Mary W. Rowe is an urbanist and civic entrepreneur. She currently serves as the President and CEO of Canada’s Urban Institute – a 36 year old charity focused on applied research and best practice that advances community economic, social and environmental resilience. Prior to her return to Toronto, Mary lived in New York City and worked with government, business and civil society organizations to strengthen the economic, social, cultural and environmental resilience of the city and its neighborhoods. Her tenure in New York City followed five years of intense work in the recovering city of New Orleans post Katrina, where she helped form the New Orleans Institute for Resilience and Innovation, a loose alliance of initiatives that emerged in response to the systemic collapses of 2005. Her particular focus is in creating local, national and international learning networks of urban practitioners developing local solutions that foster local livability and resilience, of which local economies, urban systems, art and cultural heritage are key components. Downtowns and main streets are a crucial unit of analysis in her leadership at CUI, Main Street Canada and CityTalk.
