Digital Commons Network^™

Does California High-Speed Rail Promote Accessibility For Station Cities?: Case Study Of Fresno And Merced, Chih-Hao Wang, Na Chen

Mineta Transportation Institute

California High-Speed Rail (CHSR) will largely change transportation cost across the state after it starts operating. Past studies show that only Fresno and Merced among station cities in the Central Valley would attract more future activities with the CHSR. The establishment of active CHSR also implies a new daily living sphere for all the station cities, and, therefore, accessibility to work and residential amenities should be reviewed to inform planners of future land-use and transportation developments. A research framework has been developed better to understand the impact of CHSR on job and amenity accessibility by driving, transit, and walking in …

Riverview Community Park Commoning Plan, Haley B. Keene

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

Riverview Community Park began as an illegal DIY skatepark in the Maymont neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia. Now, although it is a city park, it is still entirely managed by volunteer community groups (skateboarders, the neighborhood Civic League, and a community garden) who view the park as a creative, experimental community-led spatial project. Due to a dearth of communication between the three groups, the park has suffered political strife between the groups and a chaotic physical atmosphere. This plan utilizes a commons governance framework and participatory, asset-based community design to usher in a new era of enhanced collaboration, common narratives, and …

Enhanced Prediction Of Stock Markets Using A Novel Deep Learning Model Plstm-Tal In Urbanized Smart Cities, Saima Latif, Nadeem Javaid, Faheem Aslam, Abdulaziz Aldegheishem, Nabil Alrajeh, Safdar Hussain Bouk

School of Cybersecurity Faculty Publications

Accurate predictions of stock markets are important for investors and other stakeholders of the equity markets to formulate profitable investment strategies. The improved accuracy of a prediction model even with a slight margin can translate into considerable monetary returns. However, the stock markets' prediction is regarded as an intricate research problem for the noise, complexity and volatility of the stocks' data. In recent years, the deep learning models have been successful in providing robust forecasts for sequential data. We propose a novel deep learning-based hybrid classification model by combining peephole LSTM with temporal attention layer (TAL) to accurately predict the …

Affordable Infill, Virginia Macdonald

WWU Graduate School Collection

This graduate research field study delves into the design of land use and municipal policies aimed at fostering the creation of entry-level homeownership opportunities in Bellingham, Washington. Drawing upon recommendations from the Final Report of the Washington Department of Commerce Homeownership Disparities Working Group and the American Planning Association's "Planning for Equity Policy Guide," this study prioritizes affordable homeownership. Methodologically, it incorporates insights from a thorough literature review, an analysis of diverse case studies across North America, and guidance from the Incremental Development Alliance. Furthermore, it integrates proposed modifications to Bellingham's municipal code, as advocated by the Kulshan Community Land …

Pedestrian-Friendly Streets: Assessing Overall Success On Well-Being With Post-Evaluations, Ariana Ordoñez

Student Works

Today, well-being has taken a central role in urban planning, emphasizing the significance of pedestrian-friendly streets for the overall welfare of a city's residents. Pedestrian-friendly streets are vital elements of urban design that enhance mobility and contribute significantly to people's quality of life. This study examines the impact of pedestrian-friendly streets on the well-being of individuals through a post-evaluation approach. The research focuses on two projects: the 12 Avenue South project, completed in April 2022, and the Madison Station Boulevard project, completed in August 2022. The study uses a well-being questionnaire encompassing physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains by conducting …

Learning From Land Use Reforms: Housing Outcomes And Regulatory Change, Noah Kazis

Law & Economics Working Papers

This essay serves as the introduction for an edited, interdisciplinary symposium of articles studying recent land use reforms at the state and local level. These papers provide important descriptive analyses of a range of policy interventions, using quantitative and qualitative methods to provide new empirical insights into zoning reform strategies.

After situating and summarizing the collected articles, the Introduction draws out shared themes. For example, these essays demonstrate the efficacy of recent reforms, not only at facilitating housing production but at doing so in especially difficult contexts (like when producing affordable housing and redeveloping single-family neighborhoods). They point to the …

Converting Vacant Lots To Parks: Shamokin Survey Results, Matt Mcmullen, Shaunna Barnhart

Student Project Reports

No abstract provided.

Describe The City You Live In, Jingfei Hu

Masters Theses

I dive into the fields: frequency (sound), wavelengths (light), shapes (conversation): they build connections. What is action without reflection? Now I’m a city drifter. Through art making and dialogue I try to drop the anchor into the futuristic turbulent ocean (of society, speed, and the status quo ). Did I drop it? Not sure. I grew up in the most fast- paced city in China, Shenzhen. I feel pressured there. Do I feel that pressure here? of a precarious, unpredictable future? These questions push me out of the turbulent ocean to grab the present.

There are three stages of time: …

1. On Adapting Local Food Systems, Nelson Lobo

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Local food systems are central to climate change adaptation. Without adequate systems of production, distribution, and consumption, cities and countries run the risk of food insecurity spreading across economic classes. Implementing urban food production complemented by restoration agriculture principles is a solution worthy of consideration for municipal governments. At the same time, institutions and the public need a reconceptualization of the fundamental worldview attached to the dichotomization of humans and nature. Indigenous cultures provide a significant blueprint for tending to and caring for nature that should be reflected in any urban land management strategies utilizing restoration agriculture.

Kulpmont Pocket Park Survey Results, Matt Mcmullen, Shaunna Barnhart, Steve Motyka

Student Project Reports

No abstract provided.

Treasure Island: Gold Dust Or Radioactive Soil?, Ari Daniels

Scripps Senior Theses

Former Naval Station Treasure Island in the San Francisco Bay is undergoing an expensive redevelopment process to be turned into a sustainable living community. However, the area has a long history of mishandled radioactive material, irresponsible behavior on behalf of authorities, environmental instability, lawsuits, and administrative complaints. This research project focuses on Treasure Island’s history and redevelopment plan, utilizing San Francisco government documents, local newspapers, literature on environmental justice and racism, and state legislation to draw conclusions on the efficacy of the project from a sustainability standpoint and the responsibilities of the planners and developers. After providing a historical overview …

Village Of Grand Ridge Gis Utility Mapping: Effective Decision Making And Cost Benefits, Nick Harsted

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

According to Worldpopualtionreview.com, “As of 2018, there are 19,495 incorporated cities, towns and villages in the United States. Of those, 14,768 have populations below 5,000. Only ten have populations above 1 million and none are above 10 million. There are 310 cities considered at least medium cities with populations of 100,000 or more.” According to the U.S Census Bureau stats, “about 80% of the United States population lives in urban areas.” Within these cities or towns are underground utility infrastructures such as water lines and sewer pipes. For years cities have stored in files and boxes these construction plans explaining …

Completing Streets: Improving America's "Complete Streets", William J. Zurborg

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

Part I of this Note discusses the history of city planning in the United States, starting in the early twentieth century, as well as the rise of auto-centric cities. Part II examines how states and local governments across the United States are adopting policies called Complete Streets initiatives in order to create safer streets that accommodate pedestrians, cyclists, and public transportation users, as well as cars. Finally, Part III discusses the shortcomings of Complete Streets policies and argues that unless broader measures are taken to address failures in city and road design from a systems perspective, Complete Streets initiatives cannot …

Nannies And Public Space: Reproductive Labor In Richmond, Va, Hannah D. Woehrle

Theses and Dissertations

In the realm of urban planning, the gendered and spatial dynamics of childcare as a field of labor have been historically overlooked. This thesis addresses this gap by examining the geographies shaped by nannies in Richmond, VA, and their implications for urban planning in the context of the evolving neoliberal "new" economy. Existing research focuses on the geographies of children and burgeoning sectors of gig work in the neoliberal city. This study positions itself at the intersection of these areas, focusing on nannies as long standing gig workers within the childcare network, uniquely positioned to be affected by economic transitions. …

Trolley Line Trail Creative Placemaking Plan, Courtland Caldwell

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

The Trolley Line Trail is a planned multi-use trail along the historic Richmond-to-Ashland Trolley corridor. The purpose of this plan is to identify potential creative placemaking locations and installations to highlight the trolley's unique past and present. This plan sets forth a vision for creative placemaking by gathering community feedback, analyzing properties along the Trolley Line Trail, and making recommendations for placemaking and public art. Ultimately, the recommendations laid out in this plan aim to preserve and acknowledge the community's unique identity while creating a safe, accessible experience for all users.

Designing An Eco-Resilience Community In Brentwood, Washington D.C., Nadya Syazsa

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

As the world urbanizes at a dangerously rapid pace, this Professional Plan helps with addressing the need for urban resilience – the ability of a city’s systems to withstand and adapt to the shocks and stresses it may endure, such as natural disasters.

