, and advocates feel about Canada’s National Housing Strategy? “What We Heard” compiles their observations and urgent suggestions to ensure the plan meets its targets and cuts homelessness in half.

Victoria Nurtures

This report is an invitation to discover Victoria, to dip in and out, visiting its corners and its main streets, to hear how the city is moving. It reflects what we heard and offers some of the best guidance Victoria can offer.

Windsor Blooms

In Windsor, we heard diverse perspectives on what it’s like to live there, what people are concerned about, how they view the city and its institutions, and how they are coping with—and driving—change.

A Municipal Comparison of Affordable Housing and Homelessness Delivery: Profiles across 11 Canadian city regions

This technical report provides a scan of the ways eleven Canadian cities and urban regions structure their responses to affordable housing and to homelessness. Selected jurisdictions are Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Peel Region, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and the Halifax Region. This data was collected from public sources and, where possible, verified through interviews during 2021.

 

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.

 

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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January 1, 1970

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?
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January 1, 1970

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.
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January 1, 1970

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.
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