Like many other African cities, Lusaka is facing rapid urbanization and various challenges related to inequality, climate change, economic opportunity, and service delivery. The city is faced with limited technical capacity to deliver essential services to all 3.3 million people and with a growth rate of about 5% annually, Lusaka’s Local Authority is unable to […]
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Trash discarded on urban lands frequently makes its way into streams, creeks, rivers, and eventually the ocean, as rainstorms wash it into gutters and storm drains. This trash pollutes California waters and adversely affects beneficial uses that support aquatic life, wildlife, recreation, water supplies, and public health. In 2015, the State Water Resources Control Board […]
This project was completed as part of the 2018-2019 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with Ramsey County. The Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Program is a loan program that provides financing for energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy retrofits for commercial, industrial, and multifamily residential properties. PACE helps property owners overcome the challenge of gathering […]
This project was completed as part of the 2017-2018 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of Ramsey. The City of Ramsey has a successful business retention and expansion (BRE) program that has been focused on small-business development and growth. To advance these efforts, the City would like to pursue new initiatives to attract, […]
Read More… from Encouraging Small Business Growth and Expansion (Business Incubator Plan)
This project was completed as part of the 2017-2018 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of Ramsey. The City of Ramsey has long had a goal to create destinations in the community for residents to shop, eat, and enjoy entertainment. Market forces make achieving this goal challenging, and current efforts have fallen short […]
Read More… from Creating Destination (Retail Market Analysis)
The City of Springfield faces deteriorating street conditions due to a steady decline in transportation funding. The City believes a possible solution to this problem is to improve its local streets with funding from residential property assessments. However, to encourage property owners to bear the costs of improving roads, the City would like to better […]
Read More… from Economic Analysis of the Value of Local Street Improvements in Springfield, Oregon
The City of Delano seeks to increase the energy efficiency of its public infrastructure to reduce energy use and costs. Students will collaborate on two projects: 1) a benchmarking study of public buildings and 2) an analysis for street lighting upgrades. Based on their analysis, students will propose potential improvements/upgrades to public buildings and evaluate […]
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Students will perform a detailed study of the economic benefits that the region gains from its water resources. The study will analyze waterdependent businesses, tourism activities, and special events. Analysis will examine exported economic sectors; impacts on hotels, restaurants, airports, and other hospitality industries; increased tax revenues for local governments; and other impacts. This project […]
Students will assess the market for a temporary ice skating rink in downtown Cleveland, including site, positive and negative impact, rink size, period of operation, requirements for installation, operation and site restoration, and economic impact. Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner. Smart Communities Initiative Contact Info University Faculty Contact Ben […]
Project Overview The City of Elk River has organized solid waste collection for its residents through two haulers (Randy’s Environmental Services and Republic Services). The haulers are under contract with the City of Elk River until 2022. Residential accounts are set up and billed through Elk River Municipal Utilities. Customers pay a monthly fee on […]
Read More… from Evaluating Current Solid Waste Rate Structure