Two new studies led by 첥Ƶ show how cities can stay strong when facing overlapping crises.
The research, led by Roger Keil at York’s , shows how community-driven networks are vital in helping municipal governments make better decisions and protect essential services during times of instability.
“Both studies show that even in times of crisis, local democratic action creates real opportunities for change,” says Keil, who is a Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus and an associate member of the City Institute.
Published in , the first paper, in collaboration with York alum Maryam Lashkari and University of Glasgow’s Ross Beveridge, offers a new framework for “crisis urbanism” – a condition in which climate shocks, housing pressures, public health threats and political volatility overlap and persist. This idea, often referred to as poly- or permacrisis, explains how these problems do not happen in isolation and instead often overlap and continue for long periods of time.
Researchers outline four ways to understand these crises: how they grow over time; how they affect different places and people; how governments share or shift responsibility; and how people decide what defines a crisis.
Instead of responding to individual emergencies, the authors say cities need to shift toward “reparative urbanism,” an approach that focuses on long-term solutions, stronger services and more inclusive decision-making.
“Our research shows that cities benefit when they invest in repairing harm, supporting essential services and giving communities more say in decisions,” notes Keil.
Building on this work, a second study in collaboration with colleagues at York and University of Toronto – was published in looks at how community networks helped protect vital services in response to Ontario's proposal to dissolve Peel Region. It shows that Peel’s service network is already using this kind of care-focused work and how it helps.
When the provincial government tried to split up Peel Region (which includes Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon), it was challenged by the – an advocacy coalition representing more than 100 social service groups.
When the plan was announced, these groups shared data, stories and concerns from the community to ensure access to critical services – especially for racialized and low‑income residents who faced the greatest risk of service disruption. The province later stepped back from its proposal, and researchers say this demonstrates the important role community groups play in regional decision-making.
“Whether we look at community groups in Peel responding to sudden funding threats or at the broader idea of ‘crisis urbanism,’ the message is the same: when people come together, share knowledge and work across sectors, they can repair systems, protect essential services and strengthen how cities are governed,” says Keil.
The researchers remain engaged with community dynamics and are currently involved in a follow-up study on multi-level crisis governance in Canada and the U.K., funded through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s and the UK Research and Innovation-Arts and Humanities Research Council's Knowledge Synthesis program.