URSI Matters
Educating the next generation of urban leaders. What is the Urban & Regional Studies Institute? The Urban and Regional Studies Institute is an interdisciplinary degree program oriented toward examining and understanding the broad range of problems and challenges associated with the nation’s cities and regional areas. Where are we? The institute is based at Minnesota State University, Mankato but our graduates are everywhere! What do we do? Urban and Regional Planning and Local Government Management. The undergraduate Urban Studies major is excellent preparation for professional work in the professional fields of planning and local government management. Our graduate program serves continuing students and the professionals that are working and looking to increase their knowledge.
Inside this issue Directors Perspective
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Faculty Updates – Granberg
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Faculty Updates - Beth
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Faculty Updates – Parsneau
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Faculty Updates – Porter (SA)
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Frontier Forum
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Studio
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Career Day
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New Leadership Council
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Tanya Ange
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Forward Progress
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Fall 2023
URSI and Destination 2030 When the Office of the President released Destination 2030/Strategic Plan, I found that Destination 2030 is URSI’s destination as well. Reviewing this strategic plan, I could identify a number of connections and common strategies with URSI’s programs and operation. I would like to show how URSI implements this plan for each goal (in italics) and its associated strategies. Lifelong provider of access to an equitable and affordable education. Among Destination 2030 strategies outlined for this goal, are an execution of a Strategic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan, a portfolio of learning credentials with flexible formats and experiences innovative financial aid and tuition programs. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion have always been a hallmark of URSI’s programs. The Faculty Diversity and Inclusion plan was recently updated in February of 2022, and the Masters of Public Administration and Community Management (MPACM) Student Program Diversity Study / Student Program Recruiting Plan was updated in March 2022. These plans cover recruiting strategies, practices embracing cultural inclusiveness, and procedures for monitoring and evaluating trends in program diversity. URSI’s approach integrates theory with practice. This includes practical application, mentorship, and “hands-on” experience in planning and management in diverse content areas. Planning curriculum includes the Planning Process, Long Range and Strategic Planning, Planning the Built Environment Planning Law and diverse electives such as Historic Preservation, Environmental Planning, Urban Transportation, and Urban Design. MPACM curriculum covers a full gamut of administration-related skills such as budget, finance,
and communications. Both programs also develop research and technical skills, Research Methods, Urban Analysis and Urban Program Evaluation courses. Small class sizes foster an environment of close Dr. Russell Fricano, working and Institute Director learning between the instructor and students and students with their classmates. URSI also promotes an applied learning approach through internships and Urban Studies Studio requiring students to build teams and problem solve for client cities. URSI also offers immersion programs for international students such as the city of Plymouth program where student observe and shadow successful practitioners. Flexible formats include in-person and online course delivery. The program was able to effectively adjust to the pandemic that required remote online learning. URSI also offers institutional scholarships and graduate assistantships to qualified Graduate and Undergraduate students. Community of care built upon diversity, inclusion and belonging. Destination 2030 strategies for this goal include a strategic approach to advising, mentoring and coaching and alumni connections for all students and partnering with regions adjacent to in-person locations to provide culturally responsive and supportive community offerings. For mentoring, URSI utilizes its alumni network in guest lectures and its annual
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URSI Matters
URSI and Destination 2030, continued Career Day Event on campus. The Career Day event invites a panel of successful URSI alum to provide students with career information and networking. URSI forms partnerships with adjacent regions through its recruiting plan that that builds partnerships with educational institutions throughout its adjacent region including Minnesota and Wisconsin. For inclusion and belonging, URSI also extends partnerships on an international level with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. This recruiting effort is accomplished through faculty exchange, student exchange, and program study abroad trips to Ghana. In addition, URSI promotes ethnic and cultural diversity in program admissions. Students enrolled in the program come from diverse locations throughout the globe including Ghana, Sri Lanka, Germany, Thailand, Sudan, Somalia, Mongolia, Nepal, Japan, Nigeria, Kosovo, Pakistan, Armenia, Canada, and the United States. This is conducive to a global perspective. URSI also practices and embraces multi-cultural programming. The program’s faculty reflects the URSI’s commitment to diversity, with a faculty contingent that balances and blends gender, ethnicity, disability, a wide range of age, country of origin, and other differentiating factors. Leader in transformational learning generating inspired action. Destination 2030 strategies include the expansion of high-impact learning and engagement practices, engaging external partners in advancing and providing high impact experiences and embedding high impact engagement and career exploration early in academic course work.
learning approaches in studio projects, internships and other course assignments. External partnerships include local governments offering internships and studio projects. The city of Plymouth immersion program also serves international students early in their academic coursework. In the Community Leadership course, students are required to volunteer 15 hours of community service. In this assignment students are evaluated on how well they were able to relate course concepts in their experience with the organization. Nimble and innovative steward of resources. Destination 2030 strategies include Incentivizing innovation, experimentation and collaboration in curricular offering. URSI offers an accelerated 3+2 program with the Geography program where students can obtain their Bachelor’s degree in Geography in three years and their Masters in Urban Planning in two years. URSI students also take courses in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). URSI also provides opportunities for collaboration with other degree programs. URSI course are offered as electives in Non-Profit Leadership and Environmental Science. In closing, this list is not exhaustive nor is it new. URSI has implemented strategies and programs consistent with Destination 2030 for over 50 years, well before the release of this strategic plan. This makes me optimistic that URSI will continue to implement Destination 2030 strategies over the next decade and beyond.
