Experiences in Implementing City University Partnerships (CUPs): Case studies and insights from the Emerald Corridor Collaboratory

Abstract

To address pressing urban social and environmental challenges such as homelessness, displacement, pollution, the impacts of climate change and natural disasters, and dealing with decades of inequity, cities and universities can harness their relative strengths and create partnerships that generate new knowledge, approaches, and practices. If these city-university partnerships (CUPs) are designed with intentionality and a deep understanding of the respective goals and assets of each partner, they can substantially contribute to improving sustainability, economic health, and equity in their cities and regions.

CUPs are not a new practice. Most academic institutions have some relationship with their local municipalities, and there are examples of established and successful formal CUPS, that offer frameworks and guides for such partnerships. See resources and reference section for examples. Relatively little, however, has been written about the institutional challenges faced in implementing and sustaining CUPs. Likewise, few resources have explored the unique, place-based context (e.g. history, capacity or resources) of different CUPs. Nevertheless, experience suggests that these different contexts heavily influence the shape of the collaboration and selection of projects, and can lead to very different approaches to and outcomes for the partnership. Additionally, the potential value of bringing together CUPs in a region to address place-based shared challenges (as opposed to a topical theme) has not been addressed.

With support from the Bullitt Foundation, the Emerald Corridor Collaboratory (ECC) was established to explore how such gaps might be addressed. The ECC is composed of four city-university partnerships: the University of British Columbia and the City of Vancouver, BC; Western Washington University and the City of Bellingham, WA; the University of Washington and the City of Seattle, WA; and Portland State University and the City of Portland, OR.

The Emerald Corridor comprises a sociopolitical geography within what is known as the Pacific Northwest or Cascadia region, which includes the province of British Columbia, Canada and the states of Washington and Oregon, United States. The ECC project focused on four cities within the region that were selected as representative urban areas hosting significant institutions of higher education. These cities share a moderate rainforest-type climate and analogous threats of climate change, a progressive liberal political leaning, and accelerated growth in urban and suburban developments. Furthermore, in spite of the international border, these cities are facing similar challenges of social inequities, environmental injustices, and homelessness. The location of major universities in each of the cities offers opportunities for significant collaborations between civic leaders and the academic community. Each city had some version of an existing CUP, at very stages of development, which provided a foundation for the regional collaboration and made up the core team for the ECC project.

The goal of the ECC project was to advance the strength and productivity of the individual CUPs, to elevate a conversation about the challenges and opportunities facing the region, and to explore the utility of a regional network of CUPs for addressing these challenges. Throughout the project, each respective CUP worked on a local individual pilot project that functioned as a case study while simultaneously participating in collective activities, events and discussion to share experiences, challenges and learning. We sought to assess and document our experiences and learning, to produce useful insights for further development or refinement of CUPs so they can serve as a force for positive change within their cities. These experiences and insights are contained in this report.