The Role of the University Campus in the Local Sustainable Economic Development

Abstract

The connection between the university campus and the local social context has been widely recognised at European level (European Commission 2011) and worldwide (Perry and Wiewel 2005; Hoeger 2007; Too and Bajracharya 2015; ISCN, https://www.international-sustainable-campus-network.org/). In particular, in a global survey of 42 universities, the International Sustainable Campus Development Network (ISCN) identified several approaches to the implementation of sustainable development strategies in the university campus, dividing them into four different categories:

• living laboratory approach, in which students are engaged in hands-on experiences and confronted with real-life societal issues;

• equality and well-being for all, tackling poverty, access to health care and equal rights for disabled and disadvantaged members of the local community;

• sustainability on campus, in which the students and staff working and living in the campus are implementing smart solutions for reduced consumption;

• education as a catalyst, which puts access to affordable learning and continuing education at the centre of sustainable practices (ISCN 2018, pp. 5–7).

These findings indicate a keen interest of universities to engage with local communities. In contrast with the top-down, campus-centric approach, this chapter explains the importance of designing and implementing hybrid top-down/bottom-up sustainable economic development strategies that put at the core the needs, the engagement and the proactivity of the local community.