SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

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

Wilfrid Laurier University engages in a range of initiatives to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. By advancing SDG 11, we play a role in enhancing the quality of life for those in our local communities and beyond.

Highlights of Progress

The work that Laurier completed in 2025 to advance SDG 11.

Laurier CARE Lab students drive YMCA research with hands-on fieldwork 

A recent partnership between Wilfrid Laurier University and the YMCA of Hamilton | Burlington | Brantford has yielded far-reaching benefits — not only for the YMCA, which gained valuable insights into the effectiveness of its youth programs, but also for the student researchers who led the project.  

“The whole idea of the CARE Lab is to conduct research that benefits the broader community,” says Sharma. “We’re a part of the community in which we operate and we’re always open to collaboration.” 

Research Centres

Laurier research centres advancing SDG 11.

Viessmann Centre for Engagement and Research in Sustainability

The Viessmann Centre for Engagement and Research in Sustainability (VERiS) is an interdisciplinary and community-engaged research centre striving to be a catalyst and nexus for the transition toward strong cultures of sustainability. The centre understands cultures of sustainability “as characterized by shared values, symbols, rituals and practices grounded in sustainability principles leading to individual and societal choices that promote environmental protection, social justice and well-being, and a supportive economy." A culture of sustainability may exist within an organization, a building with multiple organizations or a community.

Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada

The Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada (LCSC) focuses on the interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and comparative study of the Canadian experience. LCSC has three objectives:

• Facilitate and support original research on Canada;
• Mobilize and disseminate knowledge to both scholarly and general audiences through community engaged outreach programs; and
• Provide high-quality experiential learning and training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.

In pursuit of this mission, LCSC recognizes there are expansive, evolving, and contested interpretations of Canada.

Laurier Centre for Music in the Community

The Laurier Centre for Music in the Community (LCMC) was formed with a mission of connecting Laurier to the wider Waterloo Region community through musical activities, community research and collaboration. The LCMC lives out this mission through research, symposia, publishing, projects, partnerships and concerts. Using music as a conduit, it works to connect community, collaborate with music-makers, and contribute to the vitality of music and people.

Initiatives

Laurier initiatives in 2024 that advanced SDG 11.

Public access to Laurier buildings

All buildings, monuments and natural heritage landscapes on all Laurier campuses and locations are free and open to the public. Laurier is home to 11 heritage buildings, including the Carnegie Library Building and the Lucinda House.

Community members can take self-guided tours of the campus. To support accessibility, free virtual tours are also available.

Public access to the Laurier Library

The Laurier Library provides access to 1.3 million online resources and holds one million print resources that can be accessed through the library’s Omni search system. Community members are welcome to freely access the Laurier Library and borrow books from the library free of charge.

Public access to museums, exhibition spaces, galleries, works of art and artifacts

Laurier’s Robert Langen Art Gallery (RLAG) is the university’s visual arts centre and is open to the public for free. RLAG oversees art collections and Laurier’s multicampus milieu and organizes visual arts programming that inspires, challenges and expands learning beyond the classroom. Working with a wide range of university and community partners, the gallery develops exhibitions, artist lectures and arts-related events featuring practitioners who range from students and community members to leading national and international visual artists.

Laurier’s Archives and Special Collections are open to the public. The collecting emphasis is on Laurier, the environmental conservation movement in Canada, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and its Eastern Synod, music in Kitchener-Waterloo and the history of Waterloo Region. Appointments are not necessary to visit. Laurier Archives and Special Collections staff are happy to provide instruction sessions and tours of the archives.

Public access to open spaces and green spaces

Laurier's Waterloo campus has five hectares of land that is accessible and connected to the surrounding community through unrestricted municipal vehicle and pedestrian infrastructure. Presently, green space covers 30% of the campus and an ‘urban forest’ runs throughout the campus that members of the community are welcome to enjoy. The campus features a large, 14,000 sq. ft. community garden. Woven into the community garden plots at the Northdale Community Garden is an edible forest featuring fruit trees bearing a variety of apples, pears and service berries.

Community members can take self-guided bike or walking tours of the campus. To support accessibility, free virtual tours are also available.

