Urban Studies Commons^™

Planetizen Blog Posts- First Half Of 2019, Michael Lewyn

Michael E Lewyn

Environmental Advocacy: Insights From East Asia, Mary Alice Haddad

Mary Alice Haddad

Climate Change, Smart Growth, Racial Oppression, And White Privilege, Laura Stivers

Laura Stivers

In this paper I will examine how people of differing environmental perspectives—namely anti-growth preservationists and environmental justice advocates—frame their responses to smart growth, using Marin County in the San Francisco Bay Area as a case study. Then I will offer a race analysis of these frameworks based on the thesis that to address climate change through smart growth we need to challenge the ways certain groups try to retain their white privilege. As foundation for this thesis I will develop the norms of reparations and restoration to argue for an equitable smart growth approach that entails structural transformation to address …

The Impact Of Boise’S Parks And Rec System On Property Values, Thomas Wuerzer, Jaap Vos

Jacobus J. "Jaap" Vos

Calculation of the impact of Boise's parks and open space on property values.

Global Trade Impacts: Addressing The Health, Social And Environmental Consequences Of Moving International Freight Through Our Communities, Martha Matsuoka, Andrea Hricko, Robert Gottlieb, Juan Delara

Martha Matsuoka

As ports and goods movement activity expands throughout the United States, a major challenge is how to make the adverse impacts of freight transportation a more central part of economic development, policy and planning discussions and transportation decision making. In 2009, faculty and staff from the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute of Occidental College and from the environmental health sciences and regional equity programs of the University of Southern California (USC) began a study of this evolving global trade and freight transportation system, focusing on areas in the United States where the system is expanding and where community, labor and …

Redistributing Power In Mississippi: The Reversal Of Section 4 Of The Voting Rights Act, Gloria J. Billingsley, Sylvester Murray

Sylvester Murray

Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court declared Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 unconstitutional, essentially defanging preclearance requirements of Section 5 and leaving racial and other previously disenfranchised minorities unprotected. Using social contract theory as the theoretical framework, empirical field study research was used to examine whether the Voting Rights Act has achieved the results in Mississippi that the Supreme Court’s decision to revoke Section 4 has assumed. Data were collected on race-specific voter registration and voting data, measures of vote discrimination, litigations and Mississippi legislative activity regarding voting rights. Findings indicate that the gap between minority and …

Economic And Fiscal Aspects Of Coastal And Watershed Stewardship Practices, Wendy A. Kellogg, Erica Matheny

Erica Matheny

No abstract provided.

Increasing Environmental Performance In A Context Of Low Governmental Enforcement: Evidence From China, Mary Alice Haddad

Mary Alice Haddad

Creating Healthy Community In The Postindustrial City, Brian A. Hoey

Brian A. Hoey, Ph.D.

Results Of 2013 Greenbelt User Survey, Jaap Vos

Jacobus J. "Jaap" Vos

The Greenbelt survey was administered at four different locations on the greenbelt on Tuesday, September 17, and Saturday, September 21, 2013. There were a little over 1000 usable surveys and we also received detailed information about the amount of people on the Greenbelt from a traffic count that was performed by the Ada County Highway District (ACHD). The general results are very similar from last year. Users are unanimously happy about the Greenbelt and see the Greenbelt as an important asset for the community. People feel safe and almost 75 percent of the people that were surveyed use the Greenbelt …

Climate Change Adaptation Chapter: Marshfield, Massachusetts, Joshua H. Chase, Jonathan G. Cooper, Rory Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Filipe Antunes Lima, Sally R. Miller, Toni Marie Pignatelli

Sally Miller

Climate change, understood as a statistically significant variation in the mean state of the climate or its variability, is the greatest environmental challenge of this generation (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2001). Marshfield is already being affected by changes in the climate that will have a profound effect on the town’s economy, public health, coastal resources, natural features, water systems, and public and private infrastructure. Adaptation strategies have been widely recognized as playing an important role in improving a community’s ability to respond to climate stressors by resisting damage and recovering quickly. Based on review of climate projections for the …

