Project Investigators: Roger Keil (York), Xuefei Ren (MSU) and Philip Harrison (WITS)

Funding: Urban Studies Foundation

Term: 2022-2023

This is a pilot study of a larger comparative project on the complex effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban governance intended to initiate a systematic comparison of vulnerability and governance in post-pandemic city regions. At the pilot phase, the research team will study three cities— Chicago, Johannesburg, and Toronto. At the later phase beyond USF seed-funding, the project will expand the comparison to include cities in Germany, Brazil, China, and India. The study examines the critical role of municipal institutions and their civil society partners in mobilizing resources to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and improve health and economic equity. Focusing on urban regions, the research will examine how the pandemic altered or exacerbated existing patterns of vulnerability, how municipal institutions, in conjunction with civil society groups, have alleviated the devastating consequences of the pandemic, and how their interventions have evolved after the acute phase of the pandemic.

Project website: https://www.yorku.ca/research/project/cityaftercovid/