Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Women's Reaearch And Action Group, Report Of Activites, Professor Vibhuti Patel

Professor Vibhuti Patel

WRAG commenced in 1993 in the context of very active public discourse about Muslim women’s rights under family law (in the wake of Supreme Court judgment in Shah Bano’s case where a 70-odd year old woman was granted maintenance from her husband who had divorced her). WRAG was also established soon after the destruction of Babri Masjid on 6 December 1992, subsequent to which there were attacks against the Muslim community in many parts of India including Mumbai. In this context, WRAG felt the need to understand Muslim women’s perspectives on family laws that govern them. It commenced, in 1994, …

Community Impacts Of Decision Modeling For Foreclosed Redevelopment, Michael P. Johnson Jr., Alvine Sangang, Buki Usidame

Michael P. Johnson

Community development corporations purchase distressed housing to rehabilitate for renter or owner-occupancy. These mission-driven organizations, skilled in the business of housing development, often lack analytic expertise to determine which acquisitions to pursue that would maximize social impact. This paper presents results, using actual purchase data from a Boston-area CDC, to assess the potential social benefits associated with using a decision model as compared to conventional practices.

Data And Analytics For Neighborhood Development: Smart Shrinkage Decision Modeling In Baltimore, Maryland, Michael P. Johnson Jr., Justin Hollander, Eliza D. Whiteman

Michael P. Johnson

Many older cities in the United States confront the problem of long-term declines in population and economic activity in certain neighborhoods have resulted in blighted conditions that make conventional revitalization initiatives based on increased residential and commercial development unlikely to succeed. Planning scholars have developed a theory of smart shrinkage in which emphasis is placed on non-residential land uses that can maintain and improve quality of life while positioning some land for future growth-oriented activities (Hollander and Németh 2011). Smart shrinkage research and practice involves application of methods from information technology and decision science to identify vacant and abandoned parcels …

Voices Of Blackford County: Employing Counter-Normative Pedagogy In Service Learning, Sherrie M. Steiner

Sherrie M Steiner

No abstract provided.

Strategy Design For Community Response To Distress And Decline Using Data Analytics, Michael P. Johnson Jr.

Michael P. Johnson

The foreclosure crisis in the U.S. has resulted in immense economic and social losses for individuals and neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods face long-term declines in population and economic activity that have been compounded by the foreclosure crisis. How can government and non-profit organizations design responses to neighborhood distress that reflect distinctive community characteristics and are consistent with long-term policy and planning goals? In this talk, I discuss alternative decision modeling strategies that support neighborhood health. Where foreclosure responses are likely to ensure that neighborhoods remain vital places for residential housing, productive strategies may include property acquisition and redevelopment. Other neighborhoods, however, …

Tacoma's Japanese Language School: An Alternative Path To Citizenship And Belonging In Pre-Wwii Urban America, Lisa Hoffman

Lisa Hoffman

No abstract provided.

Urban Wildlife, John Hadidian, Sydney Smith

John Hadidian, PhD

Despite the potential for difficulty, there are several reasons why urban wildlife should be valued and better understood. First is its scientific and heuristic value. Urban wildlife populations are essentially parts of ongoing natural experiments in adaptation to anthropogenic stress. How urban animals are affected by human activities— and how they cope with them— can represent, on a highly accelerated scale, a model of what is happening to species in other biomes. No other wild animals live in such intimate contact and under such constant constraint from human activities as do synanthropes. Second, urban animals are exposed to many environmental …

Uno’S Planning And Urban Studies Department Completes Mapping And Analysis Of Tremé, Michelle M. Thompson

Dr. Michelle M. Thompson, GISP, FRGS

Ninety-seven percent of the buildings in the historic Tremé neighborhood are rated either good or fair, according to a comprehensive mapping and analysis project completed by the University of New Orleans Department of Planning and Urban Studies. Out of 670 total buildings rated in the survey, 525 were deemed to be in good condition, while 124 were rated fair and 21 (3 percent) were rated poor. The property condition survey was conducted in the spring of 2013 for the Historic Faubourg Tremé Association by WhoData in coordination with Project Homecoming. In the spring of 2014, a geographic information system (GIS) …