The purpose of this Plan is to design a network of green infrastructure projects (GIs) as part of establishing an eco-resilient community in Brentwood, Washington D.C. These projects are meant to be low-impact developments (LIDs) in order to minimize disruption to the existing fabric of the Brentwood community, yet still aid residents by increasing their capacity to …

Preserving Historic African American Cemeteries: Strategies For Richmond, Virginia, William T. Teeples

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

Historic cemeteries across the United States are facing a crisis. These culturally and historically significant spaces have faced significant degradation over time without the means of preservation. Historic Black and African American Cemeteries have been particularly impacted by the combined negative impacts of weathering, vandalism, and development pressures alike. These cultural landscapes have the added hindrance of little to no access to the complex resources necessary for preservation and restoration afforded to most White cemeteries. However, many activists, descendants, and volunteers toil on saving these spaces from the onslaught of time and ensure that cultural spaces are preserved for generations …

Understanding And Assessing Demographic (In)Equity Resulting From Extreme Heat Exposure Due To Lack Of Tree Canopies In Norfolk, Va Using Agent-Based Modeling, Virginia Zamponi, Kevin O'Brien, Erik Jensen, Brandon Feldhaus, Russell Moore, Christopher J. Lynch, Ross Gore

VMASC Publications

Prolonged exposure to extreme heat can result in illness and death. In urban areas of dense concentrations of pavement, buildings, and other surfaces that absorb and retain heat, extreme heat conditions can arise regularly and create harmful environmental exposures for residents daily during certain parts of the year. Tree canopies provide shade and help to cool the environment, making mature trees with large canopies a simple and effective way to reduce urban heat. We develop a demographically representative 1 (agent): 1 (person) agent-based model to understand the extent to which different demographics of residents in Norfolk, VA are equitably shaded …

Strengthening Urban Resilience: Understanding The Interdependencies Of Outer Space And Strategic Planning For Sustainable Smart Environments, Ulpia-Elena Botezatu, Olga Bucovetchi, Adrian V. Gheorghe, Radu D. Stanciu

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The conventional approach to urban planning has predominantly focused on horizontal dimensions, disregarding the potential risks originating from outer space. This paper aims to initiate a discourse on the vertical dimension of cities, which is influenced by outer space, as an essential element of strategic urban planning. Through an examination of a highly disruptive incident in outer space involving a collision between the Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 satellites, this article elucidates the intricate interdependencies between urban areas and outer space infrastructure and services. Leveraging the principles of critical infrastructure protection, which bridge the urban and outer space domains, and …

Hustle In H-Town: Hip Hop Entrepreneurialism In Houston, Brittany L. Long

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

Imagine a sprawling, overheated American megalopolis that epitomizes diversity and segregation in one of the world’s youngest countries. Despite Houston’s history of structural racism and segregation, Houston Hip Hop entrepreneurs built communities and created storied businesses that culminate in a sense of local pride and Hip Hop identity that has not been replicated in the same manner in any other city. An examination of thought-provoking existing scholarship about the Hip Hop South and Hip Hop in Houston, as well as an examination of existing and collected primary sources (interviews) allow me to demonstrate two things: Hip Hop entrepreneurialism is a …

Weathering The Storm: Navigating Urban Ecologies Of Communication In Times Of Crisis, Austin Hestdalen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project explores cities as urban ecologies of communication in which crises emerge and are given significance within the dialogic relations cultivated among public actors attempting to make a living, together, within the shared historical-cultural contexts of everyday life. To describe cities as urban ecologies of communication is to describe them in terms of urban communication and its interdisciplinary foundations in the study of rhetoric, philosophy, planning, policy, architecture, sociology, geography, and media. The first chapter introduces the challenges of urban risk and crisis management within the complex ecologies of communication constituted by cities and reviews how ‘risk’ and ‘crisis’ …

Public History Is Now, Sarah E. Dougher

Amplify: A Journal of Writing-as-Activism

A walking tour of downtown Portland in August 2021 raises questions for the writer about the purpose of “memory activism,” its relation to writing-as-activism. Drawing on critiques of urbanist Jane Jacobs and interrogating the concept of “reckoning,” the essay explores ways in which the streetscape and people there can deliver meaning and pose questions about systemic racism and unsheltered existence.

The Tragedy Of The Commons: A Podcast Exploring Solutions To The Housing Crisis In California, Delaney Li-Ming Faherty

City and Regional Planning

Affordable housing has become increasingly inaccessible across the United States, particularly in California. Because of its long history and far-reaching span, California’s housing crisis is a complexity that affects individuals at most income levels. Accordingly, opinions on solving the crisis vary among each public.

