Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/21474

The Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS) is administered by the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). It is a campus-wide initiative that harnesses the expertise of UMD faculty and the energy and ingenuity of UMD students to help Maryland communities become more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. PALS is designed to provide innovative, low-cost assistance to local governments while creating real-world problem-solving experiences for University of Maryland graduate and undergraduate students.

Browse

Subject: search.filters.subject.Equity

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Envisioning the Future at Prince George's Plaza, MD
    (Partnership for Action Leadership in Sustainability (PALS), 2021) Dandy, Selina; Mencer, Abigail; Zadeh, Maryam Bana; Benham, Austin; Degroff, Andrew; DiBella, Nick; Haider, Alma; Jenkins, TaLisha; Kaku, Upasana; Konan, Yan; Vargas, Daryl; Vandergoot, Jana
    The semester was divided in 3 projects. For project 3, the studio worked with Prince George's Planning Department on creating urban design schemes for the Prince George's Plaza Transit District including analyzing relvevant case studies, site visit to Prince George's Plaza, site documentation/analysis, and design proposals rooted from historical research while responding to complex contemporary issues (social inequality, safety, climate change, urban ecology, public health, local/global economies) in order to produce urban design master plans, street sections, perspectives vignettes for near-term and long-term 2035 year plans.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Direct Annual Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Mobile Combustion Sources
    (Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS), 2020) Grove, Ben; Skoglund, Max; Sproul, Brett; Thomas, Lauren; Washington, Torin; Carroll, Mark
    Through their work with the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland (UMD), the Prince George's County- Department of Parks and Recreation commissioned this report from the university’s Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS). PALS works with local jurisdictions throughout Maryland to identify projects and problems that can be taught through university courses where students focus on developing innovative, research-based solutions. The Prince Georges County Department of Parks and Recreation was seeking to reduce carbon emissions by 50% from 2019 levels within Division of Maintenance and Development. This report centers obtaining research on the consumption metric for the vehicles (ie., mpg) and equipment (ie., gal/hr) present within the inventory and use these values in combination with the equipment and vehicle use metric (ie., miles, hrs) to determine CO2 emissions based on type of fuel required to operate the equipment or vehicle for the Prince Georges County Department of Parks and Recreation maintenance division .
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Adapting Tree Co-Benefit Calculators with the Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition
    (Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS), 2020) Anderson, Jeremiah; Boyette, Brooke; Donesky, Jonathan; Dowling, Catherine; Ricciuti, David; Carroll, Mark
    Through their work with the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland (UMD), the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) commissioned this report from the university’s Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS). PALS works with local jurisdictions throughout Maryland to identify projects and problems that can be taught through university courses where students focus on developing innovative, research-based solutions. Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition (GBWC) and Maryland Department of Natural Resources are seeking a comprehensive review of the benefits (both environmental and non-environmental) that planting trees can provide to the Baltimore County region. The intent of the research is to provide GBWC with information that will aid in the creation of a tool/calculator that outlines the benefits tree planting provides within the county and encourages private landowners to do so. This report centers obtaining is on the lesser-known benefits of trees, such as improvement to the physical and mental health of individuals which is lacking in currently available tree co-benefit calculators.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Air Quality in Prince George’s County During the COVID-19 Pandemic
    (Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS), 2020) Koroleva, Galina; Marinelli, Michael; Oliver, Lily; Via, James; White, Nefretari; Carroll, Mark
    Through their work with the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland (UMD), the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) commissioned this report from the university’s Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS). PALS works with local jurisdictions throughout Maryland to identify projects and problems that can be taught through university courses where students focus on developing innovative, research-based solutions. The county is interested in knowing if spatial differences air quality were apparent during the early stages of the pandemic and if these observed differences can be linked to changes in vehicular traffic. If spatial variations in air quality exist, the county would like to know what Equity Emphasis Areas within the county were most impacted by the changes in air quality. Additionally, the county is seeking policy recommendations that will encourage automobile usage patterns similar to those observed in early stages of the pandemic. This report centers obtaining historical air quality data from multiple air quality stations, health implications associated with the air quality data, and conducting policy research that will guide the team in developing recommendations for Prince George's County.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Small-Scale, Local Production in Prince Georgeʼs County, MD
    (Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS), 2020) Brinley, Anna; Murnen, Lily; Nye, Kari; Boone, Bobby
    Through their work with the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland (UMD), the Prince George’s County Planning Department commissioned this report from the university’s Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS). PALS works with local jurisdictions throughout Maryland to identify projects and problems that can be taught through university courses where students focus on developing innovative, research-based solutions. Small-Scale Local Production is the result of a graduate urban planning and studies seminar initiated with the intent to evaluate the manufacturing and maker ecosystem in Prince George’s County. Building upon insights gained from previous studies in Prince George’s County, Washington, DC, Montgomery County, and Baltimore City, the course evolved to focus on zoning policy, programmatic support, and real estate analysis. This report centers small, production-based businesses as part of an inclusive economic development strategy for the County.