Tag: CEDS

Pecha Kucha – Gazuntite!?

Posted on by Julia Havens

Nope, not a sneeze or even similar! Pecha Kucha is the art of concise presentations: 20 slides shown for 20 seconds each (6 minutes and 40 seconds in total). The Community Planning Workshop began using this mode of presentation style as a way for each CPW student to share and update their peers on project findings, status, lessons learned, etc.

Good Pecha Kucha presentations are the ones that uncover the unexpected – an unexpected concept, an unexpected idea, an unexpected a-ha moment.  Some Pecha Kuchas tell great stories about a project or team dynamic. Some incredibly personal, some incredibly professional and some are incredibly funny, but all are very different, and they turn each project presentation into “a box of chocolates”.

Why use this format? Well, passionate students tend to talk too much about their project! Give the platform and some images to graduate planning students — or most creative people for that matter — and they’ll go on forever about their project! This fast-paced mode gives everyone in CPW class a voice to share their moment, their project perspective, and a chance learn from each other’s experiences.

The featured video is one of the voted favorites by CPW students this past winter term. Created and presented by Fábio Andrade, what was once a 20-slide presentation is now a fabulous video for you to enjoy!

 

Fabio Ramos de Andrade Community Planning Workshop CPWAbout the Creator and Author: Fábio Andrade is a Brazilian student currently enrolled in the Master of Community and Regional Planning Program in PPPM.  In Brazil, he started an organization dedicated to recruiting international volunteers for educational programs in rural communities. He lived in the US between 2007 and 2009 while attending graduate school at San Jose State University California. After receiving his Masters of Public Administration degree, he returned to Brazil and worked on the management of public agencies in education and public health. He moved to Oregon with his family and enjoys playing with his twin little boys in the beautiful parks of Eugene.

It’s All in the Process: A Cascades West Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Update

Posted on by Julia Havens

Cascades West Economic Development District Dianna Skelly-Cotter Community Planning Workshop CPWEconomic Development has been a red-hot topic since the 2008 economic downturn began: how do we strategically increase economic development? Many state, regional, and local government entities have sought solutions that increase economic development that meet the state goals, but progress has been unfortunately slow.

Naturally occurring events like winter storms, floods, and landslides cost our economy millions of dollars a year and have significant impacts on economic development in communities, on businesses, and on the residents who depend on them. Increasing awareness of natural threats and the interconnected nature of modern society lead to this question: how can we increase economic resilience in the region and decrease the negative economic impacts that nature sends our way? Can we achieve economic growth and resiliency in a way that also decreases the costs of those natural hazards to the region?Utilizing the talent, drive, education, and resources of the Community Planning Workshop at the University of Oregon, the Cascades West Economic Development District is developing a unique economic development plan for four counties. This plan not only will address traditional economic development issues, but it will also directly address resilience.

Led by Amanda D’Souza, a second-year Master’s candidate in the Planning, Public Policy, and Management Department, the CWEDD-Cascade West Economic Development District Team is currently conducting a thorough review and analysis of the current 5-year plan to assess where it has succeeded, where it can be improved, and how we can incorporate the concepts of natural hazard mitigation to enhance economic resilience wherever possible. CWEDD Team members include Blake Helm, Dianna Skelly, Kelsey Zlevor, and Fabio Ramos de Andrade.

CPW and the CWEDD team is innovating solutions to real-world problems that will impact the lives of Oregonians and their families. Our blog will be updated regularly, so please join us as we share our ideas and progress. This information-gathering process includes more than data collection and analysis; it also incorporates existing regional knowledge and input from regional stakeholders.

Cascades West Economic Development District Dianna Skelly-Cotter Community Planning Workshop CPWAbout the Author: Dianna Skelly is a non-traditional graduate student seeking a Masters in Community and Regional Planning following her undergraduate degree in Emergency and Disaster Management and Certificate in Homeland Security from American Military University. She is a proud mother of two children, and she has lived in Oregon for most of her 45 years. Her hobbies include voraciously reading books of all kinds, yoga, and spending time with loved ones.