Waterloo, Laurier partner for CityStudio project
WATERLOO — The City of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University are partnering in a unique program that will see students and city staff work side by side to help solve problems in the city.
On Monday, councillors approved the CityStudio-Waterloo initiative that will see space carved out in the Carnegie Library on Albert Street for the program.
Laurier students and city staff will work together on projects to help deal with challenges the city is facing, based on strategic pillars that have been approved by council.
“In our emphasis on experiential learning, what we’ve come to understand is that students learn better and they engage better with the concepts in the classroom if there’s an experience connected to it so here’s a way for them to apply what they’ve learned,” said Sheldon Pereira, director of university relations at Laurier.
Cameron Rapp, city commissioner of integrated planning and public works, said students and professors will be asked to focus on projects from the city’s strategic plan. That could include park projects and community engagement.
“It’s actually going to be really valuable in getting a different set of eyes, a different set of ideas,” he said.
The program launches Nov. 1 as a one-year pilot.
Coun. Diane Freeman said she will want to hear what students are up to.
“I’m really excited about this initiative and I’m just hoping we can see some staff reports as it progresses in terms of what projects the lab is working on and some successes,” she said.
The program will be located in the basement of the Carnegie Library and won’t impact operations of Habitat for Humanity Canada, which is leasing the upstairs space from the city.
Waterloo is providing the space and staff time and Laurier will provide for student needs.
Third and fourth-year students will work alongside Waterloo staff to create and implement projects to improve the city.
The course will be led by a social entrepreneurship faculty member with support from the Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation, according to a staff report.
“The unique aspect of CityStudio is that it takes this entrepreneurial motivation and skill set of students and takes students that have a socially conscious orientation and it lets them move into a city and community setting alongside city staff to co-create some solutions to address some of the challenges the city is facing,” Pereira said.
CityStudio launched in Canada in Vancouver in 2011 to help support the municipality’s green city goals.
The program was awarded accolades and held an inviteonly conference in May 2015 for other municipalities and postsecondary institutions.
Waterloo and Laurier were invited, as were Laurier Brantford and the City of Brantford.
As a result, Waterloo and the university developed plans for the pilot project. Laurier Brantford and the City of Brantford are also embarking on their own CityStudio initiative.