Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Go Before You Go: How Public Toilets Impact Public Transit Usage, Kate M. Washington

PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal

The emphasis on sustainable solutions in Portland, Oregon includes developing multi-modal transportation methods. Using public transit means giving up a certain amount of control over one’s schedule and taking on a great deal of uncertainty when it comes to personal hygiene. Buses, the MAX, and the Streetcar – the cornerstones of public transit in Portland – are not equipped with toilets and rarely are their stations, while most shops and restaurants reserve toilets for patrons only. As a result, many people may bypass public transit in favor of cars, which afford travelers greater autonomy and flexibility. Theories of New Urbanism …

Assessing Impacts Of Time Use On Children's Physical Fitness In Relation To Risk For Obesity And Diabetes, Jessica Guo

PSU Transportation Seminars

Researchers from the transportation, planning and health fields share the common goal of promoting physically active lifestyle. One challenge that researchers often face is the measurement of physical activity, particularly among children. This is because the sporadic nature of children’s physical activity patterns makes it difficult to recall and quantify such activities. Additionally, children’s lower cognitive functioning compared to adults prevents them from accurately recalling their activities. This presentation will describe the design and application of a novel self-report instrument - the Graphs for Recalling Activity Time (GReAT) - for measuring children’s activity time use patterns. The instrument was applied …

Getting Your House In Order: A Model For African-American Financial Education, Lisa K. Bates, Stacey Triplett

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Portland Housing Center (PHC) is a national leader in educating and creating first time homebuyers, with outreach efforts that bring diverse households to its services. However, in 2010, PHC recognized that African American customers were much less likely to buy homes, even when they received counseling. The Portland (OR) area’s African American homeownership rate was just 35% (compared to 65% for Whites) and actually declined from 2000 to 2010.

Working with an African American advisory committee and with research guiding development, implementation, and evaluation, PHC developed a comprehensive program around outreach and services to African Americans in the Portland …