Sustainability

Almost 100 years ago, the government of British Columbia set aside land that the university could develop for its own interests.

The original planners imagined an upscale suburban that could be sold fee simple to support university operations. Seven decades later, Bob Lee, an UBC alumni and then a new member of the UBC Board of governors, suggested that hit was time to fulfill that long-term promise. But his key inspiration was to follow principles of sustainability that recognize social, environmental and financial imperatives in support of the university's academic mission. Socially: move from commuter campus to complete community, with places to live and play all say and night. Environmentally: put housing walkably close to work and study. Financially: don't' sell the residential land - lease it for 99 years, so that it generates perpetual support for students, teachers and researchers, providing a margin of excellence otherwise unattainable. The Board created UBC Properties Trust to put these principles into practice.