The 2017-2018 Sustainable City Year Program is officially under way! Students, faculty, TriMet and Southwest Corridor (SWC) staff, community members, elected officials, and state policy advisors gathered Wednesday, September 27 to kick off the partnership. The launch provided an opportunity for scholars from a variety of academic backgrounds to orient around a common goal of creating more sustainable communities.

The enthusiasm in the room was palpable as conversations flowed about visions for the Southwest Corridor. Students eager to get to work will engage through 11 classes – the highest number for a first term since SCYP’s inception. These students join a tradition of excellence in applied learning as noted by UO Provost Jayanth R. Banavar: “The Sustainable City Year Program has had tremendous impact in communities across Oregon over its 8-year history and provides our students with the project-based learning they crave and helps them translate classroom learning into community and professional practice. Students love SCYP, report that they work harder in SCYP courses, cite them as their most valuable educational experiences at UO, and often include them on their resumés as professional experience.”

We can’t wait to see the outcomes of this year’s work with TriMet and partners from the Southwest Corridor!