The City of Peoria has continually demonstrated itself as a forward-
thinking, sustainability-minded city. With booming economic and
population growth, Peoria is presented with the opportunity to support its
community as the recent COVID-19 pandemic makes its way throughout
the state. With financial instability and health concerns, the COVID-19
pandemic has exacerbated several existing challenges, calling upon
municipal entities to inform and facilitate emergency services.
To encompass a breadth of COVID-related challenges, three different
classes, from various backgrounds, set out to understand and evaluate
the impact of COVID-19 on the City of Peoria and its residents.
Each class evaluated a unique challenge, and subsequently drafted
diverse recommendations for the City of Peoria to consider. Each
class worked directly with the City of Peoria, and research methods
ranged from literature review to focus groups to provide the City with
recommendations.
Graduate students from the School of Geographical Sciences
and Urban Planning split into six groups to examine the impacts of
COVID-19 on PeoriaÕs business community. Students conducted focus
groups, analyzed omnibus survey data, compared Peoria to other relevant
cities, and evaluated the impacts on the restaurant and fitness industries.
For their final deliverable, each student group compiled their research
and findings into a final report and identified key recommendations for
the City of Peoria to support its economic growth.