Final Paper #3

 
Total project length should be 2500 to 3500 words per person range. 
Pick an area of the community to access.  This must be a place you can physically visit.  The area should have flaws that can be “fixed”.  For this assignment do not choose, Downtown Salt Lake, Sugar House, Avenues, 9th and 9th or 15th and 15th.  These areas are already doing well.  If you have any questions feel free to ask me. 

Assess health of the community outcomes:

The impact of the area on quality of life based on 5 outcomes + 3 from the supplementary list.  Use photos, maps as well as data analysis to explain what problems exist as well as the scope and scale of the problems.  Demographic and economic data is readily available from the census.  The best way to use this data is to compare the data to other areas in the region or the county or state as a whole.  When presenting data or information if it does not have meaning to you it won’t have meaning to the reader. 
Clearly define your study area.  Don’t choose a site larger than 100 acres.  (8 to 10 SLC size blocks)

How well does the community perform in these areas:
Physical activity, opportunities for walking and biking as well as access to parks and open space
Affordable living, the combined cost of housing and transportation (use data, we talk about this in the affordable housing discussion)
Accessible transportation options
Accessible recreational option
Aesthetics and beauty

Supplementary consideration

Opportunities for social interaction and gathering places
Neighborliness
Integration of schools within the community
Cultural opportunities
Lifecycle needs. Are all the elements a person may need throughout their life available in the community
Water quality issues
Opportunities to access food, both stores and restaurants
Ability of residents to reach jobs and employment opportunities
Opportunities for residents to meet basic needs
Develop a scorecard: Develop a score card for the area relative to the 5 topics plus the three supplementary topics. The score care can be on a 1 to 10 scale.  Please make the score card visually interesting
Develop recommendation for how the physical environment in the area could be improved.  Address the general location and functionality of:

Private land
Public land
Parks and recreation facilities
Photos, drawings and diagrams are required.

Additionally consider plausible big ticket items that could be changed as well. Consider how topics presented in the class could be applied.

Transportation improvement
Street connectivity
Density
Parks development
Mixed use development
Peacemaking projects
Street redesign: street reconfiguration
Bike and pedestrian improvements
Sustainability
Green infrastructure development

Grading Rubric:

Were the instruction followed? Were the 8 areas addressed?
Was a scorecard included?
Were graphics and illustrations used
Were research presented in the class used and cited?
Is the paper well written?
Does the paper show effort and the development of original thought?