The School of Cities understands why cities matter – for sustainability, prosperity, inclusion, and justice. Providing public access to the research and analysis that informs change is one of our primary objectives. Here you will find a growing set of insights into the most pressing issues of our time, in the form of publications, maps and videos and created in collaboration with affiliated faculty, visiting scholars, expert practitioners, students, and community organizations.
In the spotlight
Gentle Density Across Canada
Tracking development of accessory dwelling units in Canadian cities
Evolving City
Tracking access to nature over time in Toronto via mapping the history and evolution of land cover
Essential Spaces
Mapping the real estate geography of non-profits and community agencies across the Greater Toronto Area
Canada’s High-Tech Startup Cities
Analyzing the geography of venture capital investment across metro areas
Volume 4: Issue 2 | Water Gathering with Ziibii (the Credit River): Decolonizing municipal and provincial understandings of land, parks and rivers
MUGS, Yellowknife 2024: Understanding the wildfires
In June 2024, a group of graduate students travelled to Yellowknife to study the impact of the 2023 wildfires in the context of the housing crisis and communications infrastructure.
How Reducing Air Pollution Could Extend Thousands Of Lives
Estimating how premature mortality is related to air pollution in Canadian metro areas
Metropolitan Mindset response paper: Dr. Alexandra Flynn
The School of Cities’ Metropolitan Mindset initiative, led by Don Iveson, Canadian Urban Leader, and Prof. Gabriel Eidelman, aims to improve urban governance across Canada through research, education, partnerships, and advocacy. In… Read more
Mapping Bike Share Trips In Toronto
Estimating and visualizing routes for every Bike Share trip in Toronto in 06/2024
Urban Discoveries #1: Heat vulnerability in Toronto
Our Urban Discoveries video series explores the work of our Urban Challenge Grant researchers and summarizes their findings in an approachable visual format. This first in the series explores heat vulnerability in Toronto.
Volume 4: Issue 1 | Designing for Climate Justice Education: Learning with Black Ecologies
Mapping Heat Vulnerability in Toronto
Measuring heat vulnerability and visualizing variation across the City of Toronto
Projects
Downtown Recovery
The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic renewed longterm debates about the future of downtowns in North America. With the initial shock of the pandemic, downtowns emptied out as people were forced to stay at home, and even as life has gradually returned to malls and neighbourhood commercial corridors, the urban core is no longer a bustling center of activity. This trend has led many to wonder: is this finally the death of downtown?
The Metropolitan Mindset
The School of Cities’ Metropolitan Mindset initiative, led by Don Iveson, Canadian Urban Leader, and Professor Gabriel Eidelman, aims to cultivate the metropolitan mindset in Canada through research, education, partnerships, and advocacy.
Affordable Missing Middle
This initiative explores and advances ways to add gentle density to our residential neighbourhoods to achieve affordability and equity.
Products
Maps & Data Visualization
We create public-facing and accessible interactive maps and data visualizations aimed at disseminating academic research to a broader audience, visual storytelling focused on important urban issues, and creating new modes for understanding our cities.
Knowledge Café
The Knowledge Café at the School of Cities is a monthly speaking opportunity for the tri-campus community of U of T faculty and researchers to present analysis and highlights of their research on a theme that is important and relevant to cities. It provides a platform for faculty as well as students and researchers who are working to uncover solutions to creating more just, equitable, sustainable and prosperous cities.
City Beats Blog
The City Beats Blog invites experts affiliated with the School of Cities to publish essays, responses and reflections in a variety of formats and at any stage in the development of new ideas or research.
Videos
The School of Cities is committed to mobilizing knowledge in innovative and accessible ways. We work with communities, scholars, policymakers and visual creators to make videos that are informative, impactful and approachable. Check back regularly for new video stories about the most pressing urban challenges of our time.
Exhibitions
Since 2022, the School of Cities has worked to create high-quality, public-facing exhibitions on pressing urban issues. Showcasing the work of academics, students, and practitioners, the School of Cities will continue to put out exhibitions as a powerful tool of knowledge mobilization.
Publications
City Research Insights
A policy brief series translating academic research into impactful solutions. The School of Cities seeks to leverage our extraordinary community of urbanists and urban-oriented researchers to create a rich, multidisciplinary community of urban faculty, researchers, and students across disciplines and perspectives.
Policy briefs
School of Cities publishes occasional policy briefs, which aim to distill research findings and data, make recommendations, and draw links to policy initiatives.
Working papers
School of Cities publishes occasional working papers, often authored by affiliated faculty from other departments or universities. These are intended as starting points for discussion, debate and data analysis.
Reports
This selection of reports are based on research and projects undertaken by School of Cities faculty, researchers, postdoctroal fellows and/or affiliated faculty, or have been funded in part or in whole by the School of Cities.
Books & journal articles
This is a selection of recent books and journal articles by School of Cities faculty, researchers and postdoctoral fellows, as well as by affiliated faculty who publish on issues related to cities and urban planning and development.