- The Goals
- SDG 1: No Poverty
- SDG 2: Zero Hunger
- SDG 3: Good health and well-being
- SDG 4: Quality education
- SDG 5: Gender equality
- SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation
- SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy
- SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth
- SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure
- SDG 10: Reduced inequalities
- SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities
- SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production
- SDG 13: Climate action
- SDG 14: Life below water
- SDG 15: Life on land
- SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
- SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
- About
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Sustainable cities and communities
MAKE CITIES AND HUMAN SETTLEMENTS INCLUSIVE, SAFE, RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE
The world’s population is constantly increasing. To accommodate everyone, we need to build modern, sustainable cities. To survive and prosper, we need new, intelligent urban planning that creates safe, inclusive, affordable, and resilient cities with green and culturally inspiring living conditions.
Territorial Acknowledgments
The Office of Aboriginal Peoples provides information on the territories that SFU occupies, and the Bill Reid Centre provides the Coast Salish place names for areas around Burnaby Mountain, which in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) is known as Lhuḵw’lkuḵw’á yten, meaning "where the bark gets pe[e]led in the spring." This name is derived from the word for the arbutus tree, lhulhuḵw’ay or "always peeling tree." The Bill Reid Centre provides an audio recording of Lhuḵw’lkuḵw’áyten, providing learners an opportunity to hear, and practice, the pronunciation of the mountain's name.
It is important to note that SFU resides on the unceded and traditional territories of many Indigenous Nations. Public access to SFU's facilities is granted with full respect for the true owners of the land upon which the university has campuses.
BURNABY CAMPUS
Simon Fraser University acknowledges the unceded Traditional Coast Salish Lands including the Tsleil-Waututh (səl̓ilw̓ətaɬ), Kwikwetlem (kʷikʷəƛ̓əm), Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw) and Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) Nations.
SURREY CAMPUS
Simon Fraser University acknowledges the unceded traditional territories including Semiahmoo, Katzie, Kwikwetlem (kʷikʷəƛ̓əm), Kwantlen, Qayqayt and Tsawwassen First Nations.
VANCOUVER CAMPUS
Simon Fraser University acknowledges the unceded Traditional Coast Salish Lands including the Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw), Tsleil-Waututh (səl̓ilw̓ətaɬ) and Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) Nations.
Accessibility
SFU provides free and permanent public access to museums, exhibition spaces, galleries, works of art and artifacts.
All three SFU Library locations (Burnaby, Surrey and Vancouver) provide free access to the community and all visitors. Those wishing to use a public workstation can simply request a guest log-in at one of the main desks. Those that wish to borrow from the general collection can request a borrower card through the front desk at any of the three library locations.
SFU provides free public access to all of its significant buildings across all three main campuses. Many of SFU’s building—across all three campuses—provide general access for 14+ hours of the day with some buildings being accessible 24/7. The free SFU Snap application allows anyone to easily find where they need to go at our three campuses (Burnaby, Surrey and Vancouver).
For a guided tour of Indigenous art located all around the Burnaby campus, the ‘ímesh’ application can be downloaded. This private, guided walking tour shows and educates the user on publicly accessible Indigenous artwork on campus which includes—but is not limited to—canoes, totem poles, paints, sculptures and much more.
The SFU Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology puts a focus on British Columbia, but exhibits artifacts from all over the world. Exhibits are rotated and everything that has been shown is digitally captured so that it can be viewed later. Visiting the museum or accessing digital collections online are free. SFU has several gallery spaces and has incorporated art works into all three campuses. The SFU Art Gallery on the Burnaby Campus and the Audain Gallery at the Goldcorp Center for Arts in Vancouver are the most prominent. These hold over 5,800 works which include significant regional and national pieces.
In early 2025, SFU will expand gallery capacity with the opening of the Marianne and Edward Gibson Art Museum. Situated centrally on Burnaby Mountain, with 12,000 square feet of programming and gallery space the purpose-built facility will house SFU’s art collection, host programs and create a welcoming community space. SFU galleries are of no cost to the public and seek to engage the general public as well as the university community.
