Introducing Main Street Canada

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Subject: Introducing Main Street Canada

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Photo Credit: Unsplash | Keshav Singh Panesar, Poutine festival in ottawa

There is More that Unites than Divides Us:

Organize and Empathize

As the global discourse may amplify economic and political conflict, our day-to-day work reminds us that on-the-ground challenges to make better places for people are shared by city-builders working in communities around the world, and we have much to learn and share.

In recent weeks, CUI has been working with our esteemed partners on a range of shared urban challenges and hosting public conversations on placemaking, economic development, overcoming barriers to building more affordable housing, and more. Our ongoing programming and research has focused on building climate resilience, downtown recovery and the opportunities for adaptive reuse, investing in main street businesses, and the resilience of local economies. CUI is in the connective tissue business, researching best practices and sharing resources to support mutual goals.

We appreciate benefitting from having connected with the International Economic Development Council, Placemaking US, The Strong Cities Network, The International Downtown Association, the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, and the Intelligent Community Forum – all of which are active supporting efforts in Canada, the United States, and abroad. Together we are building better places for people.

With that as context, we are excited to announce a program to highlight impacts and actions affecting our local economies.

Photo Credit: Unsplash | Ahmed Zalabany, Stephen Avenue Southwest, Calgary, AB

Announcing

Main Street Canada

An initiative coordinated by the Canadian Urban Institute, with partners working to strengthen the economic, social, cultural and environmental resilience of their main streets.

Discover Main Street Canada

The Canadian Urban Institute works across urban communities to tackle the country’s most pressing challenges—such as strengthening local economies, addressing mental health, housing and homelessness, financing infrastructure and climate resilience, creative placemaking to foster social cohesion, and more.

But at the heart of all these efforts is a hyper-local focus: the main street scale.

Main streets are the backbone of Canadian communities of every size: from downtown neighbourhoods of metropolitan regions to smaller towns and rural communities. They are where people connect, where businesses thrive, where essential services can be accessed, and where local identity and civic engagement are fostered.

Main Streets Matter

Main Street Canada is a living resource for local businesses, economic developers, policymakers, and community leaders to illustrate the challenges and opportunities ahead for the hearts of our communities. Especially important in the face of recent economic and supply-chain disruptions, Main Street Canada provides:

Essential data on main streets across the country, with quantitative tools to measure economic activity, foot traffic, and resilience – and the impacts of tariffs and other economic changes.

Cutting-edge research showing innovative approaches to investing in main streets to spur more housing, mixed-use development, economic recovery, and social well-being.

Policy leadership by showcasing action taken by governments to respond to tariff impacts, enable new supply chains and new markets, and strengthen local economies.

Programming and engagement to empower local leaders, businesses, and residents to invest in their main streets as essential infrastructure for housing, mobility, economic opportunity, and civic vibrancy.

Main Street Canada builds on CUI’s previous work on My Main Street, Measuring Main Streets, Bring Back Main Street, Overdue: The Case for Public Libraries, Housing on Main Street, and Restore the Core. A work in progress, Main Street Canada is supported by the Big City Executive Partnership, the Main Street Action Network, Business Improvement Areas and economic development organizations across the country.

Discover Main Street Canada

Photo Credit: Unsplash | kwan fung, Vancouver BC

Tariff Impact Tracker

CUI is tracking tariff impacts on Census Metropolitan Areas.

CUI is working with partners across the country to understand the impacts of tariffs and counter tariffs at the local and regional level, and to identify actions being taken – by individuals, businesses, institutions, support organizations, and governments – to mitigate the negative impacts and strengthen our economic resilience.

Check Out the Impact Tracker

Government Action Tracker

What Actions Are Being Taken by Municipalities Across Canada?

Beginning with municipal governments, CUI has identified five categories, or types, of actions being implementing in response to tariffs and counter-tariffs

Procurement and Supply Chain Policies

Economic Business Support

Advocacy and Coordination

Trade Diversification and Risk Mitigation

Monitoring and Public Communication

Check Out the Action Tracker

Main Street Data Dashboards

Your main street is the heartbeat of your community—make sure it thrives with clear, current, and compelling insights.

Building on the foundation of CUI’s Measuring Main Streets Platform, CUI builds and maintains Main Street Data Dashboards to equip local businesses, community leaders, and policymakers with the data they need to plan, grow, and invest in their local economies. Customized to reflect local priorities, the dashboards provide a clear snapshot of main street performance, trends and data gaps, in easy-to-use, highly visual insights.

Get Your Dashboard

Photo Credit: Unsplash | BIPIN SAXENA, Rue du Petit Champlain A beautiful, colorful and lively street in Quebec City

Engage with Main Street Canada

Help CUI build a vibrant and creative platform to share data, best practice and solutions as we navigate together the future of every community from the ground up.

Visit Main Street Canada and keep an eye on our e-blasts for updates. Join the Main Street Action Network as a representative of your organization to hear from others working across the country on these issues. Don’t miss a CityTalk – our live broadcasts and podcasts – to keep informed on the best approaches. And invest your time and money in your neighbourhood.

Engage Today

Photo Credit: Unsplash | Narciso Arellano, Toronto Islands

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Subject: Introducing Main Street Canada