Sustainable City Year Program - 2019/2020

The City of Silverton welcomed University of Oregon students during the 2019-2020 year as part of the Sustainable City Year Program (SCYP).  SCYP, part of the Sustainable Cities Institute at UO, matches professors and classes with an Oregon city, county, special district, tribe, transit agency, or partnership of governments for an entire academic year.  Students working in Silverton, guided by their professors, combined research and fieldwork to address City needs and achieve course learning goals.  

No one could have envisioned how the Covid-19 pandemic would affect the partnership!  Fortunately, fieldwork for most courses was concentrated before March 2020 brought  Oregon’s State of Emergency declarations, University travel restrictions, and restrictions on public access to some City facilities.   Several planned presentations had to be modified. City staff are very grateful to the U of O professors, students, and staff for their flexibility in producing final reports and recommendations for the City’s use.  

Please enjoy the final reports posted below and watch the Agenda Center and City Newsletter for continued project updates.


Course ProjectCourse OutcomesFinal Report Links (and presentations where available)
Pettit Property Visioning (October- December 2019)

A map of the Pettit Property is covered in sticky notes with community member comments.
2 public outreach events resulted in report suggesting  3 possible phases of property development
Final Report - Pettit Visioning
Passive Solar Heating (January-March 2020)

UO students take measurements for Passive Heating research.		Presentation and report with recommendations for incorporating passive solar heating design into Police Facility/City Hall Civic Center site to be located on Eugene Field property
Final Report - Passive Heating

Community Outreach Strategies (January-March 2020)

Report with recommendations for engaging community members beyond written community surveys, incorporating a variety of in-person and digital outreach and engagement strategies
Final Report - Community Outreach and Engagement

Climate Action Planning(January-March 2020)

Presentations and report with recommendations to build upon the Silverton Energy Plan towards a Climate Action Plan, including focus areas of: Land Use and Transportation, Buildings and Energy, Food and Agriculture, Urban Natural Resources, and Consumption and Waste.
Final Summary Report - Climate Action Planning + Implementation Tables

Group Report #1 - Land Use and Transportation

Group Report # 2 - Buildings and Energy

Group Report # 3 - Food and Agriculture

Group Report # 4 - Urban Natural Resources

Group Report # 5 - Consumption and Waste

Link to all videos

Stormwater Low Impact Development(January-June 2020)

Design report with recommendations for Community Pool Site, prioritizing stormwater infrastructure to reduce runoff going back into the creek from the lot, while expanding the parking lot to increase the total vehicle capacity.
Stormwater LID Final Report