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Transform the SFU Experience, Make a difference for BC, Engage in Global Challenges
Make course concepts come alive beyond the classroom: CityStudio and SFU
SFU instructors are creating opportunities for students to apply course concepts to real-world situations thanks to CityStudio Vancouver.
CityStudio links SFU students and instructors with staff at the City of Vancouver to create solutions to urban challenges. For example, past projects have included studying sidewalk accessibility or surveying beach biodiversity. The results of these projects are used to inform City of Vancouver decisions.
Gerontology professor Atiya Mahmood says integrating CityStudio projects into her teaching deepens her students鈥� learning of course material.
鈥淭he CityStudio projects require students to use their academic knowledge to make decisions that have real consequences and impact outside of the classroom. It was so inspiring to see how, after leading a CityStudio project, my students began talking about applications of course concepts to real-world scenarios.鈥�
Publishing lecturer Mauve Page says leading CityStudio projects helps equip her students with the skills needed to engage in today's critical issues.
鈥淭he CityStudio projects exposed my students to messy, unscripted problems. It was a complicated process that forced them to learn how to negotiate expectations and integrate feedback for multiple stakeholders鈥攕kills essential for becoming creative, community-engaged thinkers. The learning I saw in them was transformative.鈥�
For environmental science lecturer Anna Hippmann, working with CityStudio means having much-needed support to go beyond traditional classroom teaching.
"Integrating community projects into a course can be a lot of additional work. The staff team at CityStudio take the burden of project management off the instructor鈥檚 shoulders and provide institutional knowledge that makes the work more seamless and impactful. Not only do they know who to contact for every question you might have, but they know what鈥檚 been done and tried before so that your students can build on that work.鈥�
In addition to projects that involve live meetings and presentations with city staff, CityStudio now offers ready-made projects that let students engage with civic challenges without direct city staff involvement. This shift is intended to offer a lower commitment and more flexible option to instructors and their students.
CityStudio currently has over 150 projects available to instructors for the fall 2025鈥痑nd鈥痵pring 2026鈥痵emesters. Themes include sustainability, governance, community livability and planning.
For more information on the available projects, as well as how to bring one to your class, contact projects@citystudiovancouver.com.
The team is also open to exploring collaborations with research labs, graduate students or directed studies, and can support instructors from all faculties. View to see past projects.