URSI implements transformational learning through applied
Faculty Updates Scott Granberg-Rademacher “Hello everyone! My name is Scott Granberg-Rademacker and I am the Chair of the Department of Government. I wanted to just say a few words about the current state of our two URSI graduate programs, as well as provide an update on some upcoming university reorganizations that will no doubt impact the Urban and Regional Studies Institute. First, our Masters in Public Administration and Community Management program (formerly known as the Masters in Urban Studies) continues to grow. We expect to have our largest incoming cohort this fall since the merger
with the Department of Government. Furthermore, Dr. Beth Heidelberg has successfully navigated us through our NASPAA reaccreditation process. This was a considerable amount of work for her, and we are very grateful for her efforts! The Masters in Urban Planning continues to be a program in demand, and the Urban Planning faculty are considering going for PAB accreditation at some point in the near future. Job placement for both graduate programs is off the charts at the moment as well! In terms of university reorganizations, there is
Fall 2023 Issue
a lot of news on that front. As a cost-savings measure implemented in March of last year, Academic Affairs merged the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the College of Arts and Humanities, under the new title of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. This immediately created the largest college at the university. Shortly after the merging of the colleges, it was announced that departmental and program mergers would follow. The idea behind these departmental/programmic mergers was to provide more synergy with related programs in other departments—not unlike the synergy we gained when merging with Public Administration in the Department of Government several years ago. We are currently considering a subsequent merger with other programs which offer a stronger synergy. On a personal note, my term as Chair of the Department of Government will end on July 1st. I am looking forward to returning to the ranks of the faculty to devote more time to teaching and research. Also, I just want to say a heart-felt thank you for your support of URSI through the years—it really does make all the difference.”
Beth Wielde Heidelberg Beth Wielde Heidelberg concluded her term as Institute Director in 2021, and is happy to return to research and teaching. She recently concluded research into local government management of dark tourism practices in Clear Lake Iowa, best known for the plane crash that took the life of musicians Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson, and Ritchie Valens. She is currently beginning research into community branding related to dark tourism, and the uncomfortable relationship between economic prosperity resulting and dark tourism. Heidelberg has also been innovating her courses by creating “Choose Your Own Adventure” style units for URBS 401/501: Foundations and URBS 110: The City. Students follow a common core curriculum for most of the semester, then for a time toward the end of the semester, they are given a menu of topics to select that best serve their interests and ambitions. In URBS 4/501: Foundations, the topic areas cover areas of urban law that are specific to urban planning and local government management. In URBS 110: The City, session choices focus on non-Western and other areas of historic architecture and urban morphology that explore areas of the world not traditionally covered in a survey course. These areas include Native American architectural
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traditions, the architecture of pre-British India, pre-colonial Africa, Cambodian Khmer, China, Japan, Incan and Mayan traditions, with a new session under development about the research communities built in the Antarctic science stations and Scandinavian Sami tribes. In addition to these research and teaching duties, Heidelberg is coordinating the departmental re-accreditation effort with the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA). URSI’s Master of Arts in Public Administration and Management (MPACM) degree was originally accredited in 2016, and has maintained this honor by demonstrating its adherence to the program mission of preparing students for professional local and regional public service leadership careers in the US system by instructing in the application of law, ethics, equity, and current trends in governance through a combination of public administration theory and applied skills training.
