Making Megaprojects Work for Communities

Making Megaprojects Work for Communities is an action-research project seeking to understand how new, large-scale public facilities, or "megaprojects", can impact communities and the city at large. Research focuses on the relationship between the new McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Glen Campus Superhospital and the surrounding neighbourhoods in the Notre-Dame-de-Grace and Saint-Henri districts and the City of Westmount.

This project is a collaboration between several communities groups and a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from several local universities.

The project is supported by the Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) program of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada(SSHRC).

Research posts/internships       **NEW January 2013**

January - July 2013

Note: many of these topics could be the basis of a thesis or memoire; write-up in academic format is preferred with additional funding possible to support writing and dissemination at conferences. Most projects can be conducted in either French or English; some require competency in both languages. Some projects can be completed after the end of term. Download a pdf version of this information here.

1. Internship with Ville de Montreal, policy research on shared equity approaches to maintaining affordability of housing, $3000 (200 hours) – fluency in French required, familiarity with housing, longer description available
2. Internship with NDG Community Council, community planning in Westhaven and St-Raymond, $3000 (200 hours) – filled (split between two students)
3. Internship with Westmount Municipal Association – Ecosquad project, organize citizen-to-citizen exchanges around ‘green technologies’ for renters and homeowners – (200 hours, could be split), description available
4. Internship with the Concertation interquartier, minute-taking, support to a charette
5. CURA research on use of development agreements/CBAs in other Canadian/North American cities (100 hours)
6. CURA/CHUM research on spatial determinants on well-being and access to green space, GIS/stats skills needed $4500 (300 hours)
7. Research assistant (UdeM),  building a website/repository for design/planning projects emerging out of Montreal’s universities (‘shadow urbanism’), programming skills needed (250 hours)
8. Study of use of Crowdbrite and other electronic forms for public participation in planning processes (with Acertys & McGill University) – (150 hours – non-CURA funding)
9. Undergraduate research assistants to CURA (5-8 hours/week)
10. Master’s/Ph.D. research assistant to CURA (5-12 hours/week) – writing/editing/publishing
11. Master’s/PhD research assistant to CURA (5-12 hours/week) – coordination/research for CIQ/CURA

Upcoming internships (to be confirmed – March start date)

1. Centraide internship/CURA research on Tables de concertation in different parts of Montreal $3000 (200 hours)
2. Ville de Montreal/CURA research on use of development agreements by government planners, $2000 (150 hours)
3. Ville de Montreal/CURA research on use of special plans (PPUs) and participatory inputs PPUs , $3000 (200 hours)
4. Internship with Borough of CDN-NDG, planning department/social development, community needs assessment, Walkley area (100-200 hours) (not yet confirmed with the borough, could be split, )
5. Internship with CDH, a housing GRT, on a housing development
6. Study of consultation process used in PPU for Outremont Yards - $2000 (fellowship) – awarded
7. Studies of negotiations around  specific urban development projects – Hippodrome, Griffintown, CHUM, MUHC Glen campus, UdeM Outremont campus – to be discussed
8. Studies of local ‘sustainability’ initiatives in neighbourhoods adjacent to large-scale developments

Priority in filling all research positions will be given to students in departments linked to the CURA – Architecture (UdeM), Etudes urbaines (INRS), Urban Planning (McGill), Geographie et ESG (UQAM).

If interested, please contact lisa [dot] bornstein [at] mcgill [dot] ca for further information.  Please supply a C.V.

CURA Contact Information

Email: cura [dot] urbanplanning [at] mcgill [dot] ca (CURA: Making Megaprojects Work for Communities)