planningtopics

Smart Growth & Climate Change Adaptation in California

Mon, 22 Sep 08 17:44:22 -0700

Title: Smart Growth & Climate Change Adaptation in California
Description: Smart growth policies that promote compact development patterns and reduce VMT are increasingly seen as an important part of climate change mitigation (GHG emissions reduction). The Center for Clean Air Policy is assessing how smart growth principles can help increase resilience to the impacts of climate change, i.e., adaptation. Reducing water demand is a critical element of climate adaptation in California.
Smart growth scenario analysis typically considers the impact of alternative development patterns (and infrastructure provision) on VMT and other factors within a metropolitan region. The proposed project would have the student consider a few growth scenarios among different regions of California to assess the impacts on water consumption, building energy use, VMT and associated CO2 emissions. For example, if X% of projected growth in the Central Valley went instead to more compact regions, what would the water, energy and CO2 savings be? This would be a first cut analysis based on existing information to help determine whether more detailed analyses are warranted. CCAP is especially interested in the water demand aspect, so building energy use and VMT could be de-emphasized as necessary.
The analysis should include contextual discussion of current and projected water demand in California (residential, agricultural, conservation opportunities). Some discussion of climate change vulnerabilities in the various regions of the state would also be appropriate (sea level rise, wild fires, etc.).
The student would also have an opportunity for guidance concerning related legislative policy development from a California State Senate senior policy adviser.
Firm Name: CCAP
Firm Website: www.ccap.org
Location: Port Chester, NY
Headquarters: Washington, DC
Field office in Sacramento
Paid: Unpaid
Date to be Completed: 2009
Category: Landuse
Contact Name: Steve Winkelman
Contact Email: swinkelman@ccap.org
Contact Phone: (914) 481-4507
Date Submitted: September 17, 2008

Assessing Community Benefit Campaign Outcomes and Implementation Mechanisms

Fri, 12 Sep 08 21:50:39 -0700

Title: Assessing Community Benefit Campaign Outcomes and Implementation Mechanisms
Description: Background
The movement for community benefits and responsible development—or creating affordable housing, living wage jobs, and other neighborhood services—has established victories in several jurisdictions in Northern and Southern California. Community benefit campaigns have largely involved broad-based community-labor coalitions, included negotiations directly with these developers or cities, and won legally enforceable agreements. Starting from the spark in Los Angeles with the historic Staples Center Agreement, to more recent projects and policies here in the East Bay, this project would focus on assessing the outcomes of community benefit campaigns in California.
Goal/research questions
The goal of this research project would be to assess the outcomes from community benefit campaigns, and any draw lessons from these campaigns regarding implementation and enforcement of community benefit outcomes. Key research questions include: What factors contributed to success? What factors contributed to delays in the desired outcomes, or outcomes falling short of goals? Were the outcomes comparable to what the coalition negotiated? What strategies did coalitions use to track outcomes? What effect has the market had on key development projects? What lessons can other campaigns learn from the previous community benefit campaigns outcomes assessed?
Preferred qualifications: Qualitative interview skills, and strong writing and analysis skills. Experience in understanding development agreements and planning documents helpful but not required.
Firm Name: East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy
Firm Website: www.workingeastbay.org
Location: 1814 Franklin St., Suite 325
Oakland, CA 94612
Paid: Unpaid
Date to be Completed: January 1, 2009 - December 31, 2009
Category: Community Development
Contact Name: Jennifer Lin
Contact Email: jenny@workingeastbay.org
Contact Phone: 510-893-7106 x321
Date Submitted: September 12, 2008

