Project Background

The Smart Communities Initiative (SCI) is part of a national network of programs of its type, all founded upon the idea that universities and communities should work together to improve the health and vitality of their surrounding areas. This is accomplished by combining teaching, research and outreach into an Experiential Learning context for faculty, students and community leaders alike. The City of Cleveland, Tennessee was our SCI community for 2014—2015. The city was chosen to help them prepare for a 40 percent projected population growth over the next decade. My part in this multi-disciplinary project was to lead a talented student team in rethinking the Cleveland brand.