Project Overview Elk River is home to 25.63 miles of paved trails and 52.15 miles of sidewalks as well as popular bike trails and a mountain biking park. The Parks Master Plan addressed various gaps in the trail system and determined future trails. However, a study has yet to be done on bike lanes on […]
Focus Area: Equity
Evaluating Current Solid Waste Rate Structure
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 […]
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Parks & Recreation Foundation Partner Coordination
Professor Dyana Mason’s Nonprofit Consultancy class worked in three groups to advise Albany community members and city staff in three distinct subject areas. Students assessed the current state of the Albany Senior Center Foundation (ASCF), the Albany Parks and Recreation Foundation (APRF), and the Albany Parks and Recreation Department (APRD) to provide detailed recommendations for […]
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Designing an ‘Energy Champion’ App for PLACE’s Ecovillage Development
PLACE would like to encourage residents to engage in sustainable behaviors and to create community at the same time. Using a user-centered design approach, CISC 321 students will design a prototype EcoVillage ‘Energy Champion’ app to encourage energy conservation and create community through friendly competition. Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community […]
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Analyzing Sustainable Infrastructure
PLACE’s Via development in St. Louis Park, MN will be a “mixed-use, mixed-income, transit-oriented community demonstrating profound environmental design.” The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure has developed Envision criteria to assess the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure. The Envision rating system consists of “60 sustainability criteria that address the full range of environmental, social, and […]
Using Models to Analyze Sustainability Goals and Tradeoffs
PLACE would like to analyze of how well current operations and future design ideas meet their sustainability goals. Students will model several different sustainability objectives through coupled economic/energetic/mass balance models to analyze how goals are currently being met and recommendations to better meet goals. Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner. […]
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Smart Housing Opportunities for Pflugerville
Pfugerville is one of the fastest growing cites in the United States, with estmates that high rates of growth will contnue into the foreseeable future. As part of the 2030 Comprehensive Plan the City of Pfugerville is working towards increasing the amount and diversity of housing with a special focus on building a dynamic and […]
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Urban Agriculture Opportunities
Pfugerville is one of the fastest growing cites in the United States, with estmates that high rates of growth will contnue into the foreseeable future. As part of the 2030 Comprehensive Plan the City of Pfugerville is working towards increasing the amount and diversity of housing with a special focus on building a dynamic and […]
Tacoma Mall Transit Station Area Development Feasibility and Catalyst Site Recommendations
Pierce Transit is initiating a study for the relocation of the Tacoma Mall Transit Center. This project will complement the Pierce transit station relocation stud by identifying catalyst sites within the potential station locations and assessing the redevelopment feasibility of these sites for transit oriented development. The project will help to inform the long-term station […]
Green Power
past SCC project in spring 2014 determined residents’ interest in purchasing green power. The project will add to this past research by testing the effectiveness of different messages that will determine how signing up would be improved. Possibly options could be educating residents about the relevance of choosing an energy provider and providing assistance to […]