Institute of Urban Studies

The 2025 Student Paper contest is now accepting submissions. The winner will receive a $500 prize.

Submission deadline – April 30, 2025

More details

This update revisits our previous downtown Winnipeg mapping, bringing the analysis to the end of 2023. We have re-catalogued and mapped developments with improved information, taking note of new development planned while removing a few tentative or stalled projects.

An examination of the lived experience of tenants who have been discriminated against in their search for rental housing, as well as during active tenancy, and post-occupation. Using a broader scope than most Canadian work, we develop a new framework for understanding discrimination resulting in a more nuanced understanding and leading to strong findings with actionable recommendations.

Research Insight

Full Report

Public health measures put in place during the pandemic impeded the delivery of services to people experiencing homelessness. This altered the lives of this population and contributed to the rise of urban encampments and the use of public spaces for emergency dwellings. Swift intervention by Winnipeg’s homeless-serving sector resulted in an Indigenous grassroots model of coordination for the pandemic response. Barriers remain though, and remain systemic.

This study reviews the experiences of non-profit housing boards as these organizations reach the end of their operating agreements. These boards face significant challenges and some new opportunities as the context changes. Interviews with housing providers and policymakers reveal that while many boards are ready to transition into this new context, others are not, and may require additional supports if they are to continue to offer housing into the future.

This study focuses on the eviction experiences of seniors. It applies a life-course perspective that takes a holistic and longitudinal view to understanding housing histories, and the experiences and impacts of evictions for seniors.

Research Insight

Full Report (PDF)

Urban air pollution has serious implications for physical wellbeing and socioeconomic prosperity in cities This paper investigates how Winnipeg can decrease emissions and mitigate existing air pollution. It analyzes municipal composting and urban agriculture as potential policies for Winnipeg and finds that these policies are viable. However, the successful execution of each policy depends on adequate accommodation of their associated social and political challenges, and the development of the social infrastructure critical to support programs.

This study examines evictions in Canada through interviews and the compilation of an inventory of eviction prevention measures across Canada. We develop a new typology for understanding evictions and their causes. We find that the drivers, types, frequency, and scale of evictions have changed over the past 15 years, with a marked rise in development-related evictions in the context of tight housing markets and a lack of affordable housing.

To tell the story of West Broadway, we augment interview narratives, with data and other writings, using the framework of Neighbourhood Collective Agency. We share a 50-year history of neighbourhood change marked by periods of hope, struggle, and uncertainty. Together, these sources reveal the reality of neighbourhood change in a diverse community located in the heart of Winnipeg’s inner city.