GREEN SPACES
SFU provides permanent free public access to all open and green spaces on its three campuses.
SFU provides ample access to the many green spaces on campus which include 26 multi-use trails spanning 1423 acres within the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area, 2.7 acres of space at Richard Bolton Park, open use in the Academic Quadrangle and five outdoor courtyards used for music, festivals, pop-up markets, recreation (e.g., ping pong), kids camps, outdoor classrooms, and community connections.
ACADEMIC QUADRANGLE COURTYARD
The Academic Quadrangle Courtyard in the centre of campus features open grass areas, seating, a reflection pond, and public art including an Indigenous ceremonial canoe. It is a well-used space for outdoor classrooms, summer camps for kids, exercise classes, picnics and the annual staff and faculty BBQ. It is open to the public 24/7, year-round and is a well-used green space for the adjacent UniverCity residential community. The courtyard is wheelchair accessible.
Community Gardens
Embark Sustainability operates four Learning Gardens at Simon Fraser University. This includes three outdoor raised-bed Learning Gardens at SFU’s Burnaby and Surrey campuses and an indoor vertical garden at SFU Surrey. The gardens provide spaces for the SFU community and the public to explore food production in our communities and uncover their personal and cultural connections to food justice.
The Naheeno Park Community Garden is located at the north end of Naheeno Park on Burnaby Mountain. The garden is operated, maintained, and managed by the UniverCity Community Association and is open to all students, staff, and faculty of SFU and UniverCity residents.
DJAVAD MOWAFAGHIAN COURTYARD
The Djavad Mowafaghian Courtyard is open to both the SFU community and the public. This quiet greenspace is wheelchair accessible and features a pond, grassy areas, seating, and a beautiful walkway, making it a perfect location for yoga, studying and small picnics.
Richard Bolton Park
Richard Bolton Park, a 2.7-acre park run by the City of Burnaby, resides in the heart of the UniverCity community.
Complete with a children’s playground, benches and featuring one of UniverCity’s ARTWALK pieces—NEST WITH CHROME EGGS by Artist Bruce Voyce—the park provides the SFU community a wonderful area to play and relax.
City of Burnaby Trails
A network of 26 multi-use trails crisscrosses the 576-hectare Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area that surrounds SFU's Burnaby campus.
This important mountain ecosystem is forested with deciduous and coniferous trees. Blacktail deer, coyotes, bald eagles, and a wide variety of smaller animals make their homes in this lush and rugged terrain. Black bears and cougars are occasional visitors, seeking out the numerous creeks and streams along the trails.
For a complete map and description of the trails, click here.
SFU contributes to the arts and heritage through several avenues such as public performances choirs, theatre groups, art displays and events, and film festivals.
CONTRIBUTION TO THE LOCAL ARTS
SFU’s School of Contemporary Arts hosts frequent events including theatre performances, screenings, symposiums and more. In 2023, they held more than 80 performances. The School of Contemporary Arts also has several ongoing projects and activities which range from an Indigenous Film Festival to Sound Seminars to discussions about the carbon footprint of streaming.
SFU’s Pipe Band has won the World Pipe Band Championships six times. It competes and performs at annual competitions like the B.C. Highland Games and Scottish Festival, the Victoria Highland Games and Festival and at the university’s 12 convocation ceremonies annually.
There are also a number of SFU clubs that regularly contribute to the arts. These include, jazz band, music discussion, SFU Artists, Befikre Dance Team, ircus club, choir, and slam poetry.
LANGUAGE AND LEARNING
SFU has been working with First Nations communities and organizations for more than 20 years and has developed undergraduate and graduate language programs for 18 local and regional Indigenous languages. During the fall 2023 convocation, one graduand received a certificate in Indigenous language proficiency, 15 received a diploma in Indigenous language proficiency and one graduand received a Master of Arts degree.
ART AND BOOK COLLECTIONS
SFU values recording and preserving cultural heritage, locally, regionally, and nationally. We deliver projects to record and preserve intangible cultural heritage such as local folklore, traditions, language, and knowledge, including the heritage of displaced communities.
