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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Cities in the Time of COVID-19: How can we leverage the power of design and engagement to make better main streets?

Joining CUI host Mary W. Rowe for our ongoing series of candid conversations – How can we leverage the power of design and engagement to make better main streets? – are Anjuli Solanki, Program Director of The STEPS Initiative; Jason Robbins, Principal Architect at JC Robbins Architecture and 1st Vice President of the RAIC Board; Devin Segal, Director of Landscape Architecture at Fathom Studio; Mitchell Reardon, Experiments, Urban Planning & Design Lead at The Happy City; and Mark Lakeman, Founder of City Repair.
#Architecture&UrbanDesign #COVID19 #Downtowns&MainStreets #MainStreets

Cities in the Time of COVID-19: How are restaurants and nightlife adapting to the pandemic?

Joining CUI host Mary W. Rowe for our ongoing series of candid conversations – How are restaurants and nightlife adapting to the pandemic? – are Alicia Scholer, Vice President of the Responsible Hospitality Institute; Matt Webber, owner of Berkeley North; Patrick Watt, Senior Partner, Foodservice and Strategy Expert at J.C. Williams Group; Chef Vikram Vij, owner at Vij's Restaurants group; and Wendy Nicolay, co-owner of Cascade Restaurant Group.

#COVID19 #Culture #Downtowns&MainStreets #MainStreets

Memos From Main Street #5: New Online Models Helping Main Street Businesses during COVID-19
A short brief from the Bring Back Main Street initiative on how businesses have 'gone digital during COVID-19
#COVID19 #Downtowns&MainStreets #MainStreets

Memos From Main Street #3: How to Make CECRA Work for Main Street
A short brief from the Bring Back Main Street initiative documenting responses to the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA)
#COVID19 #Downtowns&MainStreets #MainStreets

Memos From Main Street #1: Why Main Streets Matter
A short brief from the Bring Back Main Street initiative about what's at stake for our communities and their main streets during COVID-19.
#COVID19 #Downtowns&MainStreets #MainStreets

Memos From Main Street #2: Scan of Provincial Main Street Re-opening Plans
A short brief from the Bring Back Main Street initiative with an at-a-glance summary of the proposed provincial/territorial timelines for re-opening main streets during COVID-19
#COVID19 #Downtowns&MainStreets #MainStreets

Cities in the Time of COVID-19: How Do We Bring Back Our Main Streets?
Featuring Charles Montgomery, Founding Principal, Happy City; Michael Shuman, Director of Local Economy Projects, Neighbourhood Associates Corporation; Jake Stacey, Vice President, VanCity Community Investment Bank; and Judith Veresuk, Executive Director, Regina Downtown BID
#COVID19 #Downtowns&MainStreets #MainStreets

Downtown Moncton Evaluation
A resource for anyone who has an interest and stake in the success of Moncton's Downtown
#Downtowns&MainStreets #MainStreets

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
#Downtowns&MainStreets #MainStreets #PublicFinance&Governance

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
#Density&CompleteCommunities #Downtowns&MainStreets

Initiatives

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

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CityShare Canada

Active

A real-time, crowdsourced platform that houses resources, tools, and stories on how city-builders and residents are responding to COVID-19
#COVID19

CityWatch Canada

Active

An interactive platform that tracks emergency response measures put in place by local governments across Canada, updated daily
#COVID19 #PublicFinance&Governance

CityTalk Canada

Active

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

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 #MainStreets

COVID100

Active

June 19 marks 100 days since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a pandemic. COVID100 is marking the day with a look across Canada at how far we have come, and where we must go next
#COVID19

The Shift (incubated initiative)

Active

The global movement to secure the human right to housing
#Housing&Homelessness

Publications & Tools

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

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COVID Signpost 100 Days

Research on the impacts of COVID-19 on Canadian cities over the first 100 days of the crisis shows that our experiences with the pandemic have depended largely on who we are, and where we live.
#COVID19

The Case for a Canadian Urban Policy Observatory

Research calling for the development of a “one-stop-shop” housing the best quantitative and qualitative data on Canada’s cities, as a building block toward greater intergovernmental dialogue on urban priorities.
#COVID19 #PublicFinance&Governance

