During the 2022–2023 academic year, RCP partnered with the MnDOT Office of Transit and Active Transportation, Washington County, Ramsey County Public Health, the Cities of Edina and Bloomington, the League of Minnesota Cities, and the Metropolitan Council on projects to advance community sustainability, equity, and resilience. You can learn more about the projects below.
Does your local government agency have a project idea to build community resilience that could benefit from research or technical assistance? It's not too late to apply for an RCP Partnership!
MnDOT: Exploring Shared-Mobility Public-Private Partnerships
Project Goal: Create a public-private partnerships (P3) guide for shared-mobility services to increase public sector knowledge of these types of agreements, and ultimately increase shared-mobility options for Minnesotans. (Project Brief)
Partner: Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), Office of Transit and Active Transportation
Project Lead: Elliott McFadden, Greater Minnesota Shared Mobility Program Coordinator, MnDOT
Matches:
PA 8081: Public Policy Capstone (summer 2022) | Final Report and Presentation
RCP Scholars Team (fall 2022) | Final Report
In the News:
- Shared Mobility Public-Private Partnership Guide, Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), December 2023
- "Navigating public-private partnerships is key for shared mobility integration," The Catalyst, July 2023
Edina: Developing Tools to Inform Water Resource Management
Project Goal: To identify areas where stormwater infiltration is both technically feasible and protective of the community’s drinking water source (Project Brief)
Partner: City of Edina (with matching funds provided by the Metropolitan Council)
Project Lead: Jessica Wilson, Water Resources Coordinator, City of Edina
Course Matches:
CEGE 4103W: Capstone Design for Environmental Engineering (Spring 2022) | Final Report (coming soon) | Presentation (video) >
Edina: Feasibility of Electric Car Sharing in a Suburban Environment
Project Goal: To assess the feasibility of an electric car sharing program in a suburban community to improve access and mobility. (Project Brief)
Partner: City of Edina
Project Lead: Grace Hancock, Sustainability Manager, City of Edina
Matches:
RCP Scholars Team (fall 2022) | Final Report
PA 5253: Transportation Planning, Policy, and Development (fall 2022) | Team Equity Final Report and Presentation | Team Connectivity Final Report and Presentation | Team Best Practices Final Report and Presentation
PA 8081: Transportation Planning Capstone (spring 2023) | Final Report and Presentation
League of Minnesota Cities: Supporting Cities in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work
Project Goal: To assist Minnesota cities with their diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives by identifying barriers to implementation and action. (Project Brief)
Partner: League of Minnesota Cities (LMC)
Project Lead: Rachel Walker, Policy Analysis Manager, League of Minnesota Cities
Matches:
RCP Scholars Team (fall 2022)
Metropolitan Council: Keeping Our Cool: Extreme Heat Update and Assessment
Project Goal: 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. (Project Brief available soon)
Partner: Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities
Project Lead: Ellen Esch, Senior Data Scientist, Metropolitan Council Community Development
Matches:
PA 8081: MURP Capstone (spring 2023) | Final Report | Keeping Our Cool Storymap
Washington County: Planning for the Future of Natural Resource Land Management
Project Goal: To explore the advantages and disadvantages of active land management and passive land management approaches (Project Brief)
Partner: Washington County (with matching funds provided by the Metropolitan Council)
Project Lead: Connor Schaefer, Public Works Planner, Washington County
Matches:
Capstone: Master of Professional Studies in Horticulture (fall 2022) | Final Report and Poster
Capstone II: Master of Professional Studies in Horticulture (fall 2023) | Final report
Washington County: Policy Planning for Electric Vehicles
Project Goal: To create policy recommendations to ensure Washington County is EV-ready (Project Brief)
Partner: Washington County (with matching funds provided by the Metropolitan Council)
Project Lead: Sarah Allen, Planner, Washington County
Course Matches:
PA 8991: Transportation Policy Independent Study (spring 2022) | Final Report | Presentation (video) >
Bloomington: Development Impact Analysis
Project Goal: To provide the City of Bloomington with a return-on-investment evaluation of several recent developments and current land-use types in the community by comparing the value added in human and financial terms vs. the future cost to the public to service such development. (Project Brief available soon)
Partner: City of Bloomington, Planning Division and Housing Redevelopment Authority
Project Lead: Nick Johnson, Senior Planner, CIty of Bloomington
Matches:
PA 8081: MURP Capstone (spring 2023) | Affordable Housing Team: Final Report and Presentation | Mixed-Use Development Team: Final Report and Presentation
Bloomington: Measurement Matters—Equity-Driven Evaluation Methods to Support Strategic Plan Implementation
Project Goal: To provide the City of Bloomington recommendations for equity-focused evaluation strategies that can provide ongoing assessment of the City's community engagement efforts. (Project Brief available soon)
Partner: City of Bloomington, Community Outreach and Engagement Division
Project Lead: Laura Bohen, Manager, Community Outreach and Engagement Division, CIty of Bloomington
Matches:
PA 8081: MURP Capstone (spring 2023) | Final Report and Presentation
Bloomington: Recruitment and Retention of BIPOC Millennial Workforce in Local Government
Project Goal: To identify strategies and best practices for recruiting and retaining a diverse millennial workforce within the City of Bloomington. (Project Brief available soon)
Partner: City of Bloomington, Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (OREIB)
Project Lead: Pa Dao Yang, Equity and Inclusion Program Specialist, City of Bloomington
Matches:
HRIR 5222: Creating and Managing Diversity and Inclusion (Spring 2023) | Final Reports and Presentations
Ramsey County: Inclusive, Iterative Engagement in Pursuit of Climate Resilience
Project Goal: To assist with community engagement focused on identifying services to address the health impacts of changing climate on Ramsey County’s most vulnerable residents (Project Brief)
Partner: Ramsey County (with matching funds provided by the Metropolitan Council)
Project Lead: Abigail Phillips, Climate and Health Planner, Saint Paul–Ramsey County Public Health
Matches:
RCP Scholars Team (fall 2022) | Report coming soon
PA 5145: Civic Engagement in Public Affairs (spring 2023) | Final Student Report (poster-format)
In the News:
- "A More Resilient Ramsey County," RCP Newsletter, Spring 2024
Ramsey County: Internal Capacity Building at the Intersection of Health, Resilience and Racial Equity
Project Goal: Identify County employee training needs and develop appropriate training resources to better promote health, resilience, and racial equity in County efforts to prepare for and address climate change impacts (Project Brief)
Partner: Ramsey County (with matching funds provided by the Metropolitan Council)
Project Lead: Abigail Phillips, Climate and Health Planner, Saint Paul–Ramsey County Public Health
Matches:
PA 8081: MURP Capstone (spring 2023) | Final Report
HRIR 6801: Master of Human Resources and Industrial Relations Experiential Learning Capstone (fall 2023) | Final Report
In the News:
- "A More Resilient Ramsey County," RCP Newsletter, Spring 2024