LONDON, ON – CityStudio Vancouver announced the newest member of the growing CityStudio Network today, bringing civic innovation and city-campus collaboration to London, Ontario.
CityStudio London, led by Pillar Nonprofit Network in collaboration with the City of London, Western University, Fanshawe College, Huron University, King’s University College and Brescia University College, is the eighth CityStudio to launch in Canada.
It joins Abbotsford, BC; Brantford, ON; Corner Brook, NL; North Vancouver, BC; Vancouver, BC; Victoria, BC; Waterloo, ON; as well as Logan and Bendigo, Australia.
It is also one of the few CityStudios with seven partners, joining only CityStudio Vancouver at this level of collaboration.
“We are very excited to have another Canadian CityStudio in the family, particularly one that will have such a broad reach across the city and potential impact in Ontario,” remarked Duane Elverum, Executive Director and Co-Founder of CityStudio Vancouver. “With this launch, London is taking ambitious action to advance innovation and experiential education in the city, bringing the next generation of city builders along with it.”
As with other cities in the network, CityStudio London will help increase the problem solving capacity of city staff by leveraging the skills, knowledge and creativity of post-secondary students and faculty in the city.
Together, students and staff will co-design experimental projects that contribute to key strategic goals and priorities in the city in an effort to advance sustainability, increase engagement and make the city more liveable.
For students, this is a unique experiential-learning opportunity to work directly with city staff to solve urban challenges and gain valuable employment skills.
“We are in the exciting matching phase of our pilot year in London,” explains CityStudio London lead, Mischa Schlemmer. “I [feel] so grateful to get to support and bring these inspiring civic leaders together to co-create our city’s future.”
CityStudio was first launched in Vancouver in 2011 with the support of founding partners, the City of Vancouver and Simon Fraser University, as well as the University of British Columbia, Langara College, British Columbia Institute of Technology and Emily Carr University of Art and Design.
It is a transferable partnership model that has been adopted by eight cities across Canada and two in Australia, with more CityStudios in development around the world. Learn more about launching a CityStudio in your city.
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