Browsing by Author "Schutt, Jake"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Bus Stops as Community Assets
    (2018-05-04) Ayers-Johnson, Joseph; Howard, Kurt; Lauderdale, Casey; Polacek, Joseph; Schutt, Jake
    Metro Transit operates more than 12,000 bus stops over 907 square miles of the Twin Cities region of Minnesota, providing an important service that connects people to the places where they live, work, and play. While bus stops are fairly ubiquitous, their design and placement have come from an utilitarian approach rather than a community asset based approach. Although there is a need for efficiency given the magnitude of the system, the role that bus stops play in people’s daily lives and the impact they have on surrounding properties warrant a greater appreciation. There are opportunities to build bus stops into more community-oriented spaces - ones that both contribute to and are cared for by the community itself. The bottom line is that bus stops are - and have the potential to be further recognized as - valuable community assets.
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    Circle of Ramsey: Linking People and Landscape Through Greenways
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2017) DesGrado, Alena; Neill, Samantha; Schutt, Jake
    This project was completed as part of the 2017-2018 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of Ramsey. Ramsey has identified several key ecological and recreation corridors that are prime locations to be connected, integrated, and receive public protection. The City’s broader vision, referred to as the “Circle of Ramsey,” employs a strategy to connect key ecological corridors with larger community parks using greenways and trail corridors. The Circle of Ramsey concept has helped to focus discussion about park dedication for new developments and to identify priority trails for construction within the city. To build public support for additional greenway development, students in Dr. Fernando Burga’s Land Use Planning class outlined the health, environmental, and economic benefits of greenways and recreational trails; researched cases studies of successful greenways in other communities; and proposed options for three extensions to the existing greenway that would better serve specific geographic areas of the community. The report concludes with recommendations to the City for moving forward. The students' final report is available.
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    Clean Water, Clean Soil: City of Ramsey Septic System Engagement Plan
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2017) Hoffman, Maureen; Engels, Elizabeth; Schutt, Jake; Cloutier, Callissa; Freesmeier, Claire
    This project was completed as part of the 2017-2018 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of Ramsey. The historic exurban development patterns evident today in the City of Ramsey initially emerged during the 1970s, when residential development was dominated by single-family homes with private wells and septic systems. Today, there are some 4,000 private septic systems in Ramsey. If not properly maintained or if in disrepair, septic systems present a serious threat to ground water quality and public health. The City of Ramsey wanted to improve outreach to septic owners to communicate the importance of regular septic system maintenance, and provide resources to protect the integrity of the systems and extend their useful life. Students in Dr. Dan Milz’s Planning and Participation Processes class evaluated current City communication and outreach efforts to septic system owners, interviewed topic experts and researched septic system maintenance best practices in other communities, and proposed an educational campaign and regulatory strategies to motivate residents to properly maintain their systems. The students’ final report and poster are available.