Our Work – Canadian Urban Institute

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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Why Downtowns and Central Business Districts Matter

How are Canada’s downtowns important to the Canadian economy? What are the global trends in commercial real estate, retail, and expected recovery investment? What impacts can we expect on Canada’s downtowns? Sign up for our opening panel to find out more!

#Downtowns&MainStreets

The Future of Downtowns and Central Business Districts around the world

How are other international cities rethinking and remaking their downtowns? Sign up for our CityTalk to find out more!

#Downtowns&MainStreets

Provocations on the Future of Downtowns: what’s possible?

What might downtowns look like in the future? What are the possibilities for new ideas and approaches? Sign up for our lightning round provocation session to find out more!

#Downtowns&MainStreets

Coming Up: November 4

Cities in the time of COVID-19: Why do local governments matter now more than ever?

Joining CUI host Mary Rowe for our next session "Cities in the time of COVID-19: Why do local governments matter now more than ever?" are Mayor of Calgary Naheed Nenshi; Nigel Jacob, co-founder of New Urban Mechanics; and Andrea Reimer, Adjunct Professor of Practice and Practitioner Lead, Global Policy Project, UBC School of Public Policy & Global Affairs.

#Business #COVID19 #Density&CompleteCommunities #Downtowns&MainStreets #MainStreets

Coming Up: October 30

Saving Downtowns: How do we #RestoreTheCore?

Joining CUI host Mary Rowe for our next session in our ongoing series: How can we revitalize downtowns and #RestoreTheCore? - are Susie Grynol, President of the Hotel Association of Canada; Carl Weisbrod, Senior Advisor at HR&A Advisors in New York City; Kate Fenske, CEO of the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ; Stephen Willis, General Manager of Planning, Infrastructure & Economic Development at the City of Ottawa; Andrea Jung, Planner of Homeless Services and Arts, Culture and Community Services at the City of Vancouver; and Thom Mahler, Manager of Urban Strategy at The City of Calgary.

#Business #COVID19 #Density&CompleteCommunities #Downtowns&MainStreets #MainStreets

Coming Up: October 28

Cities in the time of COVID-19: How have visit patterns changed on main streets?

Joining CUI host Ariana Holt for our next session in our ongoing series: How have visit patterns changed on main streets? - are presenter Rupen Seoni, Senior Vice President and Practice Leader at Environics Analytics; Kevin Narraway, Marketing Manager at the Municipality of Port Hope; Graziella Grbac, the Executive Director of the Village on Main in Dartmouth Nova Scotia; and David Pensato, the Executive Director of the Exchange District in Winnipeg. This session is co-presented with Environics Analytics.

#Business #COVID19 #Density&CompleteCommunities #Downtowns&MainStreets #MainStreets

Coming Up: October 16

Main Street Action Week: Planning and Urban Design for Pandemic Recovery

Joining CUI host Ariana Holt for our final session of Main Street Action Week: Planning and Urban Design for Pandemic Recovery - are presenter, Rob Leblanc President of Fathom Studio; Jill Robertson, Principal of Landscape Architecture at Dialog Design; Hazel Borys, President of PlaceMakers; Jason Syvixay Principal Planner at the City of Edmonton; and Eric Lucic, Divisional Lead of Regional Planning for City of Halifax. This event is co-presented with Fathom Studio.

#Architecture&UrbanDesign #COVID19 #Downtowns&MainStreets #Infrastructure&Development #MainStreets

Coming Up: October 15

Main Street Action Week: Rapid Placemaking for Main Streets

Joining Happy City co-hosts Emma Jones and Mitchell Reardon for our next session of Main Street Action Week: Rapid Placemaking for Main Streets - are Ebrahim Varachia, Principal at Bench Placemaking in Detroit; Andrew Nakazawa, Manager of Placemaking and Public Spaces at the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association; Olivier Legault, Co-founder of WinterLab in Montréal; and Elora Wilkinson, Planner at the Halifax Regional Municipality. This event is co-presented with The Happy City.

#COVID19 #Density&CompleteCommunities #Downtowns&MainStreets #MainStreets

Coming Up: October 14

Main Street Action Week: Small Business-Friendly Policy for Main Streets

Joining CUI host Andre Cote for our next session of Main Street Action Week: Small Business-Friendly Policy for Main Streets - are presenters John Archer, Chief Development Officer at 360 Collective and Judy Morgan, Principal at 360 Collective; Dr. Alexandra Flynn, University of British Columbia; Judy Lam, Manager of Commercial Districts and Small Business for the City of Hamilton; Chris Rickett, Director of Municipal and Stakeholder Relations at the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation; and Antoinette Rodrigue, Chargée de projet, Développement et innovation, Association des sociétés de développement commercial de Montréal. This event is co-presented with 360 Collective.

#COVID19 #Downtowns&MainStreets #Infrastructure&Development #MainStreets

Coming Up: October 13

Main Street Action Week: Operational Trends and Actions for Retail Recovery

Joining CUI host Lisa Cavicchia for our first session of Main Street Action Week: Operational Trends and Actions for Retail Recovery - are presenter Lisa Hutcheson, Managing Partner at J.C. Williams Group along with Louroz Mercader, Manager at York-Eglinton BIA in Toronto; Dane Williams, Co-founder of Black Urbanism TO in Toronto; Darryl Julott, Managing Lead at Digital Main Street; and Judith Veresuk, Executive Director of the Downtown Regina BIA. This event is co-presented with JC Williams Group.

#COVID19 #Downtowns&MainStreets #MainStreets

Initiatives

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

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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&MainStreets

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 #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

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

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 #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 #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 #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: June 24

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.

Coming Up: June 24

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.

June 22, 2021

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.