Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Urban Nature Indexes Tool Offers Comprehensive And Flexible Approach To Monitoring Urban Ecological Performance, Jennifer Rae Pierce, Laura Costadone, Lelani Mannetti, Joeri Morpurgo, Charlyn Elaine Green, Michael D. Halder, Pablo Arturo Lopez Guijosa, Abner L. Bogan, Russell Galt, Jonathan Hughes

ODU Articles

We present the Urban Nature Indexes (UNI), a comprehensive tool that measures urban ecological performance under one standard framework linked to global commitments. The UNI was developed by interdisciplinary experts and evaluated by practitioners from diverse cities to capture each city’s ecological footprint from local to global scale. The UNI comprises six themes (consumption drivers, human pressures, habitat status, species status, nature’s contributions to people, and governance responses) that encompass measurable impacts on climate change, biodiversity loss, ecosystem services, pollution, consumption, water management, and equity within one comprehensive system. Cities then adapt the UNI to their context and capacity by …

A Tale Of Two Gentrifications: Reconceptualizing Gentrification Using Third Places, Demolition And Hierarchical Linear Modeling, Kylil R. Martin

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

A growing body of research points out that communities in the most need of assistance are often the ones established by racially biased processes and have not been invested in for generations – with little to no attention ever positively directed toward these spaces. Instead, because of policies and tactics used to label areas as problematic and divest from them, public actors are reluctant to consider the lived-lives, both good and bad, of the residents of these communities when discussing needed changes. Criminologists have long been interested in neighborhood change and its relationship with crime. There has also been theoretical …

Site Selection For Norfolk Day Services Facility, Faith N. Witkowski, Hua Liu

College of Arts and Letters Posters

In October 2021, The Center: A Temporary Shelter transitioned from its downtown location to a residential area a few blocks away. After the move, a pressing, geographic-based question has surfaced: what makes the best location for the houseless population to be able to utilize resources? Using two methods, this study endeavored to answer this question in multiple ways, through different lenses. Method one's objectives are to find an optimal location(s) for a potential Norfolk day service facility based on 1) proximity to social and health services, 2) proximity to a neighborhood that would most benefit from a day center, and …

Combining Green Metrics And Digital Twins For Sustainability Planning And Governance Of Smart Buildings And Cities, Casey R. Corrado, Suzanne M. Delong, Emily G. Holt, Edward Y. Hua, Andreas Tolk

VMASC Publications

Creating a more sustainable world will require a coordinated effort to address the rise of social, economic, and environmental concerns resulting from the continuous growth of cities. Supporting planners with tools to address them is pivotal, and sustainability is one of the main objectives. Modeling and simulation augmenting digital twins can play an important role to implement these tools. Although various green best practices have been utilized over time and there are related attempts at measuring green success, works in the published literature tend to focus on addressing a single problem (e.g., energy efficiency), and a comprehensive approach that takes …

Air Pollution And Outdoor Recreation On Urban Trails: A Case Study Of The Elizabeth River Trail, Norfolk, James E. Mccann, Chris A.B. Zajchowski, Eddie L. Hill, Xihe Zhu

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Faculty Publications

Poor air quality represents a significant health risk for individuals engaging in recreation activities outdoors in urban parks and trails. This study investigated temporal variability in particulate matter (PM) exposure along an urban waterfront trail. We also used recreation choice frameworks to examine the effects of visitors’ perceptions of air quality (AQ) and health benefits on trail use. Average air quality during the collection period was “good” (PM₁₀) to “moderate” (PM_2.5). We found that PM density was significantly higher (p < 0.001), though still in the “moderate” range, at 7–9 a.m., 11 a.m.–1 p.m., and 3–5 p.m., and on weekends. Visitors’ self-reported perceptions of health outcomes, but not air quality, significantly predicted trail use. Results suggest that these experiential factors may affect recreational choices depending on other factors, such as salience. Further research is merited to determine how experiential factors can be integrated with other theories of motivation to understand recreational decision-making.

