School of Cities

Due to the recent start of daylight saving time in Toronto, this event will start at 6.30 p.m. IST.

Are you a member of University of Toronto, interested in urban activism, policy, research or interested in our work? Join us for our annual student showcase: connect w/ students, faculty, community partners, peers & see multidisciplinary, community-engaged work in action https://ow.ly/N2EH50YqWgP

Tomorrow, 9 a.m. ET / 7.30 p.m. IST: Join us online for two talks about how walkability and perceived safety interact with experiences of transit hubs and suburban rail stations in Mumbai. There’s still time to register! https://ow.ly/qwWP50Ynty1

In response to popular demand after creating an arc diagram of rides between stations on the TTC’s Line 1, our Data Viz Lead has created one for Line 2 that displays which pairs of stations see the most trips, and which pairs have very few between them https://ow.ly/hjUa50YntwO

Are you a University of Toronto undergrad with an interest in data science? Apply for our summer internship, for the opportunity to work on real data issues & to learn from our Data Viz team during the bootcamp & from your faculty mentor throughout the summer https://ow.ly/x2sR50YntAx

PhD candidates from any university worldwide are invited to apply for our summer workshop on urban mixed methods, hosted by the University of Toronto, Aug. 4-6. Join us to explore innovative research methodologies in urbanism & cities (travel & costs covered if accepted) https://ow.ly/YLAz50YntBt

Map of the Greater Toronto Area covered with dots arranged in a 1km grid spacing. The colour of the dots indicate % of people that speak Spanish. The size of the dot is the total population. The map shows that there are relatively more Spanish speakers in the west and north-west of Toronto and in some outer municipalities like Bradford, Oakville, and Brampton.

Made a quick map of knowledge of Spanish in/around Toronto --

(This was a bit of an experiment - testing out a process of interpolating census data to a bivariate dot grid)

Higher-res: jamaps.github.io/maps/toronto...

#toronto #qgis #maps #language #geography

Walking is a main mode of transport in the Global South, esp. around transit systems. These 2 talks will look at how safety & the built environment influence pedestrian comfort, usability & walking behaviour around Mumbai’s transit hubs & suburban stations https://ow.ly/NBR850YntxJ

Using data on cell phone activity, we’ve updated our trends analysis of how 53 U.S. downtowns are faring post-pandemic – specifically looking at year-over-year trends comparing September to December 2025 to the same period in 2024 and 2023. https://downtownrecovery.com/charts/us_trends

Despite widespread adoption of Vision Zero strategies aimed at eliminating traffic deaths – especially among pedestrians and cyclists – evaluations of the interventions are lacking. This Knowledge Café will highlight gaps in evaluation & data & ways to them https://ow.ly/zyqO50Yntz8

Tomorrow: Join Creative Communities Commons & The Bentway's Ilana Altman re. how The Bentway challenges the notion that infrastructure is only functional or fixed in purpose; how legacy structures evolve; and how artists work as city-builders https://ow.ly/6HJR50Ym5l8

March 24: Jesse M. Keenan talks about a new era marked by shifts in population that will transform everything from the physical landscape of cities to electoral politics and how people, governments, markets are preparing for & responding to climate impacts https://ow.ly/jWFl50Ynthp

Last chance to apply for our prof. dev. program for mid- & senior-level leaders from the private, public, non-profit sectors looking to accelerate a project, work across silos, and drive equitable urban transformation at local, regional, or national levels schoolofcities.utoronto.ca/learning-sof...

Last month, SofC Director Karen Chapple spoke to The Indian Express about how urban planners in Mumbai could plan for TOD, pedestrianization, and sustainable development. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/karen-chalapple-interview-areas-south-mumbai-pedestrianised-10535122/

Our urban data summer internship offers University of Toronto undergrads the (paid) opportunity to work on real data issues in the public & NGO sectors, supported by a data bootcamp, faculty mentor & professional development sessions. Apply by March 15! https://ow.ly/PBWj50Ym4TM

Based on research funded by an SofC Urban Challenge Grant 3.0, this podcast explores how Indian international students in T.O. are representatives of “types” of migrants & how stereotypes create moral judgements that conceal operations of power & capitalism https://ow.ly/WjV650Ym3X2

March 11: The season’s penultimate SOCIAL features a lightening talk on how built-environment quality & safety influence pedestrian experiences around suburban train stations, then a main talk on first- & last-mile connections to railway & metro systems https://ow.ly/tkqS50Ym458

Traffic collisions remain a leading cause of preventable death & injury in North America, but rigorous evaluations of the widely adopted Vision Zero strategies are lacking. Join Dalla Lana School of Public Health's Dr. Batomen to explore the gaps and how to tackle them https://ow.ly/tl6e50YfF0x

March 12: Back by popular demand, a repeat screening of The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, William H. “Holly” Whyte’s 1980 film about his seminal Street Life Project study of New York City’s plazas and the ways residents interact with urban environments. https://ow.ly/HqWn50Ym4yr

Are you a University of Toronto undergrad with an interest in & some knowledge of data science? Consider our paid summer internship program – work on real data issues in the public & non-profit sectors + explore data science as a career path. Apply by March 15 https://ow.ly/8ww850Ym4M6

Doctoral students globally are invited to apply for our summer workshop on urban mixed methods. Faculty present research projects illustrating cutting-edge methods for qualitative & quantitative design & data collection, interpretation, visualization https://ow.ly/nvlv50YfEYT

The last spots in Leading Urban Change are filling up fast. Thinking of applying? Sign up now for a one-to-one convo with one of the program leads to have all your questions answered and so you can apply with confidence that this is a great fit for you! schoolofcities.utoronto.ca/learning-sof...

Today, 12 p.m. ET: Prof. Bertram explores lessons from the responses of North American officials to Nazi propaganda campaigns during WWII, and how we could use them to accelerate public media literacy & access to engaging, higher-quality online content https://ow.ly/K2cZ50YfEUz

University of Toronto faculty, postdocs interested in cities & urban issues: consider teaching a grad seminar through SofC! You design it – from any angle & in any discipline, department or faculty – & we promote it & provide a course buy-out or TA. Learn more: https://ow.ly/8vJg50YfEYL

The next SOCIAL features two talks on walkability in and around Mumbai’s transit stations. Register now: https://schoolofcities.utoronto.ca/event/social-the-walkability-gap-in-indian-metro-cities/

There are still a few spots left for the spring cohort of Leading Urben Change, so we're extending the deadline until 11.59 p.m. ET on Friday, March 6. We keep the class size small – apply now before we fill up! Questions? Meet one-to-one w/ a program lead schoolofcities.utoronto.ca/learning-sof...

Disinformation is considered a new problem, but WWII Nazis blanketed N.A. w/ propaganda & officials fought back by embraced new media, collaborating w/ community leadership & building large anti-racism campaigns. How can we jumpstart this solution today? https://ow.ly/71s550YfEUw

It’s time for our annual community showcase - our annual celebration of all the great work done by our student community over the past year. Register now to join us for nibbles, networking, and all things urban! https://schoolofcities.utoronto.ca/event/school-of-cities-community-showcase-2026/

Applications for Leading Urban Change close tomorrow (Feb. 20) at 11:59 p.m. ET. If you’re considering the program, please submit your application before the deadline. Watch the info session recording here if you have last-minute questions: schoolofcities.utoronto.ca/learning-sof...

Despite widespread adoption of Vision Zero, aimed at eliminating traffic deaths through systemic design changes, evaluations of the interventions are lacking. This talk will highlight gaps in evaluation design & municipal data and avenues for tackling them https://ow.ly/nBOm50YfEVj