Kevin Parsneau It might surprise students to learn that professors’ primary training for their job is in researching and expanding the scholarly understanding rather than in classroom teaching. Of course, the expansion of knowledge is important on its own, but it also benefits professors and students because it is part of delivering cutting edge knowledge to students in the classroom. With that in mind, I would like to discuss some research I have been doing with my colleague Dr. Chris Galdieri at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, famous as the site of early candidate appearances during the presidential primaries. Parties and campaigns are rapidly changing in the twenty-first century while party leaders still try to influence the policies promoted and candidates nominated by their parties. We study how party leaders, including the often misunderstood “superdelegates,” use their positions to support their favored presidential candidates with public endorsements. Sen. Klobuchar dropping out and endorsing Joe Biden to help him win the nomination was an example of a “superdelegate” using her position to help her preferred candidate, but examples do not have to be such prominent people. Other examples include regular Democratic National Committee members like Kathleen Sullivan of New Hampshire or Nina
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URSI Matters
Parsneau con’t Turner of Ohio endorsing Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. In each case, someone who had been selected for a position of power in the party used that power to support their preferred candidate. We use the timing of endorsements, state and national polling data, delegate totals, the outcomes of primaries and caucuses and demographic traits to analyze party leaders’ strategies in making endorsements. We find that party leaders time their endorsements to help their favorite candidate win, but also to get behind the candidate with the most support from primary and caucus participants and whose polls indicate the best chance of winning the general election. Despite the frequent suspicion that super delegates want to thwart the will of ordinary voters, we have studied nominations of both parties since 2008 and have found strong evidence that party leaders mostly follow the lead of ordinary party members. They generally support whichever nominee has the strongest support in polls and backing in primaries and caucuses. They are not trying to steal the nomination but rather trying to unify the party behind the strongest candidate as soon as possible. Most observers understand that the Electoral College system is an oddity among world democratic systems, but the U.S.’s presidential primary system is also unique as a method of choosing party nominees for the highest office. It has sprung up and evolved over decades, and continues to evolve, and as such is the source of frustration, confusion and suspicion. While we are not defenders of the process, we hope to promote understanding of it with our research so at least criticisms or modifications will be based in facts and research. I also enjoy sharing my findings with my students in my U.S. Presidency course.
Miriam Porter Summer 2022 in South Africa Dr. Miriam Porter was invited to conduct a workshop on “Disaster Management in Developing Countries” in June during the Sustainability, Research and Innovation Congress held at the University of Pretoria in Pretoria, South Africa. It was a five day event and showcased research from around the world. One hundred and seven countries participated represented by researchers and academics from various countries. Dr. Porter distinguished the difference between a conference, in which most participants go to learn, versus a congress, in which participants are actively engaged in working with each other to further develop ideas and innovations. Dr. Porter was joined in the Congress workshop by co-presenters, Situ Chitrakar, an Urban and Regional Studies Institute alum and current Urban and Regional Studies Institute graduate student, Olivia Adomabea. This collaboration between faculty and students was exemplary of the Institute’s mission to involve students in research work of professors. While Dr. Porter was onsite in Pretoria, Ms. Chitrakar and Ms. Odomabea presented remotely. Situ Chitraker, is a native of the Asian country of Nepal. She was instrumental in onsite disaster research in Nepal with Dr. Porter which was conducted in February of 2020. They developed a case study which focused on earthquakes in Ne-
Facts and figures: • Internships: between $15 and $20 per hour. • Jobs: starting between $50,000 and $60,000 per year.
pal and identified best practices in preparing for, managing through and recovering from disasters. Ms. Chitrakar was able to give a personal account of her experience of surviving an earthquake during the workshop. She also discussed her work in Nepal in recovery efforts after the 2015 earthquake. Olivia Adomabea is from Ghana in West Africa. In the workshop, she discussed the research which was done by Dr. Asomani Boateng, former graduate student Gabriel Appiah and Dr. Porter in 2016. This also was onsite research in which a case study was developed that focused on flooding and fires in Ghana. Ms. Adomabea related her horrific experience in a flood and discussed the escalating disasters in Ghana. During the workshop, participants knowledgeable about disasters and the special circumstances in developing countries were able to give feedback on the best practices identified from the research to help the ideas evolve. All involved felt that is was an incredible learning experience. Dr. Porter joined post congress activities to study eco-tourism in South Africa. She travelled to Kruger Park which features a notable wildlife habitat, the Three Rondavels, which are spectacular natural rock formations, and Blyde River Canyon, one of the larger canyons in the world. These sites showcased the many natural amenities in South Africa which attract people from throughout the world and contribute to local economies in the Country. She also visited the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg to better understand the historic trials and tribulations undergone for equality in the Country. All and all a phenomenal Summer of 2022.
