UofT students imagine a new future for the Scarborough RT through their MUCP project

Over the past eight months, a dedicated group of UofT and UTSC students, as part of their Multidisciplinary Urban Capstone Project, worked closely with the Institute for Inclusive Economies & Sustainable Livelihoods to develop ideas, renderings, and visual proposals for rethinking the future of the now decommissioned Scarborough RT corridor.

During the Community Showcase event, organized by the School of Cities, University of Toronto earlier this week, the team put forward some ideas for a linear park that weaves together public space, mobility, arts spaces, local economic development opportunities and community infrastructure.

Among their proposals:

• - A Reimagined Midland Station as an “urban living room,” with a café and community library at ground level and a restored SRT train car as a heritage exhibit above.

• - A new West Highland Creek pavilion, with outdoor fitness spaces, community gardens, and arts programming integrated into the ravine and sections of the existing infrastructure.

• - An economic hub anchored by a split-level pavilion, designed to host a food hall prioritizing local vendors, alongside flexible spaces for small businesses, cooperatives, and community-led enterprises, creating opportunities that are rooted in Scarborough’s diverse communities.

We want to thank the incredible students who worked tirelessly on this project while juggling other course assignments. Thank you Yusra Mohammed, Marissa Reece-Charles, Ifaj Hossain, Sling Velasquez and Ivan Nirmalaraj. We also extend our gratitude to David Roberts for leading a course that brings together students from different disciplines to work on real and pressing urban challenges in Scarborough, Toronto and beyond.