DSNI and Tufts University Sign Collaboration Agreement

Former UEP Interns Ben Baldwin and Sharon Cho

DSNI and Tufts University have signed a 3-year CORE (Co-learning/Co-research) agreement based on a community centered teaching and research partnership. Tuft’s Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning (UEP) has long been a close partner of DSNI. Most recently, student research helped identify policy ideas for the Greater Boston Community Land Trust Network and student interns (including Ben Baldwin, Gabo Sub, and most recently Sharon Cho) have created an operations manual for Dudley Neighbors Inc, helped market Land Trust homes, and supported our outreach efforts for neighborhood planning. Since 1990, a DSNI co-founder and board member became a UEP lecturer, 13 UEP student teams have conducted semester-long Field projects and 2 UEP graduates have become DSNI staff, and 5 DSNI staff, including 2 Executive Directors have entered UEP’s mid-career master’s program.

The new agreement ensures that these areas of collaboration will continue, and commits a group of UEP students to provide research and documentation for commercial projects on the Land Trust, as well as the planning process around the Citizens Bank building in Uphams Corner, which DNI recently purchased in our first-ever acquisition of private land. In an effort to extend educational resources, each Fall, a UEP class will be free and open to DSNI members! “Tufts UEP has been an incredible resource for our land trust and food justice work,” says DSNI Community Organizer Eliza Parad. “I’m thrilled that our partnership will continue.”

Contact eparad@dsni.org if you are interested in learning more.