We will improve environmental and human thriving through a powerful network of education, research, and public engagement that creates sustainable solutions to urban environments.
With the support of donors, UTM’s Centre for Urban Environments (CUE) will firmly establish its position as a world leader in transdisciplinary research, teaching, and action to create urban centres that are resilient, adaptable, and sustainable. Efforts will build on CUE’s existing strategic partnerships with faculty and students across U of T (including the School of Cities and other units), universities around the world, regional organizations, and conservation authorities. Expanded education programs, from undergraduates through post-doctoral fellows, will increase the intellectual infrastructure required for sustainable approaches in an increasingly urban world. New research funds and faculty chairs will broaden and complement existing expertise and allow us to address a wider range of challenges. Support for CUE’s Urban Environmental Network will connect cities around the world on joint research initiatives focused on physical and mental health, clean water, biodiversity, disease, and habitat. We will expand CUE’s successful Junior Naturalist Club nationally and create new programs that engage young people with nature and activate them as stewards of the land. A new symposium and annual conference will further increase our impact by bringing visibility to challenges and solutions and galvanizing public sentiment and policy.
