Every year the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario will offer a new Capstone Urban Sustainability Project as an ultimate experience for its 4th year undergraduate students. CUSP gives our students the opportunity to integrate and apply their understanding of both human and physical geography and environmental sustainability to real world problems.
Currently in partnership with the City of Cambridge, the project is structured around a real-world research challenge framed within a request for proposal. Teams of students take on the roles of consultancy groups and address the challenge using skills developed throughout their undergraduate studies. During the course students will meet and consult with the planning staff and undertake research on location in the City.
CUSP emerges from the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies' desire to develop programming that helps students deepen their engagement with the community. Thanks to the generosity of the City of Cambridge, Paul Puopolo (BA’73) of Polocorp Inc. and Christopher Coupal (BA ’95) of Coupal Markou Commercial Real Estate Inc. the Department is able to offer this enhanced experiential learning opportunity in the urban consulting process.
