CISC is currently developing the Urban Earth wiki, an on-line collaborative information community. It will be a meeting space for educators, students and sustainability experts to exchange information and inspiration on the topic of urban sustainability.

The wiki was originally envisioned by CISC co-founder Ted Kheel as a knowledge and data network that would serve as an archive for research results related to CISC’s Core Projects as well as other data relevant to sustainability issues in New York City. Since then, the emphasis of Urban Earth has shifted from being a relatively static storehouse of knowledge to a highly dynamic, interactive slice of the World Wide Web where anyone concerned about the future of cities and our shared environmental resources is welcome to search for, post and exchange ideas and information on urban sustainability.

Taking advantage of the quickly and easily editable nature of the wiki interface, Urban Earth will be a user-driven tool that encourages personal expression, collaborative learning, and content creation. Researchers can use the wiki to share and discuss their research findings, while educators and students can use it to work on collaborative learning projects, and sustainability advocates can use it to broadcast and coordinate their advocacy efforts.

Urban Earth is intended to support CISC's mission by informing users about sustainability issues topical to the NYC metropolitan region, by connecting urban sustainability enthusiasts via a cutting-edge avenue of communication, and by providing a single gateway to the disparate and myriad urban sustainability activities and resources found throughout the CUNY system. Urban Earth will be a great resource for tapping into the pulse of the urban sustainability community both within CUNY and beyond.