A popular solution is increasing the amount and scale of housing, however, barriers, such as single-family zoning, exist at the state and local level. While statewide legislation is working to counteract municipal zoning codes, local opposition is rampant. Because of this pushback, and the slow pace at which housing reliant on individual action is built, today’s …

Resilient Or Vulnerable? The Geography Of Crime And Its Impact On Mental Health In Urban Communities, Qian He

Public Affairs Dissertations

This dissertation examines the relationship between neighborhood characteristics, crime, and mental health, with an emphasis on the role of social disadvantage. Using 5-year panel data from Dallas- Fort Worth metroplex, Texas, and a Spatial Econometric research approach, the findings of this study provide suggestions for building safe and healthy communities. Building upon the interdisciplinary literature on urban planning, environmental criminology, and public health, this study first identifies the impact of environmental factors on property crime, then detects the moderating effects of neighborhood environment upon crime’s impact on mental health status. This study finds that commercial and mixed land-use development, number …

In Search Of The Social Impact Of Cultural Districts - Emerging Principles For Social Impact Evaluation, Su Fern Hoe

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Across the globe, the transformative powers of cultural districts have been widely noted, particularly with respect to how they add value to the lives of individuals and to society as a whole. Yet the ways in which cultural districts deliver and evaluate their social impact have yet to be fully explored. Importantly, there is a stark absence of rigorous methodologies and assessment frameworks to assist cultural districts in articulating, planning, delivering, and evaluating their social value proposition. Based on findings from a follow-up study to our 2019 report on Social Impact, untimely terminated due to Covid-19, this publication highlights there …

Sharing Vision For Shared Spaces: Mobile Immersive Planning And Community-Led Design Of Green Spaces In Richmond’S Southside, Maria T.E. Dougherty

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

This plan seeks to demonstrate the potential of immersive technologies, specifically augmented reality, in strengthening public engagement and enabling the collaborative, community led design of local green spaces.

Community engagement, while now a focal point of urban planning education, is still implemented in uneven strategies that often further distance the public from the process and understanding of city vision; new paradigms of outreach and community-government knowledge sharing must be explored to overcome common constraints of time, expertise, and language that prevent public participation in projects that directly impact their health. Immersive urban planning offers a way to bring people into …

Gentrification And Control: An Analysis Of New Urbanism, Form Based Code, And Kingston’S Rezoning Process, Gem Sorenson

Senior Projects Spring 2022

Kingston, a small city in upstate New York, is currently experiencing a housing crisis in the midst of a massive real estate market boom, and an update to their zoning law is long overdue. In 2018, the city began the process, hiring New Urbanist planning firm Dover Kohl & Partners to develop a brand new form based zoning code. As a critique of the New Urbanist planning and architecture movement, with Kingston's rezoning process as a case study, this project outlines the history of the development of neotraditional planning and form based code and the implications that the code type …

Re-Imagining Design For Affordable Housing In Mexico, Kenza Fernandez Dominguez

Scripps Senior Theses

Since the presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto, affordable housing developments in Mexico have been produced in a massive, unsustainable scale. The speed at which these developments are produced equates to the carelessness that goes into their planning. At large, the developments’ monotonous design is aesthetically dehumanizing and fails to promote a sense of community. These developments lack basic infrastructure, and their residents have abandoned them, which has incentivized increased criminal activity.

In this paper, I will be looking at successful models of affordable housing globally, exploring the histories of communal living, and function of architectural collages. Based on my findings, …

Evaluating Long-Range Transportation Plans For Mainstreaming Of Climate Adaptation Among Virginia Mpos, Sebastian L. Shetty

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the strides made towards addressing climate change through greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction strategies, it has become increasingly apparent that attempting to mitigate the crisis in such a manner alone is insufficient. This thesis joins a growing body of research on how our societies must adapt to a changing climate, contributing more evidence on common barriers to adaptation and how they might be overcome. Through an attempt to evaluate the progress made towards mainstreaming, or integrating, climate change concerns into five Virginia MPOs’ long-range transportation plans (LRTPs), this study provides support for prior hypotheses around the potential for MPOs …

Tarfaya, Une Petite Ville Du Littoral Saharien Déchue À La Recherche D'Un Développement Stratégique, Mohamed Ben Attou

Dirassat

Peripheral area in a dynamic coastline, Tarfaya is a small town in decline. Indeed, the geostrategic location of Cap Juby, a former counter on the coast Atlantic facing the Canary Islands, has not benefited the flourishing of a coastal town once dynamic on the Marrakech-Tombouctou caravan route. Hit hard by the silting up and short-circuited economically by the two port cities of the region, namely Laayoune and Tan-Tan, Tarfaya displays jerky demographics, urban structures bordering on non-regulatory and an economy of crisis faced with society which remains a victim of inactivity of unemployment.