Mediating Community: Residential Development, Community, Information And Communication Technologies (Icts), Marcus Breen, Jeffrey Brand, Donna Henson, Sven Brodmerkel, James Birt, Bhishna Bajracharya, Sri Ganesh Nair

James Birt

The project aims to define and describe community in new residential developments and mobilize existing, new and innovative ideas about community using ICTs.

The Future Of The Valley: Do We Actually Know What To Expect?, Jaap Vos

Jacobus J. "Jaap" Vos

Presentation about the population changes in the Treasure Valley.

Using Big Data: Free, Readily Available But Not Without Problems, Jaap Vos

Jacobus J. "Jaap" Vos

Presentation about the problems with the aggregation of data.

Historic Faubourg Tremé Association Mapping & Analysis, Michelle M. Thompson, Laura Banos, Jasmine Bazley, Xiaoxu Chen, Derreck Deason, Alexander Dolmseth, Race Hodges, Grace E. Major, Nicholas Perez-Alvarez, Morgan Shepard, Nicholas Puczkowskyj, Teira Woodridge

Dr. Michelle M. Thompson, GISP, FRGS

The "Historic Faubourg Tremé Association Mapping & Analysis" is a continuation of public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS) work started with WhoData.org in spring 2014. The mapping of on-the-ground property conditions with City designated blight provides the HFTA Land Use Committee with additional resources to develop and deploy plans to revitalize the whole of Tremé. The maps and analysis were completed by the University of New Orleans Department of Planning & Urban Studies students in MURP 4081/5081 Information Technology for the Planning Profession.

Converting Garages Into A Dissertation: A Conversation With Jacob Wegmann, Jonathan P. Bell

Jonathan P. Bell

UrbDeZine, June 17, 2014. In part 1 of the article, I highlight that burgeoning scholarship on "informality" in the U.S. housing market fails to address the implementation side of planning: the regulation and enforcement of unpermitted dwelling units. Part 2 includes a Q&A with PhD candidate Jacob Wegmann on his groundbreaking dissertation examining the impacts of extralegal dwelling units on the political economy and housing market in Southeast Los Angeles County. The enforcement perspective is core to Wegmann's study. URL: http://losangeles.urbdezine.com/2014/06/17/converting-garages-into-a-dissertation-a-conversation-with-jacob-wegmann/

Achieving Successful Long-Term Recovery And Safety From A Catastrophe: Recommendations For Mitigation, Shirley Laska, Earthea Nance, K.C. King, Joel Devalcourt

Earthea Nance, PhD (Stanford University, 2004)

No abstract provided.

Achieving Successful Long-Term Recovery And Safety From A Catastrophe: Recommendations From Hurricane Katrina-Executive Summary, Monica Farris, Shirley Laska, Pamela Jenkins, Robert Montjoy, Earthea Nance, Joel Devalcourt, K.C. King, Michelle Gremillion, Thomas Birkland, Branda Nowell

Earthea Nance, PhD (Stanford University, 2004)

No abstract provided.

Transportation Safety And Access: A Case Study Of The St. Claude Bridge In New Orleans, Earthea Nance

Earthea Nance, PhD (Stanford University, 2004)

The community-university collaborative model, first developed in early-1990s public health research, expands opportunities for new research partnerships and joint problem-solving. This model is ideally suited to land-grant colleges and urban research universities whose mission involves community engagement. At the University of New Orleans, this model is employed in “practicum” graduate courses offered in the Department of Planning and Urban Studies. One such practicum partnered with the Lower 9th Ward community in spring 2012 to address serious safety problems with the St. Claude Bridge. The bridge, which linked the lower and upper halves of the community and served as an essential …

