Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Mapping Access To Fresh Produce, Fish And Shellfish At A Local Level Using A Mixed - Method Community Food Assessment Approach: A Case Study - St. Helena Island, South Carolina, Pedro-Miguel Soto

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

This report is a summary of a community food assessment (CFA) conducted over the course of five field survey trips to St. Helena Island, South Carolina, from December 2011 to July 2013. The goal of this CFA was to understand community characteristics related to the distribution and consumption of fresh produce, fish and shellfish. The method used for this CFA is composed of three parts, (1) spatial analysis using Geographic Information System (GIS) data (2) a community food assessment survey focused on where residents obtain their food and (3) ethnographic interviews with local growers, subsistence farmers and consumers. Applying this …

Reemergence Of The 21st Century Massachusetts Gateway City: The Role Of Commuter Rail Connectivity In Improving Employment Opportunity And Access, John A. Rosa

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

The South Coast Rail is a proposed transit infrastructure upgrade project that is intended to provide affordable Commuter Rail connectivity from Boston, Massachusetts to the South Coast Region communities of Fall River, New Bedford, and Taunton. State and regional policy makers have debated the practicality of this project over the last 25 years while the estimated project cost reached $2.2 billion in 2013. The most fundamental benefit of this proposed project is improved economic stability in the South Coast Region in the form of increased access to employment opportunities, local industrial development, and expanded municipal tax revenue.

Increasingly, public transit …

Preserving Project-Based Section 8 Within Tight Rental Markets In New England, Megan K. Reagon

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

In New England alone, 57, 508 privately owned, affordable housing units, otherwise known as project-based Section 8, are at risk of converting to market rate housing by 2017. Even though community-based organizations and active residents, in conjunction with local governments, are utilizing federal and state preservation tools, these units are still at risk due to market pressures and administrative burdens.

With proper policy intervention, expired Section 8 contracts, and future expiring contracts, may sustain a reasonable level of affordability. This study assesses the on-going affordability of recently expired Section 8 units within New England. With a broader definition of affordability, …

Creative Placemaking: A Case Study Exploration Of How Creative Economy Strategies Can Provide Potential Opportunities For Revitalization In Downtown Chicopee, Ma, Laura Selmani

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

Chicopee, a former industrial center in western Massachusetts, is experiencing a stagnant economy, high vacancy and a steady loss of population. City of Chicopee wants to increase downtown visibility and bolster its economy by attracting in the area people constituent of creative class. This research represents an attempt to identify creative strategies to develop the neglected downtown of Chicopee. After more than a century of economic blight, vacancy and declining population, the city wants to research and exploit the potential of arts and culture as means to a physical, social and economic revivification of its downtown.

A key aim of …

An Implementation Study Of A Business Improvement District For Davis Square In Somerville, Massachusetts, Alexander Casey Mello

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

The purpose of this Master's project is to research how a business improvement district (BID) could be implemented in the Davis Square commercial district of Somerville, Massachusetts. An assessment of Davis Square has been conducted through a collaborative effort between planning staff in Somerville's Mayor's Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD) and neighborhood stakeholders to identify key issues in the area. This project uses case study examples to understand the types of improvements and services that BIDs in neighborhoods similar to Davis Square provide. Furthermore, case study examples provide information regarding assessment methods and services provided by pertinent …

A Gis Multi-Criteria Evaluation For Identifying Priority Industrial Land In Five Connecticut Cities, Mark Berube

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

Rising land values, environmental regulations, lack of investment, and a declining industrial economy greatly threaten the existence of industrial land. Therefore, the purpose of this project is to establish where priority industrial districts are located within five Connecticut cities through the implementation of a GIS weighted multi-criteria evaluation. This tool applies various constraints and factors critical to industrial location and business investment. In addition to identifying suitable industrial districts, a tax base analysis assesses the overall value of industrial land within each community and an employment outlook measures future job growth for Connecticut Workforce Investment Areas. The overall goal of …

Preserving The New England Mill Town: Encouraging Adaptive Re-Use By Identifying Community Factors That Contribute To Success In Mill Revitalization Districts, Sarah A. Spencer

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

Mill Revitalization Districts have the ability to generate new vitality in some of the nation's oldest communities. When efficacious, these districts promote economic development, community beautification, and environmental health. However, when attempts at redevelopment fail they leave ugly scars in the form of decaying buildings and underutilized resources. Monetary investment and intent to improve a community are two factors that by themselves, will not preserve a mill complex or benefit a city. The first Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized districts in the early 2000s showed signs of varying success; there was a missing catalyst besides monetary investment. In fact, it …