Biography

Jonathan Cote is a passionate urbanist who has dedicated his career to building better cities. Jonathan has recently finished serving two terms as the Mayor of New Westminster and has spent the past 17 years in local government. In his role as Mayor, Jonathan has served as the Chair of the Mayors Council for regional transportation and was the  Chair of Regional Planning in Metro Vancouver. Jonathan also has extensive board experience serving on the Translink Board of Director and Chairing the New Westminster Police Board. Prior to being elected Jonathan completed his Masters Degree in Urban Studies at Simon Fraser University. Jonathan’s work in local government has focused on some of the most challenging environmental, economic and social issues facing our communities and he is looking forward to working with the Urban Studies program at SFU.

Research Interests

• Urban political economy (or, how material processes of exchange + production shape the city)
• Smart cities
• Urban finance, austerity, and debt
• Technological innovation and inequality
• Critical urban theory