Air Pollution And Outdoor Recreation On Urban Trails: A Case Study Of The Elizabeth River Trail, Norfolk, Va, James E. Mccann

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Poor air quality represents a significant health risk, especially when recreating outdoors in urban parks and trails. It is important for managers of urban parks and trail to understand how potential visitors’ perceptions of air quality and health risks and benefits may affect visitation. The goal of this study was to investigate temporal variance in air quality along the Elizabeth River Trail, an urban trail located in Norfolk, Virginia, as well as trail users’ perceptions of air quality and of health benefits in relation to trail use. The researcher rode a bicycle with a Dylos DC1700-PM mobile air quality monitor …

Cuban Migrants And The Making Of Havana's Property Market, Gertjan Wijburg, Manuel B. Aalbers, Federica Bono

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

The emerging literature on the globalization of real estate has addressed how internationally circulating capital has increasingly found its ways into housing markets of the "Global South". With relatively underdeveloped financial and real estate markets, these countries have discursively and materially been rebranded as emerging markets, that is, they have been shaped into frontiers in the global urbanization of capital. In this paper we scrutinize the transnational real estate networks that shape and reshape the Cuban housing market. First, we reconstruct how, following the 2011 legalization of housing prices set between buyers and sellers, Cuban migrants and a few foreign …

The Resilient City: A Platform For Informed Decision-Making Process, Jarutpong Vasuthanasub

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

As over half of the world’s population lives in cities, the rapid growth in urbanization has made cities become more and more exposed and vulnerable to a broad spectrum of threats and hazards. In order to respond to such difficulties, a concept of resilience is considered a significant component for the long-term planning and sustainable development of cities. “Resilient City” is a new paradigm that challenges the idealistic principle of stability and resistance to change implicitly in sustainable development and long-term success. However, building a resilient city requires a holistic approach, as well as the appropriate adoption of knowledge and …

Hampton Roads Residents’ Preferences For Dune And Beach Management, Seth Parker, Donta Council, Makayla Brown

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

The management of dunes and beaches in Hampton Roads is critical to the region’s tourism industry and to provide protection from storms and flooding. During the summer of 2017, we surveyed over 675 residents of Hampton Roads to gauge their preferences for the management of dunes and beaches. An overwhelming majority felt that all taxpayers should have a say in maintenance practices along with government regulations to assist with the protection of beaches and dunes. Residents leaned towards localized input from citizens as preferred methods of management and understood the importance their tax dollars play in funding those methods. While …

Key Priorities And University Roles To Address Coastal Resilience In Virginia: Findings From The Rotating Resilience Roundtables Workshop Fall 2018, Anamaria Bukvic, Michelle Covi

Presentations, Lectures, Posters, Reports

From Part 1. Purpose and significance

The first Rotating Resilience Roundtables event took place on October 11 and 12, 2018 on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg and was co-organized between the Coastal@VT initiative at Virginia Tech and Old Dominion University/Virginia Sea Grant Climate Adaptation and Resilience Program. It was designed to respond to the need for a cohesive and policy-relevant science that will align and coordinate efforts between researchers and other stakeholders to benefit the Commonwealth’s resilience planning for changing conditions in coastal zone. The Rotating Roundtables’ concept was selected to facilitate active engagement of audiences with different coastal …

Lessons From Cities On The Front Line Of Sea Level Rise, Diane Horn

October 30, 2015: Beyond Toolkits: Adaptation Strategies and Lessons

No abstract provided.

Corps Efforts On Sea Level Rise In Hampton Roads, Greg Steele

October 30, 2015: Beyond Toolkits: Adaptation Strategies and Lessons

No abstract provided.

Panel Presentation: Norfolk: Thriving With Water, Norfolk Working Group

October 30, 2015: Beyond Toolkits: Adaptation Strategies and Lessons

No abstract provided.

Residential Segregation In Norfolk, Virginia: How The Federal Government Reinforced Racial Division In A Southern City, 1914-1959, Kevin Lang Ringelstein

History Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines how Norfolk, Virginia maintained residential segregation between the years 1914, when the city passed its first segregation ordinance, and 1959, when it received the All-America City Award for its massive slum clearance projects. By focusing on federal government initiatives in Norfolk, it shows that Norfolk’s leaders used the federal government’s assistance to map, analyze, and remove the city’s African American slums. Ultimately, it highlights the central role the federal government played in perpetuating residential segregation in Norfolk and how it opened a space for Norfolk’s leaders to act on their prejudice.