The Bill Reid Centre for Northwest Coast Studies at SFU supports reconciliation by creating a vibrant collaborative space founded on respect and admiration of differences. It allows Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars, artists, students, curators, and cultural practitioners to come together to share diverse ways of knowing, being and doing. The McDonald Collection reflects the respect for Northwest Coast cultures. This collection brings together images from museums and archives around the world into a centralized location to allow better access to some of the history of Northwest Coast First Nations.
The SFU Library houses a Special Collections and Rare Book department which allows individuals to see collections both physically and digitally. These collections provide access to unique materials, including rare books, archival material, and manuscripts.
SFU’s 2017 Walk this Path with Us strategy outlines 34 calls-to-action to create and support an improved environment for SFU’s Indigenous community members. SFU released a final report on the work that has been completed since this strategy was released.
First Peoples' Gathering House
Plans for a ceremonial space at SFU to celebrate Indigenous knowledge and culture are underway. SFU’s First Peoples’ Gathering House will open on Burnaby campus in 2025.
"I'm very excited this project is moving forward. The Indigenous Peoples’ Gathering House will be ‘our home away from home’ and the heart and soul of Indigeneity at SFU,” says Ron Johnston, director of SFU’s Office for Aboriginal Peoples. Johnston is an SFU alum and a member of SFU’s Aboriginal Reconciliation Council (SFU-ARC).
“Longhouses are sacred places in our communities where teaching, learning, ceremony, and protocols are upheld and practiced and are at the centre of our Indigenous cultures. Now we will have such a place at SFU," says Johnston.
Designed in the Coast Salish tradition, the First Peoples’ Gathering House represents a step toward lasting Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
Marcia Guno, former director of the Indigenous Student Centre, says the Gathering House will play a significant role in the university community. “As an important campus space that recognizes and honours Indigenous peoples, it will enrich our campus, it will enrich our community, and it will enrich awareness about Indigenous peoples and history in Canada."
Making room for Indigenous art and culture
SFU is actively collecting, commissioning, and showcasing Indigenous artwork across its campuses. The public and SFU community members can visit and learn about the art on SFU’s campuses using the ímesh Indigenous Art Walk mobile app.
In 2023, SFU commissioned four works of public art to acknowledge, honour and respect the unceded traditional territories of the south of the Fraser River First Nations where SFU’s Surrey campus is located. Designed in consultation with Indigenous and local community partners, the pieces produced by Indigenous artists, Phyllis Atkins (q̓wɑti̓cɑ̓), and her son, Noah (Kwantlen First Nation), Rain Pierre (sɬə́məxʷ) (Katzie First Nation), and Roxanne Charles and Leslie Wells, both assisted by Easton Arnouse (Semiahmoo First Nation) bring Coast Salish traditions, culture and identity into the heart of the campus’s teaching and community spaces.
Art-related calls to action
Following the 2017 report from SFU’s Aboriginal Reconciliation Committee (ARC), an ARC Arts Cluster was formed to address art-related calls to action across SFU. The committee included SFU indigenous staff and faculty, including Eldon Yellowhorn, Bryan Myles, June Scudeler and Deanna Reder.
This initiative led to the first removal of work under the calls to action in 2019, which saw a controversial painting that misrepresented Indigenous people and B.C.’s history, Charles Comfort’s British Columbia Pageant, taken down.
Indigenous Curriculum Resource Centre Coast Salish Weaving Commission
The Indigenous Curriculum Resource Centre (ICRC) assists the SFU teaching community with Indigenizing and decolonizing their curriculum. To assert the importance of Indigenous artwork as a vital form of intergenerational knowledge holding and sharing, SFU Galleries has partnered with SFU Library to commission four Coast Salish weavings—by Chepximiya Siyam Janice George and Skwetsimeltxw Willard “Buddy” Joseph (Skwxwú7mesh), Debra Sparrow (xʷməθkwəy̓əm), Angela George (Skwxwú7mesh and Səl̓ílwətaɬ), and Atheana Picha (q̓wa:ńƛəń)—to hang in the space and define the ICRC’s new home.
