David Roberts

David Roberts

Director, Urban Studies Program

Associate Professor, Teaching Stream

“Community-engaged learning is a natural fit for an Urban Studies Program as one of our primary objectives is to inspire our students to be critically engaged with the cities in which they work, live and play. We have amazing community partners that run the gamut of city building in Toronto (and increasingly beyond Toronto) and who provide our students an opportunity to learn Urban Studies by engaging with and learning from community leaders who help make Toronto the vibrant city it is today – despite all the challenges we face. 

Although community-engaged learning often takes additional time, energy and resources, beyond more traditional forms of pedagogy, for community partners, students, staff and faculty, I think we have found the right balance of supports and resources to make it work in the Urban Studies Program.” 

David Roberts

URB236H: Intro to Urban Studies II  
Cities are ever evolving. This is our premise: rather than study what cities are, we will focus on what cities have been and what they can be. Building on the theoretical foundations gained in URB235, we will concentrate on what drives urban and neighborhood change, identifying the factors and spaces at the heart of the evolution of cities. In this course, students do their own city building: one of the key features of the course is a community-engaged learning opportunity in which students will be placed within a community organization at the forefront of urban change.  

URB437Y: Community Engaged Learning in the GTA  
A method of studying city issues that combines readings, seminar discussions, and field trips with an 8 hour/week internship in the office of a municipal politician, local government, or non-profit organization. Readings focus on community development, urban planning, economic development and local governance.

Urban studies course gives U of T students a peek at Toronto City Hall’s inner workings. University of Toronto News, September 21, 2021

Urban studies course forges bond between students and seniors during COVID-19. University of Toronto News, January 8, 2021.