The Centre of Expertise on Culture and Communities is a cultural research and development centre based at Simon Fraser University’s Vancouver campus. The Centre’s activities involve three interlinked components: knowledge generation, outreach and networking, and awareness/knowledge exchange. It conducts research and brings together academia, policy, and practice in four areas: the state of cultural infrastructure in Canadian cities and communities; culture as the fourth pillar of community sustainability; culture in communities: cultural systems and local planning; and the impacts of cultural infrastructure and activity in cities and communities.