The SGCI is preparing a proposal to seek formal recognition as a permanent, university-wide research institute located at the UConn Hartford Campus. Below, you can find materials developed by the SGCI during this process, including an Executive Summary, an essay on public universities and cities, and definitions of the six Core Themes used by the SGCI to categorize the urban research conducted at the University.
The SGCI’s Six Core Themes of Urban Research
These six themes, with brief definitions following, are used by the SGCI to characterize urban related research at UConn:
People and the City: Understanding population dynamics in their multiple dimensions, including race/ethnicity, gender, age, income, immigrant status, community, social capital, and intergenerational outcomes, and the challenges, behaviors and experiences of various groups- Healthy Cities: Physical, emotional, and social well-being of various population groups, and factors such as access, food security, influence, and income, that affect health outcomes and intervention opportunities
- Social-Ecological systems: Interaction of human-dominated and other biophysical systems, including land, food, energy, water and climate, and their effects on humans and on the environment
- Built Environment: Multidimensional impacts of human-made space, including infrastructure systems and sustainable design, on residents and businesses and its sustainability
- Economic and Community Development: The wealth generation and distribution processes and challenges for inclusive economic development as shaped by technological innovation, workforce development, and factor markets
- Governance and Urban Services: Civic and electoral processes and the changing nature of the provision and finance of public and social services driven by, in part, technological innovation
The SGCI will use these themes to better categorize its ongoing inventory of UConn’s research capacity on topics involving cities, taking into account dedicated programs, research centers, faculty members, and individual research projects. Additionally, all of our Faculty Affiliates self-select which theme(s) best represent their research and scholarship, with the knowledge that these themes are very broadly defined and that most urban-related topics fall into more than one category. We have made our Faculty Affiliates Directory sortable by Research Theme so colleagues and other interested parties can easily see which UConn researchers work in similar thematic categories.
To download a one-page infographic (in PDF format) summarizing the SGCI’s Six Core Themes of Urban Research, please click the image to the left or follow this link.
Report: An Inventory of Research Capacity on Cities at UConn
As part of its core mission to support and enhance cities-related scholarship at UConn, in 2019 the SGCI initiated a university-wide inventory on research capacity. This detailed, annotated report categorizes UConn’s research capacity into the Six Core Themes of Urban Research used by the SGCI (listed above), and includes in-depth analysis about UConn’s scholarly strengths, relevant university centers and initiatives, and connections to national trends in urban research. (n.b.: Please note the date upon opening the file, as this is a working paper that the SGCI is continuously updating.)
SGCI Executive Summary
The Sustainable Global Cities Initiative in a nutshell. Interested in learning more about the mission and long-term goals of the SGCI? Click here to read our one-page Executive Summary here in PDF format.
The Public University and Cities: The Case of the University of Connecticut
Written by Robert H. Wilson and Rachel Smith Hale, this annotated paper explores the historical trends of urban-related research efforts and outreach conducted by American public universities from the late 19th century through the present day, including an examination of the University of Connecticut’s own history regarding these efforts.
Slideshow: SGCI Facts (October 2019)
This short slideshow was presented at the SGCI Launch Reception on October 29, 2019. The slides include information about both the SGCI itself as well as interesting facts about the Initiative’s first cohort of Faculty Affiliates (which consisted of 70 UConn researchers and faculty members as of late October 2019). At a glance, one can view a breakdown of Faculty Affiliates by department, self-selected Research Themes, and a sample of some of the important cities-related topics they are studying and writing about. You can download the slideshow here as a PDF.