Best Citytalk Podcasts (2026)

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Rethinking Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside 30:21

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3M ago30:21

30:21

Vancouver’s Downtown East Side has long been associated with high levels of homelessness and substance abuse, issues which many cities across the country are now facing. Host Mary Rowe speaks with two people who help deliver services and housing supports to people in the neighbourhood, and share lessons that other communities can learn.Donna-Lynn R…

1
Barrie’s mayor on declaring an emergency over encampments 29:01

3M ago29:01

29:01

Across the country, people are increasingly turning to encampments for shelter. These informal communities spotlight many complex challenges, from housing affordability to substance use and mental health issues. Encampments also present challenges to the social and economic functioning of neighbourhoods and downtown areas.For the last few years CUI…

1
Libraries: the last shared space? 34:58

4M ago34:58

34:58

Many of our cities’ biggest challenges right now are playing out inside public libraries. Library staff come face-to-face daily with issues relating to homelessness, substance use, mental and physical health, and, of course, education. As they continue to adapt to their communities' increasing needs, their funding is not growing.Two library CEOs fr…

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The Lifehouse: how neighbourhoods can prepare for disaster 32:01

4M ago32:01

32:01

The increased threat of extreme weather has made it increasingly clear that we need to better prepare for - and respond to - these events.Author Adam Greenfield thinks one answer is to create a new kind of institution at the heart of each neighbourhood. He calls it a “lifehouse”, a community hub to provide refuge and resources during emergencies, a…

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Katrina at 20: lessons from New Orleans 33:14

5M ago33:14

33:14

Further reading: “How resilient is New Orleans Today” at The Brookings Institution.By Allison Plyer, Andre Perry, Mary Rowe

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Rebuilding Jasper: one year after the fire 25:37

5M ago25:37

25:37

Last summer, Beth Sanders was getting ready to lead a new planning department for Jasper, Alberta when the municipality was evacuated due to wildfires. The fires ended up destroying about a third of the town. Beth joins Mary to talk about the challenges and opportunities of rebuilding, as well as lessons for other municipalities facing increasing t…

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What will it take to finally end Canada’s housing crisis? 31:13

6M ago31:13

31:13

It’s no secret that Canada is in a housing crisis. The gap between incomes and housing prices has been growing for decades, as governments of all political stripes have promised to ease the burden. So what will it take to finally end it? Murtaza Haider and Carolyn Whitzman join host Mary Rowe to talk about how we got here and what we can do about i…

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Friend or Foe for Vibrant Neighbourhoods: Are Festivals Worth It? 32:01

6M ago32:01

32:01

Festivals can be a great excuse to get out and see something new. But they can also be disruptive to local residents and businesses. So when do they help a place thrive, and when are they more trouble than they’re worth? CityTalk host Mary Rowe gets the perspectives of two guests who helped shape iconic downtown areas. Tim Tompkins was president of…

1
Sharing the Streets 45:15

8M ago45:15

45:15

At the Canadian Urban Institute, better, future-proof infrastructure pervades every project and discussion we have. Ahead of the upcoming Ontario Bike Summit in Windsor, host Mary Rowe has a two-wheeled chat with leading advocates for more, better and safer urban cycling systems, including Eleanor McMahon (Share The Road Coalition); Lanrick Bennett…

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Let's Talk About Placemaking 49:06

10M ago49:06

49:06

The title of this episode is shared with a report recently released by the Canadian Urban Institute. It compiles the findings from thousands of community-level placemaking projects along with perspectives on placemaking from leading practitioners, including Jerome Barth of Belleville Placemaking (NYC) and Marc-André Carignan of Kollectif (Mtl.) fea…

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Centre-ville: en Conversation au Sommet 27:39

11M ago27:39

27:39

Housing and infrastructure present challenges to nations across the globe. CUI's State of Canada's Cities Summit was pleased to welcome Alain Resplendy-Bernard, director of State Buildings for the government of France, as a special guest panellist. CUI board chair Cameron Charlebois also met Alain at our onsite studio for a deeper dive en français.…

1
Development & Redevelopment: Conversations from the Summit 53:00

11M ago53:00

53:00

Day 2 of CUI's State of Canada's Summit in Ottawa (December 2024) offered something new to attendees - walking tours of innovative project sites. Our microphones joined Brad Rodgers and Ana Bailao of Dream Unlimited for a tour of Zibi, a net-zero community being developed on the banks of the Ottawa River. Later, we joined Leanne Moussa and Kwende K…

