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CITY Director Harris Ali - Television Interview on the Urban & Social Dimensions of Ebola: CP24 (24 May 2026)

Interview on the Urban & Social Dimensions of Ebola: CP24 (24 May 2026) View Here

CITY Director Harris Ali radio interview about Ebola on 105.9 The Region

CITY Director Harris Ali radio interview on 105.9 The Region

Talk by CITY Director Harris Ali on "Social Media and the Democratic Crisis in North America"

This talk examines how mis/disinformation and conspiracy theories spread through social media have transformed at an unprecedented rate, the very nature of culture and politics in contemporary society. What is involved in these transformations? What are the implications of these transformations for the development of an impending democratic crisis in North America? We will discuss how this crisis in democracy is evident in terms of the polarization of society and the development of a crisis politics; enhanced conditions for encouraging the expression of political violence; the development of a post-truth society, and the dominance of politics by a small number of business and technical elites (that is, oligarchy), as well as the rise of authoritarian tendencies.

Research spotlight on the "Seeing Crisis Governance like a City" project

A new YFile published last week highlights two new studies from the "Multi-Level Crisis Governance in Canada and the UK: Seeing Crisis Governance like a City" project, led by CITY faculty affiliate Roger Keil. Read the full YFile here.

New research published by CITY Institute Director exploring social media, populism, and threats to democracy in the Canadian context

A new article published in the Journal of Canadian Studies by CITY Institute Director, Harris Ali, explores how populism, conspiracy theories and social media work together to weaken democratic systems in Canada and the United States. Read more about the new study here.

New research on pandemic risk in the urban outskirts

New article by S. Harris Ali, Creighton Connolly, and Roger Keil

Great to see the CITY Institute represented at the International Sociological Association meetings that took place in Rabat, Morocco on 6-11 July 2025.

Reminder that the research committee RC 21 on Urban and Regional Development may be of interest to many CITY members. Pictured below from left to right are CITY members:  Roger Keil, Harris Ali, Sébastien Lambelet (CITY participants not pictured: Ute Lehrer, Natalya Murzenko) Congratulations to Roger and Sébastien who gave papers based on CITY-based research […]

Warren Magnusson - Urban Political Scholar

Dear All, Please visit the link below to read some poignant accounts and reflections on the work of Prof Warren Magnusson (1947-2025) –  an important figure in urban thought who has had a tremendous influence on many at CITY (and beyond) throughout the years. This collection of touching yet intellectually inspiring essays appearing in Urban Affairs […]

Call for Participation - WORKSHOP

Please click HERE to view the Spanish Version Vertical Peripheries: Housing and Urban Transformation at the Metropolitan Margins August 21–22, 2025 | Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia As part of the SSHRC-funded research collaboration between York University (Toronto, Canada) and CIDER at Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá, Colombia), titled Vertical Peripheries: Planning and Citizenship in […]

Convocatoria - TALLER

Periferias Verticales: Vivienda y Transformación Urbana en los Márgenes Metropolitanos 21 y 22 de agosto de 2025 | Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia En el marco del proyecto de investigación conjunto entre la Universidad de York (Toronto, Canadá) y el CIDER de la Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá, Colombia), titulado Periferias Verticales: Planeación y […]