The Institute of Urban Studies

Leonie Sandercock has written some of the most influential books in contemporary urban planning, including Making the Invisible Visible and Towards Cosmopolis.

In recent years she has turned to using film and other multimedia in her planning work, a theme that she explores in her new book Multimedia Explorations in Urban Policy and Planning: Beyond the Flatlands co-edited with filmmaker Giovanni Attili.

The book includes a chapter by IUS Research Associate Michael Dudley, which explores the uses of film in teaching.

Because of staff commitments out of the office, the library will be closed on Tuesday February 2nd. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Are we Planning for "Dickensian Gloom"? Not according to IUS researcher Michael Dudley, who refutes critics of Smart Growth planning in his new op ed on Planetizen.

The local and national media have paid a great deal of attention to the national launch of "At Home/Chez Soi" project, which IUS is helping to spearhead in Winnipeg in association with the University of Manitoba's Departments of Psychiatry and Community Health Sciences.

The Winnipeg Free Press covered the launch event, while the CBC gave the project national exposure. The Globe and Mail has been running an entire series on mental health, that included an article on the "housing first" approach.

However, Gordon Sinclair at the Free Press is openly angry about the project. He writes,

"The problem is, the latest study is not a solution. It's simply the latest in a countless number of studies of the homeless. The bigger problem, the awful irony, is the researchers already know the solution, or they should by now. The best way to help the chronically homeless help themselves has been tested, applied and proven in other studies that show it works over and over across the U.S. and even in Canada. Give the homeless a home. Here we go again. Another study to prove the proven. Why not simply provide housing for the chronically homeless, thereby saving lives and saving money?."

The Vancouver Sun counters this argument by pointing out that this isn't just research, but will contribute to addressing homelessness over the long term: "Researchers hope the results will show the effectiveness of stable housing, and what type of services would work best to help reduce homelessness in Canada."

More than 500 people in Winnipeg who are homeless and living with a mental illness are being recruited to participate in Canada's largest-ever study on the issue. The Winnipeg At Home project is aimed at providing people with stable, long-term housing and supports, with particular attention to the Aboriginal population. Using a $3.75 million grant provided by the Mental Health Commission of Canada The University of Winnipeg's Institute of Urban Studies (IUS) and the University of Manitoba's Departments of Psychiatry and Community Health Sciences form the core research team.

The At Home/ Chez Soi Project was launched concurrently Monday November 23rd in the other five participating cities: Winnipeg, Toronto, Moncton, Vancouver and Montreal.

The Winnipeg At Home Project will result in 300 people presently homeless being offered housing in neighbourhoods throughout Winnipeg. Those with highest needs will have access to 24 hour support.

“The University of Winnipeg is committed to community learning and community-based research that has a real and lasting impact on the lives of people in our neighbourhood, said Lloyd Axworthy, President and Vice-Chancellor, UWinnipeg. “This partnership with the Mental Health Commission of Canada and front-line agencies is unique in that it is the people who are homeless who are teaching us, telling us what they need, not the other way around. Our role is to listen, and in a respectful way, collect data that can inform public policy decisions.”

“The Institute of Urban Studies has a 40-year history of conducting relevant studies that places people with lived-experience at the core of social research,” said Jino Distasio, IUS Director. “Nobody wants to see those without shelter or supportive service going hungry, cold and trying to fend for themselves. A national study of this magnitude can allow us, collectively, to find a better, more holistic way to support those who are most vulnerable in our community. At the end of the day, it will be a good thing to see more than 1,000 Canadians in stable housing, surrounded by the supports they need.”

Local estimates contend that 70% of the homeless population in Winnipeg is Aboriginal. The Winnipeg research team will work in partnership and cooperation with three primary agencies that will deliver a “Housing First” approach (a focus on providing housing, then offering necessary services and supports): Mount Carmel Clinic, Ma Mawi Chi Itata Centre and the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre. The project team is supported and guided by the advice of an Urban Aboriginal Lens Committee consisting of community elders and cultural teachers.

The overall intent of the four-year demonstration project is to test and assess whether a proven housing intervention is effective in the Canadian context, with the ultimate goal to work toward long term sustainability.

“Many cities, including New York, have definitively concluded that not only is this an effective intervention, with success rates in excess of 80%, but it is also a cost effective measure,” said Distasio.

The Institute of Urban Studies and the International Institute for Sustainable Development present

A live webcast Munk Debate on climate change featuring

Elizabeth May, George Monbiot, Bjorn Lomborg and Lord Nigel Lawson debating the proposition,

"Be it resolved that climate change is mankind’s defining crisis, and demands a commensurate response.”