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Housing Innovation and Governance: Conversations from the Summit 34:24

11M ago34:24

34:24

For the final episode gleaned from the State of Canada's Cities Summit, host Mary Rowe introduces a 'blue-ribbon' panel of housing experts recorded at the Beaver Barracks Housing Development in Ottawa. The discussion centres on the evolving roles and responsibilities for all orders of government in solving Canada's housing crisis. See and hear more…

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Local Matters: Community Wealth Building with Heather Hachigian 27:06

11M ago27:06

27:06

Bolstering Canada's local economies has become an instant priority in the wake of proposed actions by the Trump administration. Fortunately, we have no shortage of smart people with innovative solutions already in the works. Canadian Urban Institute CEO Mary Rowe chats with Heather Hachigian, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Management at the …

1
Local Matters: The View from the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce 22:08

11M ago22:08

22:08

Host Mary Rowe welcomes another 'tariff/no tariff' conversation with Doug Griffiths and Heather Thomson of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, and frank talk about what could, and what shouldn't, happen in this moment of economic uncertainty (crisis? opportunity?) for communities across Canada. See and hear more at citytalkcanada.ca.…

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Local Matters: Supporting Community Businesses - A Conversation with Dan Kelly of the CFIB 22:11

11M ago22:11

22:11

We interrupt CUI's post-State of Canada's Cities Summit programming for some timely conversation about economic resilience. There's nothing like the wake-up call of a looming Canada-US trade war to focus the attention of communities everywhere on innovative strategies to generate local strength and reduce impacts of cross-border disruptions. Dan Ke…

1
Culture, Equity, and Infrastructure: Conversations from the Summit 55:13

12M ago55:13

55:13

Mention infrastructure, and it's hard not to picture things like public buildings, transit systems and water/power distribution. However, other vital elements of urban society are, or should be, integrated into those things and need to be part of their design. This episode's two featured panels, recorded at CUI's State of Canada's Summit in Decembe…

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Building Better, Building Beautiful: Conversations from the Summit 1:05:27

12M ago1:05:27

1:05:27

The dozen panel discussions recorded in December 2024 on Day One of CUI's State of Canada's Cities Summit revolved around urban infrastructure in all its modern permutations, and how we need to build it better, faster and more sustainably. However, that doesn't preclude its ability to also add beauty and contribute to our collective well-being. The…

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Designing Cities, Day and Night: Conversations from the Summit 33:41

12M ago33:41

33:41

The Canadian Urban Institute's mobile podcast studio at the State of Canada's Cities Summit in Ottawa last December offered CUI staff the opportunity to chat with some of the leading voices attending the event. In this episode, media and communications advisor Anne-Marie Aikins speaks with Carol Bélanger, City Architect for the City of Edmonton... …

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Resilience and Innovation: Conversations from the Summit 21:20

12M ago21:20

21:20

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 S…

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Setting the Agenda: Conversations from the Summit 1:03:31

12M ago1:03:31

1:03:31

As host Mary Rowe stated early in this series, once you understand what infrastructure is, you can't help but see it everywhere around you. This episode features two discussions recorded at the State of Canada's Cities Summit in Ottawa last December, both dealing with bricks-and-mortar aspects of infrastructure; a session on securing real estate an…

1
Infrastructure for Wellbeing: Conversations from the Summit 48:00

1y ago48:00

48:00

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 C…

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Fueling Growth and Data-Driven Communities: Conversations from the Summit 57:04

1y ago57:04

57:04

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 s…

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Infrastructure and Canada’s Future: Conversations from the Summit 45:37

1y ago45:37

45:37

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 …

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Infrastructure Matters - A Conversation with Don Iveson 33:51

1y ago33:51

33:51

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 infrastr…

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Infrastructure Matters: A Conversation with Fanny Tremblay-Racicot 36:32

1y ago36:32

36:32

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'…

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Infrastructure Matters: A Conversation with Tracy Hadden Loh 34:18

1y ago34:18

34:18

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 Row…

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The Ottawa Sessions - Street Level Thinking 46:00

1+ y ago46:00

46:00

Bringing The Ottawa Sessions to a close is another kind of big-picture' perspective, albeit from street level. In developing 'A Living Capitol,' the downtown revitalization action plan CUI co-developed with many of Ottawa's civic and governmental leaders, some of the most informative views came courtesy of the directors of its Business Improvement …

