About the Course: ‘Seeing Like a City’
The world is now urban.
We’ve known this for years. But the field of public policy has been slow to adapt.
When Master of Public Policy students here at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy enter the program, most think of cities like Toronto and Ottawa as political capitals first, as centres of provincial and federal policy making.
They may imagine themselves living and working in these places, but only as the backdrop for a career in “senior” levels of government. Certainly not as sites and sources of unique social, environmental, and economic policy challenges in their own right.
The goal of this experiential learning course is to open students’ eyes to the world of cities by beginning to view public policy through an urban lens. Or as Warren Magnusson likes to say, to start “seeing like a city.”
How does public policy shapes cities? And how do cities shape policy?
Over the next six weeks, we’ll grapple with these seemingly simple, yet ultimately challenging questions through a mix of seminars, case studies, and critical reflections, as well as virtual field trips hosted by Munk alumni across the Toronto region.
Students will have opportunities to interact (and network) with urban policy professionals both inside and outside government working on a broad range of challenges, including transit, housing, and climate change.
And to top things off, they’ll get a chance to participate in urban governance first-hand, by contributing original research to a real-world project led by The Shift, an international NGO led by the former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing.
If you’re following us from afar, you’ll soon see photos from our virtual travels, and read thoughtful commentaries from some of the Munk School’s best and brightest young minds.
So come along, get your highlighters out, join the conversation, and enjoy the ride!
