Virajita Singh
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Virajita Singh’s interdisciplinary academic work at the University of Minnesota (College of Design and Office for Equity and Diversity) is in Architecture, Sustainable Design, Design Thinking, Participatory Design, Community Resilience, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Partnership Studies, Religious Studies, and Art. This collection includes some examples of her work.
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Item Roseau River Water Trail Masterplan(2018-08) Singh, Virajita; Olson, MirandaThe Roseau River Water Trail Masterplan proposes designs for six sites that were selected along the Roseau River that are significant in terms of access and use of the Roseau River at the following specific locations: Hayes Lake State Park, Malung Town Hall, City Park, City Center, Stoe’s Bridge and Ross Town Hall.Item Ellen Hopkins Elementary School: Nature Based Play Space(2016-06-30) Thill, Alexander; Singh, Virajita; Kulman Brigham, JoneeItem Southwest Hmong Community Center: Tsev Nqeeb on the Prairie Master Plan(2018-07) Singh, Virajita; Chang, XinThe Southwest Hmong Community Center (SWHCC) is a community-driven project led by Project Uniting Southwest Hmong (PUSH) in the city of Tracy, the city of Walnut Grove, and surrounding areas of Southwest Minnesota. The project focused on a site with existing buildings in the city of Tracy, and developed a master plan that meets community needs, including a community gathering space, a cultural museum, a renovated greenhouse, a new cold climate winter greenhouse, and areas for food growing and community gardens. The research and participatory design process documented in this report, conducted from February 2018 to June 2018, was facilitated by the Design for Community Resilience program at the Center for Sustainable Building Research, College of Design, University of Minnesota Twin Cities. It was funded by the Southwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (SWRSDP), Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) and Project Uniting Southwest Hmong (PUSH).Item National Loon Center Masterplan(2018-02) Singh, Virajita; Polacek, JoeThe National Loon Center (NLC) is a community-driven project led by the National Loon Center Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization, and its many partners in Crosslake and the Whitefish Chain of Lakes area. The project focuses on loons and their unique relationship with the shared freshwater ecosystem in the area, fish and wildlife management, environmental stewardship, trails, tourism, recreation, education, and long-term sustainability. This report and masterplan is the result of a research and community participatory design process conducted from August to January 2017.Item Thief River Falls: New Vision for Downtown, Community Masterplan(2017-10) Singh, Virajita; Polacek, JoeThe Thief River Falls Downtown Development Association was formed in 2015 for the purpose of revitalizing the downtown community to support current businesses and to encourage new business development. The “New Vision for Downtown Thief River Falls” project developed a master plan of the downtown with the goal of creating a unified, welcoming environment. Recommendations include pedestrian-friendly street crossings, greenery, updating storefronts, purchasing new light poles and signage.Item Healthy Foods Healthy Lives Project Sweetie Pie-Camden Greenhouse Project(2015) Singh, Virajita; Thill, Alexander; Handeen, DanielItem Enhancing Environment and Health in Transportation Project Design(University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies, 2007-12) Carmody, John; Singh, VirajitaGood transportation design that enhances communities results in positive impacts on the natural environment--the air, water, soil, and biodiversity that are the life support systems for human society on earth. Design of outdoor and indoor environments can also positively influence human health. The issues related to environment and health fall under the concept of sustainability. This research includes a review of environmental assessment methods, rating systems and guidelines that are currently being used to transform sustainable building practices in the United States. In addition, there is an examination of case studies of exemplary transportation projects demonstrating the benefits of sustainable design approaches. The research includes case studies at three scales--large-scale development, buildings, and infrastructure--and identifies the lessons learned from these projects. While environmental sustainability issues are not new in transportation projects, there is a new and growing recognition that problems are more extensive and more urgent than previously recognized and that there must be a deeper understanding of the connection between planning, design, and construction decisions, as well as their resulting impacts. Transportation design can and should address regional and community scale ecological issues. Effective practices include applying an integrated design approach, making environmental outcomes explicit in the design process, and measuring performance outcomes during the life of the project. An emerging set of sustainable guidelines and standards can be effective tools for setting goals and organizing the design process for well-designed transportation projects.Item Aligning and Delivering Research Metrics(University of Minnesota, 2007) Boone, Sherri; Grossman, Elizabeth; Haeg, Peter; Singh, Virajita; Ecklein, SandraThis project will review the various metrics collected by the institution and external organizations and after careful analysis will determine what additional information related to research activity is needed in order to demonstrate that the institution is making progress toward our goal.