Honouring Our Women
Honouring Our Women is a mural by Semiahmoo artist and cultural historian Roxanne Charles, commissioned by SFU for 312 Main, previously the headquarters of the Vancouver Police Department, 312 Main is now a community-centred hub for social and economic innovation, and includes the offices of SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement, Lifelong Learning, Community-Engaged Research Initiative (CERi) and Public Square.
Student housing
SFU is currently in Phase 3 of its five phase Residence and Housing Master Plan, which will play a significant role in community engagement, student citizenship, and student academic success. The Phase 3 Student Housing Project is an eight-storey building that will include 445 new beds for upper-year undergraduates. On completion of all five phases of the Residence and Housing plan, SFU will be able to offer on-campus housing to 3,250 students on Burnaby mountain.
Burnaby is currently the second most expensive Canadian city to rent in. Comparative to the local market, SFU provided affordable housing to students with undergraduate housing at an average cost of $880/month for the 2023 academic year, while a bachelor suite in North Burnaby had an average cost of $1,108/month in October 2023. SFU students have access to many awards and bursaries which can be used for tuition and housing costs.
Staff and faculty housing
Staff and faculty at SFU can take advantage of affordable housing in the Verdant complex which is exclusively for SFU staff and faculty at a valued price of 20 per cent less than market value.
SFU faculty members have access to a $50,000 subsidy which can be used for aiding in the down payment for their principal residence in the expensive Lower Mainland housing market.
Facts and Figures
- 414 research publications relating to SDG 11, 2019-2023 (source: SciVal)
- 102 active research projects related to SDG 11 funded from 2019-2023
- Since the 2018/19 academic year, SFU has offered 34 courses related to SDG 11, representing over 624 students
- At least 102 faculty members involved in research relating to SDG 11 (source: SFU Research Expertise Engine)
Global partnerships for innovation and sustainable community development
SFU is a member of a consortium of five universities who have come together to tackle the climate crisis in Tanzania. The consortium includes the Aga Khan University (AKU), the University of Dar Es Salaam, Sokoine University of Agriculture, and the Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology.
SFU and AKU also partnered on the Arusha Climate and Environmental Research Centre (AKU-ACER), a research centre focused on global issues like health and climate innovation, student exchanges and other collaborations. Both institutions are committed to advancing the United Nations sustainable development goals. In 2023, and 2024 SFU led field schools in Arusha, focused on climate change and community resiliency, and climate resilient food systems and sustainable development.
Sustainable community-resilient alternative mobility (SCRAM)
CREATE is working in partnership with Action on Climate Team (ACT), SFU's Chris Buse, UBC's Amanda Giang, and Mahmudur Fatmi to examine community-centred urban transportation decarbonization strategies. Utilizing extensive data from the City of Burnaby and Metro Vancouver, alongside advanced modeling tools, we aim to pinpoint opportunities and assess their impact on community resilience. Health impact assessments and considerations of environmental justice are critical components of our mobility recommendations.
Research group led by SFU professor nets $3M to create sustainable transportation interventions in Canadian cities
A national research team is taking aim at creating more sustainable transportation options in cities across the country. SFU health sciences professor Meghan Winters leads the interdisciplinary group with $3 million in funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The team will focus on improving bicycling networks for all ages and strategies to reduce speed.
The Centre for Sustainable Development
The research and publications of the Centre for Sustainable Development seek to support and enable the sustainable development of communities in B.C., Canada and internationally.For example, the 5-year research project, SAGA, investigates and advances sustainability across language and context. Recognizing that English is the lingua franca of sustainable development discourse and policy, SAGA researchers seek to advance more-than-English language capacity as means to embed diverse cultural values within sustainability strategies. With collaborative research in English, French, Finnish, Danish and Indigenous languages, in different urban contexts, the team investigates the translanguaging processes that permit and inhibit the activation of sustainable cities in ways that hold cultural meaning.
Faculty of Environment: Sustainable Development Program
The Sustainable Development Program offers in-classroom and online courses, as well as a Certificate and a Minor in Sustainable Development that are open to all students at SFU.
This innovative program is newly redesigned to align with the UN Agenda 2030: Sustainable Development Goals and emphasizes the need for action in the Global North and Global South and for new governance models internationally and locally that allow for multi-actor collaboration for the Goals.
