CityStudio - Applying Classroom Learning to
a Real-World Settings
CityStudio, Grenfell applies experiential learning techniques all the while creating opportunities for collaboration with the City of Corner Brook.
Following on the Vancouver model, Grenfell's CityStudio program has actualized the following approaches:
- Students develop projects that are focused on municipal issues;
- Students receive on-campus lectures on urban planning theory and practice, and applied training through studio sessions held at City Hall;
- Projects are presented to city council and city staff on completion;
- Students work in group, and the course follows an experiential learning format with reflections, peer reviews, written assignments, and no exams/midterms
Topics for each CityStudio course are set in collaboration with the City of Corner Brook. Themes for CityStudio GEOG 3350: Community and Regional Planning and Development:
- Fall 2016 - Downtown Public Space Animation
- Fall 2017 - Sustainable Waterfront Redevelopment
- Fall 2018 - Winter Outdoor Recreation Hubs
- Winter 2019 - Potential Development of Bartlett Point Park/ the Yacht Club
- Fall 2019 - Support the Vitality of West Street
- Fall 2020 - The Great Trail, and multi-modal transport planning

In the Winter of 2020, CityStudio at Grenfell Campus expanded to include the ENVP 6001, a graduate level course taught within the Masters of Arts in Environmental Policy (MAEP) program. This course looks at sustainability policy questions and provides the City of Corner Brook with policy suggestions and recommendations that are able to be implemented by the City. In the Winter of 2020, the groups presented on their topics and a winning group was selected to propose their policy to the Corner Brook City Council during a scheduled council meeting.
The CityStudio component of the ENVP 6001 is one part of the experiential learning in the course - the second component features a partnership with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador where students produce cabinet papers.