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The Ottawa Sessions - Bank on it 32:30

1+ y ago32:30

32:30

In episode 3 of The Ottawa Sessions, host Mary Rowe brings you to her new, favourite café to meet Jessie Duffy, owner/operator of Arlington 5 in Centretown. It's located just a steps off Bank Street, one of Ottawa's north-south Main Streets connecting many of the city's best known neighbourhoods. Mary and Jessie discuss the future of local, indepen…

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The Ottawa Sessions - Design and Redesign 51:24

1+ y ago51:24

51:24

The second episode of The Ottawa Sessions explores the scope of design and, often, redesign, needed to help revitalize the downtown core of our nation's capitol. From soon-to-be vacant federal buildings to iconic public spaces like the Byward Market, the city has tremendous assets, along with its share of modern urban challenges, to influence a new…

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The Ottawa Sessions - The Big Picture 49:28

1+ y ago49:28

49:28

Season Two begins with a four-part series we've dubbed The Ottawa Sessions, featuring conversations with many of the civic, business and governmental leaders CUI collaborated with in the development of 'A Living Capitol,' a downtown revitalization action plan. To set the stage from a 'big picture' perspective, CUI president and CEO Mary Rowe speaks…

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State of Canada's Cities Summit - Part 4: Communities We All Deserve 50:15

2y ago50:15

50:15

The power of community, with its ability to open minds and hearts, reminds us why most of us choose (despite the deepening issues) to live together in cities. In this final of four CityTalk episodes recorded at CUI's State of Canada's Cities Summit in Ottawa on November 30th, host Mary Rowe presents highlights from afternoon conversations around in…

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State of Canada's Cities Summit - Part 3: Policies & Pavements: Street-level Solutions 49:26

2y ago49:26

49:26

Whatever the scale and scope of the tough issues being discussed in a single day, solutions often seem to be within reach after lunch. In the third of four CityTalk episodes recorded at CUI's State of Canada's Cities Summit in Ottawa on November 30th, host Mary Rowe presents highlights from afternoon sessions featuring local and national experts of…

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State of Canada's Cities Summit - Part 2: Collaboration is the Key to the City 48:48

2y ago48:48

48:48

When wanting to find solutions to urban issues, it's always best to talk to those professionals directly involved. Better yet, invite them to talk to each other. In the second of four City Talk episodes recorded at CUI's State of Canada's Cities Summit in Ottawa on November 30th, host Mary Rowe presents more highlights from morning sessions focusse…

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State of Canada's Cities Summit - Part 1: Urban Planet: Innovative City Making Beyond Canada 1:11:00

2y ago1:11:00

1:11:00

Sometimes great things happen when you bring the right people together to talk. In this first of four CityTalk episodes recorded at CUI's State of Canada's Cities Summit in Ottawa on November 30th, host Mary Rowe presents highlights from morning panel conversations exploring both the global context for Canadian urban issues, and challenges shared w…

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Art For Our Cities' Sake: A Conversation with Patti Pon 34:59

2y ago34:59

34:59

For a final preview of the leading voices and topics on the agenda at the upcoming State of Canada's Cities Summit on November 30th, host Mary Rowe chats with Patti Pon, president and CEO of Calgary Arts Development about how arts & culture are increasingly vital tools for city building. Read more about Patti's work here.…

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Fragile Neighborhoods: A Conversation with Seth Kaplan 46:25

2y ago46:25

46:25

An urban neighbourhood can be many things to its residents beyond a shared place to live. It can be where to find and/or offer support to community members; join others in working for better public services and resources; and where residents can lead flourishing lives. However, it can also be a fragile place. For this episode, host Mary Rowe welcom…

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The Economy of Place: A Conversation with Zita Cobb 42:50

2+ y ago42:50

42:50

In the first in a special series leading up to the Canadian Urban Institute's upcoming 'At the Crossroads' conference, CityTalk host Mary Rowe resumes her ongoing conversation with Zita Cobb, co-founder of Shorefast (Fogo Island, Nfld&Lab) on the growing importance and value of nurturing local economies to serve and sustain everyone in the communit…

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Affordable housing for everyone: a conversation with Romy Bowers, CMHC 37:33

2+ y ago37:33

37:33

Ours is a rapidly urbanizing world, with the latest UN projections at 70 percent of 9 billion people living in cities by 2050. Underlying that challenging future, neck-and-neck with the climate crisis, is the perpetual issue of accessible and affordable housing for every citizen. In Canada, top-level conversation about housing starts at the desk of…

