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Western Center Projects

In Development – New Project Areas

Wildland-Urban Interface, Wildfires, and Urban Smoke

America’s forests are burning at unprecedented rates. Long-term efforts will require transdisciplinary solutions that are customized for unique characteristics of communities and ecosystems. The project team developed a brief for the ECOP Climate Coalition, requesting endorsement for a significant planning process to define priorities for Cooperative Extension’s role in addressing the nation’s increasing frequency and severity of catastrophic wildfires. Read more…

Urban, Indoor, and Emerging Agriculture

During May 2020, the WCMER, in conjunction with the National Urban Extension Leaders (NUEL) and several urban Farm Bureau county organizations, responded to a request for stakeholder input from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) about the Urban, Indoor and other Emerging Agricultural Production Research, Education and Extension Initiative. Read more…

Applied Research Fellows

man planting trees with youth in blue tshirtts

Does Treebate incentivize a more equitable, climate-ready urban watershed?

Introduction: Portland City Code assigns all tree planting and maintenance responsibility to the property owner. As such, critical watershed and human health benefits offered by tree canopy largely rely on the knowledge, resources, and stewardship…

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Career Progression for Urban Extension Professionals

Career Progression for Urban Extension Professionals Extension faculty and staff working in urban areas need the same set of core competencies as Extension professionals in other geographic settings. However, they must also have additional skills…

Leveraging the Extension Network to Build Urban Resilience to Extremes

The goal of this project is to develop a framework to increase national capacity to increase resilience in cities by leveraging the Cooperative Extension (CE) network. With the increasing recognition from groups like the Extension Committee…

Fulfilling the Land Grant University Mission at State Agricultural Experiment Stations in Urban Interfaces of the West

[promo promo_type="custom" link="https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2164/2024/03/Urban-REC-Deep-Dive-3.25.24-.pdf" promo_title="Paper: Fulfilling the Land Grant University Mission at State Agricultural Experiment Stations in Urban Interfaces of the West" excerpt="Since the Hatch Act of 1887, which established agriculture experimental stations for Land Grant…

Best Practices in Suburban Housing Affordability: Understanding, Motivating, and Policy Options

Suburban communities across the United States have different housing strengths and weaknesses; however, they have all experienced a steady rise in median housing prices. Lower housing affordability has a host of negative consequences including increased…

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Leveraging the Extension Network to Build Urban Resilience to Extremes

LEVERAGING THE EXTENSION NETWORK TO BUILD URBAN RESILIENCE TO EXTREMES  The goal of this project is to develop a framework to increase national capacity to increase resilience in cities by leveraging the Cooperative Extension (CE)…

Previous Projects

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Urban Agriculture Multi-State Team

Joining the Urban Agriculture Multi-State Project. The NIMMS (National Information Management and Support System) system is the process by which you join the Urban Agriculture team and is how activities are tracked within the regional…

Sustainable Urban Systems

Sustainable Urban Systems

July 30-August 1, 2019 – Talaris Conference Center in Seattle, WA. Funded by the National Science Foundation, this by-invitation only workshop brought together a select group of 40 experts across an array of disciplines, sectors, and…

Urban Professional Development Summit

Urban Professional Development Summit, the launch activity for applied research fellowship and Deep Dive, led by Dr. Julie Fox, tOSU ), was built upon the National Urban Extension framework and implementation plan.

Well Connected Communities

National 4-H Council, in partnership with the groundbreaking health initiatives of the nationwide Cooperative Extension System (CES) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), is helping to drive transformational change to create a Culture of…

Seattle skyline during sunset

The 2019 National Urban Extension Conference

Innovation in the City: A Land Grant University Experience May 20-23, 2019 Motif Hotel – Seattle, WA Washington State University Extension’s Metro Center was proud to coordinate and host the 2019 National Urban Extension Conference.