City of Peoria

Taught by Mikhail Chester, students from the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering collaborated with the City’s Sustainability and Water Conservation Coordinator to review peer community sustainability dashboards and green building codes to recommend strategies for the City of Peoria to build out its sustainability planning.

Taught by Malcom Goggin and LaDawn Lingard, two graduate students independently researched and developed recommendations for funding strategies and opportunities to elevate the City’s Sustainability Action Plan (SAP).

For the second part of the MSL capstone project, taught by Shirley-Ann Behavresh and Stephanie Pfirman, students analyzed the results of the public outreach campaign to inform the development of key performance indicators (KPIs) for interdepartmental sustainability initiatives.

Taught by Shirley-Ann Behavresh and Stephanie Pfirman, students elevated the work of a spring 2020 class by investigating and developing an outreach campaign to collect feedback from residents on the City’s Sustainability Action Plan (SAP).

Taught by Malcolm Goggin and LaDawn Lingard, one capstone student worked with Peoria’s Library Manager to research and review peer community historic preservation plans to provide recommendations for the preservation of the Palo Verde Ruin.

Taught by Daniel Schugurensky, three capstone students identified six peer communities and conducted a literature review of historic preservation best practices and strategies.

Taught by Leeanne Sorenson, students collaborated with Peoria’s Chief Information Office to analyze and identify industry standards the City could incorporate to make the website more efficient.

Taught by Albert “Al” Brown, one capstone student, conducted a life cycle assessment and cost-benefit analysis for green waste.

Taught by Albert “Al” Brown, a capstone student, investigated the benefits of recycling fine glass and conducted a life cycle assessment to recommend best practices for this process.

Taught by Albert “Al” Brown, one group of students researched best practices for recycling e-waste, and a second group investigated the feasibility of a biomass gasification program.

Taught by Kathryn Lambrecht, students collaborated with Peoria’s Emergency Manager to design messaging about extreme heat for the City of Peoria, focusing on the user experience of the messaging and various audiences like Peoria’s unhoused population and seniors.

Taught by Malcolm Goggin and LaDawn Lingard, one capstone student researched safe storage practices for lithium-ion batteries (LIB) and recommended safety strategies for Peoria’s Fire-Medical department.

Taught by Mikhail Chester, students researched microtransit models in other urban areas, as well as identified opportunities for implementing microtransit in Peoria’s existing transportation systems.

Taught by Nathan Parker, undergraduate students from the School of Sustainability reviewed strategies for fleet electrification.

Taught by David King, urban planning masters students conducted a benchmarking study of peer communities to identify best practices in managing transit circulator programs locally and globally. Students also evaluated first-mile/last-mile conditions for Peoria’s transit circulator users to identify issues and provide strategic recommendations to remedy any potential gaps.

Taught by Aaron Guest, graduate students from the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation conducted an age-friendly assessment to help identify and compile age-friendly services and interventions to provide recommendations on how Peoria can integrate these into a comprehensive resource guide.

Taught by Gregory Broberg, undergraduate students conducted a community survey of Peoria residents to determine how they access information and to inform recommendations for Peoria’s communication strategies.

Taught by LaDawn Haglund, Fall 2021: Students interviewed Peoria staff about their perceptions of sustainability and human rights in the context of city planning.

Taught by Gregory Broberg, students developed and conducted a multi-layer study which sought to identify residents’ views on placemaking and characteristics thereof in three targeted character areas: “Old Town” Peoria, the “P83” District, and the “Four Corners” area. Under faculty and community guidance, students conducted a wide-reaching survey of Peoria residents.

Taught by Meagan Ehlenz and David King, one graduate student conducted a case study analysis and literature review to identify key interventions and redevelopment opportunities for Peoria’s P83 district.

Taught by Candice Carr Kelman, students split into six groups to research peer community policies for water and land use to recommend strategies for Peoria’s water policies, codes, and ordinances.

Taught by Malcolm Goggin and LaDawn Lingard, one capstone student collaborated with Peoria’s Water Services Director to research best practices for tiered water pricing and recommended ideal pricing levels to encourage water conservation.

Taught by Majia Nadesan, a graduate student carried the Fall ‘19 crisis communication class’ work forward to the next level by conducting targeted focus group studies of Peoria residents, in order to assess the effectiveness of the messaging campaigns developed by her peers and identify the strongest strategies.

Taught by Larry Olson, students in a professional certificate program applied technical knowledge and industry expertise to develop guiding strategies for proactive water conservation measures, and shortage response plans, if needed.

Taught by Nicole Lee, students split into two groups to work with city staff on developing messaging campaigns to educate residents about two services: the relaunched POGO circulator and the city’s sustainable waste management programs.

Taught by Nalini Chhetri, two students researched the benefits and requirements for attaining the Dark Sky designation and provided recommendations for adapting the existing code.

Taught by Deirdre Pfeiffer, students studied housing trends in Peoria to discover existing gaps in livability as caused by sociological and financial factors.

Taught by Paul Prosser, students continued the work of the Fall 2020 semester by implementing the project plan

Taught by Majia Nadesan, students conducted literature reviews to identify best practices in risk communication that will convey safety information and share resources to Peoria’s residents without causing fear or backlash in light of the pandemic. Students developed recommendations to enhance Peoria’s communications channels to share resources and information with the public.

Taught by Deborah Salon, students evaluated various areas of impact, including restaurants and fitness centers to inform recommendations for the City of Peoria to support their local businesses while activating its key business corridors, like the P83 district.

Taught by Joshua Loughman, students caried forward the work of the past semesters’ through a detailed feasibility assessment and refinement of the ideas proposed. Students assessed considerations and potential barriers such as right-of-way, grade, ADA compliance, code issues, and property ownership.

Taught by Michael Wiles and Patrick Phelan, interdisciplinary students in this class focused on general Smart Cities market research and developed long-term project goals for Peoria’s consideration.