Organized as a series of questions and answers, this guide demystifies concepts and offers tools and methods to facilitate collaborative projects that connect researchers and municipal actors.

A team of researchers (made up of members of the Cité-ID LivingLab, SphereLab and Antès) supported the Partenariat du Quartier des Spectacles (PQDS) in its reflection process ahead of its new strategic plan.

A team of researchers (made up of members of the Cité-ID LivingLab, SphereLab and Antès) supported the Partenariat du Quartier des Spectacles (PQDS) in its reflection process ahead of its new strategic plan.

Panel organizers invited participants to join a concept mapping exercise to generate ideas and solutions around the panel’s key question: What structures or approaches are needed to support the strengthening of science for urban policy? See how results were interpreted in real time.

Cities are increasingly the key implementer of international, national, and local policy. They are where policy and theory intersect directly with people’s lives. What are the challenges encountered, and the practical solutions deployed?

Municipalities are key agents of change in building a more resilient society and achieving sustainable development goals. To that end, they strive to integrate the innovations generated by scientific research, insofar as they are accessible and applicable on a territorial scale. How can we ensure that cutting-edge research conducted in the scientific community has a significant local impact? Can innovations be used to generate economic, social, and ecological benefits for citizens?

Scientific advice is what gives rise to science-based public policy - a practice already well established in federal and provincial governments. But what about municipal decision-making?

Cities are at the forefront of key societal and environmental dynamics. They are both the sites in which global dynamics play out, such as climate change and health crises; and key actors in addressing these major global issues and ‘wicked problems’. As theaters of social dynamics and conflicts, cities and its residents have a key role to play. In a permanent state of transformation, cities are the perfect setting to catalyse advances, benefiting from the perspectives of diversity, expertise, and innovation.