This thesis demonstrates that in the …

Removing The Rust: Comparative Post-Industrial Revitalization In Buffalo, Cleveland, And Pittsburgh, Scott Nicholas Duryea

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This study seeks to understand the differences in post-industrial redevelopment among the cities of Buffalo, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh. Part of the so-called "rust belt," these three cities experienced industrial decline from the 1960s through the 1980s, largely as a result of the economic globalization of heavy industry. Intensive manufacturing and output had come to a screeching halt, unemployment skyrocketed, outmigration ensued, and each metropolitan area faced formidable challenges to convert to service-oriented industries. Over the past twenty years, these cities, and the regions that encompass them, have begun to redevelop, although unevenly. At a glance, the Pittsburgh region appears to …

Re.Invest, Denise Thompson

July 10, 2013: Best Practices and Communications Strategies for Adapting to Sea Level Rise and Flooding

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Proximity In Reducing Auto Travel: Using Vmt To Identify Key Locations For Development, From Downtown To The Exurbs, Robert B. Case

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to discover the VMT impact of each level of proximity in order to help government identify key locations for housing development, and thereby lower VMT and reduce dependence on foreign oil. By discovering the VMT impact of each level of proximity, this dissertation provides a) the first known means of calculating the proximity-based VMT benefit of subject locations by individual proximity level, and b) the new finding that it is likely that high VMT benefit can be achieved at moderate proximity levels acceptable to many households, enabling representative governments to be politically successful while …

Adaptation Practices And Lessons Learned, Molly Mitchell

November 16, 2012: Best Practices for Adapting to Sea Level Rise and Flooding

No abstract provided.

Forum Notes: Land Use And Planning Breakout Group, Hr Adaptation Forum

November 16, 2012: Best Practices for Adapting to Sea Level Rise and Flooding

No abstract provided.

Revitalizing Deteriorated Urban Neighborhood Real Estate Markets Through Concentrated Homeownership Development: Determining The Spillover Effects Of New Homes On The Value Of Surrounding Homes, Jerry Michael Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The promotion of homeownership opportunities represents an important approach used by localities to support the revitalization of deteriorated urban neighborhoods. Homeownership is associated with a variety of social and economic benefits to the homeowner including increased residential stability and equity accumulation. The introduction of new homeownership opportunities into a deteriorated urban neighborhood as part of local public policy is intended to capitalize upon the anticipated positive social and economic outcomes. Such new homeownership development also presents the opportunity to generate positive spillover effects on the adjacent existing properties in the neighborhood which may ultimately result in higher real estate tax …

Analysis Of Determinants In Neighborhood Satisfaction Between Defended And Defensible Communities Within The General And Urban Housing Environments, David William Chapman

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed examination and analysis of neighborhood satisfaction determinants among residents living within defended and defensible gated communities in the United States. The study considers whether there are significant differences in the determinants at national or regional levels and whether there are significant differences within the components of individual household characteristics, neighborhood quality characteristics, or both.

The theoretical framework and model for neighborhood satisfaction used with this study is based on a modified model of Lu's work on neighborhood satisfaction (1999, pp. 78-79) and residential mobility (1996) that were based on Speare's …

Nature And Norfolk: The History Of The Norfolk Botanical Garden, Cheryl S. White

Institute for the Humanities Theses

If what they say is true, that first impressions are always the most important, then the city of Norfolk, Virginia could impress anyone. The Norfolk Botanical Garden began as approximately 30 acres surrounding Mirror Lake, adjacent to the proposed Norfolk Municipal Airport in 1938. Today the Garden consists of 158 acres that include a variety of garden styles, manmade canals, and extensive educational facilities. It serves as the first and last view visitors have of Norfolk. The Norfolk Botanical Garden is an example of interdisciplinary co-operation. Biology, urban planning, landscape architecture, and various political involvements are all expressed within the …

Environmental Justice And The Role Of Social Capital In An Underserved Urban Community, Lorraine Ann Dillon

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to evaluate a community's beliefs, attitudes, and experiences regarding their neighborhood's environmental health issues and the ways in which individuals utilize social capital (the degree to which a community collaborates and cooperates) to improve their environmental health. Research correlating social capital with health status shows that the higher the level of social capital in a community, the better the health. An understanding of why some groups exhibit more social capital than others is important in improving the public health system. The study was accomplished by comparing a convenience sample of two specific groups …

Urban Terrorism: Strategies For Mitigating Terrorist Attacks Against The Domestic Urban Environment, John J. Kiefer

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

This study identifies strategies to mitigate the impact of terrorist attacks against the domestic urban environment. It uses multiple qualitative research methods to identify patterns of attack used by terrorists against urban targets in the United States and suggest ways for policymakers to mitigate the effects of a terrorist attack through not only physical, but also organizational, political, legal, and social strategies. It uses case analysis, literature review, and interviews with experts in domestic terrorism preparedness to develop and suggest solutions.