Sustainable development programs offered by the Faculty of Environment
SFU’s School of Environmental Science
SFU's environmental science program started over 25 years ago and became the School of Environmental Science in 2019 to address the growing global demand for environmental scientists. Faculty have expertise in a range of fields including geomorphology, river dynamics, soil science, environmental modelling, climate change, and arctic environments. Maclean's 2024 university ranking listed environmental science as one of the standout programs from SFU.
Setting and measuring sustainable commuting targets
Setting commuting targets
SFU, as a body, measures and sets targets for more sustainable commuting (walking, cycling or other non-motorized transport, vanpools, carpools, shuttlebus or public transportation, motorcycle, scooter or moped, or electric vehicles).
SFU's 2022-2025 Strategic Sustainability and Climate Action Plan targets:
- 25 per cent reduction in Scope 3 emissions, including commuting emissions
- SFU has committed to continue work to ensure the Burnaby Mountain Gondola is being built on schedule, with an anticipated completion date in 2027 (Scope 3 commuting strategy is of particular importance to SFU)
Measuring commuting targets
SFU publishes an annual report on all its sustainability commitments. SFU’s also conducts and publishes a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Report which measures and reports out on commuting emissions as part of a comprehensive GHG emissions calculation. The first GHG Inventory was completed during the pandemic. The most recent GHG Inventory will be released in November 2024. Subsequent GHG inventories will be conducted every three years. They can be found on the reports page of the Sustainability and Climate website.
Examples of the creative ways that SFU measures its progress toward targets are provided below:
- To meet targets set by the 2025 SFU Sustainability and Climate Action Plan, SFU Parking and Mobility Services partnered with the SFU Sustainability and Climate Office to assess commuting patterns and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation-related sources. The information collected by the SFU Transportation & Commuting Survey 2024 will be used to assess SFU’s current transportation-related emissions at all campuses and will guide actions to improve sustainability university-wide. The survey work is led by a current master’s student in Resource and Environmental Management (REM), with support from Parking and Mobility Services and Sustainability and Climate Office. It builds on the work carried out in 2022 by a Living Lab research team. The information gathered in this online survey will be compared to comprehensive “hard” data collected in the Fall of 2019 and 2024 as well as a previous online Transportation & Commuting Survey completed in Fall 2022. The purpose of this analysis is to review SFU’s steps towards GHG reduction in commuting in a post-COVID world.
- Our university’s Sustainable Transportation Working Group hired a graduate student with the skills and experience required to complete a best practice analysis of the most impactful projects to reduce our commuting GHG emissions. The purpose of this work was to make informed and data-driven decisions about which potential transportation actions need prioritization within our university’s context. The project analyzed the GHG reduction potential on campus for 18 sustainable commuting projects. This research directly contributed to the final GHG emissions reduction plan for the commuting category under the SFU 2022-2025 Sustainability Plan.
Promoting Sustainable Commuting at SFU
SFU has a long history of promoting sustainable commuting and reducing barriers for community members wanting to select sustainable commuting options. SFU has programs for nearly every type of sustainable commuting option and all campuses are accessible by foot. SFU has participated in many regional and national sustainable commuting campaigns to encourage adoption of sustainable commuting methods including hosting specific SFU "go by bike" events.
Campus Community Shuttle (Burnaby campus)
The Burnaby Campus Community Shuttle is free for anyone to use. Its route—which can be tracked in real-time—contains six stops across SFU's Burnaby campus, reducing the need for single occupancy car use and increasing safety and accessibility on campus.
U-Pass for students (subsidized transit pass)
The U-Pass BC program is a partnership between B.C. post-secondary institutions, their student societies, TransLink, and the Province of British Columbia. Participation in SFU's U-Pass BC Program is mandatory for all members of the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) and all members of the Graduate Student Society (GSS).
Electric vehicle charging plug stations
SFU's Burnaby campus currently has two different types of Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations on campus. There is no additional charge to use the stations, however the Permit or Daily Rate required in each lot remains in effect for the EV Reserved stalls.