Sustainable Campus Community Engagement, Linda Too

Linda Too

Introduction: There has been a growing interest in sustainable development across government departments, business groups and the community sector reflecting a major shift in thinking about the importance of sustainability in our day-to-day lives. Many universities around the world have taken initiatives to make their campus communities more sustainable. A sustainable campus can be defined as “a higher education institution … that addresses, involves and promotes … the minimization of environmental, economics, societal and health negative effects in the use of their resources in ... its main functions of teaching, research, outreach and partnership, and stewardship … to help society …

The Impact Of Street Network Connectivity On Pedestrian Volume, Amir Hajrasouliha, Li Yin

Amir Hajrasouliha

Feasibility Study Of Consolidating Public Safety Answering Points In Highland Heights, Lyndhurst, Mayfield Heights, Mayfield Village And Richmond Heights, Ohio, Daila Shimek, Kyle Johnson, Eugene L. Kramer, Charles Post

Daila Shimek

This study found that – based on certain configurations of communities and cost considerations – it is economically viable to consolidate public safety answering points (PSAPs) in Highland Heights, Lyndhurst, Mayfield Heights, Mayfield Village and Richmond Heights, Ohio. When comparing 2012 staffing and noncapital costs to estimated staffing and noncapital costs for a consolidated PSAP, the consolidated PSAP would provide an estimated collective reduction in staffing and noncapital costs of ranging from $775,400 to $1.19 million. When comparing 2012 staffing and noncapital costs to estimated staffing and noncapital costs for a consolidated PSAP – plus costs for additional staff to …

Validation Of The Employment Hope Scale: Measuring Psychological Self-Sufficiency Among Low-Income Jobseekers, Philip Young P. Hong, Joshua R. Polanin, Terri D. Pigott

Philip Hong

The Employment Hope scale (EHS) was designed to measure the empowerment-based self-sufficiency (SS) outcome among low-income job-seeking clients. This measure captures the psychological SS dimension as opposed to the more commonly used economic SS in workforce development and employment support practice. The study validates the EHS and reports its psychometric properties. Method: An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted using an agency data from the Cara Program in Chicago, United States. The principal axis factor extraction process was employed to identify the factor structure. Results: EFA resulted in a 13-item two-factor structure with Factor 1 representing “Psychological Empowerment” and Factor …

The Truth, The Whole Truth, And Nothing But The Ground-Truth: Methods To Advance Environmental Justice And Researcher–Community Partnerships, James Sadd, Rachel Morello-Frosch, Manuel Pastor Jr., Martha Matsuoka, Michele Prichard, Vanessa Carter

Martha Matsuoka

Environmental justice advocates often argue that environmental hazards and their health effects vary by neighborhood, income, and race. To assess these patterns and advance preventive policy, their colleagues in the research world often use complex and methodologically sophisticated statistical and geospatial techniques. One way to bridge the gap between the technical work and the expert knowledge of local residents is through community-based participatory research strategies. We document how an environmental justice screening method was coupled with “ground-truthing”—a project in which community members worked with researchers to collect data across six Los Angeles neighborhoods—which demonstrated the clustering of potentially hazardous facilities, …

Legal Compliance And Window Dressings Do Not Make It Ethical, Jaap Vos

Jacobus J. "Jaap" Vos

Presentation for annual ethics session of APA Idaho.

Whodata Project Newsletter May 2014, Michelle M. Thompson, Brittany N. Arceneaux

Dr. Michelle M. Thompson, GISP, FRGS

WhoData is a community action research and service program. Since 2009 the team of volunteers has provided organizations in New Orleans - LA, Boston - MA and Ithaca - NY with resources that aid in the recovery, renewal and/or redevelopment of communities. Since 1987, I have worked in a variety of roles and had opportunities to examine and participate in ways that academic, public, private and non-profit organizations have engaged in the neighborhood planning process. Some have been successful but others have not. As a result, the social and economic benefits that arise from collaboration, neighborhood knowledge and public policy …

Data, Analytics And Community-Based Organizations: #11;Transforming Data To Decisions For Community Development, Michael P. Johnson Jr.