Port of Oakland- Impacts of Business Model Change and Restructuring

Fri, 12 Sep 08 21:55:26 -0700

Title: Port of Oakland- Impacts of Business Model Change and Restructuring
Description: Background
The Port of Oakland is a $7 billion economic engine in the East Bay, creating jobs, business revenue, and economic activity throughout the region. The Port’s authority and power derive from being a public-private entity. On one hand, the Port is chartered by the City of Oakland, is the public trustee of waterfront land for commerce and recreation, and its commissioners are appointed by the Mayor. On the other hand, the Port of Oakland serves predominantly as a “landlord” to businesses that operate on and lease land at the Port—including the airport, seaport, and real estate divisions. Recently, due to increasing debt, declining revenues, and an $18 million dollar shortfall, the Port of Oakland is considering restructuring its maritime operations to increase public-private partnerships (3Ps) at its terminals and berths.
Goal/research questions
The key goals of this project are to assess a) whether the budget crisis and changes in business model are mirrored at other Ports across the country, and b) how changes in the Port’s business model and establishments of 3Ps could affect the Port’s authority over environmental and worker standards. Key questions include: What can be learned from efforts to establish more public-private partnerships on state and local infrastructure projects? What are the benefits and risks to 3Ps for protecting environmental and worker standards? Are there successful examples of applying standards and regulations to 3Ps? What can we learn from these efforts?
Preferred qualifications: Familiarity with public budgets, public information requests, and assessment of industry trends.
Firm Name: East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy
Firm Website: www.workingeastbay.org
Location: 1814 Franklin St., Suite 325
Oakland, CA 94612
Paid: Unpaid
Date to be Completed: January 1, 2009 - December 31, 2009
Category: Economic Development
Contact Name: Jennifer Lin
Contact Email: jenny@workingeastbay.org
Contact Phone: 510-893-7106 x321
Date Submitted: September 12, 2008

Evaluation of Local Hire Policies for City and Port of Oakland

Fri, 12 Sep 08 21:58:59 -0700

Title: Evaluation of Local Hire Policies for City and Port of Oakland
Description: Background
Local hire and first source hiring programs are an effective way for local jurisdictions to direct economic opportunities to communities in need. The City of Oakland Port of Oakland currently have local hire policies that either cover subsidized construction projects in the former, or apply to projects within the Maritime and Aviation Project Labor Agreements in the latter. Construction is a key employment sector that offers entry-level job opportunities as well as concrete training and career ladders—making it an opportunity sector for local residents, especially those with high barriers to employment. Current Oakland-based local hire policies do not extend to non-construction jobs on site, such as administrative or warehousing jobs.
Goal/research questions
This project would evaluate and assess the City and Port of Oakland’s current local hire and first source hiring programs. Through interviewing training program staff, City and Port officials, building trades labor unions, contractors, workforce development staff, and community groups, this project will focus on first quantifying how many people benefit from the local hire programs per year. Then, the focus will shift to identifying model criteria that contribute to successful outcomes, and making recommendations on how the local hire policies can be expanded or strengthened. The project would also include assessing the potential additional jobs that could be locally hired if the respective policies are expanded to include non-construction jobs.
Preferred qualifications: Experience with qualitative interview techniques and policy analysis. Experience in program evaluation is helpful but not required.
Firm Name: East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy
Firm Website: www.workingeastbay.org
Location: 1814 Franklin St., Suite 325
Oakland, CA 94612
Paid: Unpaid
Date to be Completed: June 2009
Category: Economic Development
Contact Name: Jennifer Lin
Contact Email: jenny@workingeastbay.org
Contact Phone: 510-893-7106 x321
Date Submitted: September 12, 2008

