Title

Does the Gown Help the Town? Examining Town-Gown Relationship Influence on Local Environmental Sustainability in the United States

Abstract

A US municipality environmental sustainability index, the OSSPI (Opp-Saunders Sustainability Practices Index), found an overwhelming percentage of top-ranked sustainable cities were home to higher education institutions. While this may be a coincidence, this research seeks to determine if and how local communities partner or collaborate with higher education institutions for environmental sustainability purposes. The results of two case studies, San Antonio, Texas and Dubuque, Iowa, suggest there is considerable variability in the town-gown relationships. However, it is found that larger, public universities are more likely to have stronger relationships and effects on local sustainability efforts.

Department(s)

Political Science

Document Type

Article

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2014.979200

Keywords

environmental town–gown, local sustainability, sustainable cities, town–gown relations, university–community engagement

Publication Date

2015

Journal Title

International Journal of Public Administration

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