Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Recommendations To The City Of South Portland, Related To Phase 2 Of The Energy Action Plan, Karen Purinton

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

South Portland’s Energy Action Plan (EAP) has not been updated since the completion and approval of the most recent South Portland Comprehensive Plan in October 2012. The current EAP has three phases, of which the first has been partially implemented, calling for energy and other resource conservation practices to be put in place in all City departments. Phase 2 is concerned with how the municipality can engage and incentivize businesses within the City to address energy use and efficiency, and is discussed in three sections below. Phase 3, yet to be drafted, will address residential opportunities for decreased energy use …

Geotechnics And Regionalism: The Lineage Of Thought From John Wesley Powell To Benton Mackaye, Nikkilee Cataldo

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

John Wesley Powell and Benton MacKaye, each developed exceptionally comprehensive and innovative regional planning visions that had a great deal in common. They both were Jeffersonian idealists, who considered those who tilled the soil and worked the land for primary production a class of men above all the rest.

This paper will explore some of the fundamental theory behind the work of both Powell and MacKaye, as well as examples of the plans that they developed. It will become clear that the two men were working from very similar theoretical vantage points, though in relatively different socio-political eras. It will …

Approaches To Capacity Building And Knowledge Sharing In The Hud Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program, Natalie Mcwilliams

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This paper investigates the early response to the capacity building and knowledge sharing requirement as part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant (SCRPG) program. Drawing from the work of a subset of ten grantees across the United States, this analysis investigates the innovative ways planning organizations are working to fulfill this unique requirement. An overview of the grant program is discussed followed by a discussion of how the knowledge sharing requirement reflects the new regionalism movement. The approach of each of the example grantees is examined in terms of what activities …

Creating A Benefit Index For Targeting Investment In Pedestrian Connectivity Improvements East Bayside Neighborhood: Portland, Me, Damon Yakovleff

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

This project demonstrates how a GIS-based analysis of pedestrian accessibility to selected amenities from locations in and around the East Bayside neighborhood of Portland, Maine can help identify and guide decisions about public investment in improving such access. Two street network configurations are analyzed: the current (2011) condition, and a hypothetical configuration including several connectivity improvements currently under discussion or in the process of construction. The GIS tools are used to calculate the network distances between the centroid of the area’s census blocks and two amenities: the nearest full-service grocery store, and an outdoor fitness station available to the public. …

Stakeholder Participation In Large Scale Complex Systems Modeling: Lessons From An Urbansim Users Community, Sandra H. Goff

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Complex systems models for urban and regional simulation are increasingly being used as tools within decision-making processes underscoring the need to involve stakeholders in the modeling process. Stakeholder participation can serve both learning and community-building purposes, improving model legitimacy, saliency and accuracy and resolving conflicts over competing interests. However, the complex and highly technical nature of modeling activities has the potential to serve as an important barrier to stakeholder engagement. Members of an online UrbanSim user community were contacted in order to examine stakeholder participation in the development and implementation of UrbanSim models. For analysis purposes, a participation hierarchy was …

Case Studies In Community Vitality And Downtown Revitalization: A Focus On Maine’S Employment And Service Hubs, Matthew Klebes, Elizabeth Mclean, Kathy Lynn Tombarelli

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to consider the efforts made by municipalities to revitalize their downtowns and improve community livability. Our primary focus will be on Maine municipalities, but we will include two case studies outside of Maine to provide a comparison.
We are also including communities in both northern and southern Maine, as well as both coastal and inland communities. By using this approach, we can identify common indicators of success, independent of geographic location.

The Creative Economy In Small Places: Eight Cases And A Developmental Model, Jennifer L. Hutchins

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

Eight case studies across New England offer understanding of the role of the creative economy in the community and economic development of rural towns and small cities. The cases include Providence and Pawtucket, RI; Burlington, VT; and Portland, Bangor, Norway, Dover-Foxcroft, and the St. John Valley, ME. Ten elements or “building blocks” are observed to be important, leading to an explanatory model for the development of the creative economy in small communities. These elements include creative people, education centers, cultural and natural amenities, business engagement, infrastructure, leadership, networks, strategies, time, and money. The creative economy in the eight communities has …