Continue reading "IUS Co-Sponsors Munk Debate on Climate Change" »

The Winnipeg Free Press is reporting that the Qualico Group is planning a major residential and mixed-use development in Winnipeg's Exchange District. According to the article,

"Sources said three of the buildings are located are on the north side of Market Avenue, east of Lily Street. They include the former Athletes Wear building at 145 Market. That building used to house a Nygard Fashion World store and is now the new home of Brick's Fine Furniture. The other three buildings are on the south side of James Street, also east of Lily Street."

For context, the reporters spoke to IUS Director Jino Distasio:

"Jino Distasio, director of the University of Winnipeg's Institute of Urban Studies, also called for a mixture of residential and commercial units. 'We want to look at some balance so there's an opportunity for all different kinds of people to get into this very exciting area,' he said. 'And the greater the level of diversity, the easier it is to market them.' He said it's also great to see a major developer like Qualico trying to find a new use for some old downtown buildings, noting Winnipeg has one of North America's largest collections of heritage warehouse buildings. 'We have this great asset and we need to save it.'"

The Institute of Urban Studies, in partnership with the City of Winnipeg, is hosting a series of Housing Consultations in October. The aim of these consultations is to help inform housing policy and provide input into the CityΓÇÖs OurWinnipeg planning process. We invite you to attend this session and welcome your input.

Date of Session: October 22, 2009
The Masonic Memorial Temple at 420 Corydon
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Light refreshments provided

Background:
Housing is a major issue in Winnipeg, and is an important consideration of the City of
Winnipeg's planning and development. WinnipegΓÇÖs policies and strategies must address both current and future residential needs, because housing is an integral part of the communities in which we live, work and play.

Through a process known as SpeakUpWinnipeg, the City has embarked on a considerable public consultation process in its endeavour to create a new plan for the City's future called OurWinnipeg. Citizens of Winnipeg will have a powerful voice in this plan and in determining how our city will grow. Housing will continue to be an important component of this growth.

To say we need more housing is not enough. To optimize growth, we need to plan for
where, what kind, what size, what price, and what tenure of housing will be needed.
We need to better understand needs and desires from various segments of our
population, from developers and investors to homebuyers and tenants. We need a
plan that addresses the housing needs of Winnipeg's diverse population. And we
need to focus on maintaining the housing that already exists in our city.

You are being invited to participate in this open public process. Through a consultation process managed by the Institute of Urban Studies, the City of Winnipeg is actively seeking ideas, interests and opinions of Winnipeggers to update our housing plans and strategies. Please join the citizens of Winnipeg with similar interests for a focused discussion on housing needs and development in Winnipeg. We look forward to meeting with you and hearing your input into this process.

Please call Jillian Golby Borsa at 982-1140 to RSVP or send an email to ius@uwinnipeg.ca

The Winnipeg Free Press has published Michael Dudley's latest book review, of Rebecca Solnit's new book, A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities that Arise in Disaster. Solnit writes that instead of the violent anarchy so common in Hollywood disaster movies, history shows that people are much more likely to cooperate, support one another and share what they have. However, governments tend to succumb to "elite panic" and unleash violent responses that can turn natural disasters into catastrophe. The review concludes:

"This recurring spirit of common purpose and generosity leads to her principal and troubling question: what is it about our everyday society that prevents such social possibilities from taking root permanently?

Unless we combine practical training for dealing with calamity with an official recognition of our tendency for mutual support and aid, rather than for violence and looting, the "elite panic" she describes will lead to ever more terrible consequences."

Members of the Aspen Institute were in Winnipeg yesterday for a Dialogue and Commission on Arctic Climate Change that was held at the University of Winnipeg. The group met with University of Winnipeg President (and Aspen Commission member) Dr. Lloyd Axworthy as well as IUS Director Dr. Jino Distasio, to discuss climate change and Canada's North. According to the Free Press, the group determined that

"[t]he worst-case scenario is a free-for-all Arctic resources grab. The best-case scenario puts planning first and development second...ideally, planned developments in the Arctic should be assessed before any work takes place."

Today the group, including Distasio, flew to Churchill to meet with researchers at the Northern Studies Centre. The trip is timely, as the Institute of Urban Studies and the University of Winnipeg are together engaged with the Town of Churchill on a long-term sustainability planning process, and are due to head up to Churchill at the end of August for a community visioning exercise.