Citylab Hamilton
Showcasing Innovation

NRU
April 11, 2018
Maryam Mirza

An innovation hub in Hamilton is bringing students, academics, and city staff together to find creative solutions to implement the priorities of the city’s strategic plan, such as improving environmental sustainability and increasing affordable housing.

CityLAB Hamilton is a three-year pilot program that brings students, city staff, and professors under one roof to work on specific projects identified by staff as part of the city’s strategic priorities. These include increasing the amount of affordable housing and encouraging people to cycle to get around the city.

The $1.152-million social innovation hub matches students from three academic institutions—McMaster University, Mohawk College, and Redeemer University College—with city staff from various departments. Since its launch in December 2017, the lab has brought together 172 students, 18 staff and 15 faculty members on 11 projects.

CityLAB project manager Patrick Byrne told NRU that the academics at the partner post-secondary institutions have built the project work into the students’ courses.
“One example is the challenge [for the city] in the public housing division,” he said. “The city has a number of units sitting vacant because there isn’t enough money to repair them and get them up and running.”

In response the lab connected city staff with building construction students at Mohawk College to collaborate and renovate two units in the area.

Another example, Byrne explained is a project that a team of McMaster students worked on to increase cycling ridership in the city by creating a website to encourage the use of SoBi, a social networking bike-sharing app that also promotes social activities in Hamilton.

“The challenge ... is that 50 per cent of car trips that are taken within the city are less than one kilometre in distance, leading to increased pollution, but also... health-related concerns of non-active transportation.” Byrne said.

McMaster’s faculty of science fourth year student Nicole Crimi is part of the team that will be launching the website. The website encourages the use of bicycles by making cycling a social experience, connecting cyclist through different social activities available around the city, and offering incentives to participants, such as getting a free drink at a restaurant.

Crimi told NRU that working on a project where she can see her research and hard work come to life, is especially motivating.

Fostering connections with students, Byrne said, also helps the city retain students after graduation.

“From the City of Hamilton’s perspective connecting students with the municipal government is how we can get students engaged and [wanting to work] in the municipal government,” he said.

The City of Hamilton is contributing $101,000 in cash and $288,000 in-kind to cover 34 per cent of the costs. McMaster, Mohawk, and Redeemer are funding the remaining 66 per cent of the costs for the lab.