Transit Map
Explore the major transit station areas and their relationship to main streets.
The Projects
PHASE TWO | 2025-2026
TOD on Main
Leveraging Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) to advance housing and community outcomes
Canada has seven rapid transit systems, and the expansion of these networks continues to shape how communities, cities, and regions grow and change. Built on the foundation of the Measuring Main Streets Platform TOD on Main provides tools, case studies, and research to help decision‑makers leverage transit‑driven growth to advance housing goals, support vibrant and complete communities, and challenge the displacement trends often driven by TOD. About Phase Two →
4.4 million homes could be built in Canada's transit station areas
PHASE ONE | 2023-2024
Resilience on Main
Equipping communities to make smarter investments in main streets and downtowns
Coming out of the pandemic, many main streets and downtowns faced a convergence of economic, social, and operational challenges and were poorly positioned for recovery. Resilience on Main responded by delivering first-of-its-kind tools, case studies, and research that re‑scaled critical data to the main street level—equipping leaders and practitioners across Canada with the insights needed to restore activity, support recovery, champion equity, and strengthen long‑term resilience. About Phase One →
85% of Canadians live within 1 kilometre from a main street
About Measuring Main Streets
Empowering communities with accessible data to make better decisions, stronger investments, and measure local outcomes.
Canada is a country of Main Streets; they are where small businesses grow, neighbours connect, and communities express who they are. But Main Streets serve a challenging dual role as the places where pressing challenges—affordability, homelessness, public safety, and more—are experienced and addressed, while simultaneously driving economic, social, and civic life for entire communities.
Building on the long-standing work of the Canadian Urban Institute strengthening Main Streets and downtowns in Canada, Measuring Main Streets is a first-of-its-kind platform that makes high‑quality data more accessible for community champions, practitioners, and decision‑makers to advocate effectively for the main streets they know and serve—grounded in evidence that reflects local realities.
The Measuring Main Streets platform is funded by the Research Knowledge Initiative of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada.