Access to and Affordability of St. Paul Recreation Centers for Low Income Families

The purpose of this study is to better understand who is using the recreation centers in the lower-income areas of the city. Additionally, we want to better understand what activities or programs bring people to the recreation centers in these neighborhoods, how people travel there, and how far they come from. The most apparent trends we found through this survey are that the recreation centers are used primarily by youth with an average age of 10 who live in the neighborhood and walk or bike there. Additionally, we learned that most recreation center users do not travel far to get to a recreation center. With this in mind we can better understand how the spatial distribution of recreation centers throughout the city affects which residents are being best served by recreation centers; when the focus is on quality over quantity, some neighborhoods get left out.Conducted on behalf of The East Side Neighborhood Development Company. Supported by the Kris Nelson Community-Based Research Program, a program of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) at the University of Minnesota

Regional Water Planning for Climate Resilience

Professional paper for the fulfillment of the Master of Urban and Regional Planning degree.This report on regional water planning for climate resilience considers the specific circumstances of the Midwest Ecoregion of the United States. In our analysis, we explore climate data resources across the state to discover ways in which climate change will severely impact or hinder communities in the Midwest, particularly those in Minnesota. Climate change will cause extreme rain events, increased temperatures, and drought in the ecoregion, which will overwhelm infrastructure and leave communities in disrepair if they are not well prepared. Through research on the One Water approach to water management (too much, too little, too dirty) and several regional entities in the Midwest Ecoregion, we suggest ways in which both regional and local planning strategies can coincide to assist communities and regions as they adapt to a changing climate. The proposed strategies are split between regional and local contexts as they epitomize two types of entities with different implementation policies. The regional strategies are: “Implementing adaptation on a broad scale”, “Adapting regionally with urban green infrastructure”, “Performing broad-scale monitoring”, and “Performing species and community-specific assessments”. The local strategies are: “Adapting at the local level with urban green infrastructure”, “Supporting state climatologists”, “Creating a framework for local government planning”, and “Implementing short term solutions”

The Road to Prosperity: Engaging Ramsey for a Better Highway 10

Report and poster completed by students enrolled in PA 5253: Planning and Participation Processes, taught by Dan Milz in fall 2017.This project was completed as part of the 2017-2018 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of Ramsey. Ramsey is bisected by U.S. Highway 10, which is slated for significant upgrades in the next 20 years to convert the corridor to a limited-access highway. However, the uncertain timing of future Highway 10 improvements makes it difficult for landowners along the corridor to invest in or sell their property. The City wanted to clarify the future vision for the corridor and the timing of planned improvements, and sought assistance designing an outreach and engagement process to connect with stakeholders affected by the plan and future improvements. Students in Dr. Dan Milz’s Planning and Participation Processes class identified strategies to productively engage with the main groups of stakeholders concerned about the future of Highway 10: business owners, residents, and commuters. A final report and poster are available.This project was supported by the Resilient Communities Project (RCP), a program at the University of Minnesota whose mission is to connect communities in Minnesota with U of MN faculty and students to advance community resilience through collaborative, course-based projects. RCP is a program of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA). More information at http://www.rcp.umn.edu