Community Studies – �鶹��Ƶ

Community Events Planning for Centre County Conservation District

Ada Inman — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 17:11:12 +0000

The Centre County Conservation District (CCCD) is the County’s resource for issues relating to the maintenance and conservation of natural resources in the county. They work with county stakeholders to address and mitigate impacts on the natural environment and serve as a liaison to other agencies. One of their core functions is to educate the public on conservation best management practices. The CCCD’s Water Specialist, Ivy Foster, is interested in creating community engagement events in Centre County communities that inform the public on topics relevant to water. A community of particular interest is Phillipsburg. Due to its location on the edge of Centre and Clearfield Counties, education about water resources is of particular interest as water supply and issues transcend county lines. The students worked with CCCD Water Specialist to organize a community event focused on water, that may include a a film screening and discussion and/or other activities. Students determined the appropriate audience(s) and approaches to maximize engagement and educational impact, including an outline and plan for an event, specific activities to employ during the event (e.g., a film screening, community art project, etc.), as well as locations, resources, and follow-up activities to promote continued engagement.

Sustainable Communities Collaborative Contact Info

University Faculty Contact
Kaitlyn Spangler, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Community Development and Engagement
kspangler@psu.edu

Creating an Arts and Culture District in State College Borough

Ada Inman — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 20:13:21 +0000

The Borough of State College does not have a designated arts organization or a cultural district. Instead, art and cultural activities are managed by a variety of organizations, including a well-established arts festival (Arts Fest) in the summer, a number of non-profit and/or Penn State owned venues, and regional organizations. State College would like to create an Arts & Culture District downtown to improve local quality of life, to strengthen community, and to celebrate the arts, and they’ve recently hired a staff person to help make this happen. As the borough develops its plan for such a district, they would like to learn from the experience of other college- and university towns which have implemented Arts & Culture districts, particularly on how those other communities gained public input and developed a vision for the district, the specific steps the communities took to create their Arts & Culture district, and how they financed the start-up and operation of this.

Sustainable Communities Collaborative Contact Info
University Faculty Contact
Timothy Kelsey, Ph.D.
Professor of Agricultural Economics
Email tkelsey@psu.edu
814-865-9542

Lunch and Learn Analysis for State College Borough

Ada Inman — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 20:08:42 +0000

The Borough of State College has been working on a variety of initiatives to better engage residents with the borough, and to help build community across age groups, neighborhoods, and town & gown. One initiative they’re considering is hosting a regular Lunch & Learn gathering that would bring residents, borough employees, and others together to help strengthen such community connections. The borough would like suggestions for how such a program should be implemented, including potential topics and partners, promotion, frequency, and how to evaluate its success. A team of students developed suggestions for how the Borough could implement a community-building Lunch and Learn program, which could include case studies of other successful communities or programs.

Sustainable Communities Collaborative Contact Info

University Faculty Contact
Timothy Kelsey, Ph.D.
Professor of Agricultural Economics
Email tkelsey@psu.edu
814-865-9542

Tenant-Landlord Resources in State College Borough

Ada Inman — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 20:02:25 +0000

The State College Borough would like to explore possible approaches to helping reduce tenant and landlord conflicts and is interested in learning how other communities address these issues. They’re especially interested in learning about other communities’ experiences with holding workshops for tenants and/or landlords, and the best practices for doing so. In addition, they’re interested in learning about experiences of communities which have a housing ombudsman program, and/or a housing or tenants resource center. A team of students identified communities which proactively address tenant and landlord issues, and develop case studies about what those communities do, the effectiveness of those efforts, and how these are financed, most ideal from another university towns or otherwise have a relatively large population of young renters.

Sustainable Communities Collaborative Contact Info

University Faculty Contact
Timothy Kelsey, Ph.D.
Professor of Agricultural Economics
Email tkelsey@psu.edu
814-865-9542

Sign Inventory and Mapping

Ada Inman — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 21:26:16 +0000

The Mukilteo Public Works Department is currently modernizing its asset tracking system. One major component is mapping all of the city-maintained road signs throughout the city and determining the condition as well as the need for replacement. City staff will train the CEP student team in the subject matter, and students will survey the city and report the location and condition of signs through ESRI GIS-based tools. The students will provide a GIS map of city-maintained road signs, focusing on a target area identified by the City, and a condition assessment of all inspected signs with recommendations for replacements.

Community Mapping Project

Ada Inman — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 21:20:51 +0000

The Mukilteo GIS department is currently developing an online historic walking map. They are interested in expanding this project to include city recreational opportunities, points of interest, and other features to encourage tourism and economic development in the city. The CEP student team will partner with the City to further develop this tool and advise how it can be improved to best represent the City and drive interest from users. They will additionally perform community outreach to better understand the needs of the community and how the tool can best serve Mukilteo’s residents.

Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Arts Plan Update

Ada Inman — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 21:16:19 +0000

The City of Mukilteo relies on a Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Arts (PROSA) Plan as one of its major policies directing the development of parks and recreation programs. Following our comprehensive plan update, the city needs to update its 2017 PROSA plan to better align with the city’s policy direction and meet certain grant eligibility requirements. The CEP student team will work with Mukilteo City staff to conduct public outreach to update the City’s demand and need analysis, including more equity analysis in their review of capital spending.

Creating an Ecosystem of Support for the Unhoused in Rangsit City Municipality

Ada Inman — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 21:03:15 +0000

The Puey Ungphakorn School of Development Studies (PSDS) at Thammasat University is partnering with Rangsit City Municipality, Baan Poonsuk Shelter, and the National Housing Authority to address homelessness and improve the quality of life for vulnerable residents. The community-identified need focuses on food security, mental health support, and livelihood development for unhoused populations. University assets mobilized for this partnership include two existing courses, Psychology for Development Studies and Psychology for Volunteering Works, alongside faculty expertise in community-based development and social psychology. Students will engage in active fieldwork including walking tours, interviews with unhoused residents, mental health first aid workshops, care package distribution, and small business support activities. The work aims to co-develop sustainable, community-driven solutions while providing experiential learning opportunities that integrate academic knowledge with real-world social challenges. As the project progresses, additional outcomes, deliverables, and reflections will be documented to capture the full impact of the partnership.

Developing a social media toolkit for the Milton Youth Coalition

Ada Inman — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 19:10:56 +0000

To continue engaging the community, the Substance Prevention Society and the Milton Youth Coalition are interested in using social media. This toolkit offers tools and strategies to navigate the social media landscape for youth. UniverCity Contact Info: UniverCityAlliance@wisc.edu [...]

First Street Master Plan: Transportation Survey & History Mapping

Ada Inman — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 19:27:59 +0000

The purpose of this project is to analyze current conditions and make recommendations for a long-term plan for First Street. Goals for the plan are to maximize parking, pedestrian accessibility, gathering places, and urban low-maintenance landscaping. Challenges include aging infrastructure, voids beneath sidewalks, impacts to businesses during construction, limited right of way, and costs. A [...]