Chinatown Alleyways, Assessing Opportunities for Commercial Development

Fri, 12 Sep 08 22:37:56 -0700

Title: Chinatown Alleyways, Assessing Opportunities for Commercial Development
Description: The Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development has been tasked with the Economic Revitalization of Chinatown. A team of City Agencies, Local Non-Profit Organization, and Community leaders met to discuss the challenges and opportunities that Chinatown faces. From this community planning process, an Economic Development Action Plan was created. Various Action Items, from safety and cleanliness to business attraction were identified. One of the topics that is in need of further in depth research is the development of Chinatown Alleyways into Commercial and Cultural Destinations for both locals and tourists alike.
The suggested methodology for this would be an assessment of Chinatown alleyways by which an analysis of individual commercial properties are reviewed and determined rentable in the sense of physical condition, property owner willingness to rent, and ADA accessibility to name a few. Other variables will be up to the discretion of the student.
The desired end product is an alley by alley analysis which identifies an alleyway as the most developable. The alleys deemed as most developable will be used as targets by the city to fill vacancies, target façade improvement monies, and various other city resources. In many cases studies often sit on shelves, this analysis will help guide the Office of Economic and Workforce Development in real economic development work in the city. There is opportunity to work closely with City Staff and Local Community Development Organizations.
Firm Name: City and County of San Francisco, Office of Economic and Workforce Development
Firm Website: oewd.org
Location: San Francisco, Chinatown
Attachment: 080728_Chinatown_draft report.pdf
Paid: Unpaid
Date to be Completed: ASAP or end of School Term
Category: Economic Development
Contact Name: Crezia Tano
Contact Email: Crezia.Tano@sfgov.org
Contact Phone: 415-554-4984
Date Submitted: September 12, 2008

Bike Boulevards in San Francisco

Sat, 13 Sep 08 00:16:23 -0700

Title: Bike Boulevards in San Francisco
Description: Riding with automobile traffic remains as a significant barrier for many people to bicycle for transportation. Bicycle boulevards have proven effective at mitigating those concerns and in creating safe places for a wide range of cyclists. Portland, Vancouver, Berkeley, Palo Alto have created bike boulevards, and we feel San Francisco is ready for the same.
We are looking for research on bike boulevards in other cities. What makes a street a good candidate for conversion into a bike boulevard? Are all boulevards created the same? What are all the pieces and tools that go into making a comprehensive boulevard?
And extending this further, how could bike boulevards be implemented in San Francisco? Would they need any different treatments, and what streets are prime candidates?
This project will help the SFBC work towards creating more safe space for cyclists.
Firm Name: San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
Firm Website: sfbike.org
Location: 995 Market St., Ste 1550, SF 94103
Paid: Unpaid
Date to be Completed: Open
Category: Transportation
Contact Name: Neal Patel
Contact Email: neal@sfbike.org
Contact Phone: 415-431-2453 x312
Date Submitted: September 12, 2008

Strategic SFMTA Fleet and Facility Management Plan Analysis

Sat, 13 Sep 08 00:25:44 -0700

Title: Strategic SFMTA Fleet and Facility Management Plan Analysis
Description: The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) (aka. SF Muni) is the eighth largest transit agency in the U.S., and carries more passengers daily than any other transit agency in the San Francisco Bay Area. Unique among transit agencies worldwide, SFMTA operates five different modes of transit service: motor coaches (buses), electric trolley coaches (electric buses), light rail vehicles (Metro), historic streetcars, and cable cars. Daily and long-term storage, maintenance and fleet planning for this diverse fleet is a major challenge that is intensified by the small size and age of most SFMTA fleet maintenance facilities, and tight limits on funding to address fleet issues. The goal of this project is for an outside group using professional planning methods and tools to perform an analysis that combines several pieces of information into one final report to be presented to SFMTA. Specifically, the project team would be expected to review existing fleet maintenance, storage operations and facility capabilities, review pending future plans for fleet maintenance and storage, explore opportunities to better utilize existing and possible new facilities, and combine this information into a finished product. The completed report would be expected to focus on a dual approach that would recommend options to maximize existing resources and facilities, and also recommend expansion option strategies to address evolving transit practices and continued growth by SFMTA.
Firm Name: San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
Firm Website: www.sfmta.com
Location: 1 South Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94103
Paid: Unpaid
Date to be Completed: TBD if project is selected
Category: Transportation
Contact Name: Darton Ito
Contact Email: darton.ito@sfmta.com
Contact Phone: 415-701-4330
Date Submitted: September 12, 2008

What does it cost to implement a Bike Network?

