Strategic Priority Areas: Thriving Cities + Communities

AI-powered robotics are building smarter structures in B.C.'s backyard

Business in Vancouver | | Media coverage

UBC researchers devising faster, less costly construction methods to build more homes

B.C. earthquake highlights Vancouver’s vulnerability should the ‘Big One’ arrive

CTVNews | | Media coverage

Dr. Perry Adebar, a professor of structural engineering, discussed the challenges of preparing for a large-scale seismic disaster in B.C.'s densely populated South Coast.

10-second wake-up call: Earthquake sparks urgent inspections of B.C. infrastructure

Vancouver Sun | | Media coverage

Dr. Tony Yang, a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and part of the UBC Smart Structures lab, spoke about the region’s susceptibility to earthquakes following a quake in Sechelt felt throughout the Lower Mainland.

UBC researchers team up with builders to expand circular economy

SiteNews | | Media coverage

UBC Okanagan School of Engineering experts are joining forces with Axiom Builders and VEMA Deconstruction to maximize material recovery and reuse in construction.

Net-zero homes are touted as a solution for climate change, but they remain out of reach for most

The Conversation | | Media coverage

Dr. Tony Yang, a professor of structural engineering, and Ehsan Noroozinejad Farsangi, a visiting senior researcher, wrote about the difficulties for most Canadians in building net-zero homes.

Vancouver welcomes first tri-mix development

The Globe and Mail | | Media coverage

Dr. Maged Senbel, Associate Professor at the School of Community and Regional Planning, spoke about the benefits of flexible living and working environments.

B.C.-made critical mineral could be used as a 'reactive weapon' in trade war

Business in Vancouver | | Media coverage

Dr. John Steen, director of UBC’s Bradshaw Research Initiative in Minerals and Mining, explained that germanium could be used as a ‘reactive weapon’ against the US.  

Innovation UBC announces 10 startup ventures joining HATCH Venture Builder Winter 2025

T-Net British Columbia | | Media coverage

Two early-stage ventures co-founded by electrical and computer engineers Lukas Chrostowski and Sudip Shekhar, and mechanical engineer Hongshen Ma, are part of the new HATCH cohort.

Canada’s push for e-bikes gains speed, but lack of infrastructure leaves some riders behind

The Globe and Mail | | Media coverage

Dr. Alex Bigazzi, an associate professor of transportation engineering, explained the benefits of income-based e-bike incentives, and the need for infrastructure to create behavioural changes.

Port Alberni warning about lead in water may be concern of any owner of older home

CHEK News | | Media coverage

Civil engineering professor Dr. Pierre Berube said people living in older homes made from pre-1975 materials may want to consider testing for lead in water after the city issued a warning.

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UBC is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm people (Musqueam; which means 'People of the River Grass') and Syilx Okanagan Nation. The land has always been a place of learning for the Musqueam and Syilx peoples, who for millennia have passed on their culture, history, and traditions from one generation to the next.

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