Capstone Projects
Tackle real-world policy and social problems. Develop a professional portfolio.
Offered each spring, the SDA Capstone Project (SDA 490) is the final course in the SDA minor program. Students have the chance to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned in their studies to real-world social and policy problems.
Students create a data dashboard and a long-form data journalism article, together making a portfolio that they can showcase to prospective employers or graduate programs.
Each year, the class focuses on one specific current issue and uses real-world data from community partners. Each group approaches the problem from their own perspective and works closely with their professors to create a thorough, data-driven presentation.
2025: BC's Toxic Drug Crisis
Student projects focused on issues related to the drug and opioid crisis in Vancouver and British Columbia.
2024: Housing and affordability
Students partnered with the Canadian Housing Statistics Program (CHSP) at Statistics Canada and explored issues related to housing, population and quality of life.
- Immigration, Population Growth and Canadian Rental Prices
- The Long-term Impact of Short-term Rentals
- Impacts of Housing Crisis on Quality of Life: A Comparative Analysis: Calgary vs Vancouver
- Addressing Vancouver's Housing Crisis: The Role of Non-Market Housing in Supporting the Middle Class
2023: Traffic and the future of transportation
This year the SDA 490 students partnered with the City of Vancouver via CityStudio. Projects addressed Vancouver's traffic concerns and the future of transportation in the city.
- The Future is Walkable
- Visualizing Vancouver: Meeting the City鈥檚 2040 Traffic Goals
- Autonomous Vehicles and the Future of Vancouver Streets
- Increasing Ridership: Quality of Transit