It is recognized that community-based issues are often diverse, can be shared by many or exclusive to a select few, and may not relate to or be addressed by best-practice efforts. Given that context, CitySpaces was retained to assist the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Campus and Community Planning department (C+CP) with designing a Sustainable Community Education Program for the UBC community, one that shared insights into the practices of sustainable communities, along with the inherent trade-offs, to help foster informed discussions.
Working collaboratively with Akkadis Change Practice, our team designed a Sustainable Community Education Program that provides an opportunity for the broader UBC community to develop greater awareness about sustainability and the issues and implications residents of sustainable communities face in light of possible change. In this respect, the Sustainable Community Education Program supports C+CP’s goals to foster better, more informed dialogue around future planning and development opportunities with the academic, student, and residential communities who live at UBC.
Specifically, the UBC Sustainable Community Education Program offered a forum for knowledge acquisition and dialogue around sustainable community development and its specific application to the UBC community. The objective of the UBC Sustainable Community Education Program was to move participants away from “issues” toward a focus on “values”. In doing so, and in reflection of best practices in sustainable community development, the UBC Sustainable Community Education Program presented a lens through which fresh perspectives may be created.
The Sustainable Community Education Program utilized a basic modular curriculum framework with activities for participation. Five modules were created in total:
- Module One – Our Community: an introduction to the concepts of complete, compact, connected, and livable communities, acquainting the participants with the core elements inherent to the pillars of sustainability.
- Module Two – The Natural Environment: focusing on the connectivity between urban ecology and human activity at UBC such as ecological connectivity, biodiversity, parks and open space, air and water quality, green buildings and structures, and healthy communities.
- Module Three – Mobility and the Built Environment: considering the form and function of our built environment, and how this influences sense of place, including drawing attention to transportation and mobility.
- Module Four – Energy Usage and Choices: highlighting the current concerns and opportunities relating to energy production and consumption including green infrastructure, alternative energy, and strategies to maximize energy efficiencies.
- Module Five – Economics of Sustainability: introducing economics as a decision-making factor that interweaves all other elements of what makes communities sustainable, key concepts including affordability; real estate markets; finance, livability and amenities; financial feasibility of development projects; and balancing interests and resources.
Overall, the Sustainable Community Education Program was an innovative approach to facilitating dialogue about creating sustainable communities.
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*Photo credits: Photo Courtesy of UBC, photos by Derek Lepper and Martin Tessler