Posted by On Oct. 30, the University of Oregon and the City of Gresham will gather as part of a new and innovative program called, “Sustainable Cities Year – Gresham.” The Sustainable Cities Year Initiative will provide 250 UO students and 14 professors an opportunity to collaborate with the City over the academic year in a unique way to further sustainable design and planning. The program provides students with real-world experience to apply their training and serve a city that is ready to transition to a more sustainable and accessible future.
“Sustainable Cities Initiative creates opportunities to educate students and to help a city with service learning and teaching,” said UO professor Nico Larco. “The need is immense with cities around the state of Oregon and the U.S. eager to understand what sustainability and livability mean and how to advance it.”
The projects are conceptual in principle, but the work will provide insight to the City of Gresham for its future development. Classes will analyze suburban development, possible designs and locations for future buildings, including a brownfield site, how to incorporate natural light into transit hubs and how to make schools more sustainable. The fall term includes 11 courses. Additional courses will occur in winter and spring terms.
“The program and its curriculum will build on the innovative work in sustainability the City has done to date while providing us with new ideas around sustainable communities,” said Gresham City Manager Erik Kvarsten. “Additionally this partnership will give students first-hand knowledge of what it is like to do this type of work given some of the challenges local governments in Oregon face today.”
Sustainable Cities Initiative (SCI) is an interdisciplinary approach to learning and teaching within the UO School of Architecture and Allied Arts. The goal of the group is to promote research, education, service and public outreach related to the development of sustainable cities.
As part of the Sustainable City Year, one city in Oregon per year is “adopted” by the UO program and students work with that city through a variety of studio projects and service learning.
“Every city is in transition now in terms of sustainability. We no longer have the luxury of 50 years to get our act together and Gresham is moving forward in this process,” said University of Oregon professor Robert Young whose expertise is in Green Cities and environmental and economic policy and planning.
According to UO faculty leaders, Gresham was selected for the first year of the program for its size and situation as a city in transition from a commuter suburb to a city developing its own identity. The program will build from efforts already underway with the broad support of Gresham leaders.
Related posts:
