The City of Auburn and the University of Washington this week launched a year-long partnership under the new Livable City Year program.

UW students and professors will work with Auburn staff, leading classes to work on 15 to 20 projects the City has identified to advance its goals for livability and sustainability throughout the approaching school year.

On Monday evening, the City Council voted unanimously to enter into the master agreement.

“We’ll get a lot of good input,” said Councilman John Holman.

That is, from students providing tens of thousands of hours of study and production toward specific projects the City has identified, while the young people themselves benefit by applying classroom lessons to real-world problems.

Auburn and the UW will work together to set up the calendar. The program begins in September. The City’s financial contribution to the program cannot exceed $100,000.

“This partnership represents the very best kind of UW student experience by creating opportunities for community engagement, practical problem-solving and interdisciplinary study,” University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce said in a press release.

Auburn directors and staff identified almost 50 different possible projects for consideration. UW faculty will select 15 to 20 of these projects as subjects for classes in a variety of disciplines. Students will work on the projects in conjunction with City staff. Projects were identified over a wide range of topics, such as public works, innovation and technology, urban planning and more.

Faculty directors Branden Born, an associate professor in the College of Built Environments, and Jennifer Otten, an assistant professor in the School of Public Health, will lead the cross-university collaboration, which connects local governments with UW classes to address community-identified areas of need.

”Major milestones can’t be determined right now because we don’t have the projects identified specifically, so those milestones will have to get done,” said Mayor Nancy Backus.

Auburn’s government and administration have championed the program from the start.

“This program is an incredible example of what higher education can do for our community,” said Deputy Mayor Largo Wales. “Not only does this give students a unique hands-on learning opportunity, it provides the city with the opportunity to complete valuable projects that we would not have been able to otherwise.”