URBAN seeks to add local geographic or themed nodes in support of where community engaged scholarship further justice. Starting a node gives you the opportunity to bring academics and community leaders together locally and be part of a national network where you can co-construct, share resources, learn and work together on the basis of common values. URBAN has been key in building the exciting field of collaborative research committed to equity and social justice and you will have the opportunity to support and influence its development.
In advance of submitting an application, prospective nodes will learn about the work of URBAN and its existing nodes and work in tandem with local community-engaged scholars, those in university and community settings, as well as stakeholders to determine if there is an interest in creating a node and what local challenges might benefit from a joint research partnership.
Information about URBAN’s mission can be found here on the URBAN website as well as in the special issue journals and URBAN MATTERS volumes series. The set of principles for collaborative research that have emerged from over a decade of URBAN examples of how community partners who comprise local nodes take responsibility for articulating their shared aims
URBAN’s local geographic nodes and theme nodes represent a diverse array of approaches to engaged scholarship, all tailored to the unique geographic, disciplinary and intersecting contexts within which they operate. Reading about the work of each may be helpful as you begin to envision what an URBAN node in your locale might look like.
URBAN National and Nodes host place-based events as well as virtual engagement opportunities. Each node has a chair or co-chairs that are part of the National Planning Team along with a Communications Coordinator that supports the flow of node communications to and from other nodes and national network activity. See examples from each node via LinkedIn and event listings can be found on our events page.
Once you have a sense of how URBAN operates and what an URBAN node in your locale might look like, you are ready to have a preliminary conversation with one of the URBAN co-chairs, Ana Antunes, Timothy Eatman or Paige M. Bray and understand the website, fellow and data supports that might be of use.
An important step in advance of submitting an application is to determine if there is indeed an interest among engaged scholars and community activists in creating a node. Having conversations with these potential new node members is a critical first step.
If there is interest from engaged scholars and community activists, you then organize a Planning Team. This team should be comprised of at least two leads representing one or more academic institutions in your city. Although it is not required, it would be ideal for at least one member of this planning team to be a community activist.
Applications should be sent to Ana Antunes, info@urbanresearchnetwork.org to be reviewed by the co-chairs and presented to the National Planning Team. Please address the following in your application:
ONE: Brief overview of motivation for creating a node, what it will seek to accomplish, and potential academic, community partners, and otherwise that the node will engage.
TWO: What does your node seek to accomplish in its first year to 18 months?
THREE: Brief bios of the Planning Team. Please include background on each member’s experience in research based action and how each sees URBAN connecting to their current work.
FOUR: Please identify a person who will fill each of these roles:
FIVE: Identify if you are seeking to establish a local geographic node or theme-based node. Please provide the name you are seeking to use and a sentence or tagline description of the work.