Results Of 2012 Greenbelt User Survey, Jaap Vos

Jacobus J. "Jaap" Vos

In September of 2012, the City of Boise‘s Parks and Recreation Department asked the Department of Community and Regional Planning to assist with a survey intended to be able to provide a glimpse of the use of the greenbelt on a typical week and weekend day. Greenbelt users were interviewed at three different locations on the greenbelt on Tuesday, September 18, and Saturday, September 22. The locations were chosen by Boise Parks and Recreation and represented downtown (Anne Frank Memorial), and respectively 2.5 miles east (Warm Springs) and west (Veterans Park) of downtown. At both Veterans Park and Warm Springs, …

Chagrin River Watershed Partners Needs Assessment And Service Strategy, Daila Shimek

Daila Shimek

This report describes the needs identified by member communities and organizations of the Chagrin River Watershed Partners (CRWP) that could be adopted by CRWP as part of its service strategy. The results suggest that members are pleased with the services provided by CRWP. Additional needs fell into one of eight categories: (1) Information, education, and training, (2) Planning, development, redevelopment, and resolutions/ordinances, (3) Funding and grants, (4) Technical assistance, (5) Regulations and requirements, (6) Storm water infrastructure maintenance, (7) Providing a strategic role in helping manage the watershed, and (8) Managing relationships.

The Impact Of Municipal Renewable Electricity Use On Greenhouse Gas Emissions In The United States, Rachel M. Krause

Rachel M. Krause

Local governments are increasingly taking initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, limited and inconsistent data makes evaluating the aggregate impact of relevant actions difficult. This paper focuses specifically on U.S. city governments’ use of renewable electricity to power their own operations. It develops a range of rough estimates for the cumulative nationwide impact of this activity and finds that it results in an annual abatement of between 5.8 and 29.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), with the best approximation being 6.2 million tons CO2e a year. This is about 20% of the estimated total that …

Ray Flynn's Legacy: American Cities And The Progressive Agenda, Peter Dreier

Peter Dreier

No abstract provided.

The Bus Stops Here For First Transit Contact, Peter Dreier

Peter Dreier

No abstract provided.

A Chicago, La Lutte Syndicale A Payé, Peter Dreier

Peter Dreier

No abstract provided.

Social Justice Philanthropy: Can We Get More Bang For The Buck?, Peter Dreier

Peter Dreier

No abstract provided.

The Future Of Community Reinvestment, Peter Dreier

Peter Dreier

No abstract provided.

Katrina And Power In America, Peter Dreier

Peter Dreier

No abstract provided.

Connecting The Parks To The Community And The Community To The Parks, Andrea M. Azuma, Robert B. Gottlieb, Mark Vallianatos, Jessica K. Gudmundson, Amanda L. Shaffer, Peter Dreier

Peter Dreier

No abstract provided.

America's Urban Crisis A Decade After The Los Angeles Riots, Peter Dreier

Peter Dreier

No abstract provided.

California's Single-Payer Initiative: What Went Wrong?, Peter Dreier, Matthew Glasser

Peter Dreier

No abstract provided.

Economic Inequality And Public Policy: The Power Of Place, Peter Dreier, Todd Swanstrom, John Mollenkopf

Peter Dreier

No abstract provided.

Redlining Cities: How Banks Color Community Development, Peter Dreier

Peter Dreier

No abstract provided.

Local Success Stories, Peter Dreier

Peter Dreier

No abstract provided.

Food Access, Availability, And Affordability In 3 Los Angeles Communities, Project Cafe, 2004-2006, Andrea Misako Azuma, Susan Gilliland, Mark Vallianatos, Robert Gottlieb

Robert Gottlieb

Introduction Racial/ethnic minority communities are at increasingly high risk for chronic diseases related to obesity. Access to stores that sell affordable, nutritious food is a prerequisite for adopting a healthful diet. The objective of this study was to evaluate food access, availability, and affordability in 3 nonoverlapping but similar low-income communities in urban Los Angeles, California. Methods Using a community-based participatory research approach, we trained community members to conduct a food assessment to 1) map the number and type of retail food outlets in a defined area and 2) survey a sample of stores to determine whether they sold selected …

Changing River's Course; Greenbelt Vs. Warehouses, Lewis Macadams, Robert Gottlieb

Robert Gottlieb

No abstract provided.

Linking Environmental Justice And Pollution Prevention: Livable Communities And Cleaner Production, Robert Gottlieb

Robert Gottlieb

No abstract provided.

The Stirrings Of A New Progressive Movement Can Be Heard, Peter Dreier, Robert Gottlieb

Robert Gottlieb

No abstract provided.