Surrey CityLab: Using Academic-Community Partnerships to Advance Sustainability at the Municipal Level

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 17
  In Roundtable Session: Collaborating in the Anthropocene

Abstract

Post-secondary institutions globally are engaging in deeper and purposeful ways with their surrounding communities to address complex social, environmental, political and economic challenges. In Canada, the Surrey CityLab was launched in 2018 as an academic-community partnership between the City of Surrey, Simon Fraser University (SFU), and Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), engaging faculty and City staff to co-create learning experiences for undergraduate students. The CityLab was envisioned as experimental, systems-oriented initiative to support the municipality’s strategic and holistic goals outlined in its Sustainability Charter. This paper reports on student learning in relation to civic engagement and explores how community-academic partnerships can be leveraged to advance municipal sustainability goals.

Author

• Paola Ardiles, Simon Fraser University