Title
Assessing a Community's Capacity to Engage with Urban Natural Resources
Publisher
Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota
Abstract
This project was completed as part of the 2013-2014 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of North St. Paul. Many urban residents do not have the opportunity to engage with nature, despite having natural areas in cities. North St. Paul is home to several natural park areas, and the City was looking for ways to help residents better engage with those areas. Project lead Jon Fure partnered with a graduate student working on a Master’s thesis in Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management to address this concern. The student offered a set of recommendations to improve engagement with nature, including: developing better shoreline access; better communication of park initiatives; partnerships with sports organizations; connecting organizations with common interests; helping to create common understanding of environmental issues; including more raingardens; and sharing resident stories about their connections to natural areas. The student's thesis is available.
Description
Thesis completed by graduate student Mary Hammes in fulfillment of the requirements for her master's degree in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (faculty advisor: Dr. Stephan Carlson).
Funding information
This project was supported by the Resilient Communities Project (RCP), a program at the University of Minnesota whose mission is to connect communities in Minnesota with U of MN faculty and students to advance community resilience through collaborative, course-based projects. RCP is a program of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA). More information at http://www.rcp.umn.edu.
Suggested Citation
Hammes, Mary C.
(2014).
Assessing a Community's Capacity to Engage with Urban Natural Resources.
Resilient Communities Project (RCP), University of Minnesota.
Retrieved from the University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy,
https://hdl.handle.net/11299/194778.