Level 1 Charging Outlets
SFU has 60 Level 1 charging outlets in the 6000 level of the West Parkade. They are available to any indoor permit holder or daily parker. These Level 1 charging outlets are smart outlets, which require a user provided cord and will provide approximately 5 to 8 km of range for each hour charged. Over an 8-hour day this represents more than 40 km of range – more than enough for the average SFU commuter to drive home
Level 2 Charging Stations
SFU currently has 18 Chargepoint Level 2 dual-port electric vehicle charging stations on the Burnaby campus, creating 36 EV charging parking spaces. These Level 2 charging stations dispense electricity approximately 10.5 hours per day per port (or 40 per cent of the time) representing the highest usage amongst the Chargepoint network in Canada. The stations can be activated via the Chargepoint network (card or app) or via tapping a credit card or debit card, but there is no additional charge to use them.
SFU has an additional two Chargepoint stations at the Surrey campus (four ports total), which operate in a similar manner.
Cycling infrastructure
SFU has a small but vibrant cycling community. Some people ride up-and-down Burnaby Mountain, some take the bus up-and-ride down, and some come specifically to SFU to enjoy the mountain biking trails. Various resources exist, including:
- Map of bicycle racks and storage on SFU's Burnaby campus
- Burnaby cycling information and maps
- Burnaby mountain conservation area site (includes link to trail map)
Bike cage—Burnaby campus
The bike cage is located on the northwest corner of the bus tunnel, adjacent to the southbound lanes. It has approximately 40 year-round active users.
Mobi Bikes—Vancouver Campus
Mobi Bikes can be used to commute, run errands, visit friends or casually cruise around the city of Vancouver. It is ideal for one-way trips and users never have to worry about bike theft.
Evolve E-Bikes—Burnaby Campus
Thirty Evolve E-Bikes are available to ride around SFU’s Burnaby campus and the surrounding area. The electric pedal-assist bikes can be found at nine designated parking zones strategically located across campus, including outside student residences to the west and adjacent the UniverCity neighbourhood to the east.
Each e-bike includes complimentary use of a helmet if riders do not have their own, and access to safety information, riding tips and advice on the app and at evo.ca/evolve. The program has flexible pricing of $0.35 per minute, or $12.99 per hour, plus an additional $1.25 unlocking fee per trip. Frequent riders can subscribe for $9.99 a month, lowering the rate to $0.10 per minute.
Bike tool lending program
SFU is also working on a bike tool lending program which will provide resources for cyclists who are in need of repairs while on campus.
Carsharing and carpooling
Car sharing services provide vehicles for a fee to individuals for short-term use. Two car sharing companies have partnered with SFU Parking and Sustainable Mobility to bring their vehicles to SFU's Burnaby campus: EVO, and Modo. These vehicles are heavily used by students living in residences and by the community looking to travel between campuses and for grocery and recreational trips.
Pedestrian priority on campus
As SFU campuses are in Metro Vancouver municipalities, each campus is within walking distance of amenities. The Burnaby campus is completely walkable once on site and can be reached on foot from the west side by trail from the City of Burnaby or the east side by trail from the City of Coquitlam. The Vancouver and Surrey campuses are rated as a walker’s paradise and are easily navigable by foot or bike.
SFU has developed a multi-use path up the west side of Burnaby Mountain that creates a safe and reliable path for pedestrians all year round. Cyclists coming up the mountain now have a safe passageway separated from car traffic.
On Burnaby campus there are also specific accessibility and weather avoidance routes outlined in publicly available maps. All roads on the Burnaby campus have sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian controlled crosswalks.
Remote working at SFU
SFU offers hybrid work arrangements which include remote working options.
SFU offers a formal hybrid work arrangement (HWA) program. HR Strategic Business Partners support leaders and teams to examine potential for hybrid work in their units, pilot and implement where feasible and align arrangements with SFU’s HWA program. Program effectiveness is assessed to ensure it enables operational excellence, a collaborative workplace and campus community experience while bringing flexibility to the way we work.
