About

Shauna Brail is Professor and Director, Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto. As an economic geographer and urban planner, Brail’s research focuses on the transformation of cities in response to economic, social, cultural and technological change. This includes studying urban change and vibrancy; the relationship between cities and the digital platform economy with an emphasis on mobility; and shifts in urban governance, policy and planning in connection to urban innovation and technological change. Her scholarly publications have appeared in internationally top ranked journals in the fields of geography, urban and regional planning and urban studies and she is co-editor of the book Urban Mobility: How the iPhone, Covid and Climate Changed Everything.

Brail is an Affiliated Faculty at the Innovation Policy Lab, and holds a cross-appointment at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. She has held a number of leadership roles, including: Associate Director, Mobility Network; Director, Urban Studies Program; Associate Director, Partnerships & Outreach, School of Cities; Interim Director, Master of Urban Innovation; and Presidential Advisor on Urban Engagement.

Brail advises governments and civic society organizations, both in Canada and internationally, on matters relating to urban economic change, housing and transportation policy innovation, and the regulation of digital platform technologies. She is an editorial board member at Applied Geography, Canadian Geographies, and Progress in Economic Geography. Prior to joining the University, she worked in management consulting and in the Ontario provincial government. She holds a BA in Urban Studies/Geography (UofT), an MA in Urban Planning (UBC), and a PhD in Geography (UofT).