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Visiting Professors
Meet the 2026-27 Visiting Professors – faculty from universities and research institutes in Canada and globally who will engage in urban-focused research and/or teaching, with a commitment to community engagement.
Urban Data Analysis & Storytelling Certificate
The Urban Data Analysis & Storytelling Certificate helps professionals transform complex urban data into insights that shape policy, planning, and community outcomes. Earn stackable microcredentials online and gain hands-on skills to drive evidence-based, impactful decisions in cities today.
Microcredentials: Coming in 2027-2028
The School of Cities professional programs portfolio equips urban professionals with the practical skills, strategic insight, and interdisciplinary knowledge needed to address complex urban challenges. Designed for working professionals across public, private, and non-profit sectors, these offerings combine applied learning with real-world urban issues.
Microcredentials: Future offerings
We are actively developing new professional programs and microcredentials, informed by emerging urban challenges and learner feedback. Our professional programs portfolio equips urban professionals with the practical skills, strategic insight, and interdisciplinary knowledge needed to address complex urban challenges.
Mapping Tariffs
Interactive map showing potential local impacts of U.S. tariffs on jobs and businesses across Canada
Climate Displacement & Cities
CIDRARC, hosted by the School of Cities, is a global network addressing climate-induced displacement and urban adaptation. It explores migration, risk management, and urban habitability through case studies from cities worldwide. The project highlights challenges cities face, including local and international displacement, which strains infrastructure and exacerbates poverty and inequality.
The Trees Lining our Streets
Diversity and equity of Canada’s street trees
highlights
Dogs in small spaces | Dog Days in the City, Ep. 4
People sometimes think that having a dog means you also need to have a big house with a big yard for it to play in. But as Steve and Sherman show us, dogs can also thrive in dense urban environments – and those kinds of areas can help us create more sustainable, equitable cities.
Visitor Activity Across Soccer Matches in Toronto and Vancouver
The recent soccer matches invited a largely local audience for a global event
Rising Rents and Supply in Ontario’s Cities
Exploring rental housing affordability over time
Bike Share activity during World Cup match days
Charting how Bike Share activity changed during Toronto’s World Cup matches
Transit-Oriented Stadiums
Mapping how well are FIFA World Cup 2026 stadiums connected to their host cities by public transit
Transit-oriented development case studies overview
The School of Cities and the Infrastructure Institute have produced a series of five case studies to identify different kinds of transit-oriented development (TOD) across Canada and to explore the opportunities and trade-offs involved in creating thriving communities near transit
Transit-oriented development case study: Arbutus station
How can we preserve the best features of established neighbourhoods while increasing density around transit?
Transit-oriented development case study: Cooksville station
How can we build complete, family-friendly communities while managing flood risk?
Transit-oriented development case study: McKernan/Belgravia station
How can we build infill in a mature community with strategic infrastructure investments to support high-capacity transit ridership?
Transit-oriented development case study: Northfield station
How can we transform industrial land into a vibrant community that attracts – and keeps – jobs and talent?
Transit-oriented development case study: Panama station
How can strategic development, civic infrastructure investment, and inclusive planning transform a suburban terminal into a vibrant transit-oriented community?
The Trees Lining our Streets
Diversity and equity of Canada’s street trees
Latest media & news
Matti Siemiatycki in CBC | Parallel construction projects on Carlton, Wellesley streets frustrating Toronto community
Karen Chapple in Fortune | It’s not just Canadian tourists snubbing U.S. cities. Business leaders are cancelling more trips to America as geopolitical tensions continue
Aniket Kali in The Hamilton Spectator | Housing supply is steadily increasing — so why are rents in Ontario soaring?
Matti Siemiatycki in CP24 | Why speed bumps won’t solve speeding on major Toronto roads, according to experts
Carolyn Whitzman, Enid Slack, and Shoshanna Saxe in CityNews | ‘It probably is an unworkable system’: The development charge problem
David Roberts in CBC | Toronto’s FIFA human rights action plan is out, but advocates say it falls short for unhoused people
Karen Chapple reappointed for a second term as Director, School of Cities
The School of Cities (SofC) is pleased to announce the reappointment of Karen Chapple for a second term as director.
School of Cities at the World Urban Forum, a global stage for urban solutions
At the World Urban Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan, the School of Cities joined global conversations on housing and sustainable urban development. A key milestone was the signing of a memorandum of understanding with UN-Habitat, establishing a new partnership to advance collaborative research, training, and policy initiatives that support more inclusive, resilient, and data-informed cities.
Carolyn Whitzman and Enid Slack in National Post | CMHC warns of a ‘very significant barrier’ to fixing the housing crisis
Tyeshia Redden and Matti Siemiatycki in Toronto Star | New York mayor secured $50 World Cup tickets for residents. Why didn’t Toronto do the same?
Karen Chapple in The Guardian | Researchers find 42% drop in Canadians visiting US metro areas amid Trump 2.0
Carolyn Whitzman in CBC | Rents continue to rapidly climb for Nova Scotia’s oldest and most affordable rentals
Upcoming Events see all
Urban Data Analysis with Python
Build foundational Python and urban data analysis skills through a hands-on workshop series exploring mapping, spatial analysis, APIs, and public datasets using tools like Jupyter notebooks, pandas, and GeoPandas.
discard studies: forms of containment
The exhibition discard studies: forms of containment emerges from conversations between Dana Prieto, Laura Grier, and Laura Pitkanen, tracing connections between seemingly disparate histories and contemporary conditions of communities impacted by Canada’s expanding nuclear industry
Knowledge Café: The state of local democracy in Canada
What does five years of research reveal about local democracy in Canada? This talk launches The State of Local Democracy in Canada, a new School of Cities report summarizing findings from the Canadian Municipal Barometer on municipal elections, representation, public policy, and intergovernmental relations, and what they reveal about how local government works in practice.
Leading with Landscape: Symposium & Exhibition
A public conference & exhibition that examines Toronto’s waterfront as a globally recognized example of landscape-led urban transformation.
The School of Cities is a unique multidisciplinary hub for urban research, education, and engagement creating new and just ways for cities and their residents to thrive. Based at the University of Toronto and in a fast-growing, culturally diverse, and economically dynamic urban region, the School of Cities supports leading scholars, practitioners, and community members spanning disciplines and lived experiences to co-create new understandings, policies, and practices.
Learn more about us.