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Browsing by Subject "urban"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Case Study: Urban Teachers’ Perspective on Environmental Education in North Macedonia
    (2023-05) Zafirovska, Srna
    This thesis examines teachers’ experiences in one primary school in North Macedonia.The purpose is to understand how Macedonian teachers view environmental education and what challenges they face in its implementation. The data is gathered through qualitative interviews. The data produces three assertions; a) teachers recognize the need for environmental education as environmental awareness seems to be very low among the general public; b) the teachers stress the importance of an early start and upbringing in acquiring environmental awareness; c) insufficient resources limit the realization of environmental education. Improvement recommendations include: increasing parental involvement through interactive workshops, investing in reusable gloves for trash pickup events, and investing in transportation for more contextual learning. This thesis concludes by summarizing the findings and emphasizing the suggestions for improvement.
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    Floral Enhancement of Turfgrass Lawns for the Benefit of Bee Pollinators in Minneapolis, Minnesota
    (2020-01) Wolfin, James
    The turfgrass lawn is a common feature of urban and suburban communities, often accounting for the largest green spaces by area in these landscapes. Flowering species within turfgrass lawns have the potential to serve as a source of forage for bee pollinators in urban and suburban areas. We intentionally introduced low-growing flowers to turfgrass lawns to promote bee diversity and reduce inputs, while maintaining the traditional aesthetics and recreational uses associated with lawns. We compared bee communities on lawns with naturally-occurring blooms of Trifolium repens to bee communities on florally enhanced lawns that contained Prunella vulgaris ssp. lanceolata and Thymus serpyllum in addition to T. repens. T. repens supported both wild bee communities and A. mellifera colonies, as 56 species of bees were observed on T. repens, with A. mellifera as the most common species observed. We found that florally enhanced lawns supported more diverse bee communities than lawns with just T. repens. Furthermore, the bee communities supported by florally enhanced lawns were significantly different from the bee communities supported by lawns containing just T. repens based on presence-absence (Jaccard’s dissimilarity index). Our research indicates that A. mellifera colonies and wild bee communities can be supported by allowing T. repens to bloom in turfgrass lawns, and that further steps to promote the conservation of bees can be taken by land managers by intentionally introducing low-growing flowers to lawns.
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    Heritage Perceptions: A Study of Southwest Minneapolis
    (2016-06) Sundberg, Madelyn
    Heritage is integral both to the character of a community and to the identity of an individual. This study argues that heritage resources – the cultural, natural, and historical sites that a community feels are important to save for future generations – require systematic assessment that brings together the expertise of professionals and residents through public participation. A void in the existing literature, based primarily on conjecture from professional assumptions, provides an opportunity for exploratory research into methods of community engagement during the designation of heritage resources. An online questionnaire, collecting both qualitative and quantitative data, assesses local perceptions of heritage importance and explores specific places valued by residents. This study specifically focuses on the heritage of neighborhoods in Southwest Minneapolis; however, the methods utilized provide a precedent for future research and professional investigations, by architectural historians and preservation planners, into community participation in heritage preservation in the United States.
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    Increasing environmental knowledge and effecting change in lawn maintenance behavior among homeowners
    (2015-12) Leslie, Madeline
    The management of private property in urban areas can greatly influence the amount of fertilizer, soil, and water runoff into surrounding watersheds, increasing nitrogen and phosphorus pollution and creating eutrophic conditions in water bodies. Lawns are a prominent component of managed landscapes, and as such can play a role in water pollution levels over time. Encouraging beneficial maintenance behaviors has the potential to reduce nutrient runoff from turfgrass areas and increase the ecosystem services they provide. However, there are complex reasons why private property owners make lawn and yard care decisions. In addition, members of the public often do not understand the path water travels when it leaves their property. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to assess whether or not an individual’s possession of inaccurate water pathway knowledge is related to their lawn and yard maintenance behavior, as well as to determine the effectiveness of video and written educational interventions in changing the behavior and intent to behave of individuals. Surveys of Twin Cities Metro Area, MN residents were conducted 2014 and 2015. Based on their answers, respondents were divided into two groups; those who had obvious misconceptions about runoff water pathways and those who did not. Approximately 32% of survey participants had misconceptions about runoff water pathways. In addition, there were significant differences regarding about the effects of maintenance activities, as well as the frequency of lawn watering, mowing, and fertilizer use. A follow-up survey of the June, 2014 respondents did not indicate a change in maintenance behavior after viewing the educational video, but a comparison between two intervention methods on influencing and individual’s intent to behave found that a written intervention was more effective than video. This information will help inform and direct public outreach and education efforts to help improve local water quality in urban areas.
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    Land Cover Shapefiles for Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota
    (2018-10-26) Anderson, Abigail W; McLachlan, K; awoodsanderson at g m a i l (dot) com; Anderson, Abigail W
    This project’s aim was to produce a land cover model of downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. Our purpose was to discriminate features that offer potential cover and foraging habitat for birds (i.e. trees, shrubs, turf grass, water) from features that are less suitable for birds (i.e. impervious surfaces and buildings). Though we had birds in mind, the models we produced have broad utility in many contexts. To achieve our objectives, we integrated a variety of freely available spatial data. Object-based Image Analysis (OBIA) was the primary methodology we used to generate thematic land cover models.
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    The Political Battle for Minnesota’s Suburbs
    (2008-02-05) Jacobs, Lawrence; Miller, Joanne
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    The Politics of Rural Resentment
    (2017-04-10) Cramer, Katherine
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    Who Stays, Who Goes, Who Knows? A State-Wide Survey of Child Welfare Workers
    (Child and Family Services Review, 2017-01) Griffiths, Austin; Royse, David; Culver, Kaylee; Piescher, Kristine; Zhang, Yanchen
    Child welfare workforce turnover remains a significant problem with dire consequences. Designed to assist in its retention efforts, an agency supported state-wide survey was employed to capture worker feedback and insight into turnover. This article examines the quantitative feedback from a Southern state’s frontline child welfare workforce (N=511), examining worker intent to leave as those who intend to stay employed at the agency (Stayers), those who are undecided (Undecided), and those who intend to leave (Leavers). A series of One-Way ANOVAs revealed a stratified pattern of worker dissatisfaction, with stayers reporting highest satisfaction levels, followed by undecided workers, and then leavers in all areas (e.g., salary, workload, recognition, professional development, accomplishment, peer support, and supervision). A Multinomial Logistic Regression model revealed significant (and shared) predictors among leavers and undecided workers in comparison to stayers with respect to dissatisfaction with workload and professional development, and working in an urban area. Additionally, child welfare workers who intend to leave the agency in the next 12 months expressed significant dissatisfaction with supervision and accomplishment, and tended to be younger and professionals of color.