Terrorism, as with other criminal acts, can best be met by implementing strategies to mitigate the impact of this …

An Analysis Of The Changes In The Proportional Distribution Of Poverty Between Metropolitan Statistical Areas And Their Central Cities, Billy W. Godair

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

This study examined Wilson's hypothesis that economic restructuring accompanied by spatial redistribution of employment opportunities coupled with rising skills requirements for employment provide an explanation for the increasing concentration of metropolitan area poverty in its central city. This study also assesses the influence that racism, represented by racial residential segregation (Index of Dissimilarity), may have on the distribution of metropolitan poverty (Massey 1990, 1994; Massey, Gross and Shibuya, 1994; Feagin, 1999, Orfield, 1992). Additionally, this study will expand Wilson's hypothesis by examining the influence that these variables (economic infrastructure, skills mismatch, and racial residential segregation) have on central city income …

The Regional Public-Private Civic Infrastructure Of Hampton Roads And Its Impact On The Implementation Of Economic Development Initiatives, James Andrew Probsdorfer

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

This study analyzes the effectiveness of a network of five regional organizations to promote economic development in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Using a case study methodology, data collected from organizational documents, media reports, and personal interviews was categorized and triangulated to determine how many regional economic proposals were implemented from 1990 to 2000. This analysis created a regional timeline from which was produced a regional inventory of economic proposals. This study concluded that the regional economic development organizations in Hampton Roads have a fragmented network and their output has been influenced by regional factors.

Specifically out of a total of nineteen …

Factors Which Contribute To Successful Schools For Disadvantaged Students: An Exploratory Case Study Of Two Urban Elementary Schools In Norfolk, Virginia, Lula Saunders Sawyer

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

This exploratory case study examines the perceptions of parents, teachers, students and principals on eight factors of school effectiveness. Two low income elementary schools in the City of Norfolk, Virginia served as the research setting for this study. Though both schools consist almost entirely of African American students, and are otherwise similar in demographics, they have achieved at different levels. While one has been recognized as a national model, based on continuous improvement in students' academic achievement, the other has not attained the same level of achievement, based on standardized test scores.

A case study methodology has been used to …

Planning The Twentieth-Century American City, By Mary Corbin Sies And Christopher Silver. Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore And London, 1996, And Magnetic Los Angeles: Planning The Twentieth-Century Metropolis, By Greg Hise. Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore And London, 1997 (Book Reviews), Robert Wojtowicz

Art Faculty Publications

(First Paragraph) Planning has been a part of the American landscape since the establishment of the first colonial outposts, but it was not until the early twentieth century that the field's protagonists organized and professionalized. Also a relatively recent phenomenon is the field of American planning history, which for many years was the neglected stepchild of urban history and the distant cousin of architectural history. Over the past decade, however, a steady outpouring of interdisciplinary research has garnered for the field well-deserved recognition within the academy. At a time when more established disciplines are increasingly torn by ideological differences and …

Municipal Involvement In International Relations, John Jack William Hilgers

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The purpose of this study is to examine municipal involvement in international relations in the United States. This municipal phenomenon is occurring concurrently with both a shift away from the traditional nation-centric structure of international relations under the influence of globalism as well as a sharp decline in intergovernmental aid. The research questions were: (1) What are the indicators that define municipal involvement in international relations? and (2) What is the extent of that involvement?

Extensive qualitative and research was conducted in the form of an exploratory literature survey which was set forth in narrative analysis to overcome the paucity …

The Implementation Of Neighborhood Conservation Projects In Portsmouth, Virginia, 1960-1990, Robert Brooke Albertson

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The study describes and analyzes the implementation of federally-funded neighborhood conservation programs in two of Portsmouth, Virginia's oldest urban neighborhoods by addressing four research questions: (1) To what extent is there variation in the implementation of neighborhood conservation projects in differing neighborhood settings? What are the factors that account for such differences? (2) To what extent are the neighborhood conservation projects distributive or regulatory programs, and what forms of conflict and/or cooperation result from this? (3) What is the intergovernmental context of neighborhood conservation projects, and how does this affect the nature of bargaining and negotiation among governmental units? and …