Contribution to local arts

The Laurier Faculty of Music is host to a variety of events, including more than 100 publicly available concerts, recitals, guest workshops and other community events. Home to the Maureen Forrester Recital Hall and the Theatre Auditorium, the performance halls host thousands of guests each year.

The public can also engage with Laurier ensembles and faculty performances from the comfort of home by streaming past concerts on our Faculty of Music YouTube channel.

Laurier is also home the Robert Langen Gallery. The Gallery offers diverse annual exhibition programs, activities and events which fosters creative thinking, critical debate and the exploration of ideas. Gallery programs provide an important resource tool for arts education, research, stewardship and creative community dialogue. By encouraging campus engagement and free public access to these resources it is hoped that greater interdisciplinary partnerships and opportunities for the exchange of ideas on arts and culture will occur.

Projects to record and preserve intangible cultural heritage

Laurier is working locally, nationally and internationally to help preserve cultural heritage. For example:

• Deep in the river valleys of northern Pakistan, along a winding highway, lie thousands of ancient rock drawings, inscriptions and what could be described as travellers’ graffiti.
  Though they go mostly ignored by drivers on the road, the inscriptions and drawings date back millennia and offer a unique glimpse into a long-ago world of international travel along what was once part of the Silk Road. Laurier researchers, along with colleagues from the Royal Ontario Museum, Pakistan and Europe, are working to document and preserve these invaluable drawings using the latest technology.
• On-the-land camps serve as a bridge between Indigenous knowledge and western science. These camps are planned and facilitated with Indigenous partners across the Northwest Territories (NWT) as part of Laurier's partnership with the Government of the NWT. The camps bring together researchers from Laurier with Elders, knowledge holders and youth in an immersive experience on the land. These experiences exemplify the power of cross-cultural knowledge exchange by providing an engaging environment for youth and community members with hands-on science learning activities and discussions. These initiatives offer dual knowledge perspectives and diverse approaches to learning, creating a space where youth can be taught essential ways of being, particularly in sacred places, thereby strengthening and preserving Indigenous culture and language among younger generations. Youth are further engaged through hands-on scientific endeavors and cultural activities, effectively empowering and inspiring them to become future leaders.
• Laurier is a proud member of Scholars at Risk, a network of institutions that supports scholars who are facing threats to their life, liberty or academic career, and/or have been displaced from their academic position because of such threats. Laurier’s Visiting Researcher - Scholars at Risk Program is fully remote and allows scholars to remotely re-engage with academia after being pushed outside the university environment. The Scholars at Risk program recognizes that academics are critical for cultural preservation within their home countries and provide a means to protect that knowledge.

Measuring sustainable commuting

Through its Sustainability Action Plan, Laurier has established a number of targets for more sustainable commuting. These are measured through an annual survey and by tracking annual commuter and travel data from department and faculty budget expenditures. Targets set include:

• 10% staff and faculty utilization of corporate bus pass
• 100% annual occupancy by student, staff and faculty of bike storage infrastructure
• Increase sustainable transportation uptake by students, faculty and staff to reduce single occupancy vehicle use by 5%
• Improve the sustainability of the university’s fleet of vehicles to improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions

Laurier, in partnership with the Region of Waterloo’s TravelWise program, conducts an annual Alternative Transportation Survey to measure and improve sustainable commuting practices. The survey results help the Sustainability Office, Parking and Transportation Resources, and Sustainable Waterloo Region gain valuable insights into student transportation patterns and identify areas for promoting more sustainable, eco-friendly commuting options, including carpooling, public transit, and cycling. 

Survey participants were asked a range of questions, including their preferred modes of transportation, familiarity with Grand River Transit (GRT) discount options available to staff, and the challenges they face when considering alternative commuting options such as cycling, carpooling, or public transit. Demographic data was also collected to provide a comprehensive understanding of travel behaviours across different groups within the Laurier community. 

The survey results offer valuable insights into how Laurier can enhance its transportation strategies, promote sustainable travel choices, and reduce barriers to adoption, such as lack of infrastructure or convenience, aligning with broader campus sustainability goals. 

