Resilient Communities Project (RCP)

Persistent link for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11299/201605

The Resilient Communities Project (RCP) partners with city and county government agencies in Minnesota to address locally identified environmental, social, economic, and livability issues and needs through year-long, collaborative community-university partnerships. Through the program, University faculty, staff, and students have an opportunity to provide research and technical assistance on real-world issues by way of course-based and independent student projects. This collection includes student reports and other deliverables from RCP’s past partnerships. RCP is a program of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA). Learn more at http://rcp.umn.edu.

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    Chaska Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan Evaluation:
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2024) Klein, Ian; Chakkouri, Hajar; Ndiaye, Leo; Wright, Alishia
    This project was completed through a partnership between the City of Chaska and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (https://rcp.umn.edu/). The goal of this project was to develop an evaluation program that establishes baseline data for pedestrian and bicycle usage so the City can track progress over time, assess unmet needs, and make strategic infrastructure investments. City of Chaska project lead Ashley Cauley collaborated with a team of students in Kayla Meyers’ course PA 5311: Program Evaluation to create a pedestrian and bicycle evaluation plan that includes a logic model, design matrix, and various data collection tools, including a community survey and focus group interview protocol. A final student report and PowerPoint presentation slides from the project are available.
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    Metropolitan Airports Commission: Evaluating Contractors and Employees
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2024) Johnson, Shenae; Heinen, Nikki; Choongh, Gagan
    This project was completed through a partnership between the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (https://rcp.umn.edu/). The goal of this project was to develop a standardized set of criteria and triggers to guide the MAC regarding when to hire an FTE, when to hire an external consultant or contractor, and when to change from a consultant to FTE. MAC project lead Nicole Kiefer collaborated with a team of students in Dr. Stacy Doepner-Hove’s course HRIR 6801: Master of Human Resources and Industrial Relations Experiential Learning Capstone to conduct research on internal organizational practices and industry standards to inform development of a questionnaire for hiring managers that assists in worker classification decision-making. A final student report and PowerPoint presentation slides from the project are available.
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    Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Rates and Charges Review: Implementation Guide
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2024) Overgaard, Haley; Klocker, Andrew; Norman, Ellen; Carrier, Ethan; Katrinak, Ivy; Shortreed, Greta; Kuula, Bryce; Puri, Sevaan; Carlson, Amber; Fraser, Evan; Smith, Carter; Larson, Michaela; King, Katya; Doctor, Arwa; Fuerst, Aidan; Wilkie, Alex; Cameron, Kiera; Li, Crystal; Anderson, Xander; McGurran, Joseph; Serdar, Ava; Davis, Jada; McFall, Isaac; Tadese, Moti; Cunningham, Carter; Holte, Brock; De Jager, Aidan; Hodgson, Lilly; Godithi, Divya; Badalyan, David; Kim, Audrey; Cain, Carson; O'Rourke, Kiersten; Bereket, Rufta; Mitchell, Eliana; Bajwa, Ankita; Castro Santos, Marcos; Scripture, Mason; Schindler, Rebecca; Senthil, Roshini; Bowar, Samantha; Xiong, Natalie; Murphy, David; Preus, Analee; Yousef, James; Maas, Caleb; Nelson, Sully; Stamm
    This project was completed through a partnership between the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (https://rcp.umn.edu/). The goal of this project was to evaluate current fees, rates and charges the MAC charges to non-airline companies operating at MSP, conduct a benchmarking review of rate structures at other large-hub airports, and recommend changes based on these insights. MAC project lead Ed Podnieks and other MAC staff collaborated with a team of students in Meghan Stiling's course BA 3062: Impact Lab in Action, where eight teams of students researched airport rates in various industries (e.g., parking, transportation, restaurants) and developed recommendations and an implementation guide. A final aggregated report and presentations of the work of all eight student teams is available.
