Choose one existing public capital improvement project (CIP).

Paper details:

Description:

Dr. Richard Jackson calls for better urban design for the sake of health; he believes that smart urban design can encourage healthier living. ASCE gives America’s infrastructure a D+ based on it’s condition and performance. This week’s lecture described the challenges facing sustainable infrastructure, and some of the green checklists available to urban planners and engineers. You will choose one example public infrastructure capital improvement project and evaluate for one or two credits to improve the infrastructure sustainability

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Instructions:

Choose one existing public capital improvement project (CIP). Most counties and cities will have a website that describes their ongoing CIPs. Examples are below:

King County, WA: http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Construction.aspx

Maricopa County, AZ:

http://fcd.maricopa.gov/projects/ppm/cip.aspx (download the CIP Book at right)

Depending on the government and/or agency that you choose, CIP information will be available in several places including, project website, community planning/update meeting minutes, Environmental Impact Statements, CIP budgets and approval documents, etc.

Choose one or two credits within a rating system. The rating systems we reviewed include LEED v4 for neighborhoods, the EnvisionTM checklist, and an example custom checklist from King County, WA.

Your assignment is to :

write one page summarizing describing your proposed idea for improving the CIP and how this idea can achieve one or two credits. You should NOT write about how the CIP currently is achieving said credit, you should be creative and write about a new idea for improving on the infrastructure project.

•Paragraph 1 : should briefly summarize the CIP you’ve chosen (don’t forget references!).

•Somewhere in the document, be sure to identify the credit and rating system you’ve chosen (don’t forget references!)

•The remainder of your paragraphs should describe your idea for sustainable infrastructure improvement and how this idea achieves one or two of the rating systems’ sustainability credits.

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Grading Rubric:

Sustainble Improvement Idea :

Described an idea not already in the CIP for improving project sustainability. Description clearly connected the idea to existing project activities. Showed critical thinking involving feasibility and/or sustainability implications and/or unintended consequences. Gave or referenced an example of how this idea has been successfully implemented in other projects

Credit and Rating system :

Described how the proposed idea for infrastructure improvement relates to achieving the credit for chosen rating system. Rating system and credit clearly identified. Describes how the credit achievement can be documented.

Ideas and arguments are fresh and well-developed. Incorporated at least one ESEM ( Earth systems engineering and management) principle (bold & italicize the text that references the principle) logically and seamlessly into the writing.