Creating Thriving Cities | UBC Magazine

Spotlight

Most of today's university undergraduates were born in the 2000s. Like every generation before them, their formative years are being influenced by a distinct set of social conditions, significant events, opportunities, and challenges. What's it like to be a student today? What do Gen Z want from university? And how are universities helping them prepare for their (and our) futures?

Aerial view of an intersection in the city of Asahikawa, Japan.

PHOTO BY LIYAO XIE VIA GETTY IMAGES

Spotlight

Creating Thriving Cities

What makes a city livable?

Cities are home to a growing majority of the global population. How they are designed and managed is key not only to the quality of human life, but also to our ability to thrive in the future.

Two girls holding hands up to the sun.

UBC experts discuss their research on how to cultivate happiness in urban environments.

A city street with the sun shining through

Experts discuss fixes for the social and economic problems that come with growing cities.

A photograph of Vancouver taken from a helicopter above the Stanley Park area. It shows West Georgia Street, with False Creek and Science World at the end, and East Vancouver in the background.

There may be no such thing, but Vancouver has shown the world an admirable model.

Illustration of people enjoying a public park, with a city in the background

Communities are shaping their public spaces into social places.

An illustration of wildlife and plants living by a seawall

Protection from floods and rising seas requires a collaborative relationship with nature.

An illustration of trees growing out of skyscrapers

UBC scientists take a leaf from nature’s book.

An illustration of cities enclosed in bubbles

UBC researchers are helping us imagine a city where people feel more connected.

Headshots of Carey Doberstein, Dallas Hunt, Oludolapo Makinde, Rick Hansen, Oral Robinson and Heather Campbell.

Six UBC faculty and alumni weigh in on this important question.

Vancouver campus aerial photo

It's about to change the future.

An illustration of a large hand caressing a stream

Forgotten one, you remember what you were...

A woman sits looking out of a window at trees

Trees and green spaces are an antidote for the stressors of modern life.

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Carol Eugene Park and Jeevan Sangha

Carol Eugene Park and Jeevan Sangha

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Carol Eugene Park and Jeevan Sangha

Carol Eugene Park and Jeevan Sangha