Sustainable transportation promotions

Laurier offers a variety of programs and initiatives to promote and support a safe and environmentally friendly commute to campus:

• Students on Laurier’s Waterloo campus have automatic access to Grand River Transit through the use of their OneCard, which also includes use of the ION light rail service. Additionally, staff and faculty benefit from a 15% discount on transit fares through the GRT Corporate Pass Program. Students on the Brantford campus have access to Brantford Transit through the use of their OneCard.
• Through a partnership with Neuron Mobility, all staff, faculty and students can rent e-scooters and e-bikes to get them to and from the Waterloo campus. This share program offers an easy, accessible and affordable commuting option that also reduces carbon footprints. E-scooters and e-bikes are available at five locations across the Waterloo campus.
• The Brantford and Waterloo campuses are both equipped with secure bike storage to encourage staff, students and faculty to commute via bike to campus.
• Through our partnership with the Region of Waterloo’s TravelWise program, students from Laurier’s campuses can access the Laurier Student Carpool Network. This private online tool allows you to search for other students who have a similar commute and use designated carpool parking on campus.
• For students, staff or faculty who need to make either a specialized or lengthy trip, Laurier has two designated spaces on campus for Communauto CarShare vehicles.
• Laurier’s Brantford and Waterloo campuses feature 14 level-two electric vehicle charging stations.

Remote work

Laurier allows remote work as part of its commitment to providing a safe, inclusive and supportive work environment for all employees. Laurier's commitment to remote work is demonstrated in policy 8.14 Flexible Work Policy.   The goals for Laurier's flexible work include:

1. Contribute to Employee wellbeing and work-life balance.
2. Expand the University’s ability to attract and retain talent.
3. Enhance work productivity, accessibility, and job satisfaction.
4. Realize opportunities for efficiencies and sustainability.

This policy applies to Employees in the following non-academic bargaining units and Employee groups:

• Wilfrid Laurier University Staff Association/Ontario Secondary School Teacher Federation (WLUSA/OSSTF),
• Confidential Professional Administrative Group (CPAG),
• Professional Administrative Group (PAG), and
• Management Group (MG)

Affordable housing for employees

Laurier supports its employees in finding affordable housing through several initiatives:

• Laurier is committed to providing a living wage for all employees to account for the local living costs in the cities where our campuses are located
  
• Laurier has partnered with Places4Students to support students and employees in accessing affordable, quality accommodations
  
• To support the high costs of relocating to our region, Laurier provides financial aid in the form of moving and relocation reimbursement to relocating employees.
• To support new employees in finding affordable housing Laurier maintains a housing guide.
• Employees have access to rent short or long-term housing and accommodations on the Waterloo campus and in our Yellowknife location.

Laurier is committed to evaluating housing options for members of its community. The institution is a member of the local Town and Gown committee, which seeks to enhance relationships, communications and policies among the universities, the community and the city. The committee evaluates a number of issues, including housing. The committee ash recently produced an accommodation report.

Affordable housing for students

Laurier’s Student Affairs oversee and evaluate housing options for students both on and off campus. Laurier provides various affordable on and off-campus options, including dormitories and apartments.

In addition, Laurier has partnered with Places4Students.com, an off-campus housing website that specializes in providing students, schools and landlords with a quality rental property listing service. The institution recently formalized a partnership with SpacesShared, an online platform that pairs students looking for affordable accommodations with older adults who have extra space in their homes. The partnership will create new housing options for Laurier students in Waterloo and Brantford and give older adults a way to leverage a spare bedroom for some extra income, company and assistance around the house.

Laurier also offers financial aid for students to assist with costs associated with housing.

Laurier is committed to evaluating housing options for members of its community. The institution is a member of the local Town and Gown committee, which seeks to enhance relationships, communications and policies among the universities, the community and the city. The committee evaluates a number of issues, including housing. The committee produced an accommodation report in 2023.

Pedestrian access on campus

Laurier prioritizes pedestrian access on campus through the provision of multi-use paved walking and cycling paths connected to the city pathway system, which provide safe and reliable paths for the community year-round.  The university's interconnected pathway system can be seen in Laurier's interactive maps. 

