Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Downtown Revitalization: Consumers' And City Planners' Perceived Barriers To Integrating Large-Scale Retail Into The Downtown, Jennifer M. Donofrio

Master's Theses

Statement of Problem

Revitalization of downtowns across America continues to be challenged by the shift to the suburbs. The barriers to integrating large-scale retail in a small, medium, and large city downtown were examined.

Forces of Data

The System View Planning Theory (Taylor, 1998) guided the study of city planners’ and consumers’ perceived barriers to integrating large scale retail into the downtown. In order to ascertain the barriers to integrating large-scale retail into the downtown intercept-surveys with consumers (n=30, responded to the intercept survey in each city) and interviews with city planners were conducted.

Conclusion Reached

Some significant differences were …

The Logic Of Movement: Consumption Logistics On The Las Vegas Strip, Robert Dean

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The omnipresence of consumption in advanced societies is indisputable; spaces designed to facilitate consumption (or means of consumption) are one aspect of that presence. On the surface, these spaces appear to be quite harmless dreamworlds full of possibilities, but at another level they are highly instrumental, composed of various mechanisms that work to sell commodities through the manipulation of consumer behavior. I argue that consumption spaces express a logic of movement, and a consumption logistics, that is based on the commodity form and relatable to warfare that works to domesticate consumers into the commodity system. I engage in an exploratory …

Student Characteristics, Academic Self-Concept And Language Arts Literacy Performance In Traditional And Block Scheduling In Two Urban Schools, Luana Gipson-Bruce

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The effectiveness of language arts literacy (LAL) block scheduling on student achievement atid self-efficacy is a strategy of education reform. Language arts skills in urban schools is noted in the 1983 report "A Nation at Risk", which documents the seriousness of urban school literacy difficulties. In addition, state standardized requirements have attested to poor language arts performance in many minority schools.

The purpose of this study is to describe the demographic, health, academic self concept and student achievement of a 6& grade sample of 62 students in two urban schools, one which implements a traditional scheduling language arts program and …

Evolution Of Urban Design In Practice (Case Studies Of Chicago, Detroit And Cleveland Through Time), Sulabh Aryal

Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the twentieth century various urban design theories came into light. These theories were sometimes original and sometimes derivative of some previous theory.These theories can be broadly categorized in different urban design models. The chronological study of different urban design theories gives us the theoretical and generic evolution of urban design. The practical evolution of urban design in any city can be different from the generic evolution of urban design. This thesis examines the urban design of three Midwestern American cities from their origins to the present day. The urban design of these cities, related to different time periods is …

"Whose Streets? Our Streets!" Urban Social Movements And The Transformation Of Everyday Life In Pacific Northwest Cities, 1990-1999, Leanne Claire Serbulo

Dissertations and Theses

This project returns to the questions that were once at the center of the urban studies debate over social movements. What are urban social movements, and what impacts do they leave on the cities where they occur? Urban protests in Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington are used as the foundation for exploring the following research questions: What urban social movements occurred in the Pacific Northwest during 1990s? What goals were these movements struggling for? What impacts did urban social movements have on daily life in Portland and Seattle?

While this project has continuity with earlier attempts to identify, describe, and …

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 …

Causative Factors Of Crashes Between A Motor Vehicle And The Amish And Old Order Mennonite Horse And Buggy, Cory Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Horse and buggy transportation is spreading as rapidly as its Amish and Old Order Mennonite users are, as are buggy crashes with motor vehicles. This study examines the primary causes of 76 reported horse and buggy crashes in Pennsylvania in 2006. The main crash types identified include a motorist rear-ending a forward-moving buggy, motorist failing to pass a buggy, buggy struck while crossing an intersection, and buggy struck while making a left turn. While causative factors varied for each crash type, major factors include the motorist or buggy driver incorrectly comprehending speed differentials, the motorist acting carelessly around the buggy, …

Giving Process Its Due : Can Collaboration Help Environmental Markets Succeed?, John Robert Cochran

Dissertations and Theses

Emerging environmental markets assign economic value to ecosystem services and exchange them in market-like transactions. These markets are characterized by diverse stakeholder interests interacting with minimally defined transaction steps and high uncertainty. In this context, process plays an important role in shaping the institutions that make markets work or fail. If process matters, then market organizers need to intentionally craft processes just as they intentionally design institutions. This project explores a subset of four relatively established water quality trading programs that involved diverse stakeholders, and used differing forms of collaboration to design institutions. This research tests whether sometimes subtle changes …

Policy Administration And Political Rights;The Experiences Of High-Level Women In The Kuwaiti Government, Hani A. Alsarraf

ETD Archive

Women in Kuwait were traditionally excluded from the formulation of public policy because they lacked political rights. In mid 2005, women received the right to vote and to run for office. There is little known today about the influence of these political rights on women who work with the implementation of public policies in the higher administrative levels of government. Little is known specifically about the influence of the franchise on promotion of women to high administrative posts. The purpose of this study is to lay a foundation for research on the factors that encourage women's access to high positions …

Occupations, A Diaspora, And The Design Of Local Governments For A Palestinian State, Wasim Al-Habil

ETD Archive

The forces that shape administrative structures include the goals and objectives of minority and majority groups, modern management principles, and a legacy or history in which domestic political factions have gradually accepted rules and roles for mutual tolerance and inclusion. However, this process can be muted or redefined in societies where centuries of occupation and dispersion "short-circuit" maturation processes and introduce non-indigenous systems externally imposed without any level of popular acceptance or active citizenship participation. In these environments, as new states emerge, their task of building local government institutions requires a clear understanding of indigenous systems and institutions. What must …

The Impact Of Local Historical Designation On Residential Property Value;An Analysis Of Three Slow-Growth And Three Fast-Growth Central Cities In The United States, Akram M. Ijla

