Center for Urban Resilience & Environmental Sustainability

About Us

Who We Are

We are a group of academics, environmental professionals and community partners committed to improving the quality of life in our urban communities, especially those that have been historically underserved. We have expertise in science, policy, ethics, natural history, urban planning and educational practices.

Mission

The Manhattan University Center for Urban Resilience (CURES) is dedicated to serving urban communities with a suite of research, education, restorative justice and urban planning programs designed to improve quality of life for residents, especially for those in underserved neighborhoods.

We use urban ecology to empower communities to build resilient, vibrant, and just cities through meaningful interactions with their diverse ecosystems.

Goals

Educate the students and public about environmental challenges and possible solutions.
Sustainability education.
Reduce environmental toxins.
Improve public health.
Promote smart planning that provides sustainable land use.
Promote communities and life-styles that are sustainable and affordable in the long-term.
Reduce Carbon footprint to affect climate change.
Improve recycling throughout campus.

Strategies

Manhattan University CURES works with faculty, staff, students and community members to develop research and other interventions that lead to more resilient and just communities. Our goal is to pair the study of urban ecology with local issues that can benefit from the talents and resources at University. We support a variety of projects ranging from science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) teacher professional development; urban bio social research; graduate education; restorative justice; and regional climate change initiatives.

Our goals are threefold:

To enhance the public understanding of urban resilience as a tool for healthy neighborhoods
To forward a vigorous program of research and education
To engage the public as critical stakeholders in urban policy and management

These efforts are focused on, but not limited to, historically underserved urban communities in order to hasten their recovery and advancement.

Core Values & Methods

To promote transformative education both on and off campus.
To provide a convening function that reaches out to Long Island’s civic and environmental leaders, business executives, and government officials.
To help students gain an understanding of how social change is accomplished, while developing their leadership skills to better serve both their future professions and the larger community, through classroom presentations and experiential learning.
To develop, and foster understanding and informed discussion of positive, innovative solutions to problems facing Long Island.
To bring a regional focus to efforts to implement concepts of sustainability.
To tenaciously pursue solutions which may require sustained, long-term efforts.