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At the end of June, the Michigan Association of Planning, the Michigan Chapter of the American Planning Association, informed Dr. Zenia Kotval, Director of Urban and Regional Planning at MSU, that two Student Led Faculty Guided technical assistance projects were selected as recipients of the prestigious Outstanding Undergraduate Student Project award for the 2024 Planning Excellence Awards. Award recipients will be recognized at the Planning Michigan Annual Conference on Wednesday, September 25th.
These projects received support from Michigan State University UOE’s Regional Economic Innovation grant provided by the United States Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
Under the guidance of Dr. Zenia Kotval, students, Oliver Gomez, Harrison Hill, Vivian Morales, Garrett Young, Havien Gibson worked on the Churchill Gardens Ladybug Sustainable Community initiative in Churchill Gardens, Lansing, Michigan. This project represents “an innovative effort to establish a community-centric, ecologically mindful urban agriculture community.…. dedicated to advancing sustainable and regenerative methodologies to mitigate environmental issues while enhancing community involvement and overall wellness. The proposed project was structured into three parts: The creation of a Planning Report; a handbook that would serve as an essential guide for cultivating agriculture-based communities; and materials intended for community dissemination. Learn more, here.
Students Escarleth Cucurachi Ortega, Monica Guo, Peyton Jackson, Charlotte Peterson, Paige Smith worked on the The MorningSide Housing Revitalization Strategy SLFG project. Morningside is a neighborhood located on the eastside of Detroit, Michigan. The community is backed by several strong partner organizations, including the United Streets Networking and Planning (U-SNAP-BAC) and the Morningside Community Organization, who work to improve housing conditions and increase homeowner education across the neighborhood. The community is well positioned to receive significant funding to upgrade its aging single-family housing stock. To receive such funding, a professional analysis of current housing conditions and needs was required.
The overall goal was to effectively allocate available funding towards housing rehabilitation and repair projects in the Morningside neighborhood, prioritizing areas based on housing conditions and community needs. This involved implementing and replicating the methodology that comprehensively assesses housing conditions, determines priority areas for intervention, and ensures appropriate resource allocation. Additionally, the strategy sought to provide guidance on where to start interventions and establish criteria for determining recommended interventions. Learn more, here.
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