Project Cities is a university-community partnership. Through the program, sustainability faculty and students pair with a city to co-create strategies for better environmental, economic and social balance in the places we live. Students from multiple disciplines research difficult problems chosen by the city and propose innovative sustainability solutions that enable the city to make progress toward a better future.
ASU students in designated courses work directly with a local city on predetermined sustainability-related projects and challenges. Students from multiple disciplines research difficult problems chosen by the city and propose innovative sustainability solutions that enable the city to make progress toward a better future. Students benefit by learning to integrate social, economic and environmental sustainability knowledge into realistic solutions. In the process, participating cities may identify sustainable solution pathways for complex problems.
Municipal solid waste management is an integral part of a city’s infrastructure. However, as the amount of solid waste increases, finding sustainable solutions to address this growth is crucial. For the City of Peoria, textile recovery and recycling have the potential to benefit the city’s Solid Waste Division and its residents. Students in the ERM […]
Read More… from Sustainable Waste Management: Recycling Textiles & Extruded Polystyrene
The Town of Clarkdale is situated in the Verde Valley of central Arizona. A historic mining town, Clarkdale is known for its rich deposits of copper and other minerals and has long-standing relationships with mining companies such as Freeport-McMoRan. While Clarkdale is dedicated to preserving its history, it also recognizes it is no longer the […]
Affordable housing options are growing sparse in the U.S., with the issue even more prevalent throughout the state of Arizona. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), only 25 affordable rental properties exist for every 100 extreme low-income rental households across the U.S. (2019). This ever-present issue has spurred many cities and towns […]
A critical facet of thriving communities, placemaking is a key development process of improving the sociability, connectivity, usage, and comfort of a space, ultimately building cultural identity and a “sense of place.” On their own, these elements contribute to pleasant and useful settings, but strategically combined through placemaking, can build more meaningful, landmark hubs of […]
Peoria continues to demonstrate its commitment to sustainable development with the Livability Initiatives, which is comprised of six overarching goals for the city, including Economic Prosperity, Superior Public Services, Integrated Transportation, Arts and Cultural Enrichment, Smart Growth, and Healthy Neighborhoods. In 2009, the City of Peoria released its first Sustainability Action Plan (SAP), a guiding […]
Read More… from Sustainability Planning: Public Outreach Campaign (1/2)
Through the housing market’s many turbulent decades as well as the significant effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the greater economy, many small, historical towns are struggling to maintain an affordable housing market for their residents. Due to these unforeseen circumstances, residents of these towns are often faced with many challenges regarding the local […]
Peoria continues to demonstrate its commitment to sustainable development with the Livability Initiatives, which is comprised of six overarching goals for the city, including Economic Prosperity, Superior Public Services, Integrated Transportation, Arts and Cultural Enrichment, Smart Growth, and Healthy Neighborhoods. In 2009, the City of Peoria released its first Sustainability Action Plan (SAP), a guiding […]
Read More… from Sustainability Planning: Funding Strategies and Opportunities
Peoria continues to demonstrate its commitment to sustainable development with the Livability Initiatives, which is comprised of six overarching goals for the city, including Economic Prosperity, Superior Public Services, Integrated Transportation, Arts and Cultural Enrichment, Smart Growth, and Healthy Neighborhoods. In 2009, the City of Peoria released its first Sustainability Action Plan (SAP), a guiding […]
Read More… from Sustainability Planning: Sustainability Outreach (2/2)
Arid communities such as Peoria are often in search of innovative and sustainable heat mitigation solutions. Urban forestry is a growing practice that can help reduce energy consumption, increase pedestrian comfort, and provide environmental benefits such as filtering pollutants from urban air. The Fall 2020 portion of the project, summarized in Part 2 of this […]
Read More… from Community Forestry Program Development Project (2/2)
The need for affordable housing solutions affects cities around the country. Still, in particular, the City of Peoria is experiencing exponential population and economic growth, posing a challenge to keep up with housing availability needs. To capture the current state of affordable housing, the City of Peoria partnered with two classes in the ASU School […]
Read More… from Affordable Housing Study: Needs Assessment (2/2)