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| University of Toronto School of Cities | |
|---|---|
| Name | School of Cities |
| Established | 2017 |
| Type | Interdisciplinary research and teaching institute |
| Parent | University of Toronto |
| City | Toronto |
| Province | Ontario |
| Country | Canada |
University of Toronto School of Cities The School of Cities at the University of Toronto is an interdisciplinary institute focused on urban studies, urban design, planning, and policy. It brings together researchers, practitioners, and students from across the University of Toronto Scarborough, University of Toronto Mississauga, and St. George (Toronto) campuses to address urban challenges in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, and global contexts such as New York City, London, Paris, São Paulo, Mumbai, and Shanghai. The School emphasizes applied research, professional training, and partnerships with municipal bodies such as Toronto City Council, provincial ministries like Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, national agencies like Infrastructure Canada, and international organizations including the United Nations Human Settlements Programme and the World Bank.
The School of Cities was launched amid institutional initiatives by the University of Toronto leadership to consolidate urban scholarship alongside established units such as the Faculty of Arts and Science, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Its formation followed collaborations with legacy programs including the Centre for Urban and Community Studies, the Joint Centre for Disaster Research, and the Centre for Health Informatics as well as ties to civic actors like Metrolinx, Toronto Transit Commission, Waterfront Toronto, and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority. Early activities referenced comparative work on urbanism in cities studied by scholars at Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, London School of Economics, University College London, and Yale University.
The School of Cities coordinates graduate programs and courses drawn from schools and departments such as the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Rotman School of Management, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Department of Geography and Planning, and the Centre for Global Engineering. It offers curricular pathways comparable to programs at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, the University of Pennsylvania's Weitzman School of Design, and the University of British Columbia's urban studies offerings. Student experiences involve practicum placements with partners like the City of Toronto, Toronto Region Board of Trade, Canadian Urban Institute, Toronto Foundation, and NGOs such as Engineers Without Borders and Habitat for Humanity International.
Research themes include transit-oriented development studied alongside agencies such as Metrolinx and firms like AECOM, climate resilience projects linked to the International Panel on Climate Change methods, affordable housing research partnering with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the Toronto Community Housing Corporation, and data-driven urban analytics employing tools developed at institutions like Vector Institute and Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics through interdisciplinary networks with Fields Institute. Major initiatives mirror comparative programs at the Brookings Institution, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Urban Institute, Kresge Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and research collaborations with universities including University of Oxford, ETH Zurich, University of Melbourne, National University of Singapore, and Tsinghua University.
The School operates across the St. George (Toronto), University of Toronto Scarborough, and University of Toronto Mississauga campuses, utilizing facilities such as studios in the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, labs in the Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, and seminar spaces in the Robarts Library, Gerstein Science Information Centre, and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy building. It hosts events at venues like Hart House, Convocation Hall (Toronto), and the MaRS Discovery District, and collaborates with cultural institutions including the Art Gallery of Ontario, Royal Ontario Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto, and Toronto Public Library branches.
The School maintains partnerships with municipal entities including Toronto City Council, City of Mississauga, and City of Ottawa, transit agencies such as Toronto Transit Commission and Metrolinx, provincial bodies like the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, national organizations such as Infrastructure Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada, and international partners like the United Nations Human Settlements Programme and the World Bank. Community engagement includes joint projects with the Toronto Community Housing Corporation, neighbourhood groups like the Danforth Village associations, advocacy organizations such as Federation of Canadian Municipalities, think tanks including the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and collaborations with Indigenous bodies like the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
The School is governed through the University of Toronto's academic governance structures, reporting to the central administration and liaising with deans of units such as the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, Faculty of Arts and Science, and Rotman School of Management. Advisory functions draw on experts from municipal administrations including former officials from Toronto City Council, federal agencies like Employment and Social Development Canada, philanthropic organizations such as the Trillium Foundation, and international advisory partners from institutions like OECD and the World Bank.
Faculty and affiliates have included urban scholars and practitioners with profiles comparable to those at Jane Jacobs-influenced urbanists, spokespeople from Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, academics connected to David Harvey-style critical geography debates, and design professionals with experience at firms like B+H Architects, Diamond Schmitt Architects, Perkins and Will, and SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill). Alumni engage in roles across institutions such as Toronto City Council, Metrolinx, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, United Nations, World Bank, ICLEI, Canadian Urban Institute, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Department of Canadian Heritage, Global Affairs Canada, Ontario Ministry of Transportation, and civic tech firms in the MaRS Discovery District and start-ups incubated at the DMZ (Toronto).