Fall 2023 Issue
Meet Dr Paul Prew – URSI’s New Faculty Member URSI is pleased to announce that Dr. Paul Prew has joined the Institute as its newest faculty member. Dr. Prew joined URSI as a transfer from the Minnesota State Mankato-Department of Sociology. Dr. Prew is a local Midwesterner, living most of his life a mere four hours’ drive from Mankato. After receiving a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, he received his Master’s in Sociology from Minnesota State Mankato when it was still Mankato State University. Dr. Prew returned to teach at Minnesota State Mankato after his PhD program at the University of Oregon where he specialized in environment, Marxist theory, and labor studies. Dr. Prew’s research and personal interests all revolve around the growing concerns regarding the destruction of our environment. One of his latest publications appears in the Oxford Handbook of Marx. “Sociopoiesis: Understanding Crisis in the Capitalist World-System through Complexity Sciences” applies new understandings in social and physical sciences to comprehend the source of our looming ecological crisis. He has also recently published an intellectual biography of Karl Marx for a text called, Great Economic Thinkers. In the past, he has focused on how environmental threats are forcing changes in indigenous groups as well as in poorer nations around the world. To get a first-hand look at these issues, Dr. Prew has traveled to Ecuador to learn from the
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indigenous group, Sarayaku, and struggles by other groups resisting environmental degradation and threats to their livelihood. Dr. Prew has also chaired the University Environmental Committee which developed the Minnesota State Mankato-Climate Action Plan(Minnesota State Mankato-Cap). This plan included strategies to control and reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. Implementation of the Minnesota State Mankato-Cap successfully reduced the campus carbon footprint by 16%. As a new addition, URSI looks to Dr. Prew in providing a new dimension to the curriculum and more course options for students. Dr. Prew offers a global perspective related to local issues. His interest in equity and sustainability builds on the existing strengths of URSI’s planning program to address 21st century challenges. He also recognizes that planning is far more than a technical exercise. It is critical to promote understanding of the social, economic and political environment in which the planner operates. During the Spring 2024 semester, Dr. Prew will be teaching in-person sections of Introduction to the City, Sustainable Communities, Public Information and Involvement, and Urban Housing Policy. We wish him continued success.
Research Frontier Forum – Dr. Beth Wielde Heidelberg For the second time (2014 and 2022), Beth Wielde Heidelberg represented URSI at the Frontier Forum, presenting her research into dark tourism in Clear Lake, Iowa. Clear Lake is a community of 7,600 thrust into international notoriety in 1959 when the small plane carrying musicians Buddy Holly, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, and Ritchie Valens crashed just outside the city, killing all aboard. Shortly after the crash, it became an international tourist destination based on its association with the crash that took these rock and roll idols. “Dark tourism” refers to tourism to places associated with tragedy, death, disasters, or (on the lighter side), ghost stories and places reputed to be haunted. While these places are a part of heritage and cultural tourism, their association with tragic events (especially when death is involved) means these sites must be managed with a special level of sensitivity. Marketing must be done differently. Community branding, in most cases, cannot include the one thing that draws Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake, Iowa. Site of the last concert performed by Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson, and Ritchie Valens. the tourists to smaller communities. There are exceptions, of course,
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URSI Matters
Research con’t like how Sleepy Hollow, New York uses the Headless Horseman in its marketing and branding, but this is the exception, since the Headless Horseman is a popular fictional character in a ghost story. When real events are involved, these things become more complicated.
Lake presented evidence by focusing on how the victims contributed to the community or to broad culture, and how working with the families and friends of the victims can create a tourism culture based on respect and memorialization rather than ghoulish, morbid curiosity led to general support of tourism, even if it is related to a difficult past.
Heidelberg’s presentation focused on guidelines for communities primarily known as dark tourism destinations. The Clear Lake case study provided a frame for the discussion, showing how dark tourism sites can balance the economic prosperity that comes from a robust tourism industry with the uncomfortable knowledge that this prosperity is the result of someone’s tragedy. Clear
The presentation can be viewed on YouTube at https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=-YiXWAk8zOE&t=1181s. Additional insight into this topic can be seen in a guest blog post at https://www.kmfiswriting.com/dark-tourism-in-the-neighborhood-embrace-or-reject/
The stage at the Surf Ballroom, where Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens played their last concert.
The presentation was held on March 29 in the Ostrander Auditorium. Heidelberg had the honor of hosting Clear Lake city officials, City Administrator Scott Flory and City Council member Bennett Smith, who were able to join Heidelberg during the Question and Answer period. They provided firsthand accounts of how the crash impacted the community, and insight into current activities related to memorialization in Clear Lake.
Studio 2023 The Urban and Regional Studies Studio is the capstone experience for both management and planning graduate students. It is the culmination of the students’ academic experience and allows them to put their acquired knowledge into practice. They transition from student to professionals during the Studio experience. Projects are selected each year for students to undertake in consultation with the studio team, requesting organizations and faculty supervisors. Students become consultants working for these cities, counties, regional government, non-profit organization or other entities to address a need. This year the studio project was working for the City of St. Peter, MN. analyzing their progress as Studio team 2023 Annabelle Hanke, Carrlin Meier and Timothy Tutlam a Minnesota GreenStep City. The studio team consisted of Carrlin Meier, Annabelle Hanke and Timothy Tutlam. The team was facilitated by Dr. Miriam Porter, Professor of Urban and Regional Studies, Todd Prafke, City Administrator of St. Peter and his staff and Kristin Mroz, Green Step Cities and Tribal Nations Co-Director. The project for the studio team was updating the GreenStep sustainability program for the City of St. Peter. Their goal was to identify and submit as many relevant best practices in behalf of the City that would advance the city on the five step trajectory. The Minnesota Green Step Program offers challenges, assistance and recognition to cities and tribal nations toward achieving sustainability and quality of life. The studio team accomplished its goal fall semester of 2022. They submitted a report and presented their report and findings to the City Council and City Administrator. By all accounts, they were successful in achieving their goal and addressing a need for the City. At the same time, the City created a positive professional work experience for the team and helped to cultivate the next generation of local government professionals.
