“A city is not an accident but the result of coherent visions and aims.”
What we teach
URB 440 / PLA 1517: The Changing Cultures of Regent Park
Taught by Professor Aditi Mehta, The Changing Cultures of Regent Park is a joint undergraduate and graduate course for University of Toronto (U of T) students. It is built around an ongoing collaboration with the non-profit organization FOCUS Media Arts, established to counter negative stereotypes of the Regent Park community in the news and provide journalism production training and media literacy to residents living in the area. This class empowers students to engage responsibly with media to advance social justice while creating sustainable partnerships that benefit both the university and the Regent Park community through knowledge mobilization beyond traditional academic boundaries.
U of T undergraduate and graduate students work alongside Regent Park residents to learn about the history of the rapidly gentrifying neighbourhood. Classes take place at the FOCUS Media Arts Centre and draw on the situated knowledge of residents, community media, popular culture, academic journal articles, mainstream media, as well as in-class discussion, neighbourhood walks, and media-making. U of T students and Regent Park residents collaborate and work in small groups to create media projects addressing neighbourhood issues or concerns.
Learn more about the course and view the original research and knowledge mobilization projects it generates on the dedicated course website.
Multidisciplinary Urban Capstone Project
The Multidisciplinary Urban Capstone Project/International Multidisciplinary Urban Capstone Project (MUCP/IMUCP) is a joint initiative of the Urban Studies Program and the School of Cities at the University of Toronto (U of T). A full year course for senior undergraduate students from across U of T’s campuses, it matches multidisciplinary teams with projects identified by community partners, to develop actionable interventions that advance city-building goals. Over the course of the academic year, teams research, propose, and ultimately prototype an intervention to address this challenge.
Since becoming Academic Director in 2022, Professor David Roberts has evolved the program into a collaborative design studio that bridges the gap between classroom theory and urban practice. To date, he has overseen 74 student projects and mentored over 350 students as they navigate the complexities of real-world urban challenges.
Every year, MUCP works with 10-15 community partners in the Greater Toronto Area, and IMUCP has worked with projects in New York City, Venice, and St. Kitts. IMUCP also maintains a close partnership with community and municipal projects in India, whereby Toronto-based teams work with teams at Ashoka University. Professor Aditi Mehta, IMUCP’s India Lead, accompanies the U of T students to India each year to visit the projects and work with the Indian student teams in person.
