I think an interest should be taken in history. I learned of the existence of this commission while doing research on behalf of the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, research into the management history of the St. Lawrence River over the last 100 years. I think that a Ph.D. thesis by a University of Ottawa researcher was found; he studied the Conservation Commission, which was created in 1909, during a major shift in favour of conserving national parks, which occurred in Canada and the United States. There was a relatively strong conservation movement at the time.
The Government of Canada created the Conservation Commission. It was not strictly urban. It was conservation, in a broad sense. The commission was active for many years. It would seem that it did important and interesting work. At a certain time, the federal government decided that the commission had done enough and abolished it.
Looking back, it might be time to set up this type of commission again. For more details, you can consult the published document written by Michel F. Girard, entitled L’écologisme retrouvé : essor et déclin de la Commission de la conservation du Canada. In my notes, you can find the complete reference. This book was published by the University of Ottawa Press. Taking a few minutes to read it is really worth the time.