Sat, 13 Sep 08 00:33:46 -0700

Title: What does it cost to implement a Bike Network?
Description: San Francisco's Bike Plan hopes to significantly expand the bike network in the City. But how much will it cost? We don't know for sure how much all of the 56 projects will cost. San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency knows the cost of many of the projects, and that information can help this project determine the total cost.
And going even further, how much will the next stage of improvements cost? We will need to know how much things like bike boulevards, "green waves," colored pavement, and separated bike paths might cost in order to plan for securing funding.
This project will involve research into what other cities are doing, talking to other agencies to get their rough costs, and extrapolating that information for our unique situation. It's not an exact science but will help us plan for San Francisco's biking future.
Firm Name: San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
Firm Website: sfbike.org
Location: 995 Market St., Ste 1550, SF 94103
Paid: Unpaid
Category: Transportation
Contact Name: Neal Patel
Contact Email: neal@sfbike.org
Contact Phone: 415-431-2453 x312
Date Submitted: September 12, 2008

Bus Rapid Transit impacts on commercial districts

Sat, 13 Sep 08 02:25:10 -0700

Title: Bus Rapid Transit impacts on commercial districts
Description: Bus Rapid Transit – What, if any, have been the effects of increased roadway congestion (caused by lane reductions due to the creation of a bus-only lane in existing roadway right-of-way) and reduction of on-street parking spaces on economic development in existing commercial areas where new BRT service has been implemented? Some business owners have expressed concern that AC Transit’s proposed BRT will negatively impact them because it will reduce automobile access to their businesses (through increased congestion and a reduction of on-street parking). What is the evidence of the effects on existing commercial areas from other BRT systems in North America? Did the buses bring more patrons to the area, or did they cause patrons to go where driving and parking were easier? Did businesses close down or did new businesses open up? Were there any “spill-over” effects on other commercial areas in the city not directly on the BRT route (i.e. by increasing automobile congestion along the way to and from other commercial areas, did those other areas suffer?)?
Firm Name: City of Berkeley
Firm Website:
Location: Berkeley, Oakland, San Leandro
Paid: Unpaid
Date to be Completed: 2008
Category: Landuse
Contact Name: Jordan Harrison
Contact Email: jharrison@ci.berkeley.ca.us
Contact Phone: 510-981-7416
Date Submitted: September 12, 2008

Traffic Circles and Roundabouts - Bane or Blessing in Disguise?

Fri, 12 Sep 08 00:12:52 -0700

Title: Traffic Circles and Roundabouts - Bane or Blessing in Disguise?
Description: Historically, San Francisco has had a limited traffic calming program and residents have relied on STOP sign requests to slow traffic. This has led to a misuse and proliferation of unwarranted STOPs, resulting in many motorists and bicyclists ignoring them. Traffic circles have been used in other cities, such as Seattle, as an effective way to address speeding concerns at intersections, and are often used without any STOP signs on any approaches.
San Francisco is interested in using traffic circles and roundabouts more frequently, and would like to also remove unwarranted STOP signs in the process. However, there are two challenges: convincing motorists and pedestrians that circles are beneficial, and finding a way to effectively document the reasoning to remove STOPs in a manner that prevents liability concerns should a collision take place.
A methodology could include research on traffic circles and traditionally controlled intersections and their various pros and cons, a study of crashes before and after the installation of ciricles in SF, a survey of residents who live around circles in SF (and perhaps other cities), and research on how best to document the removal of STOPs to prevent liability. A study of existing "pseudo-roundabouts" in SF (eg Dewey Circle and 8th/Townsend/Division circle) with recommendations for upgrading the circles to true roundabouts - using references from other cities - would be a desirable product.
Though determining the potential utility of increased traffic circle and roundabout construction is the number one goal, this effort can also touch upon the increasingly popular idea that the proliferation of traffic control devices can lead to a perceived predictability, lower motorist awareness, and thus lower safety. Some cities are removing traffic control devices and relying instead on people assessing each situation using their own awareness and by using basic road safety tenets (yield to traffic on the right, yield to pedestrians and bicyclists, etc). Does this idea have merit, and if so, can an argument be made to try this approach in San Francisco?
Firm Name: San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
Firm Website: www.sfmta.com
Location: 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 7th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94103
Attachment: traffic circle reference page for UCB.doc
Paid: Unpaid
Date to be Completed: May 31, 2009
Category: Transportation
Contact Name: Mike Sallaberry
Contact Email: mike.sallaberry@sfmta.com
Contact Phone: (415) 701-4563
Date Submitted: September 11, 2008

