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.
Open Filters
Show Results

Type

Topic

Coming Up: December 2

What new powers do cities need?
Joining CUI host Mary Rowe for our next session “Cities in the time of COVID-19: What new powers do cities need” are Doug Earl of Charter City Toronto; Marianne Meed Ward, Mayor of Burlington; Richard Albert, Professor, University of Texas; and Julianna Charchun, Chief of Staff of the Mayor, City of Edmonton
#COVID19 #Density&CompleteCommunities #LocalEconomy #MainStreets

Coming Up: November 25

Cities in the Time of COVID-19: What is the future of universities in cities?
Joining CUI host Mary Rowe for our next session “Cities in the time of COVID-19: What is the future of universities in cities?” are Dr. Meric Gertler, President of the University of Toronto; Dr. Mohamed Lachemi, President of Ryerson University; and Dr. Annette Trimbee, President of MacEwan University
#COVID19 #Density&CompleteCommunities #LocalEconomy #MainStreets

Coming Up: November 24

Can COVID-19 push governments to provide adequate housing?
Presented by the Housing Research Collaborative is our next session "Can COVID-19 push governments to provide adequate housing?" with Carolyn Whitzman, Adjunct Professor at the University of Ottawa and Housing Policy Consultant; Penny Gurstein, Professor and Director of the Housing Research Collaborative, University of British Columbia; Andrés Peñaloza, Research Assistant at the Housing Research Collaborative; and Julie Lawson, Honorary Associate Professor at the Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University, Melbourne.    
#COVID19 #Density&CompleteCommunities #LocalEconomy #MainStreets

Coming Up: November 10

Cities in the time of COVID-19: What is the future of our shared civic places as we cope with and emerge from COVID?
Joining CUI host Mary Rowe for our next session "What is the future of our shared civic places as we cope with and emerge from COVID?" are Graham Singh, Executive Director of Trinity Centres Foundation; Carol Coletta, President and CEO of Memphis River Parks Partnership; Natalie Voland, President and Chief Vision Officer of GI Quo Vadis Inc.; and Tim Jones, CEO of Artscape.
#COVID19 #Density&CompleteCommunities #LocalEconomy #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.
#COVID19 #Density&CompleteCommunities #Downtowns #LocalEconomy #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.
#COVID19 #Density&CompleteCommunities #Downtowns #LocalEconomy #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.
#COVID19 #Density&CompleteCommunities #Downtowns #LocalEconomy #MainStreets

Coming Up: October 1

COVID Signpost 200 Days: How Do We Realize the Right to Home in the Next 100 Days?
Joining CUI host Mary W. Rowe for our second series of COVID Signpost, 200 Days: How Do We Realize the Right to Home in the Next 100 Days?- are Micheal Vonn, CEO of PHS Community Services in Vancouver; Nakuset, Director at the Native Women’s Shelter in Montreal; Martin Blake, Vice-President at Daniels Corporation in Toronto; Derek Ballantyne, Partner at New Market Funds and Chair of CMHC in Toronto; and Catherine McKenney, City Councillor of Somerset Ward, Ottawa.  
#COVID19 #Downtowns #Infrastructure&Development #LocalEconomy #MainStreets

Coming Up: September 30

COVID Signpost 200 Days: How Should Our Cities Prepare for Winter?
Joining our guest host Catherine Craig-St-Louis of CUI and Rues Principales for our second series of COVID Signpost, 200 Days: How Should Our Cities Prepare for Winter? - are Olivier Legault, Project Managerat Rues principales and Co-founder, Winterlab; Isla Tanaka, Wintercity Planner at the City of Edmonton; Sheena Jardine-Olade, CoFounder of Night Lab; and Rami Bebawi, CoFounder and Partner at KANVA.
#COVID19 #Downtowns #Infrastructure&Development #LocalEconomy #MainStreets

Coming Up: September 29

COVID Signpost 200 Days: What is the State of Our Cities at Day 200?
Joining CUI host Mary W. Rowe for our second series of COVID Signpost, 200 Days: What is the State of Our Cities at Day 200? - are Sadhu Johnston, the City Manager at the City of Vancouver; Jay Pitter, an Equity-Based Place-maker in Toronto; Andre Cote, the Acting Director of Research at the Canadian Urban Institute; and Ken Bautista, Partner Makespace Group and Co-Founder of Startup Edmonton.
#COVID19 #Downtowns #Infrastructure&Development #LocalEconomy #MainStreets

Initiatives

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

See All

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

See All

Halifax Evolves

Halifax Evolves features the key learnings from CUI x Halifax and profiles the contributions of people, organizations, and projects working to generate economic activity, support cultural inclusivity, and boost social connectivity in the Halifax Region. CUI worked in collaboration with Build Nova Scotia, Halifax Partnership and Halifax Public Libraries along with dozens of local organizations and leaders to highlight the city’s and region’s aspirations for a vibrant future.

Mobility as a Service (MaaS)

MaaS is an integrated platform for transportation services combining multiple modes on one easy-to-use navigation and payment app. CUI and AECOM’s joint report examines the MaaS concept and outlines a framework for achieving acceptance and implementation in the Greater Toronto Area for the purpose of supporting better mobility access.

 

The Case for Conversions

What if we could increase housing supply AND revitalize downtowns at the same time? Our report explores the opportunity that vacant and underutilized office space presents for increasing housing supply while making downtown districts across Canada vibrant, equitable, livable, and resilient.

 

Visualizing Density

Visualizing Density is a pilot project created by the Canadian Urban Institute to help planners, designers, elected officials, residents’ groups, and private sector builders design more complete communities and adapt existing ones over time. This work aims to contribute to the ongoing conversation about managing growth and building great communities in Ontario.

 

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.

Insights

Briefs and videos featuring original insight, analysis, and stories about what’s working, what’s not and what’s next for urban Canada

See All

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

See All

May 20, 2023

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.
Watch the discussion

April 22, 2023

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?
Watch the discussion

March 18, 2023

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.
Watch the discussion