Knowledge Hub
Strengthening partnerships and knowledge exchange across cities–
In 2022, we launched the INTERACT Knowledge Hub, a space to connect around the successes and struggles involved in researching and building cities that promote health and equity. The Hub’s goal is to strengthen connections and knowledge exchange across INTERACT’s network of partners — including planning staff in Victoria, Vancouver, Saskatoon, and Montreal; urban academics and research trainees; and our national knowledge broker, the Canadian Urban Institute.
The Knowledge Hub came together in response to what we heard from our partners: Opportunities are rare for city builders to connect outside of their own jurisdictions and learn about new research and practice. The Hub is our way to connect with one another across cities to discuss common opportunities and challenges, share wins, and contribute to healthy research more broadly in Canada.
The Hub
INTERACT Knowledge Broker
Gregory Spencer – Canadian Urban Institute
City Partners
Bartek Komorowski, Irène Cloutier – City of Montreal
Rob Dudiak, Chris Schulz – City of Saskatoon
Sarah Webb – City of Victoria
Sherwood Plant – City of Vancouver
Researchers
Meghan Winters – Simon Fraser University
Daniel Fuller – University of Saskatchewan
Yan Kestens – Université de Montréal
Kevin Manaugh – McGill University
Jaimy Fischer – Simon Fraser University
Tessa Williams – Simon Fraser University
Meridith Sones – Simon Fraser University
2023-2024 Focus:
Equitable Engagement in Planning and Research
This year, the INTERACT team is collaborating with city partners to explore strategies for equitable engagement in both urban planning and healthy city research. Through recent conversations, we’ve learned that municipalities often struggle to engage diverse voices in planning processes. In research, persistent data gaps limit our understanding of who benefits from investments in healthy city initiatives, especially among equity-deserving populations. To address this, targeted efforts are needed to engage these communities in research. INTERACT seeks to learn from local community advocates on how best to engage equity-deserving groups, ensuring their stories are represented in our data.
2022-2023 Focus: Transportation and Equity
This year, the INTERACT Knowledge Hub is connecting around the theme of transportation equity — a pressing issue for cities as they recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and confront historical inequities in urban planning. Cities in Canada are moving quickly to develop or advance policy frameworks and tools that support their equity goals. Yet planners are challenged with how to effectively apply equity principles in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of sustainable transportation interventions — like greenways, cycling networks, and transit. Our partners voiced their need for more practical guidance and dialogue across departments, communities, and contexts. In response, we’re embarking on case studies of cities making progress on transportation equity to capture lessons learned and best practices. We’re delving into what worked, what failed, and why – and what other cities can take away from their experience.