Environmental Scan of Seniors Social Housing Models

Insights into the delivery models that better connect low- and moderate-income seniors living in social housing with health-related and supportive services
#AgeFriendlyCommunities #Housing&Homelessness

The Ontario Food Terminal: A Priceless Hub in Ontario’s Food Value Chain

An overview of the Ontario Food Terminal, its role in providing Ontario-grown and other fresh produce and horticultural products to the Greater Golden Horseshoe, and an analysis of its locational importance
#Infrastructure&Development

Toronto Housing Market Analysis: From Insight to Action

24 key housing indicators that provide insight into Toronto’s housing market and the considerable housing challenges that residents face under current and projected conditions

Weston TAP 2.0: Technical Assistance Panel Report 2.0

A report on the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Toronto’s Technical Assistance Panel, exploring the evolution and potential of Toronto’s Weston neighbourhood and developing a vision for its retail environment
#Density&CompleteCommunities

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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A Call to Courage: An Open Letter to Canadian Urbanists

Jay Pitter, award-winning placemaker and CUI Senior Fellow, Equity-Based Placemaking, releases A Call to Courage: An Open Letter to Canadian Urbanists, with a toolkit of resources for responding to anti-Black racism in urbanist practices and conversations.

COVID-19 Has Exposed How Vulnerable Canadian Cities Really Are

Now that we have seen how our cities truly function at their most vulnerable, what possible excuse do we have to not emerge solely committed to fixing them?
#COVID19

Memos From Main Street #5: New Online Models Helping Main Street Businesses during COVID-19

A short brief from the Bring Back Main Street initiative on how businesses have ‘gone digital during COVID-19
#COVID19 #Downtowns&MainStreets #MainStreets

Memos From Main Street #4: Types of Main Streets Across Canada

A short brief from the Bring Back Main Street initiative on the impacts of COVID-19 on different types of main streets across Canada

Leading from Home: Life for Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie During COVID-19

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie talks to CUI’s Kate Graham about the challenges of leading one of Canada’s largest and most culturally diverse cities during COVID-19
#COVID19 #PublicFinance&Governance

The Raw Numbers: How COVID-19 is Changing Our Relationships at Home, Work, and In Our Communities

A new survey of 2,100 Canadians shows that our sense of connection to one another is changing due to COVID-19. And as CUI’s Kate Graham writes, we can expect that these changed relationship dynamics will impact what life post-COVID-19 looks like, and how we settle back in to a new normal
#COVID19

Events

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

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July 7, 2020

Cities in the Time of COVID-19: How are restaurants and nightlife adapting to the pandemic?

Joining CUI host Mary W. Rowe for our ongoing series of candid conversations – How are restaurants and nightlife adapting to the pandemic? – are Alicia Scholer, Vice President of the Responsible Hospitality Institute; Matt Webber, owner of Berkeley North; Patrick Watt, Senior Partner, Foodservice and Strategy Expert at J.C. Williams Group; Chef Vikram Vij, owner at Vij’s Restaurants group; and Wendy Nicolay, co-owner of Cascade Restaurant Group. 
#COVID-19 #Culture #Downtowns & Main Streets #Main Streets
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July 9, 2020

Cities in the Time of COVID-19: How can we leverage the power of design and engagement to make better main streets?

Joining CUI host Mary W. Rowe for our ongoing series of candid conversations – How can we leverage the power of design and engagement to make better main streets? – are Anjuli Solanki, Program Director of The STEPS Initiative; Jason Robbins, Principal Architect at JC Robbins Architecture and 1st Vice President of the RAIC Board; Devin Segal, Director of Landscape Architecture at Fathom Studio; Mitchell Reardon, Experiments, Urban Planning & Design Lead at The Happy City; and Mark Lakeman, Founder of City Repair.
#Architecture & Urban Design #COVID-19 #Downtowns & Main Streets #Main Streets
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July 10, 2020

Cities in the Time of COVID-19: Live City Check-In—One-on-One with Mayor Drew Dilkens, Windsor, ON

Joining CUI host Mary W. Rowe for our continuing one-on-one conversation series is Drew Dilkens, Mayor of the City of Windsor, ON. 
#COVID-19 #Public Finance & Governance
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