8 Decent Work and Economic Growth – �鶹��Ƶ

Maximizing economic development through the Waupaca Recreation Center expansion project

Ada Inman — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 21:16:25 +0000

The City of Waupaca, located in Central Wisconsin, seeks to serve its residents through an expansion of its existing Recreation Center. This expansion will encompass a Business Service Center tailored for remote workers and business owners, in addition to offering telehealth services to patrons. This initiative has been supported by a $4.1 million grant from the Flexible Facilities Program to revitalize the existing property and expand the recreation center to provide access to work, education, and health services through improved infrastructure.

With the architectural plans in place and the deadline for breaking ground approaching, it was crucial to identify the unmet needs of the Waupaca community
and create research-based recommendations to best serve potential users of the Business Service Center. In order to determine key technological resources, furnishing needs, and program offerings, the team conducted secondary research on similar co-working spaces in other cities, and developed two surveys to generate community feedback. In essence, the intended outcome was to enhance the resources available to the Waupaca community ensuring that the new space not only reflected the diverse needs of all potential users, but was also flexible enough to evolve with any future objective.

Contact: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu

Designing an integrated and accessible Waupaca River Walk

Ada Inman — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 21:02:43 +0000

This capstone project explores the design of a riverwalk redevelopment in the City of Waupaca, Wisconsin. The City of Waupaca is seeking to implement a riverwalk that reconnects residents with the Waupaca River while attracting new investment to its downtown district. Known for its vibrant outdoor recreation culture, active arts community, and scenic natural surroundings, this small rural town already possesses a strong foundation. This project builds on those strengths to enhance quality of life, support local businesses, and create new opportunities for community gathering and tourism. While the design may not yet represent a final iteration, it serves as a foundation for future development, informed by research, community needs, and sustainable planning principles.

Contact: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu

Scaling the Deforest Dragon Art Fair

Ada Inman — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 20:49:06 +0000

The Dragon Art Fair is a juried annual arts and craft fair of 100+ artists and vendors held the 1st Saturday in June in Fireman’s Park, DeForest, WI. This fair was started in 2004 by Merry Poast & Julie Wills who ran the fair under the Dragon Arts Group for the past 20 years, and cultivated a loyal following of attendees and returning vendors from DeForest and beyond.

The leaders of the Dragon Art Fair decided to hand off the management of the fair to the Village of DeForest in 2024. While the municipality inherited many existing practices, they sought Bolz Center student consultants to further improve the fair.

Consultants used many data collection methods including a survey distributed locally and online, Zoom-based focus groups with DeForest residents, and field
research. Key findings revealed that customers highly value local artists and desire a variety of art types at the fair. While there were some limitations, this
study provides valuable insights into community preferences and recommendations for streamlining vendor management, improving marketing to increase audience, increasing attendee satisfaction and boosting economic impact throughout the community. These recommendations can be used not only for
the upcoming 2025 Dragon Art Fair but all the DeForest Dragon Art Fairs to come.

Contact: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu

Creating a staff growth plan for best service delivery

Ada Inman — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 19:19:59 +0000

The Village of DeForest is a rapidly growing suburban community in Dane County, Wisconsin. It has experienced consistent and significant population growth, prompting the need for strategic planning to ensure public services can continue to meet community expectations. At the request of Village Administrator Bill Chang, our team developed a staffing plan that projects position-level personnel needs over the next ten years. The purpose of this plan is to provide the Village of DeForest with a proactive framework for aligning staffing with anticipated growth while maintaining service standards.

To inform our approach, we reviewed staffing plans and organizational structures from surrounding communities with comparable growth trajectories. The staffing plan for the Village of McFarland served as a primary reference due to its accessibility and similar demographic profile. The resulting tool is an Excel spreadsheet model that allows population growth rates to be adjusted, producing projected staffing needs across various departments. This report summarizes the assumptions, references, and recommendations behind the model, with the goal of supporting data-driven staffing decisions in DeForest over the coming decade.

Contact: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu

Financial Analysis for Penns Valley Conservation Association

Ada Inman — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 20:18:58 +0000

The Penns Valley Conservation Association (PVCA) serves as a steward for the natural and cultural communities in the Upper Penns Creek watershed, seeking to preserve and honor the agricultural roots of Penns Valley by protecting and conserving its waters, farmlands, forests and rural heritage. To this end, it provides education and community engagement opportunities, applies for grants and conducts hands-on watershed stewardship activities, including riparian buffer repairs, rain gardens, etc. This project focuses on the financial management and reporting to ensure the board and the organization’s leadership have a good understanding of the organization’s fiscal health. In this project, the students reviewed PVCA financial practices and provide recommendations that improve practices and financial communications between staff and board members to enhance the capacity of the PVCA Board of Directors to act with maximum fiduciary responsibility.

