In this presentation on his new book, Shaping the Metropolis: Institutions and Urbanization in the United States and Canada, Zack Taylor compares the historical development of intergovernmental policymaking for Canadian and American cities since the 19th century with a particular focus on Toronto, Vancouver, Portland, and Minneapolis–St. Paul.
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In this video, Alan Harding assesses the arguments produced in favour of metropolitan governance, the extent to which real-world reforms have been driven by these arguments, the barriers that stand in the way of “rational” reform, and how Greater Manchester’s experience with metropolitan governance points to ways of overcoming at least some of those barriers.
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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.
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Using findings from media and policy analysis, participant observation, and interviews, this presentation explores the Sidewalk Toronto consultation processes.
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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. 
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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?
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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.
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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.
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