Planning and Design of Waterfront Access Routes

Wed, 10 Sep 08 16:52:20 -0700

Title: Planning and Design of Waterfront Access Routes
Description: Improving access to, within and around San Francisco Bay is one of the goals of the State Coastal Conservancy’s San Francisco Bay Area Program, and planning regionally-significant community connectors, including links between regional trails and urban communities, is an objective of the Conservancy’s strategic plan While a lot of progress has been made to develop the San Francisco Bay Trail, it is often difficult for residents of waterfront cities to get to the shoreline. The City of Oakland is a case in point, where many barriers frustrate the efforts of pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists to find routes connecting to the waterfront.
The goal of this project would be to identify connecting routes between downtown Oakland and the city’s neighborhoods to the Bay Trail and the Oakland waterfront. These connections should serve as visual cues in the urban landscape to guide pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists along routes connecting to the waterfront. Signage, streetscape design, bike routes, pedestrian facilities would all be included in the analysis. Visitors and residents of Oakland wishing to visit the waterfront are confounded by a plethora of barriers separating the city from its waterfront. These barriers include the 880 freeway, railroad tracks, Port facilities, and BART.
Firm Name: State Coastal Conservancy
Firm Website: www.coastalconservancy.ca.gov
Location: Oakland
Paid: Unpaid
Date to be Completed: June 2009
Category: Urban Design
Contact Name: Joan Cardellino
Contact Email: jcard@scc.ca.gov
Contact Phone: (510) 286-4093
Date Submitted: September 10, 2008

Water Conservation Regulations in Marin County

Fri, 05 Sep 08 19:57:24 -0700

Title: Water Conservation Regulations in Marin County
Description: Increasing the effectiveness of water conservation efforts in California is a necessity due to changing climate patterns, population pressures, and environmental stressors. Marin County contains a number of governmental agencies and special water districts with a variey of unique and largely non-coordinated water conservation requirements. The central question is - how to coordinate water conservation regulations countywide in order to improve their effectiveness? If a methodology could be devised to provide a uniform set of tools, regulations, and reporting procedures that city planning departments, school districts, and water agencies could utilize in their approval processes, then the application of water conservation practices would be greatly expanded in Marin County.
Firm Name: Marin Municipal Water District
Firm Website: www.marinwater.org
Location: Marin County
Attachment: http://www.marinwater.org/documents/MMWD_2007_WATER_CONSERVATION_MASTER_PLAN_(Adopted_June_20,_2007).pdf
Paid: Paid
Date to be Completed: asap
Category: Urban Design
Contact Name: Daniel Carney
Contact Email: dcarney@marinwater.org
Contact Phone: 415-945-1522
Date Submitted: September 5, 2008

