Hello Vancouver!

Post by Aaron Ordower, MURP candidate ’15

For the next week, a group of 14 UCLA Luskin graduate students will be exploring Vancouver, British Columbia, to learn how it earned its reputation as the “greenest city” in North America. This is hardly a typical Spring Break. We plan to meet with over 15 city planners, non-profit leaders, advocates and private developers to learn not just what makes the city so environmentally sustainable, but also how their sustainability vision address social equity challenges. We are especially excited to meet with other young planners, including the University of British Columbia’s SCARP cohort, to discuss how our cities tackle shared challenges.

The UCLA Luskin students on the trip include: Aaron Ordower, Ben Kaufman, Jeff Loi, Casey Osborn, Jimmy Tran, Brianne Masukawa, Naria Kiani, Mike Janusek, Aysha Cohen, Brittany Jang, Daryl Chan, Sandra Caballero, Rachel Lindt, and Laura Krawczyk.

Over the next week, we will be sharing thoughts on this blog and through our Twitter account @LuskinVancouver. We are eager to share specific, Los Angeles-relevant lessons with you here and on campus when we return.

Most importantly, we would like to thank our generous supporters who helped make this trip a reality: the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, the UCLA Center for Canadian Studies, the Fulbright Canada-RBC Eco-Leadership Program and the Liberty Hill Foundation.