Our Commitments
Land Acknowledgement
The University of Toronto Statement
"We wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land."
Mobilizing Our Commitment
At the City Collaborative, we recognize that land acknowledgements are not merely historical statements, but active commitments to the present and future. Our work is inextricably linked to the land and the ongoing processes of settler colonialism that shape our cities.
We mobilize this acknowledgement through several core pillars of our work:
Reciprocal Relations: We prioritize learning with, by, and from communities. By centering community-engaged scholarship and activist research, we aim to challenge traditional academic hierarchies that have historically excluded Indigenous, racialized and other important voices from the practices of city-building.
Accountability in Urban Change: Our research into urban infrastructure and community safety (including projects in Regent Park and Moss Park) focuses on the intersection of large-scale development and community accountability. We seek to understand, document, and mitigate the displacement risks and other social violences that often accompany rapid urban transformation.
Equitable Urban Futures: We are committed to advancing social justice in urban settings. This means designing educational experiences and scholarship that actively work toward more affirming and equitable spaces for Indigenous peoples and historically marginalized groups.
Transformative Justice: Our research, teaching, and learning aims to understand the root causes of harm in cities, and co-design processes and actions that address these root causes.
The Responsibility of Place: We acknowledge our responsibility to the "Dish With One Spoon" territory—a treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas, and Haudenosaunee that binds us to share and protect the land. We strive to bring this spirit of peace, friendship, and respect into our partnerships with grassroots organizations and municipal governance alike.
As we work to understand and address the root causes of harm in our cities, we bridge the gap between the classroom and the community to ensure our presence on this land contributes to a future of shared responsibility, equitable flourishing, and transformative justice.
Institutional Culture and the Practice of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
The School of Cities embraces equity, diversity and inclusion as a source of creativity and inspired scholarship. These values are embedded in the School’s leadership, institutional culture, and governance structures, manifested across its research, education, and partnerships/outreach, and in its activities. The School aims to reflect the diversity of people and communities of the local urban region, and is especially committed to the active participation of under-represented and equity-deserving groups, especially Indigenous, Black, immigrant, and racialized people, people with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQ+ people.