Development of a Multi-Modal Level of Service Indicator

Tue, 16 Sep 08 21:35:41 -0700

Title: Development of a Multi-Modal Level of Service Indicator
Description: The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency currently uses intersection vehicle Level-of-Service (LOS) to evaluate the traffic impacts of new development proposals. These standards, however, often discourage transit-oriented development or innovative street designs that propose lane reductions in favor of transit, bicycle, and pedestrian improvements. Research is needed to develop a multi-modal level of service indicator, that could be used in conjunction with, or eventually in place of, the existing Level of Service indicator. The multi-modal level of service indicator would evaluate the quality of service for transit riders, cyclists, pedestrians, and private vehicles. The indicator would need to be simple enough that it would not pose an undue burden on project applicants. Work would involve: research of existing multi-modal LOS indicators, development and testing of alternative LOS measures in the Lake Tahoe physical and regulatory environment, recommendation of an LOS measure, application of this measure to a real-life case, and written and/or oral presentation of results.
Firm Name: Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
Firm Website: www.trpa.org
Location: Lake Tahoe Region
Paid: Paid
Date to be Completed: November 2008
Category: Transportation
Contact Name: Karen Fink
Contact Email: kfink@trpa.org
Contact Phone: 775-589-5204
Date Submitted: September 5, 2008

Humboldt Bay Regional Spartina Eradication Plan

Thu, 04 Sep 08 18:21:45 -0700

Title: Humboldt Bay Regional Spartina Eradication Plan
Description: The goal of this project is to evaluate various implementation approaches for regional invasive cordgrass (Spartina densiflora) eradication in the Humboldt Bay, Eel River, and Mad River estuaries, in order to restore and protect the native plant and wildlife communities of tidal marshes in these areas. The report would be incorporated into a plan, which will include a technical analysis developed by a team of experts on cordgrass control and estuarine ecology, and an implementation strategy, developed collaboratively among local agencies and stakeholders.
Firm Name: State Coastal Conservancy
Firm Website: www.scc.ca.gov
Location: Conservancy offices are at 1330 Broadway, 13th floor, Oakland, CA but the project would involve work in Humboldt Bay (Arcata and Eureka) as well.
Attachment: \\Coast\jgerwein\Spartina control Humboldt Bay\Regional Plan\Regional Spartina Plan Project Synopsis.doc
Paid: Unpaid
Date to be Completed: January 2010
Category: Environmental
Contact Name: Joel Gerwein
Contact Email: jgerwein@scc.ca.gov
Contact Phone: 510-286-4170
Date Submitted: September 4, 2008

NIMBY and TOD: Why do locals object to affordable housing around transit stations?

Tue, 02 Sep 08 17:02:23 -0700

Title: NIMBY and TOD: Why do locals object to affordable housing around transit stations?
Description: The Bay Area is struggling with how to accommodate future growth—and looking to transit-oriented development (TOD) as a potential solution. Yet, existing research fails to address one of TOD’s greatest barriers: the unwillingness of residents to support either transit investment or affordable housing construction in their communities. This project will develop context-specific tools to “sell” TOD affordable housing to different communities. We will develop the tools by holding four focus groups with residents in four communities with planned or proposed TODs. These focus groups will help us (a) learn about the arguments used against affordable housing around TOD and (b) figure out which approaches residents respond most positively to. The focus groups will contribute to two products: materials for educating TOD communities, including brochures, powerpoint presentations, and talking points for the advocates; and a curriculum to “train the trainers” – i.e., train advocates to “sell” affordable housing near TOD. We will also conduct two sessions to test the curriculum and materials, one in a community where the GCC is active, and the other with the trainers themselves. The project will culminate with a symposium on affordable housing and TOD for a more general audience of transportation practitioners.
Firm Name: Center for Community Innovation
Firm Website: communityinnovation.berkeley.edu
Location: Haste & Bowditch, Berkeley
Paid: Paid
Date to be Completed: June 2009
Category: Housing
Contact Name: Karen Chapple
Contact Email: chapple@berkeley.edu
Contact Phone: 642-1868
Date Submitted: September 2, 2008

