1st Edition

Sustainable Solutions: Let Knowledge Serve the City

    Portland, Oregon. Sustainability might not seem glamourous, but Portland is making a name for itself as one of the most sustainable cities in the world. Whether you’ve heard about the farmers’ markets, the cycle-friendly streets or the ongoing efforts to balance livability and equity, Portland is leading the way in urban sustainability: this book helps us understand how it achieves this.A critical component of Portland’s success is collaboration between different communities and institutions; the Sustainable Solutions series examines higher education’s role in these partnerships. In exploring how best to “let knowledge serve the city”, Portland State University translates its founding motto from mere words to applied research and action.This first volume examines different approaches to collaborative work that PSU has taken, both within the university and with community partners: how have barriers been overcome between different areas of study, between academia and the public, and why is bridging these divides so important? It also introduces the themes of the engaged university, social justice, climate change and sustainable economic development, which shape PSU’s work.Let Knowledge Serve the City is ideal for anyone seeking best practice in connecting students and universities with the needs of local communities. From public interest design and student leadership, to food justice and age-friendly development, authors combine academically rigorous theories of sustainability and community-university partnerships with lessons learned on how to realize ideals of sustainable development.

    PrefaceWim WiewelIntroduction to Building the PlatformJennifer H. Allen, David Ervin, B.D. Wortham-Galvin and Jacob Sherman1. Building Sustainability Scholarship: Lessons Learned from Portland State UniversityJennifer H. Allen, David Ervin, B. D. Wortham-Galvin and Jacob Sherman2. Engaging Undergraduates across a Four-Year General Education CurriculumJ. R. Estes, Jeff Gerwing, Celine Fitsmaurice and Nathan McClintock3. SBA undergraduate Business Strategy/Capstone Program: the Value of Working with Community Based PartnersWilliam Jones and Darrell Brown4. Cultivating Sustainability: A decade of Innovation and Community Partnerships at the Learning Gardens Laboratory in Southeast PortlandHeather Burns, Sybil Kelley and Dilafruz Williams5. Building Capacity: Sustainability through Student LeadershipAmy Spring and Rachel Samuelson6. Creating a Campus Culture of Sustainability through Partnerships with Enrollment Management and Student AffairsHeather E. Spalding and Vicki L. Wise7. Integrating Aging and Sustainability through University-Community PartnershipAlan DeLaTorre and Margaret Neal8. Who’s at the Table? Food Justice Dialogue Series: Bridging Critical Food Studies and Anti-Oppression Praxis for just SustainabilityNathan McClintock, Jen Turner, Monica Cuneo, Alex Novie and Sally Eck9. Research and Action: The First Two Years of the Center for Public Interest DesignR. Todd Ferry and Sergio Palleroni10. Accelerating Urban Sustainability: Helping Cities’ Translate Plans and Policies into the Reality of a More Sustainable CommunityRobert Liberty and Judy Walton11. Higher education as a driver for sustainability: The opportunities and challenges of the 21st century urban universityJacob Sherman and Fletcher BeaudoinAfterwordAcknowledgements

    Biography

    B.D. Wortham-Galvin, Jennifer H. Allen, Jacob Sherman