Urban Studies information resources: Additional resources

SFU Urban Studies research projects

Municipal and Local history research

While the SFU catalogue has a good collection of books on various cities, especially for the Lower Mainland and BC, if you are interested researching other cities sometimes the quickest path to find local material is via the public library or local archives.

Selected public library links:

Selected archives links:

 

Local government websites

Web resources and Associations

Canada

  • Canadian Urban Institute  provides "applied research, education/training and communication to improve the processes and policies needed to make informed decisions about urban assets"
  • Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) network of national and international public transit associations
  • CivicInfo BC "British Columbia's local government information hub"
  • Community Information Database  (GoC) "consistent and reliable socio-economic and demographic data and information"
  • Federation of Canadian Municipalities  (FCM) national federation of municipal governments
  • Institute of Urban Studies (University of Winnipeg)  reports on many urban topics, including housing & homelessness, urban Aboriginal issues, and sustainable urban development
  • Municipal Services Project  free online books, emphasis on international development, alternatives to privatization
  • Muniscope  "Canada’s national resource on municipal issues, sponsored by the Provincial-Territorial Officials Committee on Local Government (PTOC)"
  • Spacing Vancouver  Canadian magazine that focuses on "topics like public transit, urban design, public art, community planning, and sustainable development"
  • Union of BC Municipalities  UBCM provincial union for local governments, providing resources such as policy papers, including the extremely useful Local Government fact sheets "easy-to-read and easy-to-understand information on local government operations. Subjects include the role and powers of elected officials, taxation, planning process, policing, and bylaws"
  • Vancouver Public Space Network  advocacy organization that is dedicated to addressing issues around public space

United States

  • City Observatory  (Portland) "discussing the success of cities" Includes a reports and data section
  • Community Tool Box (University of Kansas) "step-by-step guidance in community-building skills...community assessment, planning, intervention, evaluation, advocacy"
  • Lincoln Institute of Land Policy  trilingual site lists online books and reports on global economic, social, and environmental challenges
  • Planetizen  "independent resource for people passionate about planning and related fields"
  • Sightline Institute  (Seattle) independent, nonprofit research and communications center that focuses on sustainability solutions that benefit communities in the Northwest
  • Social Science Research Network (SSRN)  repository of working and accepted social science papers
  • Urban Affairs Association  "the international professional organization for urban scholars, researchers, and public service professionals"

Other SFU Library subject guides

GIS & maps including including SFU-purchased and open-access Geospatial data as well as  GIS consultations

SFU Archives including guide How to conduct research at the Archives. Use the AtoM database to search SFU Archives and SFU Library's Special Collections and Rare Books.