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: September 29

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.

Art of City Building 2021: Reinvention
This year marks the 5th year of the AoCB conference, where we will focus on courage and real change: how to think more regeneratively, inclusively, and holistically about our cities as we build them.

Getting to Zero: Solving Homelessness
Homelessness is a complex, life-threatening problem. It can be solved—but only if systems are built with that aim. On Monday, September 13, the Canadian Urban Institute is pleased to present our second Annual Leadership Lecture featuring Rosanne Haggerty, President of Community Solutions and an internationally recognized leader in developing innovative strategies to end homelessness and strengthen communities.

How can cities address the challenge of encampments?
Encampments are becoming more common across cities in Canada and around the world. It’s a challenging issue that city leaders, health care professionals, activists and communities are struggling with. Are cities resorting to stopgap solutions that seem useless to solving our current affordable housing crisis?

What’s next on the urban agenda for Canadian youth?
Join us on June 29, 2021 as we talk to a diverse group of youth experts across Canada and unpack their experiences living in urban centres across the country during the pandemic. Building off of the Urban Youth Impact COVID-19 Report that analyzes data from six of the largest Canadian cities and relevant census metropolitan areas including, Calgary, Edmonton, Montréal, Ottawa-Gatineau, Toronto and Vancouver, we’ll explore how current issues such as race and discrimination, health, employment, cost of living and civic engagement affect youth and hear about their priorities and hopes for the future as we begin the journey to recovery. What do we need to change? And how can we leverage the experience and expertise that youth bring to the table to build more inclusive cities?

Addressing the Post-COVID Gender Gap
The first event of "Leading Canada’s ‘shecovery’ from the ground up" virtual events establish the context for the day, providing a close and personal look at the gender gap in Canada as we emerge from a global pandemic and she-cession. This session takes an intersectional look at what groups of women and girls decision makers need to be most focused on today.

Big Ideas to Close the Gap
What are the big ideas and specific policy actions that will be needed to close Canada’s gender gap? This event provides a summary of what advocates, experts and policy makers in Canada are currently doing to improve the wellbeing of women and girls – and showcases efforts emerging out of COVID towards achieving gender equity.

Participatory Canada: How can everyday people make extraordinary change?
Participatory Canada and its partners together present an extended edition of Canadian Urban Institute’s CityTalk Canada on Tuesday, June 22 from 11:00 AM - 12:30PM ET. Join us as we explore creative solutions to our greatest urban challenges and share lessons learned in North End, Halifax, N.S., Tolhurst/St- Benoît, QC and Regent Park, Toronto, ON.

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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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

COVID Signpost: 300 Days

The Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) continues to track the impacts of COVID-19 on Canadian cities, with a third Signpost report that signals a growing disconnect between virus-related research and recovery response.
#COVID19

Town of Halton Hills Climate Adaptation Plan

The Climate Change Adaptation Plan (CCAP) has been developed to address the physical, economic, social, and ecological impacts of climate change, expected for the Town of Halton Hills in the next 30 years.
#ClimateChange&Resilience

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: September 29

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.
Register Here

September 23, 2021

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.
Register Here

September 22, 2021

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.
Register Here