In a Mapuche neighborhood on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, artisans are trading traditional adobe bricks for experimental eco-friendly alternatives. In a canyon that straddles the U.S.–Mexico border, families are planting vegetation to stem polluted runoff. And in Panama’s Parita Bay, grassroots leaders are defending wetlands that shelter thousands of migratory shorebirds. These are just […]
The EPIC Africa Learning Meeting was an immersive two-day event held on February 13–14, 2025, at the Future Africa Campus of the University of Pretoria, South Africa. This event served as a key initiative of the EPIC Africa Network. The EPIC‑N framework leverages participatory approaches to connect universities, local authorities, and communities in addressing urban […]
By: Ada Inman The Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS) at the Universiti Sains Malaysia partnered with the community of Balik Pulau in 2021 with the goals of helping the community to establish a waste management programme that suits the community well, training the community on best practices of waste management toward zero waste, and […]
By: Ada Inman and Marshall Curry This past year, EPIC-Asia programs selected as seed grant recipients from the virtual 2021 EPIC-Asia Workshop, worked tirelessly against the odds to launch EPIC Model programs. With the support of EPIC-Asia Coordinator, Dr. Nuttavikhom Kay Phanthuwongpakdee, these Asia program leaders recently published Program Stories. The stories summarize their individual […]
Kurtis Ulrich is currently City Administrator for the City of Ramsey, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis (population 27,500) serving in this position since 2007. During his career, he served as City Administrator in two other Minnesota suburban communities and as the Assistant Commissioner for Administration at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Prior to city administration, he was in the field of urban planning and economic development. He has a Doctorate in Public Administration from Hamline University, a Masters of Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas, a Masters of Arts in Urban and Regional Studies from Minnesota State University, and a Bachelors of Arts in Urban Studies from the University of Minnesota Duluth. […]
Adam Shipley joined the City of Maricopa in 2018 as the Economic Development Management Analyst. While pursuing his Bachelor’s in Urban Planning, Adam began his professional career by targeting areas prime for conservation with City of Phoenix Water Services Department. After being promoted to Economic Development Coordinator, Adam is now the project liaison for the City’s biggest commercial projects, small entrepreneurial ventures, and everything business in between. Adam is an environmental sustainability advocate, and in his spare time enjoys traveling, art, cooking, and spoiling his Chiweenie. Adam recently joined the Global Shapers Phoenix Community and the EPIC-N network to collaborate with community leaders and help make the world a better place to live. […]
Smiso Bhengu, is the Climate Protection Scientist at the EThekwini Municipality. He works as the liaison on the city side supporting the EPIC Durban partnership between EThekwini Municipality and the University of KwaZulu Natal. […]
Read More… from Smiso Bhengu leads an EPIC programme from within a municipality
As a local government employee who oversees our City’s transdisciplinary research programme, I was moved by how committed academic partners were improving the lives of residents in an informal settlement of one of our catchment rehabilitation projects. The lines between practitioner, academic and settlement dweller have become blurred for all participants. All of this was done to reduce vulnerability and support a decent standard of living within such settlements in Durban. […]
Read More… from Sean O’Donoghue is inspired by the innovation and creativity of EPIC Africa members