SDG 11: Sustainability Cities and Communities

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Key Facts

News

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Institutional Stewardship Initiatives

Buildings, Monuments, or Natural Heritage Landscapes

There is free public access to our university's large campus, including many services and attractions located indoors and outdoors. If you scroll down the reference in the provided URL link, there are attractions listed such as the libraries, museums, art galleries, and other popular destinations such as stadiums and theatres. In addition, there are various gardens, atriums, and plazas, that are outdoors and publicly accessible such as the Beamish Conservatory, Nobel Plaza, and Palliser Garden. All of these services and attractions are freely accessible by the students, staff, and general public.

Libraries

The University of Saskatchewan (USask) provides free public access to all six library locations including spaces for group work, meetings, and socializing, studying and quiet group work, and individual quiet study. All locations are wheelchair accessible. External borrowers (members of the public unaffiliated with USask) have access to books and publications with a free library card and can borrow up to 50 regular loan items for 30 days. Public computers are available in all libraries on a first-come-first-served basis providing access to licensed electronic resources like databases, e-journals, and online articles. USask provides a free public tool (Indigenous Studies Portal) to access full-text electronic Indigenous studies resources focusing on Indigenous peoples of Canada, the USA, and beyond. Available to anyone, a free online chat service (Ask Us) offers real-time conversation with a library employee including questions about public access to our spaces, books, and publications.

Museums

The University provides public access to many facilities including Diefenbaker Canada Centre, Gordon Snelgrove Gallery, Kenderdine Gallery, Museum of Antiquities, Museum of Natural Sciences, and St. Thomas More Gallery. Many examples can be found at the provided link (midway down web page). The USask Art Galleries are among our university’s richest cultural and educational resources. This new hub provides a path to deeper engagement with Indigenous peoples and perspectives, greater opportunities for our students and closer ties to our community. The USask Art Galleries and Art Collection exemplify a creative vision aligned with the university’s mission of interdisciplinary research and community-engaged scholarship. The Galleries Director, jake moore, has made substantial strides in making the gallery spaces welcoming and a place that the campus community and beyond can come together to celebrate the successes of USask.

Green Spaces

The University of Saskatchewan (USask) is a publicly funded institution and open to all people. All campus green spaces such as the 'Bowl', Nobel Plaza, and various gardens (see link provided), are publicly accessible. USask is also one third of the Meewasin Valley Authority (university, city, provincial government), whose Development Review process is designed to ensure the Saskatoon River Valley corridor remains publicly accessible. This includes many beautiful public walking and biking trails. As a major land owner adjacent to the river, USask is an important contributor.

USask’s School for the Arts hosts a number of ongoing and adhoc programs, including choirs, bands and ensembles (Greystone Singers, Wind Orchestra, University Chorus, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Chamber Ensemble, Music Theatre) that perform approximately 80 public concerts through the year. Faculty also direct and/or participate in various community music groups (e.g. Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra, Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, Summer Players). The School for the Arts’ Greystone Theatre runs four productions every year. They are open to the public and are well attended by members of the local community. Faculty members and students are also very active as set and costume designers, voice coaches and stage production for Saskatoon’s annual Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan theatre, and other theatre productions locally, nationally, and internationally.

USask supports many initiatives and programs through various departments to preserve Indigenous culture. In the College of Arts & Science, a Centre for Indigenous Scholarship is under development through the Vice Dean Indigenous office. The centre's mandate is to be the focal point for community-driven research, scholarly and artistic works (RSAW) in the social sciences, humanities, and fine arts to directly benefit Indigenous people and communities and preserve their cultural heritage. The Centre provides infrastructure, including space and equipment for an Oral History Lab to preserve Indigenous stories, language, and knowledge. Department of English professor and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Storytelling Dr. Kristina Fagan Bidwell (PhD) is investigating how stories—both written and oral—create meaning and influence actions within intercultural collaborations and conflicts. The Department also regularly hosts free events focused on preservation of culture.

The university has taken many of these actions. To support cycling, USask offers secure bike-parking options such as bike lockers located at various locations throughout campus and bike cages in the Health Sciences and Agriculture Parkades. Both graduate and undergraduate residence halls have bicycle storage in their basements. There are also public shower facilities suitable for bicycle commuters at the Physical Activity Complex (PAC), the Education Building, and the Law Building. Outdoor bike stands are available across campus and adjusted to meet demand. Eco-Pass is a subsidized transit pass for employees (costs 40% less than a normal adult bus pass) which employees can apply to receive. UPass is the student bus pass program bundled with their USSU membership fees at a cost of about 25% of the regular fare . In addition, there is one level 2 charging station available to students, staff, faculty and the public, with the university investigating opportunities for expanded charging access to students living in residence.

