Marta-Marika Urbanik, University of Alberta

Research

policing disadvantaged neighbourhoods community policing procedural justice police legitimacy marginalized populations drug trafficking neighbourhoods

Latest papers

'They don't do nothing': Exploring marginalized people who use drugs' experiences with and expectations of private security officers.
Criminology & criminal justice : the international journal of policy and practice · 2026
"It's just not the same": Exploring PWUD' perceptions of and experiences with drug policy and SCS services change in a Canadian City.
The International journal on drug policy · 2023 · senior author
"It Stays with You for Life": The Everyday Nature and Impact of Police Violence in Toronto's Inner-City.
International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022

All 6 publications

Latest funding

"Going up north": the expansion and movement of urban-based drug trafficking groups into smaller Canadian communities
SSHRC · 2025 · Principal investigator
$49,448
"Do something": Exploring the complex dynamics of municipal encampment responses
SSHRC · 2025 · Co-investigator
$113,545
Exploring the Relationship between Victimization, Spatial Mobility and Settlement among People Experiencing Homelessness
SSHRC · 2023 · Co-investigator
$55,747

All 7 grants and awards

6 publications.

01

'They don't do nothing': Exploring marginalized people who use drugs' experiences with and expectations of private security officers.

Geldart R, Greene C, Urbanik MM, Maier K

Criminology & criminal justice : the international journal of policy and practice2026

DOI: 10.1177/17488958241249825 PMID: 41789252

02

"It's just not the same": Exploring PWUD' perceptions of and experiences with drug policy and SCS services change in a Canadian City.

Greene C, Maier K, Urbanik MM

The International journal on drug policy2023Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103934 PMID: 36549200

03

"It Stays with You for Life": The Everyday Nature and Impact of Police Violence in Toronto's Inner-City.

Greene C, Urbanik MM, Samuels-Wortley K

International journal of environmental research and public health2022

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191710503 PMID: 36078218

04

A rejoinder to Brooks et al. "Response to operational and contextual barriers to accessing supervised consumption services in two Canadian cities".

Greene C, Urbanik MM

The International journal on drug policy2022Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103718 PMID: 35595592

05

A qualitative comparison of how people who use drugs' perceptions and experiences of policing affect supervised consumption services access in two cities.

Urbanik MM, Maier K, Greene C

The International journal on drug policy2022First author

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103671 PMID: 35413583

06

"I'm Wise to the Game": How Inner-City Women Experience and Navigate Police Raids.

Greene C, Urbanik MM, Yankey MK

Feminist criminology2021

DOI: 10.1177/15570851211005541 PMID: 34650383

"Going up north": the expansion and movement of urban-based drug trafficking groups into smaller Canadian communities

Principal investigatorSSHRC2025Insight Grants

Principal investigators: Urbanik, Marta-Marika

Keywords: drug trafficking; neighbourhoods; violence; ethnography

$49,448

"Do something": Exploring the complex dynamics of municipal encampment responses

Co-investigatorSSHRC2025Insight Grants

Principal investigators: Greene, Carolyn

$113,545

Exploring the Relationship between Victimization, Spatial Mobility and Settlement among People Experiencing Homelessness

Co-investigatorSSHRC2023Insight Development Grant

Principal investigators: Greene, Carolyn

Keywords: Homelessness; Spatial mobility; Victimization

$55,747

Private security in public places: The impact on People Who Use Drugs

Co-investigatorSSHRC2022Insight Grants

Principal investigators: Maier, Katharina

Keywords: private policing; security; victimization; people who use drugs; public health; urban poverty

$59,589

Private security in public places: The impact on People Who Use Drugs

Co-investigatorSSHRC2022Insight Grants

Principal investigators: Maier, Katharina

Keywords: private policing; security; victimization; people who use drugs; public health; urban poverty

