Canada is well known around the world for its vibrant cities and multicultural identity. Cities like Vancouver function as “gateways” to foreign countries, providing a cultural reference point for local-to-global engagements.
The key to optimizing Vancouver’s “locational advantage” as a global knowledge and innovation hub is developing a curator’s instinct for new sources of social and economic value as well as a strategist’s aptitude for combining different, but complementary perspectives, in an integrated manner.
Follow the conversation in Vancouver and learn more about VSIR’s growing contribution to the social, economic, and intellectual life of this exceptional city.
THE FUTURE OF INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL: IMPLICATIONS FOR CANADA
The ability to travel freely, both domestically and internationally, is crucial to Canada’s long-term recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. But transitioning to a more resilient future will require much more than technical quick fixes.
SCALING-UP CITY-LEVEL ADAPTATION DURING A NATIONAL CRISIS
Canada is struggling with the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and a slow economy recovery. What is the adaptive capacity of today’s mission-critical infrastructure, governance institutions, business models, leadership practices, labour laws, and training regimes?
KNOWLEDGE DIPLOMACY IN AN ERA OF ASIAN-LED GLOBALIZATION
We have entered a new era of globalization and adjusting to that reality will require a more sophisticated approach to knowledge diplomacy in Asia that effectively balances risk and opportunity.
URBAN RESILIENCE IN THE AGE OF BIOSECURITY: COPING WITH COVID-19
Strategic conversations are starting to emerge amidst the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. This issue of Urban Dispatch explores what a pandemic “exit” strategy might entail.
INNOVATION IN CHINA: HOW DOES INNOVATION HAPPEN IN CHINA? STATE-PRIVATE PLAYERS IN NEW-OLD INDUSTRIES
China has changed markedly since 1970 when Canada established diplomatic relations, bringing it out of international isolation. Knowledge of China’s innovation capacity is key for Canada since the “world’s factory” aspires to a qualitative shift in development.
JAPAN’S LEADERSHIP IN THE LIBERAL INTERNATIONAL ORDER
Japan’s leadership on geopolitical and geoeconomic issues is instructive for liberal democracies like Canada which remain vulnerable to the disruption created by the strategic competition between China and the United States.
BROADWAY PLAN: KITSILANO STREETS AND PUBLIC REALM WORKSHOP
Vancouver’s Broadway Plan provides an opportunity for over-the-horizon thinking and active participation in future planning processes that will help to optimize community resilience and adaptation, but the hard work is just beginning.
INTELLIGENT URBAN DESIGN: PREPARING FOR THE NEXT REVOLUTION
Contemporary urban governance requires a strategic rethink. While formidable, this multi-generational challenge can be overcome with right mix of intelligent design principles and integrated learning solutions.
URBAN DISPATCH #5 – A MUNICIPAL NOMINEE PROGRAM: CANADA’S NEW IMMIGRATION MILESTONE?
Canada continues to raise its immigration targets to attract global talent. But in a hyper-competitive world is that enough? Urban Dispatch 5 examines whether the proposed Municipal Nominee Program represents a new milestone.
SHAPING VANCOUVER 2019: WHAT’S THE USE OF HERITAGE?
Vancouver’s “super diversity” is key to its global reputation as a “livable city of neighbourhoods” which is why the tangible and intangible value of heritage needs to be workable in daily life.