The University of Saskatchewan supports work from home/telecommute arrangements in situations where work can be performed from home (or at an alternate location). The university is not currently mandating employees to work at home. However, as an outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic, people leaders regularly discuss home/telecommuting arrangements as necessary. Such 'alternative workspace arrangements' are to be approved by departmental/unit management prior to entering into said arrangements (See Link 1). The work from home/telecommute arrangement is ongoing, and more commonly available post-pandemic.

USask's Housing Assistance Program for employees is a benefit available for In-Scope Faculty and Senior Administrative employees (see link). The program offers an interest-free advance to support home purchases.

There are various on-campus student residences as well as affiliated residences. In addition, there is a Homestay Program for international students where students can apply to live with a local family in Saskatoon through the Canada Homestay Network. This information, as well as other services/supports including temporary accommodations and subsidized or emergency housing options, are available at the provided link.

The university prioritizes pedestrian access on campus. Campus buildings are designed to allow a maximum 10 minute walk between all classrooms, and many campus buildings are connected by indoor walking tunnels to support safe and comfortable walking in all seasons. Initiatives to improve pedestrian accessibility are identified in the 2013 Sustainable Mobility Strategy Plan. Some actions include improved way-finding, improvement to curb drops and CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) assessments of walking routes which typically seek to improve the safety of walking routes. Assessments and paving improvements are still ongoing.

The University of Saskatchewan (USask) has signed a MOU with the City of Saskatoon that addresses issues related to urban planning, land development, reconciliation, and transit, among many other topics. In 2019 the City of Saskatoon and USask collaborated in the development of a draft University Sector Plan. (Sector Plans provide a broad framework for future urban development). This plan pertains to USask owned lands that are centrally located in city and will be developed to meet the sustainable development goals of both USask and the city. This is the means by which the partners are collaboratively undertaking long-range land-use planning together. An additional upcoming collaborative endeavour between partners will involve the reconfiguration of the primary campus bus mall to accommodate the planned City of Saskatoon Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. This major infrastructure project will involve years of extensive collaborative planning.

Green Building Standards are assessed on a project basis. In the 2018/19 fiscal year the new Collaborative Science Research Buildling was certified to Green Globes standards, making it the 8th certified green building on campus. Ongoing efforts in the OEE program (jointly funded by the Government of Canada) have continued to recommission the university's older buildings to help bring them up to more modern green building standards. Work is currently being undertaken to integrate green building standard requirements into the university's design guidelines for all projects.

The University of Saskatchewan is currently planning an expansion of the Engineering Building that would see development on the Rutherford Rink and Poultry Barn sites. Due to the significant open space and fact that most of the original campus buildings are still intact, brown field development is not always a primary concern or consideration for our region.

Research Institutes, Centres, & Projects

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Research Impact

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Sample Courses

Several forms of urban data exist that pertain to the residents’ demographics and travel behaviours, neighbourhoods urban form and land uses, and cities transportation and infrastructure systems. In this course, students will focus on integrating, analyzing and mapping several types of most common urban datasets, developing their quantitative reasoning and visualization skills, within the scope of the planning profession.

The course examines 21st century approaches and frameworks in urban planning, situating these briefly in the evolutionary context of planning movements from the late-19th and 20th centuries. Examples of topics engaged with include: zoning, pricing and urban form; infrastructure asset management planning; neighbourhood, street and public space (re-) design; planning for multiple transport modes; Indigeneity and interculturalism in planning and design; culture planning. The course combines experiential and class-based learning. Individual and group field-based projects form a significant part of the course assessment. A field trip is incorporated into the course.

Introduces the geographical aspects of transportation theory and planning. Major topical areas that are emphasized are: travel, behaviour, network design, and planning and policy for the future.

This course introduces psychological theories and research on the effects of the physical and social environments on human behaviour. The design and evaluation of changes which might promote adaptive behaviour are also examined.

For a full listing of related courses, please visit the Office of Sustainability's sustainablity course inventory.

Key STARS Reporting Areas