Incorporating Ramsey: Strengthening Community through Placemaking

Abstract

This project was completed as part of the 2017-2018 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of Ramsey. The COR, the city’s mixed-use, transit-oriented development along the Northstar Commuter Rail Corridor, was intended as a vibrant destination in the community, with a variety of uses of varying intensities within walking distance of each other. With less than half of The COR currently developed, Ramsey staff will soon be updating The COR development plan, and wanted assistance identifying appropriate strategies for including the public in the plan update process, as well as with analysis that can inform development of the plan itself. Students in Dr. Fernando Burga’s Land Use Planning class assessed current conditions in The COR, identified key placemaking principles that could inform future development of The COR, and proposed specific outreach and engagement strategies that leverage placemaking principles to gather public input in the planning process. The students' final report is available.