OVERVIEW:  The project offers you the opportunity to apply the themes covered in “Introduction to Urban and Metropolitan Studies” to a topic of personal interest. The assignment has two parts:  1. A written element which introduces and contextualizes your project. This document will outline the “problem” that you are intending to address and will discuss relevant academic literature (i.e. statistics which define the scope of the problem, academic studies which help establish a way to address the issue, and existing projects which can be used as “case studies”).  2. A visual element which describes the specific aspects of your own city proposal. Select the visual format which best suits your project (i.e. PowerPoint, PREZI, Adobe Illustrator document portfolio, etc.) and create a product which shares your “vision” with others.  DETAILS:  Potential themes that your final project might address include: urban decline/renewal, public safety, transportation, social cohesion, green spaces, other types of public gathering spots, industrial spaces, cultural centers, access to amenities like grocery stores, etc.  Craft your project from a specific point of view (i.e. are you coming at this work as a potential city manager, urban planner, commercial developer, social activist, neighborhood association president, or even just “concerned Public Policy student”?). Your intended audience is the city council of a REAL city (either the city in which you currently live or one that you are intimately familiar with). Something to consider: the most effective proposals are often small in scope— that is, they address changes related to an individual city block, neighborhood, or park. Similarly, a “small scope” project might also address a specific change which can be applied to every instance of something in a city (for example, you might develop a proposal for adding braille to the signage of every bus stop in a city). WRITTEN PROPOSAL Craft a 3-4 page (Times New Roman, 12-point font, normal margins, double spaced, separate cover and reference pages which do NOT count toward the page minimum) written statement which contextualizes your project within the larger field of Urban Studies. This “introduction” to your project will help explain why your project is important by addressing some of the following questions: · What is your topic and why is it a “problem”? What is the history of this issue within cities? How did the concern/problem begin? · Why is it important for your particular city to address this issue? What might happen if the city ignores the issue? Has any research been done to demonstrate the positive things which can result from addressing the issue? Has any research been done which demonstrates the negative things which can result from ignoring the issue? · Have other cities already addressed this issue? What did they do? How successful were they? VISUAL ELEMENT  Develop a “creative” visual aid which fully explains your own ideas for ...

1. OVERVIEW:
The project offers you the opportunity to apply the themes
covered in “Introduction to Urban and Metropolitan Studies” to
a topic of personal interest. The assignment has two parts:
1. A written element which introduces and contextualizes your
project. This document will outline the “problem” that you are
intending to address and will discuss relevant academic
literature (i.e. statistics which define the scope of the problem,
academic studies which help establish a way to address the
issue, and existing projects which can be used as “case
studies”).
2. A visual element which describes the specific aspects of your
own city proposal. Select the visual format which best suits
your project (i.e. PowerPoint, PREZI, Adobe Illustrator
document portfolio, etc.) and create a product which shares your
“vision” with others.
DETAILS:
Potential themes that your final project might address include:
urban decline/renewal, public safety, transportation, social
cohesion, green spaces, other types of public gathering spots,
industrial spaces, cultural centers, access to amenities like
grocery stores, etc.
Craft your project from a specific point of view (i.e. are you
coming at this work as a potential city manager, urban planner,
commercial developer, social activist, neighborhood association
president, or even just “concerned Public Policy student”?).
Your intended audience is the city council of a REAL city

2. (either the city in which you currently live or one that you are
intimately familiar with).
Something to consider: the most effective proposals are often
small in scope— that is, they address changes related to an
individual city block, neighborhood, or park. Similarly, a “small
scope” project might also address a specific change which can
be applied to every instance of something in a city (for
example, you might develop a proposal for adding braille to the
signage of every bus stop in a city).
WRITTEN PROPOSAL
Craft a 3-4 page (Times New Roman, 12-point font, normal
margins, double spaced, separate cover and reference pages
which do NOT count toward the page minimum) written
statement
which contextualizes your project within the larger field of
Urban Studies. This “introduction” to your project will help
explain why your project is important by addressing some of the
following questions:
· What is your topic and why is it a “problem”? What is the
history of this issue within cities? How did the concern/problem
begin?
· Why is it important for your particular city to address this
issue? What might happen if the city ignores the issue? Has any
research been done to demonstrate the positive things which can
result from addressing the issue? Has any research been done
which demonstrates the negative things which can result from
ignoring the issue?
· Have other cities already addressed this issue? What did they
do? How successful were they?

3. VISUAL ELEMENT
Develop a “creative” visual aid which fully explains your own
ideas for a public or private endeavor which can improve your
selected city.
While of the size of your visual aid will be determined by the
specific format that you select, each presentation should include
the following:
· The scope of the proposed project (are you addressing an
entire city? a neighborhood? one department within the city’s
management?) and who it will involve.
· The specific steps involved in your project, a timeline for
implementing them (what comes first? what goes last?), and
ideas on how to follow-up and maintain your project once it is
completed.
· Address how you will negotiate any resistance to your project,
should it be encountered. How might you avoid resistance in the
first place?
· Finally, really “sell” your idea! Excite your audience by
describing all of the benefits that the completed project will
deliver. These might be social, economic, environmental, and/or
cultural benefits.