Michael P. Johnson

Big data and analytics for community-focused nonprofits can improve analytic capabilities and increase impact. However, Community-based organization needs do not match well with conventional notions of data and analytics. Decentralized model for data-driven research may be preferred, but centralized model is dominant. CBOs can articulate data needs, but are often not yet able to access relevant data easily and use data effectively. Finally, certain values maximize impact of big data and analytics

Mediating Community: Residential Development, Community, Information And Communication Technologies (Icts), Marcus Breen, Jeffrey Brand, Donna Henson, Sven Brodmerkel, James Birt, Bhishna Bajracharya, Sri Ganesh Nair

Jeffrey Brand

The project aims to define and describe community in new residential developments and mobilize existing, new and innovative ideas about community using ICTs.

Planning For Climatic Extremes And Variability: A Review Of Swedish Municipalities’ Adaptation Responses, Christine Wamsler, Ebba Brink

Ebba Brink

Climate change poses a serious challenge to sustainable urban development worldwide. In Sweden, climate change work at the city level emerged in 1996 and has long had a focus on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. City planners’ “adaptation turn” is recent and still ongoing. This paper presents a meta-evaluation of Swedish municipal adaptation approaches, and how they relate to institutional structures at different levels. The results show that although increasing efforts are being put into the identification of barriers to adaptation planning, in contrast, there is little assessment or systematization of the actual adaptation measures and mainstreaming strategies taken. On this …

Nuestras Pobres Ciudades: Modos Y Lenguajes Permanentes De “Vida En Relación”, Jaime F. Erazo Espinosa Arq.

Jaime Erazo

En nuestras ciudades: las pobres, la sostenibilidad y la consolidación del hacer y quehacer populares, se asientan para dar cuenta del alcance que tienen estos procesos, que no culminan pues progresivamente ganan ya no sólo lugares para hogares carenciados sino atractivos para hogares que pertenecen a medianos sectores. Hogares, ambos, que por un lado, fortalecen los esquemas de las organizaciones sociales, cuyas luchas, cada vez más complejas, ya no sólo reclaman tenencia, regularización de suelo o dotación de servicios, sino vida y (re)producción de esta, y nuevas formas de gobernar y modelar nuestras ciudades. Y que por otro lado, en …

Procesos De Planificación Y Análisis De Vivienda Adecuada, Jaime F. Erazo Espinosa Arq., Laura Cedrés Pérez Msc.

Jaime Erazo

La presente publicación forma parte de la serie de investigaciones que ha impulsado el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para los Asentamientos Humanos (ONU-Habitat) a nivel global, en el marco de la Estrategia Mundial de la Vivienda, que busca generar una reflexión sobre la situa- ción de los pueblos indígenas que viven en las áreas urbanas, y que pretende contribuir a los análisis periódicos realizados por el Foro Permanente para las Cuestiones Indígenas de las Naciones Unidas, así como generar propuestas hacia la Tercera Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano Sostenible (HABITAT III), que tendrá lugar …

Procesos De Urbanización Y Análisis De Políticas Urbanas, Jaime F. Erazo Espinosa Arq., Laura Cedrés Pérez Msc.

Jaime Erazo

La presente publicación forma parte de la serie de investigaciones que ha impulsado el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para los Asentamientos Humanos (ONU-Habitat) a nivel global, en el marco de la Estrategia Mundial de la Vivienda, que busca generar una reflexión sobre la situa- ción de los pueblos indígenas que viven en las áreas urbanas, y que pretende contribuir a los análisis periódicos realizados por el Foro Permanente para las Cuestiones Indígenas de las Naciones Unidas, así como generar propuestas hacia la Tercera Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano Sostenible (HABITAT III), que tendrá lugar …

Curriculum Vitae, Judah J. Viola

Judah J. Viola, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.