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 of meeting community expectations. To help the City identify economic development and marketing strategies to attract more retail and restaurant development, students in Dr. Fernando Burga’s Land Use Planning analyzed retail trends nationally, mapped retail development in surrounding communities within a short driving distance from Ramsey, analyzed Ramsey’s demographics to identify a target retail market, proposed a branding strategy to create a unique retail “identity,” analyzed the challenges and opportunities presented by currently zoned commercial properties in the city, and recommended policy and other changes to facilitate future development of retail. The students’ final report is available.
Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.
Resilient Communities Project Contact Info
University Faculty Contact
Fernando Burga
Urban and Regional Planning
Assistant Professor
hfburga@umn.edu
Local Government / Community Contact
Patrick Brama
Assistant City Administrator/Economic Development Manager