Stockpiling ideas: Planning students aid Stockbridge
Students in the Urban and Regional Planning theory course taught by Prof. Marcelo Cruz traveled to the Calumet County village of Stockbridge Wednesday night to share with the Village Board ideas for the community’s future development.
Posing with village officials were four UW-Green Bay students from the Urban and Regional Studies program, from left: Michael Dreckschmidt, Samantha Champine, Casey Murphy and Courtney Maye.
The students have worked all semester long to create a community profile for the village by meeting with village officials and visiting the community. Cruz says the students enjoyed the hands-on experience applying what they learned in class to a practical case study. The project was set in motion when village board member Greg Zickuhr contacedt Cruz last spring to ask if UW-Green Bay could help the village explore visions for the future. Cruz and his students consulted with the village board back in early October to develop a community profile to be used in the visioning exercise.
The student report presented Wednesday notes the challenges Stockbridge faces, in terms of an aging population, relatively little retail and what would appear to be a comparatively high rate of vacant housing. It also notes advantages including a rural character, great natural resources with a setting overlooking Lake Winnebago, a rich history, a location that is close (but not too close) to larger population centers, and the fact the availability of rental units could be a plus for tourism- or retirement-related purposes. For a look at the student’s final report, see the Stockbridge: Resilience through Openness A Wisconsin Community Profile.
