Chandler, AZ - Chandler City Council recently authorized a Master Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between the city and the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of Arizona State University (ASU) for the development and execution of the Project Cities Program.

Project Cities is a university-community program that connects ASU students and faculty with projects and sustainability needs and challenges faced by local community partners.

Through the program, undergraduate and graduate students from multiple disciplines will research issues selected by the city. ASU faculty and staff and city staff will collaborate on experiential learning projects that will help them gather data. At the end of each semester, students will present their innovative solutions, designs, recommendations, and strategies to city staff. The ideas can then be used by city staff to make more informed decisions to move projects, planning, and community sustainability efforts forward.

This Master IGA has a five-year term. Annually, staff in a variety of city departments can identify specific projects with a Scope of Work Statement that explains the task along with the duration, cost, and deliverables. City staff may propose funding objectives and specific projects through the regular budget process.

Project Cities aligns with focus areas in the city’s 2023-2025 Strategic Framework, including economic vitality and sustainability and technology.

The first potential collaboration under the Project Cities IGA will be working with a School of Sustainability class to study park user activities at five of Chandler’s parks to better understand weekly use.

Future projects could encompass a variety of themes including sustainability master planning, public engagement and park vision planning, studies about community placemaking, solar/LED lighting for affordable housing, and historic site/amenity planning.

This Master IGA authorization does not have financial implications, but specific Scope of Work Statements will be funded through department operating budgets.

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