Fall 2023 Issue
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Research con’t
Betsy-Tacy Homes – Beth Heidelberg “Betsy’s house, a small yellow cottage, was the last house on her side of Hill Street, and the rambling white house opposite was the last house on that side. So of course it was very important. And it had been empty ever since Betsy could remember.” (Betsy-Tacy). Author Maud Hart Lovelace opens the world of Deep Valley, a fictionalized version of Mankato, with a description of her five-year-old world. A small yellow house at the end of the street, with a white house just across the street, where a family was moving in, one with a much-anticipated friend for “Betsy Ray” (Lovelace’s fictional alter ego) to play with, the red-ringleted Tacy Kelly. Tacy is the fictional version of Lovelace’s best friend, Frances “Bick” Kenney. Lovelace’s books follow Betsy and Tacy from the age of five until young adulthood, depicting a Deep Valley emerging from the late 1890s through World War II. The Betsy-Tacy stories have enthralled gener-
“Betsy’s house, a small yellow cottage, was the last house on her side of Hill Street, and the rambling white house opposite was the last house on that ations of children since their initial side. So of course it was very publication in the 1940s. As blogimportant. And it had been empty ever since Betsy could ger Terri Peterson Smith says, “It’s remember.” (Betsy-Tacy). hard to believe that a series of nov-
els can still be popular with a heroine who neither Tweets nor Snapchats, a girl who lacks magical powers, a vampire boyfriend, or a fabulous assortment of weaponry.” These books have endured, draw visitors from around the world to Mankato each year for events and to see the real-life places where the series took place.
The Reality behind the Fiction The first eight books depict Betsy’s life in Deep Valley from kindergarten until graduation from high school, when her family moved to Minneapolis from approximately 1897 until 1910. Much to the delight of readers, the Deep Valley chronicled in the books can, in many cases, still be found in Mankato today. Readers delight in visiting Lincoln Park, the “pieshaped wedge of lawn with a giant elm tree and a fountain on it.” (Betsy-Tacy, page 291). Moving along Broad Street, they can visit Carney’s house, with its sleeping porch intact. They can wander over to Tib’s house on Bradley Street, the
“chocolate-colored house which was the most beautiful house Betsy and Tacy had ever been in (Betsy, Tacy, and Tib).” They can walk along Riverfront Drive and Front Street they can imagine taking Betsy and Tacy’s annual Christmas shopping trip, or stop at the Carnegie Library, a favorite haunt of Betsy/ Lovelace. But the gem in the Betsy-Tacy world is found at the intersection of Center and East Lewis Streets. Moving up the hill, visitors can catch a glimpse of two strangely familiar Victorian vernacular homes toward the end of the street. These are the real-life counterparts to Lovelace’s semi-fictional homes so lovingly described in her novels. The homes were purchased by the Betsy-Tacy society, the first purchase being Tacy’s white house in the 1990s. The home had undergone alterations to accommodate residents over time, but it was in decent shape and the Society was able to restore it for public visitation. It now serves as an interpretive center and shop, housing many of artifacts described in Lovelace’s books. Lovelace’s former home, “Betsy’s House,” was purchased by the Betsy-Tacy Society in 2001. It had served as a private residence for over a century, and had been altered to meet the needs of each family that lived there. But the ‘bones’ of Lovelace’s childhood home remained intact. Local contractors, with the help of the PBS show Hometime assisted in the restoration of this literary artifact, working with community volunteers and sponsors to restore it to is 1892 – 1906 era of significance.
