Key terms in plain language
- Evidence gap
- Specific missing or weak information needed to make a project decision.
- Comparable cases
- Places or situations similar enough to assess with the same criteria.
- Alternative explanation
- Another reason a pattern might appear besides your first interpretation.
Work through these steps
Start with the client decision
Name the project question, client user, and decision that needs additional evidence.
Finish this step with: Decision and evidence-gap statement.
Select the method
Compare the approved options by relevance, required data, skill level, time, uncertainty, and usefulness to the team product.
Finish this step with: Method-selection matrix and instructor confirmation.
Define a fair comparison
Choose comparable places, sites, segments, sectors, users, or scenarios and use one consistent framework.
Finish this step with: Study boundary and comparison criteria.
Gather traceable evidence
Record sources, dates, observations, coverage, assumptions, and limitations. Do not fill missing client information with invented facts.
Finish this step with: Source and assumptions ledger.
Analyze alternatives
Compare patterns, dependencies, tradeoffs, barriers, and at least one plausible alternative explanation or response.
Finish this step with: Comparison matrix and interpretation.
Recommend a next step
Name the responsible party, first action, needed input, early measure, and condition that could change the recommendation.
Finish this step with: Recommendation evidence trail and implementation note.
What to submit
Prepare the items below, then submit the finished assignment in Canvas.
- Accessible memo, PDF, or slide deck
- Editable comparison table or tool
- Context map or visual
- Source and assumptions ledger
- Recommendation evidence trail
- Signed honor statement
Minimum evidence to include
- Client decision and evidence gap
- Approved method and scope
- Comparable units and common criteria
- Traceable sources and observations
- Alternative or counterexplanation
- Proportional recommendation
- Responsible party, first action, and limitation
Read before you begin
Course examples and working materials
Select one method for a downtown decision
Instructor-created illustration in an imaginary downtown, showing one of the six approved choices.
What the example records
- Decision: which block is the best candidate for a small storefront activation pilot?
- Chosen method: Downtown Vacancy and Opportunity.
- Compare three blocks using the same field-observation form, verified property status, pedestrian connections, and existing plan recommendations.
What it suggests: Recommend the block where verified conditions and partner capacity best support a modest pilot, with a first action and a way to check whether it worked.
What it cannot establish: A photograph cannot prove vacancy or owner interest. Confirm those facts before naming a specific building as available.
The example above was created for this course. The links are instructor-provided materials or data inputs. No past-student work is published here.
Six approved method guides
- Downtown Vacancy and Opportunity method guide
- Community Health and Access method guide
- Industry and Workforce method guide
- Multimodal Mobility method guide
- Street Master Plan Comparison method guide
- Coded or Community-Use Tool method guide
These course lessons follow the existing module release setting. If a lesson is not open yet, return to this page and use the assignment packet while you wait.
Open the workbench
Compare approved methods, define scope, build criteria, record evidence, and export a complete work plan.