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    A Guide to Electric Vehicles for Municipalities: Twin Cities Metropolitan Area
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2024) Fatima, Nuzhat
    This project was completed in partnership between the Metropolitan Council through the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (https://rcp.umn.edu/). The goal of this project was to provide comprehensive information on electric vehicle (EV) adoption for Twin Cities metro area municipalities and outline decision-making criteria for development of public-facing charging infrastructure. Metropolitan Council project lead MacKenzie Young-Walters collaborated with RCP Scholar Nuzhat Fatima to research case studies of cities across the metro area, emphasizing best practices and lessons learned to support broader EV adoption. A final student report from the project is available.
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    Indigenous History for Overlook Plaza: Engagement Best Practices and Design Ideas
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2024) Marzec, Jules; Warnacutt, Camille
    This project was completed as part of a partnership between the City of La Crescent and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (https://rcp.umn.edu/). The goal of this project was to identify opportunities for the City of La Crescent to share the history and celebrate the culture of indigenous communities as they develop a plan for a new Overlook Plaza. La Crescent project lead Larry Kirch collaborated with RCP Scholars Jules Marzec and Camille Warnacutt to develop case studies of successful partnerships between tribal communities and Minnesota cities, interview members of indigenous communities with ties to the La Crescent area, and host community engagement events to inform the Overlook Plaza design. A final student report, poster, and PowerPoint presentation slides from the project are available.
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    Case Studies of Projects to Help Grow the Landscape of Ramsey County for Urban Agriculture and Provide Greater Food Security
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2024) Crawley, Leslie; Jorgensen, Andy; Pichel, Frank; O'Brien, Liam
    This project was completed as part of a partnership between Ramsey County and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (https://rcp.umn.edu/). The goal of this project was to identify opportunities and strategies for Ramsey County to engage, encourage, and support municipalities in their efforts to expand urban agriculture. Ramsey County project lead Cameran Bailey collaborated with a team of students in Dr. Jeannie Entenza’s course PA 8081: Leading Organizational & Community Change Capstone to research and analyze case studies of urban agriculture projects in comparable jurisdictions, creating a matrix to compare categories of interest to the County. A final student report and PowerPoint presentation slides from the project are available, as well as a fact sheet on community gardening and the scoring process students undertook to identify relevant projects.
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    Duluth Blight Mitigation: Property Condition Scoring Metric Training Manual
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2024) Seigfreid, Ann; Bliss, Morgan
    This project was completed as part of a partnership between the City of Duluth and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (https://rcp.umn.edu/). The goal of this project was to further pilot a GIS property condition scoring metric developed by a previous team of students and create a training manual for how to use the tool. City of Duluth project lead Jon Otis collaborated with RCP Scholars Ann Seigfreid and Morgan Bliss to pilot the tool in the field, update the survey tool as needed, and adapt it for use on commercial properties. A final student report/training manual and PowerPoint presentation slides from the project are available.
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    Bridging the Gap: Lifting up Unheard Community Voices and Enhancing Resident Engagement in Duluth through Effective Communication
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2024) Cleveland, Geida; Moncrief, Beth; Nelson, Drew; Ortiz, Josh; Young, Emma
    This project was completed as part of a partnership between the City of Duluth and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (https://rcp.umn.edu/). The goal of this project was to evaluate current City communication practices, identify gaps in outreach, and provide recommendations to improve effectiveness. City of Duluth project lead Kelli Latuska collaborated with a team of students in Dr. Jeannie Entenza’s course PA 8081: Public Affairs and Public Policy Capstone to collect and analyze data, which included reviewing published data and literature, conducting a stakeholder and comparative staffing analysis, and examining several case studies of prior communications campaigns and opportunities for public engagement. A final student report and PowerPoint presentation slides from the project are available.
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    Making Duluth a Smart City
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2024) Masson, George; Schoonover, Garrett; Sciamanda, Marianne
    This project was completed through a partnership between the City of Duluth and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (https://rcp.umn.edu/). The goal of this project was to investigate the feasibility of deploying a “smart city” network in Duluth that would allow staff to gather instant and location-based data for core city functions—including water meter reading, public safety, and emergency response—to ensure equitable access to services, and reduce energy and water use. City of Duluth project lead Mindy Granley collaborated with a team of students in Steve Kelley’s course PA 8081 to construct a series of cost-benefit analyses for three smart city technology deployment scenarios. A final student report and presentation from the project are available.
