Students from U of T and India’s Ashoka University explore urban challenges in Pune

Samantha “Sam” Guevara says accompanying two waste pickers in Pune, India as they went about their daily work offered a window into the social dynamics of the city of more than seven million.

“What interested me was the stigmatization that waste pickers tend to receive from the general public juxtaposed with the pride they have in their work,” says Guevara, a fourth- year student at the University of Toronto who is pursuing a double major in human geography and political science.  

The workers she joined belong to SWaCH Waste Pickers, a co-operative of self-employed waste collectors who are contributing to the region’s environmental and financial well-being. 

Guevara, meanwhile, is one of nine students from U of T who, along with nine students from India’s Ashoka University, a private liberal arts institution near New Delhi, recently explored three city-building projects identified by Indian non-profit and civil society organizations as part of a U of T undergraduate course. 

Offered through the U of T India Foundation and School of Cities India, the International Multidisciplinary Urban Capstone Projects course also saw students join guides for walking tours in Mumbai, attend lectures and develop what Aditi Mehta, an assistant professor, teaching stream, in urban studies at Innis College, calls “critical consciousness.”

The course is one of numerous activities facilitated in recent months by the U of T India Foundation, a partnership between U of T and Tata Trusts. Others include: a pitch competition and incubation program with Social Alpha, an incubator for social impact startups, that saw U of T faculty members participate on the technical jury that helped select 10 winning India-based entrepreneurs; and research projects that bring together U of T faculty members and India-based partners to work on building more resilient and sustainable cities.

For the students involved, Mehta says questioning “why things are the way they are” and understanding their place in the world is a crucial part of their education – and one of the many takeaways they will bring back to Toronto.  

“It’s about seeing how things are done in the east and thinking about how we can bring some of this problem solving back to the west,” says Mehta, who accompanied the students to India.

Jake Karpouzis, a fourth-year student in public policy and urban studies, spent his time exploring how the makeshift parking lots and garbage dumps beneath city overpasses, or flyovers, in Pune can be transformed into more valuable spaces that better serve surrounding communities.  

“We're putting together a blog of the trip so the various organizations involved can read about it and take those experiences back to the classroom,” says Karpouzis, adding that he was excited by the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in urban studies in another country.

Kaitlyn Chan, a fourth-year urban studies student, concentrated on transgender studies while in India.  

“Our program focused on skill development for the transgender community in Pune,” Chan says. “That includes access to government interventions, employment opportunities, self-efficacy and creating safe spaces.” 

Professor Mehta, who created much of the programming, says the course was often life-changing for students from both U of T and Ashoka.

“The Indian students were amazing. They really took it upon themselves to be hosts for the Canadian students and they just kept asking, ‘When can we come to Toronto?’,” she says, adding that she is working on a reciprocal learning exchange in both countries.

Karan Singh, a professor of computer science and the associate director of School of Cities India, sees the capstone course as an opportunity to further strengthen U of T’s global reputation.

“We’re looking at U of T as a global brand and in India that is increasingly evident,” he says.  

Andrea Russell, director of international relations in U of T’s Office of the Vice-President, International, says she’s thrilled with how the experience resonated with U of T students. 

“It’s a wonderful example of global collaboration and an amazing opportunity for our students to increase their global fluency.”