The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing cities the world over to transform the configuration of their public spaces and services to ensure the health and safety of their citizens. They will also be looking at ways to reclaim their economic and cultural vibrancy once the pandemic is under control. Many aim to take action while maintaining their commitments to adopting more ecologically sustainable practices.
These are the types of challenges that will inform research at Concordia’s newly established Next-Generation Cities Institute.
“Cities are great places. Because of their density, they can be the most efficient and sustainable form of human development,” says Ursula Eicker, who holds the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Communities and Cities at Concordia.
“They generate most of the world’s gross domestic product and are the locus of innovation and productivity. At the same time, they are responsible for two thirds of carbon emissions. If we don’t transform cities worldwide, we’re going to have serious problems.”
Eicker has spent the past year establishing the Next-Generation Cities Institute. She and Carmela Cucuzzella, Concordia University Research Chair in Integrated Design, Ecology and Sustainability for the Built Environment, are the institute‘s co-directors.
“We’re incredibly excited about this new initiative,” says Concordia President Graham Carr. “Sustainability is an issue of global importance and Concordia is committed to addressing it. The Next-Generation Cities Institute will be essential to mobilizing research to further our goals.”
The institute combines over 200 researchers within 14 university research centres representing disciplines ranging from science and engineering to the humanities and arts.
“The cities institute brings together researchers from across the university who think about smart, sustainable and resilient cities,” says Cucuzzella.
It will provide a framework for the interdisciplinary collaboration uniquely required for next-generation city planning.
“There are so many researchers across the university already doing incredible work in this field,” she says.
“The institute is an opportunity to show Concordia’s strength in this area. But also, more importantly, it is a chance to bring these researchers together and allow them to contribute to larger projects that can have real impact.”