CityStudio Durham: connecting Durham Region to build a better future

Whitby, Ontario – The Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham Regional Police Service, Durham College, Ontario Tech University and Trent University Durham GTA have partnered to launch CityStudio Durham, an experiential education and civic engagement model that is developing tomorrow’s leaders by bringing municipal government to the classroom.  

Through CityStudio Durham, local post-secondary students will apply their skills, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit to real-world community projects, helping to shape a better future for Durham.

Durham Region’s post-secondary schools are already recognized for their academic programs; shaped by research and leading-edge thinking. The CityStudio model will bring this expertise and student-thinking to community projects in areas as varied as wastewater infrastructure, municipal planning, long-term care, social housing, and climate change.

One of twelve projects already underway is the detection of COVID-19 in wastewater. This project will sample wastewater from multiple processing facilities in Durham Region to identify the presence of COVID-19 and direct where to focus testing resources, providing a potential early warning of where virus outbreaks are occurring.

Projects are identified and developed by municipal staff, then matched with programs and courses at local post-secondary institutions. This can take the form of class projects, applied research, and field placements, among other formats. Municipal employees, students and faculty members from partner schools, and the local community, will work together to develop new ideas and co-create innovative solutions to the challenges facing our community.

Final projects will then be launched in the community by students as experiments or pilot tests. Projects open for collaboration are posted three times a year on the CityStudio web portal, available at durham.ca/CityStudio. Faculty and staff can indicate their interest in a specific project by completing CityStudio Durham’s Collaborate with us form. If members of the community have project ideas that we should consider, please send them to citystudiodurham@durham.ca.

Quotes

“CityStudio Durham is an exciting opportunity for the Region to partner with tomorrow’s workforce to gain innovative solutions to issues that we face today. The partnership between the Region of Durham and post-secondary students is a great way for Durham Region to find collaborative, community-based solutions. This is yet another reason to add to the growing list that makes Durham Region the best place to live, work and invest.”

- John Henry, Regional Chair and CEO, Region of Durham

“CityStudio Durham is a new way of looking at municipal services, while teaching students the skills needed to succeed in today’s economy and inspiring action in our community. Together Regional employees and students will collaborate on real, meaningful projects that will make our community more sustainable, livable and joyful, and ultimately shape a better future for our region. This is a great example of how partnerships in action are enhancing the quality of life in the region.”

- Elaine Baxter-Trahair, Chief Administrative Officer, Region of Durham

“Durham Region supports life-long learning and we are committed to ongoing research, knowledge exchange and continuous quality improvement. Collaboration, partnerships and innovation are at the heart of what we do, and we are excited to see where CityStudio Durham takes us.”

- Sandra Austin, Director, Strategic Initiatives, Region of Durham

“Durham College is pleased to bring its expertise in applied research and community engagement to the CityStudio initiative; being part of this framework is yet another example of the college’s ongoing relationship with the region. We greatly value partnerships such as this, which give our students the opportunity to use their talents and skills in meaningful ways, especially on experientially-driven projects where there are positive, tangible and impactful outcomes.”

- Don Lovisa, president, Durham College

“Ontario Tech University is proud to partner with CityStudio Durham. Rich partnerships allow our students to get an edge in the labour market through experiential and work-integrated learning. Collaborations such as these provide invaluable opportunities for our students to work on projects alongside municipal staff, faculty and local organizations, applying their skills to design and test innovative solutions to local challenges. I am excited and proud to see our students transform into tomorrow’s leaders and make a positive impact on our community in the process.”

- Dr. Steven Murphy, President and Vice-Chancellor, Ontario Tech University

“Trent Durham’s innovative programs, such as Social Work, and Policing and Community Well-being, will prove to be terrific linkages for regional projects. The outlook for this coordinated approach to experiential learning and civic engagement speaks to the innovative nature in the region and it will provide many positive opportunities and outcomes both for our students and for the community.”

- Dr. Scott Henderson, Dean and Head of Trent University Durham GTA.

Quick Facts

• The CityStudio model is an institutional partnership framework for civic governments and post-secondary institutions to work together at the strategic level. It operates as a matchmaker and lab for municipal employees, faculty, students, and researchers to develop civic experiments, prototypes, and engagement projects.
• A growing number of cities across Canada and the world have adopted or been inspired by the CityStudio model including 10 municipalities in Canada, as well as cities in Australia and Norway.
• CityStudio was co-founded in 2011 by Simon Fraser University and the City of Vancouver.

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For more information, please contact Corporate Communications.