CityTalk Canada

Infrastructure - hardly a stimulating concept, but one that's mission-critical on multiple levels to our daily lives, and to the communities we share.  For this third and final preview of CUI's State of Canada's Cities Summit, host Mary Rowe speaks with Don Iveson, whose civic and public sector career touches on the many components of urban infrastructure requiring healthy measures...

As the clock counts down to doors opening at the Canadian Urban Institute's second annual State of Canada's Cities Summit, the CityTalk Podcast offers another preview to the topics topping the agenda in Ottawa on December 5th and 6th. This episode features host Mary Rowe in conversation with Fanny Tremblay-Racicot,  professor at l'École nationale d'administration publique (ENAP...

The CityTalk Podcast is back...and ready to recruit your attendance at the Canadian Urban Institute's State of Canada's Cities Summit on December 5-6 ,2024. In its second year, this gathering will again take place in Ottawa and convene city builders and placemakers from across Canada and beyond.  To set the stage, host and CUI president/CEO Mary Rowe has invited some thought-leaders appe...

Bringing The Ottawa Sessions to a close is another kind of big-picture' perspective, albeit from street level.  In developing 'A Living Capitol,' the downtown revitalization action plan CUI co-developed with many of Ottawa's civic and governmental leaders, some of the most informative views came courtesy of the directors of its Business Improvement Areas (BIAs).  You'll he...

In episode 3 of The Ottawa Sessions, host Mary Rowe brings you to her new, favourite café to meet Jessie Duffy, owner/operator of Arlington 5 in Centretown. It's located just a steps off Bank Street, one of Ottawa's north-south Main Streets connecting many of the city's best known neighbourhoods.  Mary and Jessie discuss the future of local, independent business in the capitol, and...

The second episode of The Ottawa Sessions explores the scope of design and, often, redesign, needed to help revitalize the downtown core of our nation's capitol. From soon-to-be vacant federal buildings to iconic public spaces like the Byward Market, the city has tremendous assets, along with its share of modern urban challenges, to influence a new action plan, 'A Living Capitol,' w...

Season Two begins with a four-part series we've dubbed The Ottawa Sessions, featuring conversations with many of the civic, business and governmental leaders CUI collaborated with in the development of 'A Living Capitol,' a downtown revitalization action plan. To set the stage from a 'big picture' perspective, CUI president and CEO Mary Rowe speaks to Tobi Nussbaum, CEO of...

The power of community, with its ability to open minds and hearts, reminds us why most of us choose (despite the deepening issues) to live together in cities.  In this final of four CityTalk episodes recorded at CUI's State of Canada's Cities Summit in Ottawa on November 30th, host Mary Rowe presents highlights from afternoon conversations around innovative, uplifting solutions that buil...

Whatever the scale and scope of the tough issues being discussed in a single day, solutions often seem to be within reach after lunch. In the third of four CityTalk episodes recorded at CUI's State of Canada's Cities Summit in Ottawa on November 30th, host Mary Rowe presents highlights from afternoon sessions featuring local and national experts offering practical, street-tested solution...

When wanting to find solutions to urban issues, it's always best to talk to those professionals directly involved. Better yet, invite them to talk to each other.  In the second of four City Talk episodes recorded at CUI's State of Canada's Cities Summit in Ottawa on November 30th, host Mary Rowe presents more highlights from morning sessions focussed on the key challenges and opport...

Sometimes great things happen when you bring the right people together to talk. In this first of four CityTalk episodes recorded at CUI's State of Canada's Cities Summit in Ottawa on November 30th, host Mary Rowe presents highlights from morning panel conversations exploring both the global context for Canadian urban issues, and challenges shared with American cities. See, hear and read...

For a final preview of the leading voices and topics on the agenda at the upcoming State of Canada's Cities Summit on November 30th,  host Mary Rowe chats with Patti Pon, president and CEO of Calgary Arts Development about how arts & culture are increasingly vital tools for city building. Read more about Patti's work here.      

An urban neighbourhood can be many things to its residents beyond a shared place to live. It can be where to find and/or offer support to community members; join others in working for better public services and resources; and where residents can lead flourishing lives. However, it can also be a fragile place. For this episode, host Mary Rowe welcomes noted academic and author Seth Kaplan (Johns Ho...

In the first in a special series leading up to the Canadian Urban Institute's upcoming ' At the Crossroads ' conference, CityTalk host Mary Rowe resumes her ongoing conversation with Zita Cobb, co-founder of Shorefast (Fogo Island, Nfld&Lab) on the growing importance and value of nurturing local economies to serve and sustain everyone in the community, urban or rural.   

Ours is a rapidly urbanizing world, with the latest UN projections at 70 percent of 9 billion people living in cities by 2050. Underlying that challenging future, neck-and-neck with the climate crisis, is the perpetual issue of accessible and affordable housing for every citizen. In Canada, top-level conversation about housing starts at the desk of Romy Bowers, president and CEO of the Canada Mort...

CityTalk: The Podcast is where the conversation is always focused on what's working, what's not and what's next for Canada's cities. It's brought to you by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI). On this episode, the topics of conversation sits at the intersection of mental healthcare and homelessness, with that crossroads now found in the downtown core of communities across C...

CityTalk: The Podcast explores what's working, what's not and what's next for Canada's cities... and brought to you by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI).  In the evolving post-pandemic economy, topping every city's 'what's next' list is a strategy to revitalize downtown by converting half-empty or vacant office space into multi-use buildings that can includ...

CityTalk:The Podcast explores what's working, what's not and what's next for Canada's cities, and is a production of the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI). In part two of The COVID Dividend, host Mary Rowe is joined by leading urbanists from across the globe to discuss what was learned during the pandemic about making better shared places and smarter decisions.  Participants inclu...

Welcome to a fresh look at our urban future, brought to you by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI). CityTalk:The Podcast explores what's working, what's not and what's next for Canada's cities. Hosted by CUI president and 'lead talker' Mary Rowe, this program series begins with two episodes devoted to The COVID Dividend i.e. the core learning gleaned by civic officials...