University–Community Partnerships for Climate-Resilient Housing in Vulnerable Urban Territories

The relationship between universities and the cities they inhabit is too often superficial, driven by short-term projects and extractive research practices that generate knowledge without producing change. This lecture presents the experience of Tecnológico de Monterrey in developing sustained university–community partnerships embedded in socio-ecologically vulnerable territories across Mexico. Over more than a decade, this model has integrated teaching, research, and direct community action into a single long-term commitment -producing climate-resilient housing solutions, empowered local organizations, and new pedagogical approaches for the next generation of urban professionals. The lecture argues that transformative impact requires institutional commitment over time and offers this experience as a model for universities worldwide seeking to make their urban presence genuinely meaningful.