CityTalk Canada

More forward-thinking discussions on infrastructure from CUI's State of Canada's Cities Summit, these the first of several recorded by our mobile podcast studio.  Featured upfront, host Mary Rowe shares a pre-lunch chat with Leila Ghaffari, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Planning & Environment at Montreal's Concordia University, and Sarah Rosen Wartell,  president of the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C. Later, Sadhu Johnstone, former City Manager for the City of Vancouver, drops by the studio to talk about his current role as a Climate Lead with the Climate Ready Infrastructure Service, a new CUI initiative in partnership with Housing and Infrastructure Canada. You'll find more resources and details on the Summit at citytalkcanada.ca.    

In this engaging discussion, Carolyn Weitzman, a housing researcher, leads a conversation on innovative housing solutions. Former City Manager Sadhu Johnston and Jeb Brookman, both climate resilience experts, emphasize the urgent need for climate-ready infrastructure. Jen Angel, CEO of Evergreen, underlines the importance of community building in this context. Together, they tackle the challenges of integrating public land for affordable housing, enhancing community engagement, and preparing cities for climate change impacts.

Where do you start two days of conversation about the issues around infrastructure in all its modern urban permutations? For host Mary Rowe and her team at the Canadian Urban Institute, the answer was obvious - talk first about the mental health crisis affecting most every community.  This episode recorded in December 2024 at the State of Canada's Cities Summit in Ottawa features a panel discussion titled Mental Health Matters: Building Supportive Main Streets & Downtowns, as moderated by Paul Johnson, City Manager for the City of Toronto.  And CUI vice-president Robert Plitt chats with Andrea Barrack, vice-president of Sustainability and Impact at RBC, the Summit's presenting sponsor, about her takeaways from the sessions. You can see and hear more from the Summit at citytalkcanada.ca

More highlights from the morning plenary session of the State of Canada's Cities Summit, presented in Ottawa last December 2024 by the Canadian Urban Institute. CUI CEO and event host Mary Rowe presents two featured panel discussions: fhe first is titled Infrastructure for Growth and is focused on innovative solutions for local economies of every size; and the second looks at AI and whether it can serve these same communities in processing the data needed for smart, future-proof management.  You'll fine more info and resources from the Summit at citytalkcanada.ca.

As the past few episodes of CityTalk:The Podcast have previewed, hundreds of city builders and place makers met in Ottawa on Dec.5th/6th for the 2024 State of Canada's Cities Summit, presented by the Canadian Urban Institute... and where the core topic explored was infrastructure in all its iterations.  Host Mary Rowe introduces highlights from the plenary sessions and other special events in this and upcoming episodes, beginning with the keynote presentation on Canada's infrastructure gap from Karen Chapple, director of the School of Cities at the University of Toronto...followed by a 'continental context' discussion on Making Canada Matter More, moderated by Andrea Barrack, VP of Sustainability and Impact at RBC. You can see more about the Summit at citytalkcanada.ca.  

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 of investment and innovation. Don will also be a featured guest at the Summit, which you can learn more about here.

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) in Québec and expert in local governance models. They discuss many of the innovative solutions emerging around Canada's infrastructure challenges.  Learn more about the State of Canada's Cities Summit here.  

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 appearing in Ottawa to preview some of the core topics on the aganda...all coming back to why infrastructure matters - for innovation, equity, resilience, and more. For this episode, Tracy Hadden Loh, a fellow in the Brookings Institution (Washington, DC) Metro program, joins Mary in conversation on what turned out to be a very consequential day for urban advocates on both sides of the border.  Learn more about The State of Canada's Cities Summit here.    

Kevin McHale, Executive Director of Sparks Street Community Improvement Association, discusses revitalizing Ottawa's downtown core with bold urban planning initiatives, community engagement, and the importance of flexible spaces. The podcast explores Ottawa's unique essence, urban development challenges, and the role of Business Improvement Areas in creating a vibrant city atmosphere.

Jessie Duffy, owner of Arlington 5 in Centretown, discusses the future of local businesses in Ottawa and how they benefit the community. The podcast explores community hospitality, supportive landlords for small businesses, business pivots, and the vital role of community engagement in urban spaces.