$34,363

Exploring Victimization Experiences in/near Lethbridge's SCS

Principal investigatorSSHRC2020Insight Development Grant

Principal investigators: Urbanik, Marta-Marika

Keywords: Victimization; People Who Use Drugs; Supervised Consumption Services; Street-Involved; Police experiences

$25,163

Searching for justice: understanding and building police legitimacy in Toronto's inner-city

Principal investigatorSSHRC2019Insight Grants

Principal investigators: Urbanik, Marta-Marika

Keywords: policing; disadvantaged neighbourhoods; community policing; procedural justice; police legitimacy; marginalized populations

$78,909

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Criminology
Sociology

Co-authors at University of Alberta, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Katharina Maier

Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

3 shared papers, latest 2026

Manzah-Kyentoh Yankey

Sociology

1 shared papers, latest 2021

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their SSHRC grant from 2025

Subject: Prospective PhD student: policing Dear Professor Urbanik, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "'They don't do nothing': Exploring marginalized people who use drugs' experiences with and expectations of private security officers." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your SSHRC-funded project ""Going up north": the expansion and movement of urban-based drug trafficking groups into smaller Canadian communities" (2025), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]

Marta-Marika Urbanik

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

'They don't do nothing': Exploring marginalized people who use drugs' experiences with and expectations of private security officers.

"It's just not the same": Exploring PWUD' perceptions of and experiences with drug policy and SCS services change in a Canadian City.

"It Stays with You for Life": The Everyday Nature and Impact of Police Violence in Toronto's Inner-City.

A rejoinder to Brooks et al. "Response to operational and contextual barriers to accessing supervised consumption services in two Canadian cities".

A qualitative comparison of how people who use drugs' perceptions and experiences of policing affect supervised consumption services access in two cities.

"I'm Wise to the Game": How Inner-City Women Experience and Navigate Police Raids.

"Going up north": the expansion and movement of urban-based drug trafficking groups into smaller Canadian communities

"Do something": Exploring the complex dynamics of municipal encampment responses

Exploring the Relationship between Victimization, Spatial Mobility and Settlement among People Experiencing Homelessness

Private security in public places: The impact on People Who Use Drugs

Private security in public places: The impact on People Who Use Drugs

Exploring Victimization Experiences in/near Lethbridge's SCS

Searching for justice: understanding and building police legitimacy in Toronto's inner-city

Frequent collaborators

Carolyn Greene

Katharina Maier

Katharina Maier

Kanika Samuels-Wortley

Manzah-Kyentoh Yankey

Marta-Marika Urbanik

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

'They don't do nothing': Exploring marginalized people who use drugs' experiences with and expectations of private security officers.

"It's just not the same": Exploring PWUD' perceptions of and experiences with drug policy and SCS services change in a Canadian City.

"It Stays with You for Life": The Everyday Nature and Impact of Police Violence in Toronto's Inner-City.

A rejoinder to Brooks et&#xa0;al. "Response to operational and contextual barriers to accessing supervised consumption services in two Canadian cities".

A qualitative comparison of how people who use drugs' perceptions and experiences of policing affect supervised consumption services access in two cities.

"I'm Wise to the Game": How Inner-City Women Experience and Navigate Police Raids.

"Going up north": the expansion and movement of urban-based drug trafficking groups into smaller Canadian communities

"Do something": Exploring the complex dynamics of municipal encampment responses

Exploring the Relationship between Victimization, Spatial Mobility and Settlement among People Experiencing Homelessness

Private security in public places: The impact on People Who Use Drugs

Private security in public places: The impact on People Who Use Drugs

Exploring Victimization Experiences in/near Lethbridge's SCS

Searching for justice: understanding and building police legitimacy in Toronto's inner-city

Frequent collaborators

Carolyn Greene

Katharina Maier

Katharina Maier

Kanika Samuels-Wortley

Manzah-Kyentoh Yankey

A rejoinder to Brooks et al. "Response to operational and contextual barriers to accessing supervised consumption services in two Canadian cities".