Sustainable Communities Collaborative Contact Info
University Faculty Contact
Jason Lunn
Associate Clinical Professor of Finance
jjl29@psu.edu

Researching barriers to shared services among Wisconsin counties

Ada Inman — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 21:48:31 +0000

There are a variety of legal barriers and ambiguities impacting Wisconsin counties’ ability to share services. This report explores common barriers to shared services identified by Wisconsin county officials and experts, recommends solutions, and highlights examples of successful collaboration happening throughout the state. Contact: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu [...]

Exploring highway equipment shared services in Iowa County

Ada Inman — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 21:46:03 +0000

Badger Consulting students conducted a financial analysis to assess the best options for Iowa County to share highway equipment and services with other nearby county governments. The recommendations provided are informed by the financial analysis as well as robust stakeholder engagement with surrounding counties. Contact: UniverCity Alliance [...]

Combating Agricultural Waste and Boosting Farmer Income: Sustainable Smart Farming in Permatang Pauh

Ada Inman — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 17:33:00 +0000

Even though the State of Penang is experiencing urban expansion, a large part of the state has desakota characteristics (urban and agricultural forms of land use coexist). In the town of Permatang Pauh, Seberang Perai District, there are 4,070 hectares of agricultural land, with an estimated 2,000 farmers. Many of these farmers engage in wet-rice farming. Unfortunately, inefficient agricultural waste management increases the threat to the environment and the livelihood of the people as most farmers dispose of their wastes through either landfill or open-air incineration. The would like to improve the livelihood of the people and reduce the negative externalities to the environment.

The Problem

Permatang Pauh’s paddy farmers were facing two critical challenges: inefficient agricultural waste management and shrinking incomes. The burning of paddy husk post-harvest contributed significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, deteriorating air quality, and increasing health risks. Many farmers relied on outdated practices, with over 80% resorting to open burning. With most farmers nearing retirement age and limited exposure to modern farming methods, their ability to generate sustainable income was severely impacted. The community needed a solution to both reduce environmental harm and increase the farmers’ profitability.

The Opportunity

Recognizing that better waste management could lead to environmental and economic benefits, the �鶹��Ƶ Model was adopted to empower farmers and youth. If local farmers could learn sustainable practices like composting and aquaponics, they could turn agricultural waste into valuable organic compost, boost crop yield, and diversify their income. The project envisioned a greener future through smart farming, where knowledge-sharing between academia, local government, and industry could spark lasting change.

The Partnership

The project was led by Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI) in partnership with the Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) and Urbanest Sdn Bhd. Prof. Dr. Che Zalina Zulkifli from UPSI spearheaded the initiative, bringing expertise from university professors and students. “This collaboration bridges the gap between academia and the real-world challenges farmers face,” said Prof. Che Zalina. The Green Edu Centre, the first of its kind in Malaysia, provided the training ground for the 42 farmers and youth. “We aim to localize the technology, making it accessible and affordable for the community,” said a representative from Urbanest. MBSP’s involvement ensured the program aligned with local government initiatives to promote sustainability. Together, the partnership trained participants in composting, aquaponics, and fertigation techniques, all designed to reduce environmental damage while increasing income potential.

The Result

The results were immediate and promising. “97.5% of participants rated the program 4 or 5 stars,” said Karthigayan Gunasegaran, a project lead from UPSI. Farmers who had never received formal training before learned how to turn agricultural waste into organic compost, drastically reducing their reliance on harmful practices like open burning. “The training gave us the tools we needed to not only protect our land but also make more money,” shared one local farmer. The Green Edu Centre is now a hub for ongoing research and community education, ensuring the knowledge continues to grow beyond the initial project.

Looking Ahead

The partnership is committed to continuing its support for farmers in Permatang Pauh. Plans are already in place for follow-up training sessions that will focus on expanding smart farming techniques to more farmers. With the right funding, the program will also incorporate an agro-business component, helping farmers access new markets and reduce their reliance on traditional wholesale channels. The journey toward sustainable, smart farming is just beginning, and the partnership aims to keep the momentum going for years to come.

Partnership Contact Information

Seberang Perai City Council Contact
Mr. Chew Eng Seng
Local Agenda 21 Officer
Seberang Perai City Council
eschew@mbsp.gov.my

Written by: Alice Murphy
Edited by: Kay Phanthuwongpakdee

Exploring Wausau Police Station improvements

Ada Inman — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 18:00:07 +0000

The project produced different engineering design plans for an improved police facility to address Wausau Police Department goals of providing increased space, improving space functionality, updating the HVAC system, and improving residents’ experience. UniverCity Contact Info: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu [...]

Designing public health solutions to connect refugees to viable employment

Ada Inman — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 17:45:40 +0000

The Wausau area is currently home to approximately 180 refugees settled during the last two years. The increasing influx of refugees face significant barriers to successful integration into the community. The ECDC Multicultural Center (ECDC) has identified some of the top barriers as inaccessible transportation, language barriers, and inability to secure employment with income able to support their families. The focus of our project is to propose interventions aimed at addressing these barriers based on interventions that have been successfully implemented in comparable communities,
identify barriers to employment from the perspectives of both refugees and employers, and design interventions to connect refugees to viable employment.

UniverCity Contact Info: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu