On May 14, the federal government announced the first four winners of the Smart Cities Challenge. Our Cities for People initiative helped with the Challenge design — advocating for social innovation and community needs to be at the heart of the Challenge. The winning proposals — from Montreal, Guelph and Wellington County, several Nunavut communities, […]
Learn moreBy Julian Agyeman McConnell Cities for People Fellow The urban foodscape is changing, rapidly. Fish tacos, vegan cupcakes, gourmet pizzas, and barbecue ribs, and all served from the confines of cramped, idling, and often garishly painted trucks. These food trucks, part of a wider phenomenon of street food vending or ‘street foods’, while common in the […]
Learn moreby Alex Gillis Uber, Airbnb and other sharing enterprises allow people to buy rides, rent homes and hire people for everyday chores, but are those initiatives really about sharing? “They are full of the steroid of venture capital,” explained Julian Agyeman, co-author of the book Sharing Cities and professor of urban and environmental policy and […]
Learn moreIn late March (20-28), Julian Agyeman, Tessy Britton, Gorka Espiau and Rony Jalkh joined us for The City as a Commons conference series in three Canadian cities. Throughout these two weeks of activities they participated in meetings on how to advance transformative city building and thinking. Below are some takeaways from these gatherings: To strengthen […]
Learn moreThis is the third in a Placemaking Profile series in which we will share short conversations we’ve had with urban innovators – from those who are actively building places that foster social inclusion to those who listen, engage, and tell stories from the communities. For more information about placemaking, please click here. Rony Jalkh: Placemaking […]
Learn moreBy Elvira Truglia Montreal’s South West is in the midst of transformation. Some residents have had roots in the borough for generations, while others have flocked to the area attracted by new housing as well as business opportunities. Two young entrepreneurs want to create a unique space in the borough that will pay homage to Montreal’s […]
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