Technical Assistance

A key part of the Center’s mission is to provide university-based research assistance to organizations and government agencies in the Milwaukee region. Our services include:

  • Economic impact studies
  • GIS and data analysis
  • Market analysis
  • Program evaluation
  • Community planning
  • Labor market research

Our relationships with clients generally begin with a conversation about the nature of the work requested. Often, clients are uncertain about the precise form that the research they are seeking should take. Our approach is to listen carefully to clients, focusing especially on what they see as the ultimate purpose of the research. Once we understand the client’s objectives, we work with them to define the scope of the project. Decisions about research methodologies and data sources are made through dialogue with the client. When all are in agreement about the basic features of a study or other research project, Center staff draft a formal research proposal that is presented to the client for their approval.

The Center’s technical assistance projects have taken a variety of forms during the past several years. Below are some examples:

  • The Center partnered with the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH) to produce a study evaluating the effectiveness of Milwaukee County bus routes connecting inner-city residents with job locations in Waukesha and Washington counties.
  • The Center provided the Greater Milwaukee Foundation with the first comprehensive statistical portrait of metropolitan Milwaukee’s Latino community.
  • The Center worked with the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) to conduct a socioeconomic analysis of the agency’s regional water supply plan.
  • CED did a study for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) examining the impact of green infrastructure on property values in the Milwaukee metro area.
  • The Center worked with the Burleigh Street CDC to conduct a socioeconomic impact analysis of the proposed rehabilitation of the historic Sherman Theater building into a multi-purpose arts facility.
  • CED partnered with Aurora Health Care to conduct an economic impact analysis of the Aurora Health Care system in the state of Wisconsin, as well as in the main counties or metropolitan areas in which Aurora maintains hospitals, clinics, or other ambulatory facilities.

The Center works with clients to establish an appropriate and affordable fee for research services. Fees for Center services are on a sliding scale, based on ability to pay and the kinds of services requested.

For more information about the Center’s technical assistance program please contact Lisa Heuler Williams (email: heuler@uwm.edu).