References: Betsy-Tacy Society (n.d.). Betsy-Tacy Houses and Gift Shop Information. Downloaded 22 June 2022 from https://www.betsy-tacysociety.org/visits-tours/ Fish, P. (2016). Two of the best friends in American literature lived here. Houzz. Downloaded June 1, 2022 from houzz.com/magazine/two-of-the-best-friends-in-american-literature-lived-here-stsetivw-vs~75734524. Smith, T. (2015). Visiting the Mankato, Minnesota houses where Betsy and Tacy live. Off the Beaten Page Travel. Downloaded on May 29, 2022 from offthebeatenpagetravel.com/2015/06/12/visiting-the-mankato-minnesota-houses-where-betsy-and-tacy-lived/ Visit Mankato (n.d.). Visit Mankato 2021 Annual Report. Downloaded on June 4, 2022 from visitgreatermankato.com/partners/ reports/
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URSI Matters
Research con't
Environmental Justice Brownfield Redevelopment and Citizen Participation in Birmingham, Alabama A brownfield is a property which demonstrates a potential presence or contamination of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. According to the U.S. EPA an estimated 425,000 brownfields are located throughout the United States. Unfortunately, a number of brownfields are located in underserved areas with a concentration of low income households or people of color. These sites can be remediated and redeveloped into successful community projects governed by Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The act requires the consultation of citizens in the redevelopment process. Environmental legislation promotes citizen participation in the environmental review process through public hearings, community meetings, and advisory groups. However, environmental justice literature advocates higher levels of grassroots citizen empowerment through education and involvement in the decision-making process. Several research studies indicated that although the federal government supports community involvement in environmental restoration projects, such involvement has never been implemented to its fullest potential. In the late 1990s and early 2000s the city of Birmingham developed three projects on remediated brownfield sites which contributed to the revival of the city’s downtown core: A public park, new baseball field and restoration of a theater. However, the question remained about the extent citizens participated in the environmental review process for these projects. Russell Fricano of URSI and two colleagues, Sandra Cutts and Robert Peters of the University of Alabama Birmingham Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering investigated this issue in a case study. To assess levels of citizen participation the study quantified levels of empowerment using Arnstein’s ladder of participation. Sherry Arnstein originally developed a ladder with scaled levels of participation to measure degrees of empowerment in the Urban Renewal process. She identified three main levels of participation: Non-Participation where citizens have no say in the development process; Tokenism where citizens are given information and provide feedback
Brownfield sites in downtown Birmingham, AL served as the location of Birmingham’s Urban Renaissance redevelopment projects.
with no guarantee their views will considered, and Citizen Empowerment, where citizens participate in co-decision making with public officials. Utilizing a survey questionnaire, this analysis was conducted in three ways: a comparison of actual citizen participation methods used in the process with those providing a higher level of empowerment; compilation of open-ended responses of citizen dissatisfaction with the environmental review process; and utilizing Arnstein’s Ladder to measure perceived levels of empowerment of citizen, public official, and developer stakeholders. Findings suggest that the types of participation methods used were at lower levels of citizen empowerment with local residents removed from decision-making; in responses to open-ended questions, citizens expressed shortcomings in the participatory process compared with their opinion on how it should be conducted, and perceived levels of empowerment differed among the categories of stakeholders. Citizens reported perceptions of empowerment at levels of tokenism removed from decision-making, while developers and public officials reported higher levels of empowerment. This study concluded that more innovative citizen participation techniques, university/community partnerships, and collaborative compact models are needed for more equitable participation. Cutts, S., Fricano, R., & Peters, R. (2023). Environmental justice for whom? Citizen participation and brownfield redevelopment in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space.
Fall 2023 Issue
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leadership council New Leadership Council Members Offer a Balance of Generations and Professional Expertise URSI is pleased to announce the appointment of four new members to the URSI Leadership Council: Steve Balfanz, Jeannine Clancy, Sabrina Hille and Dillon Petrowicz. The Leadership Council consists of a group of successful alumni who make decisions on the disbursement of funds from URSI’s Charitable Gift Agreement (CGA). Existing members include Ashley Cauley, a City Planner with the city of Chaska Community Development Department and Nancy Hoffman, Executive Director of the Ciscago County Housing and Redevelopment Authority. This fund was established in 2011 by alumni Peter and Linda Dahm in appreciation to URSI Faculty and staff who had a profound impact on
the professional lives of its graduates and related disciplines. The intent of the fund is to support URSI in achieving its mission in preparing students to become successful professionals in the fields of urban planning and management. The CGA can fund a variety of uses which include undergraduate and graduate scholarships, student attendance at professional conferences and adjunct and short-term faculty. Leadership Council members normally serve a three-year term which can be renewed up to six more years. With retirements and ending of terms, the Council decided to expand its membership with four new alumni.
Steve Balfanz is an accomplished market research and strategy professional with expertise
in market Data Analysis. He has successfully applied his analysis in assessment of prospective retail site location. He served as a consultant for Strategic Market Insight, and the Director of Market Research and Analysis for Target Corporation which led to the expansion of 1,200 new stores for the Target portfolio. He was also Manager of Research and Planning for Dayton Hudson, Corporation. In addition, he is a mentor in team management and development. He has a BA from Hamline University and MA from Minnesota State University Mankato. He is also an Emeritus member of the ICSC North American Research Advisory Task Force and Canadian Research group.
