upcoming semester: Fall 2024
Help design themed walking tours of Provo City with Provo City staff & BYU Faculty!
Becoming
Citizens
Life in the Provo City Lab
The Provo City Lab provides opportunities for students to apply their academic knowledge in real-world professional and civic environments. Working in interdisciplinary teams, students collaborate with civic organizations like Provo City and Utah Transit Authority on projects focused on improving urban design, enhancing public transportation, and supporting community development. Students regularly share their work with and receive feedback from Provo's City Council, City Planning Commission, and Transportation & Mobility Advisory Committee—opportunities that allow students to better understand how cities work and how they can be more engaged citizens.
Projects
History of the
Provo City Lab
est. 2017
Dr. Jamin Rowan launched the Provo City Lab in the Winter of 2017. His intellectual pursuits and passion for urban sociability was turned into civic activism when he joined the Provo City Planning Commission in 2010 which led to a desire to see his students take part in the conversation within the city they called home. The course acts as an interdisciplinary internship where students work with local organizations, such as Provo City and Utah Transit Authority, to complete community projects.
Since the creation of the PCL, Rowan and his students have partnered with the UVX, Planning Commission, City Transportation and Mobility Advisory Committee, and more to help build the city they call home . Consequently, students have left the course with gained knowledge about the unique systems in place for urban planning, cultivated relationships within their communities, and took an active voice in the conversations happening in their own city.
For Rowan, the real reward has been seeing his students become engaged citizens. “Cities are waiting on people to make contributions,” Rowan says, adding that anyone can get involved, no matter their field of expertise. We need to promote sociability, he argues, through urban designs that encourage casual connections, like the Creamery’s corner. “As a culture, we’ve been taught to leave all that stuff to the experts,” Rowan explains. “It’s time to make sure our communities allow us chances to interact with other human beings. That’s what, for me, makes life satisfying—feeling part of this larger human family.”
English+ Experience
Engl 394R: Applied English
The Provo City Lab (ENGL 394R Fall) satisfies the English+ requirement by helping students learn how to translate their unique competencies to a professional environment and to then narrate the professional value of those competencies for others. The Provo City Lab helps students meet these objectives by inviting them to collaborate with civic organizations such as Provo City and Utah Transit Authority to improve urban design, public transportation, and community development.
Upcoming Semester: Fall 2024
Students will work with Provo City staff and BYU faculty to develop themed walking tours of Provo that introduce individuals to the city's history, culture, topography, and residents. These walking tours will help students, full-time residents, and visitors get to know Provo better and will be hosted on BYU's and Provo City's walking tour apps.
Approved for Elective Credit in:
- American Studies Major
- Experience Design & Management Major
- Urban Regional Planning Major
- Civic Engagement Minor
- Design Thinking Minor
Projects
F E A T U R E S
Watch or read what others are saying about the Provo City Lab.
We’ve been featured in the Daily Universe, Dr. Rowan has been interviewed in the Y-magazine, and the students have presented to the City Council and have their presentations available online on the Provo City YouTube page!
Provo city council meeting: provo city lab presentation
PCL students most recently presented the first-ever draft of a Northeast Neighborhood Plan with City Council last November 2023.
Provo City Lab gives students hands-on experience with local government
An introduction to the Provo City Lab and the experiences students are invited to take part in during the semseter.
tHE soCIALABLE CITY-
dr. rowan on contributing to cities
Professor Jamin Rowan, head of the Provo City Lab internship, discusses his book The Socialable City and how it’s implications helped guide his passion to builiding community.
“The Provo City Lab gives you a little bit of everything. I got to write portions of a neighborhood improvement plan, edit text that we sent to the city, interview Provo residents, and brainstorm with city planners. I did a handful of internships during my college career, but the lab was unique because the classroom element of the course causes you to reflect on your internship throughout the semester. That blend of real-world experience and career-development training was really valuable. “
aDDISON,
AMERICAN STUDIES MAJOR
The Provo City Lab was not what I was expecting! I was able to cultivate writing, reading, and communicative skills such as reading government documents, presenting to the city council, and drafting outlines for our “city plan.” And Dr. Rowan supported us as we tried to navigate tricky situations concerning the health and future of our city.”
Izzy,
ENGLISH MAJOR
I spontaneously ended up in the course and left with a newfound appreciation for Provo that didn’t exist prior. Once I became part of the conversation, I felt part of the community. This course built a bridge between my education and my sense of belonging within this city by challenging me to see it through the residents’ eyes. It also helped me see how I can apply PR communication strategies to purposes outside of the usual tracks. I strongly recommend taking this course if you want to expand your vision of possibility.”
leila,
PR MAJOR
Have questions or want to learn more about this opportunity?
Contact Dr. Rowan!
(801) 422-8968
jamin_rowan@byu.edu
JFSB Office 4143