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Healthcare and homelessness: a conversation with Dr. Andrew Bond 45:56

2+ y ago45:56

45:56

CityTalk: The Podcast is where the conversation is always focused on what's working, what's not and what's next for Canada's cities. It's brought to you by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI). On this episode, the topics of conversation sits at the intersection of mental healthcare and homelessness, with that crossroads now found in the downtown cor…

1
The Case for Conversions 38:12

2+ y ago38:12

38:12

CityTalk: The Podcast explores what's working, what's not and what's next for Canada's cities... and brought to you by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI). In the evolving post-pandemic economy, topping every city's 'what's next' list is a strategy to revitalize downtown by converting half-empty or vacant office space into multi-use buildings that c…

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The COVID Dividend Pt.2 37:00

2+ y ago37:00

37:00

CityTalk:The Podcast explores what's working, what's not and what's next for Canada's cities, and is a production of the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI). In part two of The COVID Dividend, host Mary Rowe is joined by leading urbanists from across the globe to discuss what was learned during the pandemic about making better shared places and smarter …

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The COVID Dividend Pt.1 30:00

2+ y ago30:00

30:00

Welcome to a fresh look at our urban future, brought to you by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI). CityTalk:The Podcast explores what's working, what's not and what's next for Canada's cities. Hosted by CUI president and 'lead talker' Mary Rowe, this program series begins with two episodes devoted to The COVID Dividend i.e. the core learning gleane…

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Leave Fireworks to the Professionals! 21:17

2+ y ago21:17

21:17

Join MySafe:LA's David Barrett and our special guest La'Veyah Mosely and her mother to discuss the life changing fireworks can have on a person. La'Veyah - a talented 7th grade student in L.A. - and an athlete playing for the L.A. Watts Rams youth league lost all of the fingers on her left hand when she was handed a firework device on the 5th of Ju…

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BAM! The issue of illegal fireworks in Los Angeles 1:14:20

3+ y ago1:14:20

1:14:20

In the City of Los Angeles, ALL fireworks are illegal. In the County of Los Angeles, it depends on which city you're talking about. Many cities offer "Safe and Sane" fireworks for sale on and around the 4th of July. The lack of consistency from city to city complicates the public's understanding of fireworks and the law. Join host David Barrett as …

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Are You Ready For Wildfire? 29:24

3+ y ago29:24

29:24

Join MySafe:LA's David Barrett as he covers the ongoing threat of wildfires in California generally, and in Southern California more specifically. Los Angeles City Fire Department Deputy Chief Trevor Richmond shares insight in what to expect this year and unveils a new collaboration between the LAFD and MySafe:LA - the Los Angeles Wildfire Resilien…

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Making L.A. Safer in 2022 14:28

4y ago14:28

14:28

Join MySafe:LA Executive Director David Barrett as he discusses the challenges in public safety and resilience for 2022. David shares some of the new initiatives at MySafe:LA and how the public may benefit from the programs being offered by the recognized, award-winning community resilience organization. This episode focuses on the upcoming wildfir…

1
The Fireworks 2021 Podcast 59:09

4+ y ago59:09

59:09

Join host David Barrett as he navigates the complex environment of illegal fireworks in Los Angeles. David is joined by three important guests, including LA City Area Prosecutor and Deputy City Attorney Gabrielle Taylor, Deputy Chief for the Office of Operations of the LAPD, Beatrice Girmala, and Public Information Officer Erik Scott of the Los Ang…

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S2; E2: Fireworks in Los Angeles, Boom in the Year of COVID-19 1:18:40

5+ y ago1:18:40

1:18:40

Fireworks have traditionally been at the core of national and regional celebrations. In Los Angeles, all fireworks sales and use are illegal - but even so, Angelenos celebrate every June through August with a nightly show of rebellion that brings joy to some, and fear and disaster to many. This special edition of CityTalk:LA looks into the issues s…

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S2; E1: COVID-19 Safety for the Armenian Community (in Armenian) 28:04

5+ y ago28:04

28:04

In this exciting Armenian-language podcast, Harout Harry Semerdjian of MySafe:LA’s Board of Directors and EMT Henry Halajian of MySafe:LA (and an ambulance operator for the Glendale Fire Department) discuss COVID-19 and important community protections related to the coronavirus epidemic. They also touch on our signature Smoke Alarm Installation Pro…