ETD Archive

Historic designation is thought to have a role in neighborhood economic and community development. Local designation of historic districts is increasingly used as a tool to revitalize deteriorated neighborhoods and to protect endangered historical districts. A number of limitations in several previous studies have made policy development as well as a complete assessment of the impact of designation difficult. Some past studies focused only on historic neighborhoods in one city or one state other studies have tested the impact of historic designation in general without distinguishing between local, state, or federal designation. Lastly, several earlier studies have also relied on …

The Influence Of Research Universities On Technology-Based Regional Economic Development, Iryna V. Lendel

ETD Archive

Universities are frequently assumed to be essential contributors to regional economic development although conclusive evidence that universities trigger economic growth within their region does not exist. This dissertation presents a model that characterizes the influence of university research on regional economic outcomes, changes of total regional employment and gross metropolitan product. The model controls for industry research activity and incorporates differences in regional industrial organization. The model compares the influence of university research and industry research on changes of regional employment and gross metropolitan product during the expansion (1998-2001) and contraction (2002-2004) phases of the business cycle and over the …

Public Sector Reforms And Managing Change In Botswana;The Case Of Performance Management System (Pms), Bashi Mothusi

ETD Archive

Although public sector reforms have been embraced voluntarily in Botswana, no attempt has been made by scholars and practioners to assess the effect of such interventions and their relationship with the culture that shapes and influences people's behaviour within public organizations. The evaluation of programs and policies formulated and implemented since the attainment of political independence in September 1966 rarely makes reference to the manner in which organizational culture affects the attainment of goals and objectives specified under such interventions. Hence, this study sought to understand the relationship between public sector reforms undertaken in Botswana, particularly Performance Management System (PMS) …

Tenuous Legitimacy;The Administrative State, The Antigovernment Movement, And The Stability Of The United States Constitutional Democracy, Shelly L. Peffer

ETD Archive

The public administration literature is inundated with books and articles despairing about the legitimacy crisis in the field. There have been numerous bases proposed for legitimizing the administrative state, including expertise, virtue or public service, and leadership and vision. Yet the issue remains contested, and the lack of agreement has wide reaching implications. One under-examined implication is the role that this tenuous legitimacy has in weakening the administrative state's ability to temper anti-government sentiment. This dissertation explores the connections and patterns in the ideologies, actions, and philosophical foundations of strongly held views that the administrative state is an illegitimate democratic …

Catharine Macaulay And The Liberal And Republican Origins Of American Public Administration, Lisa Thomas

ETD Archive

This dissertation utilizes the history of ideas to explore the philosophy of Catharine Macaulay, an eighteenth-century historian and philosopher, for application to contemporary American Public Administration. Macaulay's view of human nature is paradoxical. Her characterization of man as corrupt and seduced by power is countered by her view that man is perfectible and capable of good works. The darker side of Macaulay's vision supports government that checks power through the expansion of democracy, advocates the separation of powers, and adheres to the rule of law. In this respect she resembles a Lockean liberal. The more magnanimous side of Macaulay reveres …

Using Internet Simulation Games To Train Prehospital Providers For Mass Casualty Response, Meredith L. Moss

Master's Theses

During a disaster emergency medical services (EMS) plays a critical role in supporting mass casualty response. However, the processes and procedures used in a disaster are different than those which the prehospital providers encounter during routine emergency response. With limited time and resources, new approaches to training should be considered. This thesis presents research on EMS training, disaster response, distance learning, and instructional technology. Survey and interview results are analyzed providing a foundation for the development of a proposed software model using Internet simulation games to train prehospital providers for mass casualty response.

Beyond The Early Adopters: Examining The Potential For Car-Sharing In Richmond, Virginia, Steven P. Spears

Theses and Dissertations

Car-sharing is a membership-based mobility service that offers short-term vehicle rentals. Studies have shown that car-sharing can increase transportation sustainability by encouraging the use of public transit and reducing vehicle miles traveled. This thesis examines the potential for car-sharing in Richmond, Virginia through an attitude-based qualitative pilot study. Using the theory of planned behavior as a framework, urban and suburban residents were asked questions that measured car-sharing intention strength, mode choice habit, and life change effects. The study found that even among those with positive attitudes toward car-sharing, existing habits, lack of adequate commuting alternatives and the needs of non-driving …

Hedonic Housing Prices In Ciudad Juarez, Karen P. Fierro

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Studies of the valuation of housing attributes abound. Empirical studies of this nature for Latin America and Mexico are less common. This study utilizes data for 175 new houses in Ciudad Juarez to estimate a hedonic pricing model. All units in the sample were completed and sold between November 2006 and April 2007. For each house, a total of fourteen characteristics, both structural and locational, are employed as explanatory variables. Empirical results indicate that the structural characteristics play a bigger role than the neighborhood amenities. Surprisingly, neighborhood parks are found to lower housing values

Comparative Practices & Perspectives: Gender, Development And Empowerment In Uttarakhand, India And Northern Virginia, Sara Duke

Theses and Dissertations

The following thesis is a qualitative comparative case study which investigated the values, practices, perspectives, and strategies of Indian and American community organizers (practitioners and volunteers of non-profits and non-governmental organizations) who use microfinance, including savings schemes, as an instrument within the social intermediation process of developing disadvantaged women's capacities for self-sufficiency/empowerment. The focused inquiry was conducted through similarly structured in-depth interviews of directors, staff members and volunteers/community-based organizers of a women's business center in Northern Virginia, a large U.S. metropolitan area, and a women's federation in the rural Himalayas of Uttarakhand, India. Interview questions focused on savings, social intermediation, …

A Tale Of Two Cities: A Case Study On Marketing Revitalization, Dorinda Francis

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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