When: Wednesday, December 12, 2012, 12:00–1:00 pm
Presenters: Jeff Thomson, City of Minnetonka, and Mike Greco, University of Minnesota
Where: City of Minnetonka, 14600 Minnetonka Boulevard, Minnetonka, MN 55345.
About the event: The Resilient Communities Project is a year-long partnership between the University of Minnesota and one community in Minnesota in which students and faculty from across the University collaborate with the partner city to address their sustainability-related needs through course-based projects. This collaboration is for on-the-ground impact and forward movement for a community ready to transition to a more sustainable and livable future. The Resilient Communities Project model provides a partner community access to hundreds of students and faculty across a range of academic disciplines including architecture, planning, engineering, business, environmental sciences and the humanities. Many projects combine multiple disciplines to address problems from diverse perspectives. Expertise is available related to all aspects of sustainability (environmental health, economic opportunity, social equity and community livability) and all stages of sustainability efforts (analysis, planning, design, implementation, and evaluation). Students benefit from real-world opportunities to apply their knowledge and training, as well as bringing energy, enthusiasm, and innovative approaches to address difficult, persistent problems. This event has been approved for CM credit by the APA.
About the presenters: Mike Greco is the program manager for the Resilient Communities Project at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA). He is an adjunct faculty member in the Humphrey School of Public Affairs urban and regional planning program and sits on the Dakota County Planning Commission as well as serving on various regional advisory committees on urban planning and sustainability issues. Jeff Thomson is the associate planner at the City of Minnetonka, and serves as the program coordinator for the city’s partnership with the Resilient Communities Project. His primary work focuses on land use planning for the city. He previously worked for the cities of Apple Valley, Minnesota and South Bend, Indiana. He received his bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Notre Dame and master’s degree in public administration from Hamline University. Attendees are welcome to bring their own lunch to the event.
Please RSVP to Matthew Parent at [email protected] by Monday, December 10, 2012.