Community–University Collaborations for Environmental Justice

Abstract

Community-university collaborations for environmental justice have pushed the boundaries of the modern research university, yet remain rooted in a research frame. This article lays out a transformative co-learning model, which aspires to cultivate long-term, place-based, reciprocal partnerships where university and community co-produce knowledge and action toward a more just, sustainable, and democratic society. Starting with joint inquiry and planning, community and university integrate teaching, research, and service activities over a cycle of three to five years and, if sustained, co-evolve in place over the decades. Co-learning partnerships can anchor transformational learning, support community-based research, address critical community issues, and diversify the university. Tufts Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning has recently developed a three-year co-learning partnership model with long-time partner Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative. Yet, challenges still remain in resourcing community partners, valuing local anchoring, aligning university rewards with co-learning, and ensuring that community benefits are prioritized.

Community needs and interests in university–community partnerships for sustainable development

“…The grassroots community at UNBC continues to advance many of the goals of university–community partnerships discussed above, including contributing to place-based knowledge, challenging existing power relations and acknowledging citizens as expert knowledge holders (Loh, 2016; Mosier and Ruxton, 2018; Sandlin et al , 2011). At the same time, interviewees, particularly those from within the UNBC community, suggested that an initiative such as CommunityStudio could add value by offering a dedicated and intentional function that makes this type of work visible.…”

“…University–community partnerships are a recognized tool for pursuing an ambitious and complex suite of objectives within HEIs, including resisting traditional hierarchies of knowledge production, better aligning the functions of institutions with community needs and contributing to a greater commitment to implementing sustainable development at multiple societal scales (Loh, 2016; Mtawa et al , 2016). While the literature speaks to a common set of goals and values, the concept accommodates a wide range of partnership approaches and models.…”

“…There is particularly a need for learning that creates synergy between multiple actors, while blurring the lines between informal and formal learning (Porter, 2015; Wals and Schwarzin, 2012). Ideally, university–community collaborations use models that cultivate partnerships sustained through the co-production of place-based knowledge, as well as action that fosters community sustainability and democracy (Loh, 2016). Such collaborations must be based in the needs of communities that people experience in their daily lives (Porter, 2015), and as Hutchins et al (2013) indicates, must be flexible enough to accommodate motivations for partnerships that may vary by problem type.…”

Participatory Research for Environmental Justice: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis

“…Some described iterative changes in project timelines to honor the needs of community partners or participants, which lengthened the planned project timelines (e.g., Brown et al 2012;Cashman et al 2008;De Souza et al 2013;Downs et al 2010;Johnson et al 2014;Johnson-Shelton et al 2015;Spencer-Hwang et al 2016). Drawing from experience, researchers recommended 6-to 12-months minimum to establish collaborative group norms and culture, though building and maintaining trust and relationship may take even longer (Cargo and Mercer 2008;Cashman et al 2008;Loh 2016). Abara et al (2014), for example, described a "community-based participatory service" model, where health professionals spent 3 y providing direct services to a rural community following a catastrophic chemical disaster, only shifting toward a research model when community members expressed interest.…”

“…Despite the often-cited constraint of research grant funding cycles (e.g., Crowe et al 2008), these partnerships manage to leverage various means of support through different partners applying for grants. Loh (2016) recommended that communityacademic partnerships plan activities in multiyear cycles that connect to form partnerships over decades, adding, "Cultivating partnerships over this generational time scale is not unreasonable, given that many faculty careers are even longer, and many community-based organizations have similar longevity. Finally, this longer time frame is necessary to pursue significant community and structural change as well as institutional transformations in the university.…”