CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: 2026 Urban Resilience Project

Climate leadership and urban policy are inextricably linked. More than 80% of Canadian and French citizens live in urban areas. Cities are major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and places where the impacts of climate change, such as extreme heat and sea level rise, are most acute. Urban resilience is thus a crucial component to climate adaptation efforts in both Canada and France.

With this in mind, the CARE Urban Resilience Project, led by Professor Gabriel Eidelman, Assistant Professor and Director of the Urban Policy Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, brings together students from the CARE partner institutions to research and share case studies of innovative urban resilience projects from around the world.

Selected participants will conduct independent research from June - October, 2026, then participate in a four-day study tour of groundbreaking resilience projects in Toronto, from October 26-29, 2026. The study tour will culminate in the CARE Urban Resilience Symposium, on October 29, where students will present their research findings to an audience of academic and industry leaders, as well as their peers. Travel and accommodation costs will be covered for participating students from Sciences Po, UBC, and the University of Guelph. Participants who complete all components of the CARE Urban Resilience Project will receive a $500 honorarium in recognition of their contributions.

Each applicant should identify a relevant resilience project in a global city (other than Toronto) and propose a short-format deliverable — a written piece of up to 2,000 words, or an audio-visual product of no more than 10 minutes in length — to be presented at the CARE Urban Resilience symposium. Case studies may focus on any topic related to cities and climate resilience, including green infrastructure, energy, water, housing, transportation, public health, and economic resilience.

Students may apply individually but are strongly encouraged to propose a project in pairs. Applications are now open for the 2026 Urban Resilience Project.

Participants must be able to attend all key dates, including two virtual meetings in May and September — tentatively scheduled for Thursday, May 28th, at 12pm ET, and Thursday, September 3rd (students will sign up for a timeslot) — and the entirety of the 4-day study tour/symposium in Toronto, from October 26-29, 2026. Coordinating a time for the Toronto Study Tour that aligns well with the academic calendars of all partner institutions is challenging. If you expect to be in class or engaged in an internship during the week of the Toronto Study Tour, please let us know early and speak with your school’s CARE team about options to accommodate your absence. The in‑person component is an important part of this experience, so advance planning is essential.

Applicants can expect to hear back about the status of their application the week of May 11th.

Please direct questions to Anastasia Jakub, Student Programs & Project Officer, at the Munk School (anastasia.jakub@utoronto.ca).

Learn more about the Urban Resilience Project by exploring research from last year's participants.

Frequently Asked Questions

Students must be registered in a Master’s program at one of the four CARE partner institutions that relates to the core themes of the CARE program. This project is intended for students who will be entering the second year of their Master’s program in Fall 2026. Applicants should be able to demonstrate a strong interest in urban resilience.

We anticipate accepting 22 eligible students.

As part of the application process, students are expected to submit a project proposal for a case study of a specific urban resilience project. We encourage applicants to provide as much detail as possible about not only the case study itself, but also your research plans. Of course, we recognize that as students conduct their research over the summer, the scope of the project may change.

Students are welcome to use this as an opportunity to build off of research they've done on urban resilience for a course or their thesis.

The Urban Resilience Project is an independent research project; you will not be allocated a direct supervisor. Initial feedback will be provided by the CARE team to admitted students on their project proposal. Additional feedback will be provided at a check-in meeting in September. Finally, the symposium will be structured so that students present their final deliverable and take questions/ receive feedback from the academic and industry experts in the audience.

Students can expect to dedicate approximately 10-15 hours per month to the research process.

Students are welcome to research cities and projects from anywhere in the world – except Toronto.

The Munk School will arrange travel and accommodation for those participating in the Urban Resilience Project from other partner institutions. For those traveling to Toronto from UBC, Sciences Po, and the University of Guelph, CARE will cover the cost of transportation and shared accommodation in Toronto for the duration of the gathering, from October 26-29

To receive the $500 honorarium, students must successfully complete all components of the Urban Resilience Project. This includes:

Completion of the research project
Participation in the study tour
Delivery of the symposium presentation

Students who withdraw at any point or do not complete all components of the program are not eligible for the honorarium. Partial completion does not qualify for a partial payment.

Final details are still being confirmed but the tentative structure of the study tour in Toronto is as follows:

Monday October 26th: Afternoon Welcome Session
Tuesday October 27th: Study tour site visits
Wednesday October 28th: Study tour site visits
Thursday October 29th: Symposium & Wrap Up

Travel arrangements to Toronto will depend on the participants’ points of departure. Participants may travel to Toronto either on Sunday, October 25th, or on the morning of Monday, October 26th. All students are expected to return home on Friday, October 30th.

Participants are welcome to arrive in Toronto before the official activity dates or stay after it ends. However, any additional costs incurred outside the official program dates will be the responsibility of the student.

Got a question?

Please contact Céline Cantat