A City for All: Achieving More Inclusive Municipal Governance in Toronto
Over the last several months, Toronto’s fissures and inequalities have been put on display. Protests against police brutality and anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism have once again highlighted the systemic racism that undergirds many of the city’s key institutions, all while COVID-19 has disproportionately affected areas of the city with large racialized and newcomer populations. These […]
How Will Local Governments Deal With The COVID Cash Crunch?
Municipalities across Canada are facing significant financial pressures due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. On Thursday, April 30, join the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) and Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance for a webinar conversation about what the crisis means for municipal budgets and fiscal sustainability in the short and long term.
Engagement to Action: Improving Policy Outcomes Through Better Consultation
Campbell Conference Facility Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, 1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaIn an era of increasing political polarization, compromise seems difficult to come by. Simultaneously, recent reports show public trust in government is declining. Both conditions can make public consultation more difficult as communities become reticent to engage with one another and with institutions. However, bringing people together in thoughtful dialogue may be especially important in […]
Charting a New Path: Does Toronto Need a City Charter?
John H Daniels Faculty of Architecture Auditorium 1 Spadina Crescent, Toronto, ON, CanadaOver the last year, a series of controversial provincial decisions affecting Toronto’s Council size, budget, and transit system have offered a reminder of the power that provinces have over municipalities in this country. As a result, an old debate has emerged about whether the City of Toronto should have more power and autonomy over its […]
Future Ain’t What it Used to Be: The 8th Annual IMFG Toronto City Manager’s Address
Campbell Conference Facility Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, 1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaTo tackle our modern challenges – population growth and changing demographics, climate change, aging infrastructure, congestion, and poverty – Toronto and the region‘s success decades from now will hinge on how we work together. On November 4, Chris Murray, Toronto’s City Manager, will speak about how these challenges require municipalities not only to set their own priorities, but to work together and with other governments, institutions, the private sector, community partners and Indigenous peoples to improve quality of life.
Conflict and Cooperation in Large-Scale Infrastructure Projects: Lessons from the Port of New York City
Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, Room 208N 1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, ON, CanadaToday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a multi-state and multi-jurisdictional body that operates and manages the development of one of the largest seaports in the world. Before the Port Authority was established a century ago, however, the Port of New York was governed not by a single body, but rather […]
Book launch – Shaping the Metropolis: Institutions and Urbanization in the United States and Canada
Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, Room 208N 1 Devonshire Place, North House, Room 208N, Toronto, ON, CanadaWhat form should urban governance take? Is radical devolution the answer, or should we focus on more strategic involvement by senior governments? Zack Taylor will address these questions by presenting ideas from his new book, Shaping the Metropolis: Institutions and Urbanization in the United States and Canada.
Metropolitan Governance: Future Necessity or Misplaced Dream?
Campbell Conference Facility Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, 1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaExperts from multiple disciplines have argued in principle for the benefits of metropolitan governance, but how has it played out in practice? On September 19, IMFG Visiting Scholar Alan Harding addressed this question by drawing on his experience as Chief Economic Adviser to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority as well as his many years of […]
Consulting in the Smart City: Lessons from Sidewalk Toronto
Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, Room 208N 1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, ON, CanadaSmart city projects are rapidly becoming a dominant part of the worldwide urban agenda, including in Toronto, where Sidewalk Labs and Waterfront Toronto have launched Sidewalk Toronto, an initiative to develop the waterfront Quayside neighbourhood as a smart city. Smart city projects like Sidewalk Toronto promise to improve order, efficiency, safety, sustainability, and inclusivity in […]
From the Top Down: The Governance of Urban Development in Mexico
Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, Room 208N 1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, ON, CanadaAlthough efforts were made to decentralize in Mexico during the late 20th century, federal and state-level policy has continued to supersede local governance. Local governments in Mexico have limited financial and institutional capacities and are seldom able to guide urban development and construction processes, for example. The result of this top down approach has sometimes […]