SFU's framework for hybrid work takes a principle-based approach to faculty and departmental decision-making. If hybrid work is determined to be an option for a department, team or role, employees can choose to opt-in and work together with their manager and team to ensure arrangements align with operational needs and supports our desired workplace culture.
Collaboration for Sustainable Planning and Development
SFU is working with local authorities to address planning and development to ensure that local residents have access to vibrant, safe, sustainable, and livable community infrastructure. Among the top issues is affordable housing, which is particularly relevant to the high costs of living in Metro Vancouver.
The intersection of social justice, sustainability, resilience, urban planning, and livability are key focus areas for SFU. The university has been engaged with numerous partners over the last 10 years to integrate social considerations into planning and infrastructure development and current and future social infrastructure. This work is part of SFU’s commitment to being an engaged university and positions the university as an anchor institution within our communities, improving and elevating the prosperity and conditions for thriving for all residents.
Burnaby Civic Innovation Lab
Through the Civic Innovation Lab— a partnership between SFU and the City of Burnaby—the university is sharing its leading-edge research and strengths in innovation and sustainability to advance practical solutions for the city’s most pressing urban issues, from diversity and housing to sustainable growth and environmental challenges caused by climate change.
Over the long-term, the initiative will provide the city with a permanent research base, where students and researchers apply their education and knowledge to develop real-world solutions, helping solidify the city’s role as a leader in solving urban issues.
"From taking action against climate change to addressing reconciliation and equity, diversity and inclusion in a meaningful way, there are pressing challenges facing our cities today—challenges that SFU students and researchers are eager to tackle," says SFU President Joy Johnson.
"This partnership gives SFU an exciting opportunity to deepen our decades-long relationship with the City of Burnaby, while upholding our commitments to knowledge mobilization and community engagement."
The city approved the formal research partnership and has also created a non-profit society that will provide a path to seek federal and provincial grants.
Planning Development – new build standards for sustainability
SFU Campus Planning has a strong sustainable building program. All new buildings must achieve LEED Gold sustainability. There are exceptions: Lot 21 (graduate student housing) is Passive House designed (not certified) and the Childcare (HCMA Architect) is Living Building Challenge. These were recently acquired by the university.
SFU's Surrey campus expansion, home to SFU's School of Sustainable Energy Engineering
SFU has been recognized as a sustainability leader for its new building in Surrey. Opened in 2019 as the first phase of its Surrey campus expansion, the new building has earned the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification—one of LEED’s highest ratings—in recognition of its sustainable design and operations.
The striking, five-storey building, located adjacent to the Surrey campus main building, was designed by Revery Architecture (formerly Bing Thom Architects, and conceived by the late Bing Thom) and built by Bird Construction. It houses SFU’s School of Sustainable Energy Engineering (SEE), which is the first of its kind in Western Canada.
The building, touted as a ‘living lab’ for its sustainable spaces and operations, is the university’s first major step in expanding beyond its Central City campus, creating an integrated academic precinct within Surrey’s evolving City Centre downtown core.
The LEED designation demonstrates SFU’s commitment to being a leading post-secondary institution in sustainability research, learning, innovation, outreach, and practice. The building is an example of how SFU uses campus infrastructure and operations as living environments in which interdisciplinary learning, applied research and practical work advance sustainability and resiliency on campus and beyond.
The building comprises teaching and research labs, study and lounge spaces, offices, an open atrium, and a 400-seat lecture hall, serving the campus and the community.
Its award-winning façade is composed primarily of framed, high-performance, undulating precast concrete panels. Its distinctive design is derived from abstracted circuit board imagery, which symbolizes the technological subject matter being taught in the building.
More examples of sustainable building standards and examples can be found in SFU’s Climate Action Reports.
Building on brownfield sites
SFU does build on brownfield sites whenever there is an opportunity to do so. The Vancouver campus and the Surrey campus were built on brownfield sites. All newer buildings in the downtown campus including Harbour Centre, Woodwards and the Charles Chang Innovation Centre were built on former shoreline/industry/railway tracks. At SFU’s Burnaby campus, all new buildings since the first main construction have been built on brownfield sites such as parking lots and old building sites. Currently, new construction is planned on the site of a decommissioned gas station.