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    Duluth Property Condition Scorecard and Resource Guide
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2024) Kohler, Elizabeth; Sindelar, Danielle Elizabeth Dorothy; Vanagas, Eve
    This project was completed through a partnership between the City of Duluth and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (https://rcp.umn.edu/). The goal of this project was to investigate the use of residential property condition scorecards in other communities, develop a standard metric to score residential properties in Duluth, and pilot the scorecard to begin identifying and mapping properties in poor condition that are at risk of deterioration and demolition, and that might benefit from City investments in infrastructure, housing assistance, and targeted services. City of Duluth project lead Jon Otis collaborated with a team of students in Dr. Nichola Lowe’s course PA 8081 to complete a literature review, conduct case study analyses, and develop and pilot a residential property scorecard. A final student report, presentation, and resource guide from the project are available.
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    City of Edina Density Study
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2024) Briggs, Kenton; Leaf, Holly; Menhennet, Johnny; Olberding, Greg; Thompson, Jem; Wu, Yuping
    This project was completed through a partnership between the City of Edina and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (https://rcp.umn.edu/). The goal of this project was to investigate if the City of Edina’s 2030 population density targets are adequate to meet its transportation and climate goals, analyze how this density target aligns with the City’s current comprehensive plan, and recommend site-specific and general strategies for increasing density to meet the target goal. City of Edina project lead Matthew Gabb collaborated with a team of students in Dr. Nichola Lowe’s course PA 8081, which performed policy and literature reviews, ran multivariate regression analyses to determine which factors impact vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions, modeled potential density scenarios and relevant policy changes to introduce greater density, and made final recommendations for how the city might best achieve its transportation and climate goals. A final student report and presentation from the project are available.
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    To Acknowledge and to Celebrate: Indigenous Placemaking on Hoocak and Dakota Homelands
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2024) Greenberg, Gillian; Leon Gomez, Edgar; Mollberg, Mason
    This project was completed in partnership between the City of La Crescent and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (https://rcp.umn.edu/). The goal of this project was to identify opportunities for the City of La Crescent to share the history and celebrate the culture of indigenous communities that have inhabited the land in and around La Crescent as they develop a plan for public spaces in the community. City of La Crescent project lead Larry Kirch supported a team of students in Peter Brown’s course PA 8081 who researched indigenous history in the area, conducted interviews with indigenous residents to learn about their own and their family's history in and ties to the area, participated in advisory council meetings, and hosted a community engagement workshop to inform design of a future Overlook Plaza near the city's downtown. A final student report and presentation from the project are available.
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    Incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge into Urban Tree Canopy Projects
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2021) Jennings, Cody; Ziegler, Ben; Schiltz, Dennis; Warren, Angela
    This resource is adapted from a report originally created for the City of Woodbury, Minnesota, as part of a year-long partnership with the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (RCP), with financial support and technical assistance from the Metropolitan Council. This guide was created to inform urban tree canopy projects in cities and counties in the Twin Cities metropolitan area by introducing the concept of traditional ecological knowledge and suggesting ways that local government agencies might engage Native American Tribal Nations in their urban forestry planning efforts.
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    Assessing Equitable Tree Canopy Coverage
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2021) Gjertson, Daniel; Kennedy, Jamie; Murphy, Megan; Scott, Derell
    This resource is adapted from a student project and report originally created for the City of Woodbury, Minnesota, as part of a year-long partnership with the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (RCP), with financial support and technical assistance from the Metropolitan Council. This resource describes a replicable method used in the City of Woodbury to assess current tree canopy cover, as well as identify potential areas for additional investment to increase tree canopy cover in a way that is both equitable and sustainable.
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    Urban Tree Canopy Community Engagement Toolkit
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2021) Baker, Bill; Kennedy, Jamie; Stower, Kathryn; Rodiles, Naomi
    This resource is adapted from a toolkit originally created for the City of Woodbury, Minnesota, as part of a year-long partnership with the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (RCP), with financial support and technical assistance from the Metropolitan Council. The goal of the project was to create resources for local governments to inform and engage residents in urban tree canopy initiatives. The toolkit include templates for developing a comprehensive communications plan, a checklist for designing an inclusive engagement effort, an animated vision-sharing video; a tree stewardship event template; and three tools for gathering public input—online surveys, pop-up engagements, and focus groups.
