Project Overview The City of Elk River has organized solid waste collection for its residents through two haulers (Randy’s Environmental Services and Republic Services). The haulers are under contract with the City of Elk River until 2022. Residential accounts are set up and billed through Elk River Municipal Utilities. Customers pay a monthly fee on […]
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Project Overview The City of Elk River is home to an impaired lake and two impaired rivers. The City has been focusing on stormwater runoff reduction to these waters as well as pre-treatment techniques to improve water quality. However, the City has not implemented an alternative treatment system on city property, such as a green […]
PLACE’s Via development in St. Louis Park, MN will be a “mixed-use, mixed-income, transit-oriented community demonstrating profound environmental design.” The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure has developed Envision criteria to assess the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure. The Envision rating system consists of “60 sustainability criteria that address the full range of environmental, social, and […]
PLACE would like to analyze of how well current operations and future design ideas meet their sustainability goals. Students will model several different sustainability objectives through coupled economic/energetic/mass balance models to analyze how goals are currently being met and recommendations to better meet goals. Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner. […]
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PLACE’s EcoVillage development in St. Louis Park, MN includes multiple components: affordable and market-rate housing, an e-generation facility, live/work spaces, an urban forest, and a boutique hotel. Lenders often perceive multiple elements in a development as increasing risk, rather than distributing or managing risk. Students will analyze the multiple elements of the EcoVillage and provide […]
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PLACE would like to analyze of how well current operations and future design ideas meet their sustainability goals. Students will model several different sustainability objectives through coupled economic/energetic/mass balance models to analyze how goals are currently being met and recommendations to better meet goals. Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner. […]
Read More… from Using Models to Analyze Sustainability Goals and Tradeoffs
PLACE would like to encourage residents to engage in sustainable behaviors and to create community at the same time. Using a user-centered design approach, CISC 321 students will design a prototype EcoVillage ‘Energy Champion’ app to encourage energy conservation and create community through friendly competition. Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community […]
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One component of the Bike Master Plan is the design and placement of bike racks, including during winter months. Students will design bike racks for campus, based on criteria provided by Facilities and background research on bike racks and available technology. Preschoolers at the University of St. Thomas Child Development Center will collaborate on the […]
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Metro Transit offers a “college pass” transit pass to college students for a reduced rate. MBA students will conduct market research to understand market segments within the college student demographic and recommend fare product options that better meet the needs of different types of students. Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community […]
Metro Transit would like to improve response rates to their customer satisfaction surveys among native Spanish speakers to improve service and amenities for this community. Students will conduct interviews in Spanish with native Spanish speakers to both gather information about where and how to distribute customer satisfaction surveys, as well as to gain feedback about […]
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