![Woman holding a loudspeaker mic.](https://ke.news.prod.rtd.asu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/02/Al-Brown-IMG_0021-11-300x300.jpg)
It’s the start of an exciting new semester and we have three new projects with the City of Glendale and the City of Apache Junction. Through the
Project Cities program, Arizona State University students will tackle challenging research questions and propose innovative sustainability solutions that enable the city to make progress toward a better future. This semester’s projects include: an above-ground chemical storage tank (AST) management plan, a fleet electrification transition plan, and a strategy for transitioning aging mobile home/RV parks.
For the above-ground chemical storage tank project, ASU students from ERM 401/501 Hazardous Waste Management course instructed by
Albert Brown will develop a detailed project outline and work plan for the City of Glendale. The students will also recommend inspection and maintenance plans for each category of AST managed by the city. Towards the conclusion of the project, students will present robust project reports with methods, analysis, and feasible recommendations to their client, the City of Glendale.
Another interesting project for this semester will be the fleet transition plan generated by the students of PUP 424 Planning Methods course with senioir sustainability scientist
Deborah Salon and a select group of honors students from SOS 324 Sustainable Energy, Materials and Technology, instructed by senioir sustainability scientist
Nathan Parker. This class will draft an action/business plan for fleet electrification for Glendale, which will include a variety of research questions undertaken in a “divide and conquer” approach.
The third project this semester, with the City of Apache Junction, focusses on transitioning aging mobile home/RV parks. This project will fulfill the capstone requirement for an ASU graduate student in the Master of Urban and Environmental Planning program. The student will be advised by senior sustainability scholar
Meagan Ehlenz and Deborah Salon. This project aims to explore options for improvement and redevelopment for aging mobile home/RV park communities in Apache Junction. The student will conduct multiple stakeholder interviews with Apache Junction property owners and produce a report detailing strategies for park improvement and feasibility analysis for converting mobile home/RV park communities into alternative affordable housing options.
Project Cities staff are doing their part by helping to arrange project logistics; facilitate coordination between city staff, course instructors and students; and providing editing help for all three projects’ final reports. Projects will conclude with the end of the spring 2019 semester, with an end of semester showcase on April 24 to highlight the incredible work done by the program’s students.