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Physical and Environmental Geography Commons

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Portland State University

Geographical information systems

Publication Year

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Full-Text Articles in Physical and Environmental Geography

Environmental Justice And Gis: A Comparison Of Three Gis Methods For Estimating Vulnerable Population Exposed To Brownfield Pollution In Portland, Oregon, Kyle Goodman May 2017

Environmental Justice And Gis: A Comparison Of Three Gis Methods For Estimating Vulnerable Population Exposed To Brownfield Pollution In Portland, Oregon, Kyle Goodman

Geography Masters Research Papers

This project compares three GIS techniques that estimate populations who are potentially affected by environmental contamination in Portland, Oregon. All three GIS techniques utilize polygon containment to estimate populations potentially exposed to pollutants based on block level census data. In this study, multiple buffer distances at half-mile increments were used across all three techniques. Circular Euclidean distance buffers surrounding a known contaminated property, such as documented brownfields, approximate the contamination zone. Accurate estimates for populations exposed to harmful environmental conditions could provide a better understanding of environmental justice issues. The specific research questions were: 1) Are the population estimates sensitive …


The Risks Of The Rose City: Assessing The Social Vulnerability Of Communities To Multiple Environmental Hazards In The Portland Metropolitan Area, Daniel R. Logan Jan 2014

The Risks Of The Rose City: Assessing The Social Vulnerability Of Communities To Multiple Environmental Hazards In The Portland Metropolitan Area, Daniel R. Logan

Geography Masters Research Papers

In the past three decades, research in the geography of hazards and disasters has expanded beyond the response to hazard events and incorporated the concepts of preparedness, recovery, and mitigation. These issues require a complete understanding of the vulnerability of places to hazards, not only in regards to hazard characteristics but in regards to social and economic conditions as well. This paper offers a case study in hazard exposure and social vulnerability analysis which incorporates the methodology of two previous studies on the same topics. A geographic information system was used to determine vulnerable areas and populations exposed to five …