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    Creating and Sustaining Equity in Little Canada through Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Public Transit Connectivity
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2022) Berger, Jacob; Burstein, Regina; Koenen, Frank; Paquin, Jarred
    This project was completed in partnership between the City of Little Canada and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (https://rcp.umn.edu/). The goal of this project was to research how the City of Little Canada might equitably prioritize improvements to its transportation infrastructure to provide safe, accessible, and connected pathways for people walking, rolling, biking, and taking public transit. City of Little Canada project lead Corrin Wendell collaborated with a team of students in Dr. Greg Lindsey’s course PA 8081 to conduct four analyses - demographic, crash risk, connectivity, and economic – and solict feedback from the community through an online survey and several key informant interviews. A final student report, executive summary, and PowerPoint presentation slides from the project are available.
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    An Electric Solution: Research and Recommendations for Washington County’s EV Infrastructure
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2022) Freier, Ben
    This project was completed as part of a partnership between Washington County and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (https://rcp.umn.edu/). The goal of this project was to research policies and best practices related to electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure to support future transportation planning in Washington County. Washington County project lead Sara Allen collaborated with a graduate student enrolled in PA 8991 to research case studies of EV adoption in other counties and propose recommendations for future investments. A final student report and PowerPoint presentation slides from the project are available.
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    The Permanent University Fund: Land Grants and Mineral Leases
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2022) Fuecker, Danielle; Goodwin, Audrianna; Paddock, Henry; Titus, Madeline
    This project was completed as part of a partnership between the University of Minnesota’s Office of American Indian Tribal Nations Relations and the Resilient Communities Project (https://rcp.umn.edu/). The goal of this project was to provide a preliminary historical and financial analysis of the University of Minnesota’s Permanent University Fund, its sources of revenue, and its allocation of those funds. Office of American Indian Tribal Nations Relations project lead An Garagioloa collaborated with a team of students in Dr. Greg Lindsey's course PA 8081: Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone to quantify the mineral extraction revenue the University has collected from the land-grant lands, and how that revenue has been allocated both within the University and throughout Minnesota. A final student report from the project is available.
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    University Relationships with Tribal Nations: Opportunities for University Action
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2022) Fuecker, Danielle; Goodwin, Audrianna; Paddock, Henry; Titus, Madeline
    This project was completed as part of a partnership between the University of Minnesota’s Office of American Indian Tribal Nations Relations and the Resilient Communities Project (https://rcp.umn.edu/). The goal of this project was to research potential avenues for the University of Minnesota to improve University-Tribal relations, backed by experiential knowledge and effective practices of the University's peer institutions. Office of American Indian Tribal Nations Relations project lead An Garagioloa collaborated with a team of students in Dr. Greg Lindsey's course PA 8081: Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone to conduct qualitative research interviews with representatives from 10 universities in the United States about how they are evaluating and addressing harms done to Tribal populations. A final student report from the project is available.
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    Keeping Our Cool with the Metropolitan Council: Extreme Heat Through Storytelling
    (Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota, 2023) Anders, Mattie; Hewitt, Alice; McDonald, Katie
    This project was completed as part of a partnership between the Metropolitan Council and the University of Minnesota’s Resilient Communities Project (https://rcp.umn.edu/). The goal of this project was to assist the Metropolitan Council in updating its extreme heat tool to include narratives that document extreme heat impacts on public health and natural systems, and demonstrate the equity and human health considerations related to extreme heat events. Metropolitan Council project leads Eric Wojchik and Ellen Esch collaborated with a team of students in Dr. Peter Brown’s course PA 8081 to provide a qualitative and human-centered focus on how extreme heat is impacting residents around the Twin Cities metropolitan area. A final student report and StoryMap website (https://z.umn.edu/MetCouncilExtremeHeat) from the project are available.