The mission of the Center for Community Systems is to be a resource and conduit for creating thriving, sustainable, and resilient communities. It is a strategic platform that connects innovative planners, engineers, environmental scientists, social scientists, architects, and economists with government, industry, and community organizations to solve complex problems.

Communities exist within the context of varying and ever-evolving social, economic, political, and cultural conditions. They experience pressures from: increasing/ decreasing populations, advanced age of existing infrastructure, fiscal constraints, climate change, contaminated lands, and natural and human made disasters, all threatening societal lifelines and the ability to function well. These complexities and constraints may hinder a community’s ability to grow and prosper in a sustainable and resilient manner. 

The Center for Community Systems engages in cross-disciplinary, cross-university collaborations designed to stimulate intellectual curiosity and foster innovative solutions to the challenges communities face.

The Center for Community Systems designs, develops, and deploys technical assistance, tools, resources, and educational and engagement programs to communities in an effort to improve environmental conditions, spur economic development, and advance social equity (the triple bottom line).  

The Center for Community Systems has a broad array of focus areas that include:

  • Brownfields Redevelopment
  • Community Sustainability, Resilience, and Revitalization
  • Transportation Planning
  • Land use Planning
  • Transit Oriented Development
  • Port-city Relationships
  • Natural Resources
  • Utilities