The following report documents the ideas, proposals, and methodologies
produced by the Sustainable City Year (SCY) Downtown Parks Connectivity
project for the City of Salem. The Downtown Parks Connectivity project
members included students in the University of Oregon’s department of
Planning, Public Policy and Management enrolled in the academic course
PPPM 436/536: Social Planning with Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Project members were given the task of connecting Salem’s core area parks
by proposing a system of urban pedestrian trails and bicycle routes. The City
of Salem hopes to improve pedestrian and bicycle accessibility to enhance the
recreational potential of the parks system and the enjoyment of park patrons.
Research was primarily conducted using GIS, however this comprehensive
report puts an emphasis on ideas for improving transportation connectivity
and connecting Salem’s downtown communities rather than the technical GIS
methodologies. Note that GIS is still addressed in the final sections of the report
and in the appendices, but this is due to the innovative nature of select projects
that require a technical understanding of GIS.
Each section is divided into brief summaries of individual projects. Policy
and planning recommendations are included on a case-by-case basis. The
conclusion section includes an overall summary of recommendations generated
by these reports.
Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.
Sustainable City Year Program Contact Info
Megan Banks
Sustainable City Year Program Manager
mbanks@uoregon.edu
(541) 346-6395
University Faculty Contact
Marc Schlossberg
Planning, Public Policy and Management
schlossb@uoregon.edu
Local Government / Community Contact
Courtney Knox
Urban Development Senior Project Manager