Jeannine Clancy is currently a Program Director of Strategic and
Community Partnerships for TKDA of St. Paul, MN. Her 39 years of increasing experience spans the private and public sectors. Prior to her position at TKDA she served as an Assistant General Manager of Metropolitan Council Environmental Services and a Manager of Community Programs. Ms. Clancy was also Director of Public Works for the City of Golden Valley and New Hope, MN, and a Capital Project Manager for the city of Scottsdale, AZ. In addition, her experience includes community development for the cities of New Hope and Faribault, MN. In 2021, Ms. Clancy was listed in the Top 10 Public Works Directors by the American Public Works Association (APWA). She also Chairs the APWA’s Natural Water Resources Committee.
The Leadership Council’s youngest members, Sabrina Hille and Dillon Petrowitz distinguished themselves early in their careers.
Sabrina Hille serves as the Assistant City Manager for the city of Ostego, MN. Prior to her work with the city of Ostego she was also City Administrator for the city of Maple Lake, MN. Ms. Hille has her Masters in Public Administration and Community Management from Minnesota State University Mankato.
Dillon Petrowitz is a Lead Planner and Project Manager for TKDA. He
works as an Aviation Planner for municipal, regional and international airports in Minnesota and Wisconsin. He also served as an Aviation Planner for Bolton & Menk, Inc. and Assistant Airport Manager for the city of Prairie du Chien Airport. Mr. Petrowitz has a Masters in Urban Planning from Minnesota State University Mankato. For more details on Sabrina and Dillon see related articles in, “Forward Progress: URSI Alumni News”.
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alumni updates Tanya Ange The Urban and Regional Studies Institute congratulates URSI Alum Tanya Ange for her appointment as President Elect of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). Ms. Ange’s 17-year career is marked with continuing success in the city and county administration. Ms. Ange has served as the chief executive of the Washington County organization since August 2020. Under the county’s home-rule charter establishing the council-manager form of government, Ms. Ange is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the county organization, one of three that make up the Portland metropolitan area. Washington County serves a growing and diverse population of 606,378 people – the second largest among Oregon’s 36 counties – with a staff of 2,368 full-time equivalent positions and an annual budget of $1.6 billion. Washington County’s mission is to provide excellent and cost-effective services that support healthy, peaceful, safe and sustainable communities and encourage meaningful participation in community activities and county governance.
URSI Alumni News
URSI Matters
Prior to Washington County, Ms. Ange served for four years as deputy city manager for the City of Boulder, Colorado. Ms. Ange oversaw the management of the City Manager’s Office, including its equity-focused initiatives, Communications and Engagement, Community Vitality, Finance/Budget, Human Resources, Innovation and Technology, Library and Arts and Transportation and Mobility. The City of Boulder has 1,390 full-time employees and an annual budget of $353.7 million. Prior to her service with the City of Boulder, Ms. Ange was an assistant to the city manager (2006-2009) and then a deputy city manager/chief of staff (2009-2016) for Mankato, Minnesota. Ms. Ange is a credentialed manager through the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and has earned a master’s degree in Urban Studies Management in 2006 and a bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Services in 2000, both at Minnesota State University, Mankato. She currently serves as the Vice President of the Oregon Association of County Administrators and a Board Member for the National Association of County Administrators. As the incoming President Elect for the International City Management Association, we are confident that Ms. Ange will serve the organization well.
Sabrina Hille was appointed
Lindy Crawford was appoint-
Assistant City Manager of Human Resources for the City of Ostego, Minnesota. Her recent projects include evaluating the city’s Emergency Services model and updating the city Emergency Operations Plan. Prior to her appointment she served as the City Administrator for Maple Lake, MN. She is also a Board Member at Large with the Association of Public Management Officials. Sabrina was recently appointed to the URSI Leadership Council.
Emmanuel Frimpong Boamah was awarded his tenure
Dillon Petrowitz was pro-
ed City Manager of White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Prior to this appointment, Lindy served as the City Administrator/ Public Utilities General Manager for the City of Mora where she was also the Executive Director of the City Economic Development Authority. Lindy started her career as City Administrator for Tonka Bay.
with the Department of Urban and Regional Planning with the State University of New York at Buffalo. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dr. Frimpong is a data scientist as a DS4A Fellow. He is also Planning and Policy Analyst and Researcher. His research and publications include global planning and policy issues.
moted to Lead Planner and Project was promoted to Lead Planner and Project Manager for the firm TKDA. As an Aviation Planner, Dillon’s work includes planning for municipal, regional and international airports in Minnesota and Wisconsin. He collaborates with 40 full-time aviation co-workers to deliver Airport Master Plans, Airport Layout Plans, Capital Improvement Plans, Airspace Reviews, Airport Zoning Ordinances, and Public Engagement. Dillon was recently appointed to the URSI Leadership Council.
