How are CityLab courses different?
in CityLab, the community becomes the classroom. Assignments are hands-on, real world projects. Students explore Surrey, and design ways to make the community a better place to live.
Why should I take CityLab courses?
In CityLab, you will:
- Build strong relationships with faculty and other students
- Work and network with the staff at the City of Surrey
- Develop skills to work effectively in teams
- Co-design solutions to real community issues
- Showcase your work at City Hall or in the community
Join the CityLab Community!
KPU CityLab Courses
Cohort courses
Work to advance the City of Surrey's Sustainability Charter and/or the Newton Sustainability in Action Plan. Cohort courses may be 6 credits (6 class hours/week) or 3 credits (3 class hours/week).
- POST 2150 CityLab6, Cultivating [Virtual] Community (Surrey)
- POST 2150 CityLab6, Cultivating Community (Surrey Newton)
- POST 2140 CityLab3, Rethinking Community (KPU Surrey Campus)
- POST 2900 Urban Projects (Surrey Newton)
- POST 2900 Public Placemaking (Surrey Newton)
Affiliated Courses
Work on specific projects with City of Surrey staff, or engage with the City during field trips. Project work may comprise part or all of the term's coursework. Past affiliated courses include:
- POST 3110 & POST 4900 Responding to the Climate Emergency
- GEOG 2250 The City
- POST 3110 & POST 4900 Surrey's Biodiversity Strategy
Student work showcase
Can our public university be part of the solution to providing more affordable housing in Metro Vancouver? Can Kwantlen devise novel design approaches that address cross-curring energy, biodiversity and climate change issues? Can KPU campuses better connect with local communities, including Indigenous hosts?
This past Summer 2021 our six Policy Studies/POST2140 student teams (each with 3-5 students) have been actively working on preliminary thought experiments and provactions that focus on housing, greening, and mobility projects on or near KPU Campuses. Students have dovetailed these ideas with the recently approved KPU2050 Official Campus Plan. This Friday's POST 2140 Summer Showcase will provide you with a sampling of these amazingly diverse physical and polcy designs.
CityLab started as a partnership with the City of Surrey
Working together to build a better community
Surrey CityLab is an innovative partnership between the City of Surrey, SFU and KPU. Students, City staff, faculty and the community co-create solutions to make Surrey more liveable, sustainable and engaged.
KPU and SFU CityLab courses focus on City of Surrey priorities, and students engage in experimental projects that benefit Surrey's diverse communities.
The Surrey CityLab joins a global network of cities adopting university partnerships to advance community priorities.
POST 2140 CityLab - Summer 2026
(Re)designing the City for Climate Justice
Based at the KPU Civic Plaza Campus (next to Surrey City Hall, Public Library, and Skytrain Station), we undertake intensive in/outdoor studio and field studies, asking: how can climate justice be achieved in fast changing cities? And how might (re)designing a 'climate just' city be achieved? Working with community advisors, in student teams and individually, we reimagine policy and urban designs for climate justice in housing and mobility, as well as both soft and hard infrastructures.
Students will be intensively focusing on this central portion of Surrey in their work; and the course will feature guest speakers, visits to City Hall and focused field trips in the area.
Prerequisite(s): 6 credits of course at the 1100 level or higher
Dr. David Sadoway | Wednesdays from 4-7pm | In-person | Surrey Civic Plaza (SkyTrain accessible!)
Below are some archived images from a trip to Surrey City Hall by David Sadoway
