The Institute for Sustainable Solutions
Signature Initiatives


About
We have more than a decade of experience building effective community-university collaborations to drive progress toward a more equitable and sustainable world. Partnerships are at the heart of our work and our goals revolve around answering the challenges presented to our society by global climate change.
Our Initiatives
City - University
ISS is developing and enhancing a core methodology for effective city-university partnerships that can be applied in urban areas around the world to drive solutions to complicated urban problems.
Clackamas River
ISS is leading a project to bring together stakeholders in the Clackamas River Watershed with an interdisciplinary team from Portland State University to create a resilience plan for water in the Clackamas Watershed.
Clean Air
The Institute is collaborating with community advocates, government agencies, and legal advisors to pursue cleaner air for local communities.
Emerald Corridor
The Collaboratory is engaging in a two-year, cross-university and cross-city project focused on advancing long-term city-university research engagements that accelerate progress on city livability challenges.
Resilient Portland
The Institute for Sustainable Solutions is convening eight city agencies to develop a unified plan to better respond to community needs should a major disaster hit.
Backyard Homes Initiative
Confronting rising housing costs and climate change by making it easier and more affordable for Portland homeowners to construct a second house, called an accessory dwelling unit or ADU, on their property.
Urban Heat Island
By working closely with government and community groups, this project aims to reduce the adverse health impacts of urban heat waves for vulnerable populations
Urban Sust. Accelerator
Helping urban areas across the U.S. implement their sustainability projects—moving plans, concepts, and policies to reality.