Sustainable Cities Institute

10/08/2026

Last Friday, the Sustainable City Year Program (SCYP) joined the City of Philomath, Oregon for a kickoff event at Philomath High School. More than 50 people attended, including city leaders, council members, Benton County commissioners, representatives of state and federal elected officials, community members and faculty and students from the University of Oregon and Oregon State University.

Through this partnership, university courses will work on projects drawn directly from Philomath’s strategic plan. Fall classes include:
🏘️ Middle housing design
🪵 A temporary, reusable downtown structure built by UO and OSU students
📣 Community outreach on tourism, transit, emergency preparedness, and the 12th Street project
🛣️ Street design and parking

Students gain real-world experience, and Philomath gets extra capacity to move long-standing priorities forward. Thank you to everyone who came out and shared ideas with our students! 🙏

We’re also grateful to Philomath News for covering the kickoff and sharing this work with the community. Read the full story here: https://philomathnews.com/u-of-o-program-launches-two-year-partnership-with-philomath/

10/01/2026

🎉 We’re thrilled to officially kickoff a partnership with the City of Philomath, Oregon tomorrow!

This marks the start of the two-year collaboration between Philomath and the Sustainable City Year Program (SCYP). 🌿

Through this partnership, students and faculty will take on real-world projects that support Philomath community goals.

A huge thank-you to all the faculty, students, staff, elected officials, and community members joining us to celebrate! 💚

👉 Explore the Virtual Open House to learn more about this year’s projects and courses: https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/bok54f83QZNBD

09/30/2026

📝 Now Hiring: SCYP Report Coordinator & Student Assistant 💚

Love writing, editing, and keeping projects on track? Help turn student work from SCYP courses into polished, professional reports for Oregon cities.

What you'll do:
✏️ Coordinate student report writers and keep them on schedule
📚 Edit reports for clarity, consistency, and accuracy
📊 Help communicate the impact of SCYP

The details:
⏰ 15-20 hrs/week
🗓️ Flexible schedule around your classes
🚀 Start ASAP

Apply on Handshake today!

09/28/2026

Fall term is in full swing at University of Oregon! 🍂

With ten SCYP projects across four UO schools and colleges in partnership with three Oregon communities, it’s shaping up to be an exciting and impactful term.

Check out the courses collaborating with the City of The Dalles, City of Philomath, and City of Estacada—each working on projects that connect classroom learning with real community impact. We can’t wait to see the creativity, innovation, and energy our faculty and students bring to help strengthen Oregon communities! 🦆

09/24/2026

As promised, here's our second city reveal — say hello to City of The Dalles - City Hall! 🍒🦆🎉

SCYP will match resources from existing university courses to high priority projects recognized by the City Council and The Dalles community. Classes will be matched throughout the 2026-28 academic years, supporting four primary focus areas: Economic Development, Housing, Historic Preservation, and Transportation.

Known as the "Gateway to the Columbia River Gorge," The Dalles brings a rich blend of history, agriculture, and natural beauty to this year's lineup of projects.

👉 Explore the Virtual Open House and learn more about this year's projects and courses: https://sci.uoregon.edu/partners-the-dalles

09/22/2026

As fall term gears up next week, we're thrilled to announce SCYP's 2026–28 partnership — the first of two new community partnerships this year — with... drumroll please... the City of Philomath, Oregon! 🌲🦆🎉

SCYP will match resources from existing university courses to a diverse portfolio of applied projects addressing key community priorities from parks and downtown vitality to infrastructure, sustainability, and economic development. Throughout the partnership, students will support the City through research, planning, and community engagement, delivering practical, community-centered recommendations aligned with Philomath's goals.

Stay tuned later this week for an announcement sharing news of our second city partnership!

👉 Explore the Virtual Open House and learn more about this year's projects and courses: https://sci.uoregon.edu/partners-philomath

09/21/2026

✨Student Spotlight: Elena Browne✨

Meet Elena Browne ’26 who recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies and Public Policy Planning and Management!

During spring term, the Bicycle Transportation (PPPM 438) class explored how City of Eugene Government transportation network could better support people traveling by bicycle. Working in teams, students developed creative ideas to help inspire updates to Eugene’s Transportation System Plan. Their recommendations focused on five key themes:

🚴 Improving major corridors
🏘️ Strengthening neighborhood connectivity
📋 Exploring transportation policy
🌳 Creating more quiet streets
📣 Increasing awareness of the bicycle network

Elena shared, “Working with SCYP has been incredibly rewarding. My report compiled student work aimed to serve as inspirational materials for the City of Eugene's Transportation System Plan. For the past four years I have been living in Eugene and learning about planning at UO - this has truly been a unique and invaluable experience being able to apply what I have learned to the city I have been calling home throughout college. I am so thankful for my time at the University of Oregon and my time at SCYP.”

🔗 Check out Elena's final report on University of Oregon Libraries Scholars' Bank!

Thank you, Elena, for sharing your experience with us!

09/17/2026

🎓 From classroom to downtown Eugene! This spring, 60+ University of Oregon students partnered with the City of Eugene Government, Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, and Downtown Eugene through SCYP to tackle real challenges facing downtown.

🚲 Bicycle transportation students reimagined how Eugene can become more bike friendly.

📢 PR students crafted campaigns to boost downtown visitation and reshape safety perceptions.

🏙️ Qualitative research students explored how people experience the Farmers Market Pavilion.

👉 Read more about the projects: https://sci.uoregon.edu/classroom-community-building-career-ready-skills-through-downtown-eugene-projects

07/07/2026

🎉 It's a wrap! SCYP and the City of Tualatin - Government recently hosted a community event to celebrate a year of partnership that turned classroom projects into real downtown solutions.

From market studies to walkability research to an architecture design studio, University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and Portland State University students dug into what makes Tualatin's downtown special and their work is already helping to shape the city's future plans.

Huge thanks to city staff, elected officials, faculty, students, and everyone who came out to celebrate! 💚💛

👉 Thank you to the University of Oregon College of Design for featuring the event and partnership: https://design.uoregon.edu/scyp-and-city-tualatin-celebrate-successful-program-year.

06/24/2026

Thank you to Tigard-Tualatin Valley Times for covering the exciting work happening in downtown Tualatin! We're grateful for this year's SCYP partnership with the City of Tualatin - Government. Faculty and students appreciated the opportunity to support projects to help bring the community's vision for downtown to life.

A little more than a year after the city of Tualatin launched its ambitious effort to revitalize the city’s downtown core area, the city is taking its next steps. About […]