The goal of this course is to challenge MPP students to view public policy through an urban lens. Together, we explore the complex relationship between cities and public policy — revealing how policy shapes cities, and cities shape policy — and come to appreciate that urban governance goes well beyond municipal government.

To inspire students to pursue policy careers focused on cities, the course is organized around field trips hosted by MPP alumni across the Greater Toronto region. Students will have opportunities to interact and network with policy professionals in local, regional, and provincial governments working on a broad range of urban policy challenges. Students will also engage with practitioners in the non-profit sector by contributing original research to a real-world project led by United Way Greater Toronto.