This presentation describes the structural history of school boards, boards of health, and hydro commissions in Ontario. The goal is to understand how and why these institutions have changed over the long term, focusing on how ideas, organized interests, and political opportunities can explain the long-term patterns, timing, and pace of institutional change.
Find out more »

Millennials are changing the face of cities. Educated, diverse and tech-savvy, this highly urbanized generation of ‘teens to thirty-somethings’ is expressing a new set of values about how they want to live, work, and play. Yet, their influx into North America’s cities is also surfacing difficult questions about housing affordability, access to employment, gentrification, and race. As urban demographics and civic values shift, what will the implications be for North America’s cities?
Find out more »

Millennials are changing the face of cities. Educated, diverse and tech-savvy, this highly urbanized generation of ‘teens to thirty-somethings’ is expressing a new set of values about how they want to live, work, and play. Yet, their influx into North America’s cities is also surfacing difficult questions about housing affordability, access to employment, gentrification, and race. As urban demographics and civic values shift, what will the implications be for North America’s cities?
Find out more »

This video features the fourth lecture in the “Big City, Big Ideas” series. Millennials are changing the face of cities. Educated, diverse and tech-savvy, this highly urbanized generation of ‘teens to thirty-somethings’ is expressing a new set of values about how they want to live, work, and play. Yet, their influx into North America’s cities is also surfacing difficult questions about housing affordability, access to employment, gentrification, and race. As urban demographics and civic values shift, what will the implications be for North America’s cities?
Find out more »

Discussions about urban governance often overlook the role of city residents, concentrating instead on developers, politicians and municipalities. This presentation focused on the case of a neighbourhood civic movement in Toronto and its residents’ strategies to influence local governance and development.
Find out more »

The shortage of affordable housing is a major problem in Toronto. But little new affordable supply is being built, social housing units require major capital repairs, and provincial and federal finances are tight. In the United States, the private sector plays a greater role in building and rehabilitating affordable housing through tax credits and innovative financing and partnership models. Are there lessons for Ontario?
Find out more »

A growing number of cities are turning to public-private partnerships (P3s) to finance their infrastructure investments. What are the advantages and disadvantages of P3s as a municipal financing model? How do they work? And what role do the federal and provincial governments play?
Find out more »

A growing number of cities are turning to public-private partnerships (P3s) to finance their infrastructure investments. What are the advantages and disadvantages of P3s as a municipal financing model? How do they work? And what role do the federal and provincial governments play?
Find out more »