Experts 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 academic research on metropolitan governance.
Find out more »

Using findings from media and policy analysis, participant observation, and interviews, this presentation explores the Sidewalk Toronto consultation processes.
Find out more »

This presentation by 2018-19 IMFG Post-Doctoral Fellow Alejandra Reyes highlights the experience of some of Mexico’s largest cities in the implementation of nationally mandated urban growth policies. 
Find out more »

This presentation by Chibulu Luo, a 2018-19 IMFG Graduate Fellow, explores three key questions: What role do African cities and municipal governments play in producing low-carbon urban growth? Which institutions or governing bodies should take the lead, and why? And what are the opportunities to scale up investments to finance sustainable technologies and infrastructure?
Find out more »

New development is essential to supporting a growing city but it also leads to added costs for municipal governments. New housing developments often require new or expanded infrastructure, including roads, sewers, and water treatment plants. There is ongoing debate on how cities should pay for this growth-related capital. Some argue that user fees and property tax revenues are sufficient to cover these costs, and that development charges on developers will likely result in increased housing prices.
Find out more »

Municipalities across the GTHA face many shared challenges. Ahead of last year’s municipal elections, the Institute on Municipal Governance and Finance (IMFG) published a series of essays from some of the GTHA’s most respected leaders offering bold ideas to push the region forward on key issues. In this video, four of these leaders discuss their bold ideas.
Find out more »

Transit presents unique challenges for metropolitan regions. In tightly connected metropolitan regions several questions arise: who should make transit decisions? Who should run the system? Who should pay for it? On February 21, Michael Schabas explored how different cities and regions around the world have addressed these questions.
Find out more »

Transit presents unique challenges for metropolitan regions. These varied demands raise important governance questions in tightly connected metropolitan regions: who should make transit decisions? Who should run the system? Who should pay for it? In this video, Michael Schabas, Patricia Wood, and Joe Berridge explore how different cities and regions around the world have confronted these questions.
Find out more »