• Interactive map: Waterloo campus
• Interactive map: Brantford campus

Work with local authorities to address planning issues and development, including ensuring that local residents are able to access affordable housing

Laurier is helping to address the affordable housing crisis in Canada. Our faculty and students are working on developing innovative solutions and supporting their local communities.

• Bringing together diverse leaders in the housing policy sector, LISPOP (Laurier Institute for the Study of Public Opinion and Policy) hosts an annual Forum on Public Opinion and Housing Policy. The symposium explored public opinion and housing policy in Canada from the perspectives of academics and community organizations. Topics included policy approaches to affordable housing and community collaborations to address homelessness.
• Adequate housing in Canada’s North has become unaffordable and unsustainable amid increasing climate-induced threats such as floods and forest fires. Indigenous communities are on the frontlines of the crisis. Kuponya Innovations, which began as a student-led initiative through Laurier’s Enactus program, is building affordable, sustainable tiny homes in remote Indigenous communities in the NWT. The homes will be constructed from structural insulated panels that upcycle more than 40,000 plastic water bottles per home. Unlike traditionally built homes, these tiny homes can be assembled in days rather than months and are built on climate-resilient ground screw foundations. Kuponya Innovations’ homes also incorporate Passive House and Net Zero principles into their designs to lower operating costs and reduce reliance on fossil fuels
• Laurier is committed to evaluating housing options for members of its community. The institution is a member of the local Town and Gown committee, which seeks to enhance relationships, communications and policies among the universities, the community and the city. The committee evaluates a number of issues, including housing. The committee produced an accommodation report.
• Laurier researchers are working with the City of Brantford to adopt new strategies to address homelessness.  While City of Brantford staff attended a conference at Laurier focused on community safety they were able to connect with other community members, including social workers and downtown business owners, and left inspired to make a change. After the conference staff regrouped with colleagues in the City of Brantford Encampment Network, a group of municipal staff members and community outreach workers who support individuals in need of housing. They began devising a two-tiered response model with the Brantford Police Service.  This compassionate approach has improved the City of Brantford Encampment Network’s efforts, enabling it to quickly provide access to emergency shelters. Once sheltered, individuals are connected with staff to develop a personalized housing plan. Since July 2023, the team has helped more than 100 people find shelter.

Build new buildings to sustainable standards

As outlined in our Sustainability Policy, Laurier is committed to maintaining sustainability design standards for major projects that will enable the university to work toward LEED green building standards for new builds and introduce principles of sustainable construction, renovations and landscape design, making use of full cost cycle accounting.  For example:

• Lazaridis Hall is a state-of-the-art facility that embodies both academic excellence and sustainable design. Home to the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, the building features advanced learning spaces, including lecture halls, breakout rooms and the innovative Scotiabank Finance Lab. Notably, Lazaridis Hall is designed with sustainability in mind, meeting LEED Gold standards through energy-efficient systems, green roofs and water-saving fixtures. This modern space reflects Laurier's commitment to fostering an environmentally responsible academic environment while supporting dynamic business education.
• The Research and Academic Centre is a LEED Silver-certified facility, showcasing the university’s dedication to sustainable design. The centre seamlessly integrates with the heritage character of the campus and downtown Brantford. It includes research labs, lecture halls, a 250-seat auditorium and an exterior courtyard that connects adjacent Laurier buildings. Supported by the federal Knowledge Infrastructure Program, the building reflects a balance between modern academic functionality and environmental stewardship through its LEED Silver status.

Building on brownfield sites

Laurier has strategically expanded its building portfolio by retrofitting brownfield building sites, particularly on the Brantford and Waterloo campuses. Through adaptive reuse, the university has revitalized historic structures and former industrial sites, transforming them into vibrant academic spaces. This approach aligns with Laurier’s commitment to sustainability, blending heritage conservation with modern functionality. The Brantford campus exemplifies this through its repurposing of downtown landmarks, while the Waterloo campus continues to integrate sustainable development into its growth strategy.