Fall 2023 Issue
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OTHER ACTIVITIES Students of the Urban and Regional Studies Institute Organization The Students of Urban and Regional Studies Institute (SURSI) is the student club of the program. The club’s main goal is to look after the welfare of students, expose students to opportunities that URSI offers, bridge the gap between students and faculty and establish a connection between students and practicing professionals in the various fields of urban studies. SURSI’s officers – Olivia Adomabea, president, Cyril Amissah, vice president, Michael Yeboah, secretary and Conor Callaghan, organizer had an active 2022-2023 year. Career Day was a collaborative effort of the URSI Faculty and SURIS Leadership. They also attended the MN APA conference in Duluth. SURSI was able to have a booth in the convention center and attended talks of their choosing. They presented research and were able to talk to cities and consulting firms regarding ongoing projects and possible job opportunities. Pic is SURSI Officers, l – r, Conor Callaghan, Olivia Adomabea, Michael Yeboah and Cyril Amissah.
URSI Alum share their experience on Career Day There is no better indicator of the quality of a program than the successful career of its graduates. Every year, URSI holds a Career Day event where a panel of successful URSI alum share the rewards and challenges of their careers and how their time at URSI helped them succeed. This year URSI held its Career Day on February 7. The Career Day panel consisted of a balance of professionals in Public Administration and Community Management and Urban Planning. Representing the City Management field were Mary Kennedy of the City of Blue Earth and Michael Stalberger of Blue Earth County. Ashley Cauley of the city Minnetonka and Dylan Petrowitz of TKDA consulting represented the planning profession. The panelists were well received and provided an important link between the academic and professional world. We express our utmost appreciation to our alum for sacrificing time away from their busy careers to meet with our students.
2023 URSI Career Day panel (left to right): Mary Kennedy, Ashley Cauley, Michael Stalberger, and Dillon Petrowitz.
In Memorium The Urban and Regional Studies Institute was very saddened to learn that former faculty member David Laverny-Rafter passed away on October 19, 2023 in Grenoble, France. He is survived by his wife, Florance. Professor Laverny-Rafter was much loved by his students and the members of the department. There will be a longer testimonial in the 2024 Newsletter.
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URSI Matters
Dr. Scott GranbergRademacker: A very entertaining professor! Professors can be known for their performances in the classroom. However, outside the classroom, a professor can give just as exhilarating performances. Professor Scott Granberg-Rademacker is a faculty member who accomplishes this, excelling in guitar and vocal performances. So how did it all begin? Most presume musicians and vocalists master their art from an early age; after all, Jimi Hendrix started at the age of 15. However, Scott noted, “I didn’t start in my teenage years like a lot of people.” Scott remarkably started much later: in 2007! Scott found his inspiration at a party. Scott and his wife Sara were at a party when the host brought out a guitar and started playing and guests joined him singalongs. “It was a blast!” Scott recalled. “I thought to myself, it would be a lot of fun to learn how to do that. So, I just taught myself how to play guitar.” When asked which musician influenced him the most, Scott replied, “Without question, my favorite guitarist of all time is Johnny Marr from the Smiths.” Scott noted that to mimic his style is not as easy to do, as Marr plays in chords which are more advanced. However, this inspires Scott to push the limits of his performance. He has the right equipment to accomplish this: A Fender Stratocaster (a birthday gift from Sara) and a Fender Telecaster. Scott gave his first performance in 2009 with a band named, “Day Pass”. Two of the band members at the time worked in the State Hospital facility in St. Peter. When their clients were be able to leave, they were given a Day Pass. This gave Scott an opportunity to play with many different people. Scott’s performances also include his family and colleagues. Scott has performed at Pub 500 with Sara and his son Caiden. Scott praised Caiden’s talent as well advanced, and they look forward to performing for a high school reunion. When she is not serving as Director of University Advising, Sara also performs as a vocalist. Scott noted that, “She doesn’t want to
be the lead singer the whole time. But she has fun just singing a few songs. So that’s always good.” Scott also observed, that when she sings, “She’s a crowd pleaser. Everybody loves Sara!” If you attended Jackie Vieceli’s retirement party, you also heard another member of Day Pass and Government faculty accompany Scott on the keyboard. Professor Fred Slocum! Scott observes, “He’s phenomenally good. Fred is just a wonderful talent. He’s got that ability where you can just tell him a song and if he knows it, he can play like he doesn’t need sheet music. He just knows how to play it. Unbelievable talent!” After reading this article you should all be eager to attend Scott’s performances. The odds are in your favor. Scott may appear in a variety of venues: Coffee Hag, Mankato Brewery, Pub 500, Boonies Bar and Grill, Le Suer Country Club, Wine Café and Westwood Marina. Despite this success, Scott never loses site of his academic responsibilities. He enjoys working for URSI, his ultimate gig. “I look forward to furthering URSI’s Mission and being a part of it.” Russell Fricano