Making an Impact through Sustainable Urban Design

I joined WisCorps as an Individual Placement to get hands-on experience in sustainability with the City of La Crosse. This experience has provided the opportunity to implement the City’s Climate Action Plan, which covers a variety of sustainability initiatives including urban tree canopy, public transportation, reducing air pollution, community engagement, and teaching the general public about sustainable practices. The La Crosse Climate Action Plan was adopted in 2023 and already has made a huge impact on the positive growth of the city. As the Sustainability Coordinator, my role is to maintain the environmental certification through data that supports the plan’s impact. I also actively educate middle and high school students about the impacts sustainable urban design has on our environment.  

My role enforces and retains sustainable practices, and serves as a platform to advocate for them to relevant agencies. With the variety of opportunities around sustainable projects in this field, I’ve also found that the implementation of these needed projects heavily relies on the amount of grant funding received for the project. This Sustainability Coordinator position has given me hands-on experience with grant writing, as well as equipped me with a supportive team who has guided me along the way. 

Quote from Leo Strand, Sustainability Coordinator for the City of La Crosse. 2024-2025 WisCorps Individual Placement.

The projects I’m most proud of involve the Urban Planning Curriculum. This past Fall, we held a Sustainability Design Competition for 7th-grade students. My mentor,  Lewis Kuhlman of the City of La Crosse Planning Department and I met with these students for nearly five weeks. Our goal was to educate on how sustainability relates to urban planning. The process started with brainstorming ideas for what urban planning looks like. At first the ideas were mostly amusement parks, shopping malls, and sports complexes but over time, we showed the kids how to design an area with a sense of place and a real benefit to the community. 

The kids ended up having ideas such as mental health facilities surrounded by prairie restorations, a homeless shelter with a job center, buildings that had green and/or solar roofs, many community gardens, and various other great ideas. It was incredible to see how these kids obtained the importance of urban planning’s impact on people and why it’s also important for the longevity of our communities, including our environment.

Lewis Kuhlman & Leo Strand of the City of La Crosse Planning Department pictured outside of City Hall. Drawing from the Logan Middle School 7th Sustainability Urban Planning Competition in early November, 2024.

Finding this position has allowed me to be creative and engage our community. Through this term or service, I’ve found that sustainability and urban planning truly empowers a community and sets a city up for long-term success.