Cost Effectiveness of various transit improvements

Tue, 02 Sep 08 23:04:28 -0700

Title: Cost Effectiveness of various transit improvements
Description: Given limited resources planners need to make cost effective recommendations for transit improvements such as Transit Signal Priority (TSP), Bus Bubs, exclusive bus lanes, right turn pockets, bus stop consolidation, conversion of stop signs to signals, low floor buses with level boarding, etc. The goal of this project would be assess the benefit cost ratios of each of these measures with various assumptions as to the value of passenger time, operating costs, and time saved by each measure. The project could be used nationwide to help guide planners for transit agencies prioritize their improvment projects.
Firm Name: SF Municipal Transportation Agency, Division of Parking and Traffic
Firm Website: www.sfmta.com
Location: 1 South Van Ness, 7th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102
(at the corner of Market & Van Ness)
Attachment: cost effectiveness comparisons 6.xls
Paid: Unpaid
Date to be Completed: April 2009
Category: Transportation
Contact Name: Jack Fleck
Contact Email: jack.fleck@sfmta.com
Contact Phone: 415-701-4642
Date Submitted: September 2, 2008

Protecting Pittsburg, California hillsides without government support

Tue, 26 Aug 08 22:29:02 -0700

Title: Protecting Pittsburg, California hillsides without government support
Description: How to protect hillsides when the city government first wanted to implement a hillside ordinance but once the community expressed thier opinion the city dropped the plan. The idea would be to explore the public process and how the public can influence the process when the city government is supportive of the ordinance versus when it is not supportive of the ordinance. The report should evaluate whether or not the public process is truly public and what the key leverage points the public has in influencing local government.
Firm Name: Greenbelt Alliance
Firm Website:
Location: 1601 N Main St
Walnut Creek, Ca 94596
Attachment: Pittsburg HDO Fact Sheet.doc
Paid: Unpaid
Date to be Completed: n/a
Category: Landuse
Contact Name: Christina Wong
Contact Email: cwong@greenbelt.org
Contact Phone: 9259327776
Date Submitted: August 26, 2008

Richmond Equitable Development Initiative (REDI) Strategic Opportunities Assessment

Thu, 21 Aug 08 23:30:45 -0700

Title: Richmond Equitable Development Initiative (REDI) Strategic Opportunities Assessment
Description: The Richmond Equitable Development Initiative (REDI)Collaborative has worked in Richmond for the past four years promoting policies and planning practices to ensure that the future development of Richmond benefits low income people and communities of color.
Most recently, REDI has led a General Plan campaign in Richmond to ensure that that Richmond's updated General Plan includes policy and implementation measures that support equitable development.
REDI is in the process of undergoing a strategic planning process to determine its future campaigns and project issue areas. REDI seeks a student to conduct a local environmental scan/partial community needs assessment in Richmond. The purpose of the scan/assessment is to help REDI gain a better understanding of community-based and local government efforts in various activities, including education, housing, business and industry, public safety, work force development, youth programs and the natural environment. The information obtained from the environmental scan will inform REDI on how to best utilize its resources and prioritize future campaigns and projects.
Firm Name: Urban Habitat
Firm Website: www.urbanhabitat.org
Location: Oakland, CA
Attachment: Posting for Berkeley Planning Student Project.doc
Paid: Unpaid
Date to be Completed: December 1, 2008
Category: Community Development
Contact Name: Venesia Thompson and Sheryl Lane
Contact Email: venesia@urbanhabitat.org and sheryl@urbanhabitat.org
Contact Phone: 510-844-1190
Date Submitted: August 21, 2008

Economic Development in Richmond

Mon, 16 Jun 08 19:37:08 -0700

Title: Economic Development in Richmond
Description: 1) Economic development issues including grocery store attraction in low income neighborhoods, artist communities and gentrification/policies to ensure artists retention as housing prices increase.
2) Site-specific sustainable community design projects with an environmental or urban design focus
Firm Name: Amanda Elliott
Firm Website: www.richmondmainstreet.org
Location: 1000 Macdonald Ave., Suite C
Richmond, CA 948901
Paid: Unpaid
Date to be Completed: August 31, 2008 - March 31, 2009
Category: Community Development
Contact Name: Amanda Elliott
Contact Email: aelliott@richmondmainstreet.org
Contact Phone: 510-236-4049
Date Submitted: June 16, 2008