Georgia Planning Association » Students’ Work

Code Compliance Internship

GPA — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:25:01 +0000

Description
The City of Duluth, Georgia, (population 28,000) is accepting resumes for Code Compliance Interns to assist staff with a wide variety of entry level Code Compliance administrative activities. This experience will yield valuable insight and practical knowledge for students as they refine their educational and career paths in the planning, zoning, land use, and code compliance arenas. This internship is unpaid and is expected to last the entire summer of 2010, with extension into the fall possible. Typical duties include:

Provide administrative support to Code Compliance staff
Assist staff in collecting and preparing data for various Code Compliance projects
Conduct research, collects parcel data, and land ownership records
Prepare code reports of limited or variable complexity
Research and identify funding sources and write grant proposals
Conduct basic office duties as needed, such as: data entry, file management, and customer service
Produce news articles, create brochures for publications and website updates

Office hours are 8:00am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday and flexible hours are available. Interns can work 20-25 hours per week. All of the work is done in an office setting.

Requirements

The individual must currently be enrolled or a recent graduate from an accredited college or university with a degree in Urban Planning, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Political Science, Public Administration or a related filed.

Must be able to pass a background check and interns must:

Have the ability to organize work, meet critical deadlines, follow up on multiple tasks simultaneously and have a clear appreciation of customer service needs
Be proactive, energetic and a self-starter who can work closely with others in a team environment as well as independently.
Effectively use Internet, and MS Word, Excel, and Outlook.
Have strong written and oral communication skills
Have strong research and analytical skills
Demonstrate flexibility and desire to work on varying projects

Experience in using ESRI Geographic Information Systems software is not required, but is a plus.

Salary & Benefits
Unpaid internship

How to Apply
Interested parties should submit a cover letter of interest, a resume, and college transcripts (unofficial student copies are acceptable). All items must be delivered by email to ejohnson@duluthga.net

Call Ed Johnson, Human Resources Manager, at 770-497-5290 with any questions. We also invite you to visit the City’s human resources website at www.duluthga.net/jobs

The City of Duluth provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants, and in accordance with applicable Federal and State laws, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, gender or other legally protected status or classification, except where dictated by requirements of the job, or within the limits imposed by law. The City of Duluth, in compliance with the Federal law, will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities.

City of Duluth
3167 Main Street
Duluth, GA 30096

Deadline
08/31/2010

Climate Change in the Atlanta Metropolitan Region

GPA — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:27:40 +0000

The emissions inventory for the 20-county Metropolitan Atlanta area included industrial, residential and commercial energy use, as well as transportation and waste categories. Our findings showed that in 2000, transportation was the largest contributor of CO2 emissions for the region (at 34 percent), followed by industrial energy use (at 24 percent.) The authors estimate that in 1990 Atlanta 20-County aggregate CO2 emissions were nearly 68 million eCO2 tons. In 2000 this figure has grown to an estimated 103 million eCO2 tons. The authors have estimated two separate 2030 estimates for Atlanta’s metropolitan GHG emissions: 172 million eCO2 tons and 202 million eCO2 tons, based on ARC forecast and estimates based on GDOT historical data for Atlanta’s transportation network. Based on the 2030 ARC travel demand model projections, per capita eCO2 remain relatively stable over this 40-year period, rising from 22.9 eCO2 per person in 1990 to 25.0 tons of eCO2 in 2000, then dropping slightly to 24.8 tons eCO2 in 2030. Thus, the projected growth in aggregate CO2 emissions for Atlanta metropolitan region is attributed to population growth.

Decatur inventory findings showed that the highest CO2 emissions contributor in 2006 was commercial energy use (at 36 percent), followed by residential energy use (at 35 percent.) Per capita GHG emissions in Decatur were found to be lower than in Atlanta, at 15.2 eCO2 tons per person, compared with 20-County 25 eCO2 tons per person.

For the city of Decatur, we used ICLEI accounting approach for some sections of the inventory. For other sections of Decatur inventory (like community and commercial energy use), as well as for most of the metro Atlanta inventory, proportioning approach was used. ICLEI stresses the importance of obtaining direct figures from the energy providers for the inventory. However, those figures were not readily available within the timeframe of this project. Data quality, especially in going back to 1990, presents a significant challenge when creating an emissions inventory.

Our group developed a potential scenario for meeting the Kyoto protocol requirements for the 20-county Atlanta region. Based on this scenario, 40 million tons of CO2 could be achieved, with the largest reductions in CO2 emissions coming from transportation and electricity sectors. Within the transportation sector, larger reductions in CO2 emissions are feasible through higher vehicle fuel efficiency than could be attained through behavior-based VMT reduction. We did not use the ICLEI software to calculate the measures impact, as the software leaves it up to the user to quantify the emissions reductions.

Climate change presents both challenges, and in the economic development arena, opportunities. In the Southeast region alone, millions of dollars are currently being invested in grants and programs in order to foster business and technology in the area of climate change. However, Georgia is not one of the states at the forefront of green economic development. Therefore, it would be good for the State of Georgia and the Atlanta metro region to invest in development of both human and technology resources to support the climate change resources.

DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE PDF REPORT

2008 – GT and GSU Student Project Reports

GPA — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:30:20 +0000

During the Spring 2008 semester, a class of Georgia State College of Law and Georgia Tech City and Regional Planning graduate students completed Group Project Reports for the CP 6016 – Growth Management and Law class.

The Group Project Reports have targeted issues that benefit growth management and planning for local governments, regional agencies and non-profits in the Atlanta region.

The Group Projects provide basic information to assist on a specific planning concept, legal or development code issue. The groups were comprised of 5 to 6 planning and law students.

Dan Reuter, AICP
Land Use Division Chief

PROJECTS

01–Transportation Investments and Land Use Change (1.2MB) & PPT (1MB)
02–Land Use and Septic Systems in Georiga (.5MB)
03–Piedmont Compact (2.2MB)
04–Regional TDR Program (1MB)
05–Carrying Capacity (1..5MB)
06–The Water Crisis (.5MB)
07–Exclusionary Zoning (1MB)
08–Creative Region (.5MB)
09–Infastructure Development Districts (1.2MB)
10–Urban Growth Boundaries (8.3MB)
11–Smart Growth in Region (1.5MB)

*all project reports are in PDF format and require a PDF reader

Water Centric Design: The Path to More Sustainable Places

GPA — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:29:40 +0000

The Georgia Tech Student Planning Association is pleased to present the 2008 World Town Planning Day lecture entitled “Water Centric Design: The Path to More Sustainable Places.” Dr. Gerould Wilhelm, Principal Botanist and Ecologist, and David Yocca, Principal Landscape Architect and Planner, of the Conservation Design Forum of Elmhurst, Illinois will discuss the importance of water in site design – how it is handled captured and dispersed to preserve environmental quality. The talk will focus on both philosophical and technical approaches to developing a site, as well as discussing the serious role that humans have as stewards of land and natural resources.

The Conservation Design Forum is a nationally-recognized design firm that explores integrated, water-based design strategies to promote economic, social, and ecological sustainability. In 1999, the CDF led the design process to convert the Chicago City Hall rooftop into a green roof pilot project as a component of the City’s Urban Heat Island Initiative.

The lecture will be held Monday, November 10 at 7:00pm in the College of Architecture Auditorium at Georgia Tech. The event is open and free to the public and will be followed by a reception with light refreshments. The Student Planning Association is proud to have this talk co-sponsored by the Georgia Planning Association. For more information, please contact Brian Smart at bsmart@gatech.edu.

2007 – GT Student Project Reports

GPA — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 20:31:08 +0000

A combined Georgia Institute of Technology – City and Regional Planning class and a Georgia State University – College of Law class completed fifteen reports on growth management issues during the Spring 2007 Semester.

The class of forty-seven Georgia Tech graduate planning students and twenty-nine GSU College of Law students produced thoughtful analysis and recommendations on many important growth issues.

Below, I have provided five of these project reports as a resource to you and to showcase the excellent work being undertaken by these Georgia Tech and Georgia State students on behalf of the Atlanta region and Georgia.

Dan Reuter, AICP
Land Use Division Chief

PROJECTS

01–Smartcode in Walton County (1.6MB)
02–Steinberg Act (1.5MB)
03–Regional Plan for Coastal Georgia (1MB)
04–Air Rights on the Connector (2MB)
05–TOD in Metro Atlanta (3MB)
06–Growth Management Presentation (7MB)
07–Access Management (1MB)
08–Growth Management Law Presentation (9.4MB)
09–City of Oxford Plan (1MB)
10–Air Rights on the Connector (2MB)
11–Federal & State Law Regarding Housing Discrimination (20MB)
12–Affordable Housing Solutions (.2MB)
13–TDR and Chatt Hill (3.2MB)
14–New Zoning Enabling Act for GA (.2MB)
15–Smart Code for Newton County (1MB)

*all project reports are in PDF format and require a PDF reader

Hot Nights in the City: Urban Planning Responses to Climate Change

GPA — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 20:31:55 +0000

The Student Planning Association of Georgia Tech celebrates World Town Planning Day

World Town Planning Day was first started in 1949 to bring attention to the field of urban planning and its role in making great communities. Today, it is observed in over 30 countries around the world, bringing together planning professionals and the public for a day of communication about our common goals and ideals.

We now face planning challenges on an unprecedented scale. More than ever, the impetus to think globally is upon us. With worldwide climate change occurring, what responsibilities do urban planners and their affiliates have to their local and global communities? What mitigation or adaptation responses to warming trends can be taken? Will the public buy in to these strategies?

To address these very questions, the Georgia Tech Student Planning Association hosted a luncheon on November 8th, 2006 with a keynote speaker, followed by a Q&A session with an expert discussion panel. Nearly 100 students, professors, and professional attended the event.

Download the PDF for the complete article with images.