What We Do
The Center for Sustainable Communities (CSC) develops and promotes new approaches to protect and preserve quality of life through sustainable development. We act as a resource for government agencies, community organizations, and developers, providing objective information and services to improve decision-making relative to land use and water resources planning and development.
Who We Are
The Center for Sustainable Communities at Temple University Ambler was established in July 2000 to develop and promote new approaches to protect and preserve quality of life through sustainable development.
A working resource for government agencies, community organizations, and developers, the CSC provides objective information and services to improve decision-making relative to land use and water resources planning and development. The Center conducts interdisciplinary research and offers educational and community outreach programs.
The CSC was designed to build on Temple University Ambler’s historical focus and strengths in horticulture, landscape architecture, and environmental studies, while drawing upon the expertise of all Temple University faculty. Associated faculty come from various disciplines, including landscape architecture, horticulture, geology, geography, urban and suburban studies, land use policy and planning, environmental economics, environmental justice, and chemistry.
Temple University Ambler Campus has an optimal geographic location and history of environmental protection and land-use planning uniquely position it to serve as a regional and national resource to foster interdisciplinary research and education, facilitate collaborative planning, encourage community partnerships, and disseminate information on the development and management of sustainable communities.
In the News
Temple receives EPA grant to clean up industrial contamination
Green vision for concrete schoolyard
EPA grant helps Temple take aim at potentially hazardous waste sites in Kensington
Community Invited To Take Part In Center For Sustainable Communities-Led Workshops
CSC holds public meeting on flooding and stormwater management studies
Center for Sustainable Communities leads the way in stormwater, transportation and urban greening initiatives
Center for Sustainable Communities studies Route 422 traffic with $200,000 grant
Center for Sustainable Communities receives $60,000 EPA grant to study community-driven design
Temple University Ambler EarthFest 2014 welcomes more than 7,000
Center for Sustainable Communities receives Wells Fargo environmental grant
Center for Sustainable Communities awarded $1.235 million watershed restoration grant
Center for Sustainable Communities awarded $1 million grant
Featured Projects
Temple-Villanova Sustainable Stormwater Initiative
Temple University’s Center for Sustainable Communities and Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership is long-term partnership that combines the strengths of both research centers creating an interdisciplinary organization to demonstrate stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs), to conduct research, and to conduct a broad outreach program focusing on regional stormwater management.
Community-Driven Geodesign Process in Philadelphia
The Center proposed a framework for developing a Green Stormwater Infrastructure plan through a participatory Geodesign process and then applied the framework in Delaware Direct and Tookany/Tacony-Frankford watersheds. The Center proposed six distinct activities: development of a typology of GSI design features, GIS-based site suitability analysis for potential GSI projects in the watersheds, comparative assessment and selection of GSI project sites, visioning GSI projects through design charrettes, development of a conceptual GSI plan, and three detailed site-specific GSI project visualizations.