10:45-12:00 – Session 1: Closed by Covid-19? Exploring the relationship between government pandemic response and downtown recovery in Canada

Session Info

As downtowns throughout North America have struggled to recover from the pandemic, many are eager to blame government directives that mandated distancing, closures, and quarantining. Yet, research from the Downtown Recovery project has shown that the structure of the downtown economy is far more important in shaping the ability of downtowns to come back. In this talk, Dr. Karen Chapple examined recovery patterns across downtowns in light of long-term patterns in hybrid and remote work. Their conclusions have implications for how governments might best restrict activity in the next pandemic.

Invited Speaker

Karen Chapple, School of Cities

Karen Chapple, Ph.D., is Director of the School of Cities and Professor in the Department of Geography and Planning at the University of Toronto. Chapple studies inequalities in the planning, development, and governance of cities and regions throughout the Americas. Her recent publications include “Pandemic polycentricity? Mobility and migration patterns across New York over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic” in the Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society and “Can we save the downtown? Examining Pandemic Recovery and Polycentricity Trajectories across 62 North American Cities” in Cities. In Summer 2022, Chapple launched www.downtownrecovery.com to track pandemic recovery patterns in North American downtowns. Chapple is a Professor Emerita of City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley, where she served as department chair. A recipient of multiple awards, including the 2023 Regional Studies Association’s Sir Peter Hall Award for Lifetime Contribution to the Field, Chapple holds a B.A. in Urban Studies from Columbia University, an M.S.C.R.P from the Pratt Institute, and a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley.

Panel Discussion

Moderator: Shauna Brail, IfP Resilience Theme co-lead, University of Toronto Mississauga

Panelists: