Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Issues On Voter Participation Among African Americans And Bureaucratic Behavior, Andrew Ewoh, Maruice Mangum

Maruice Mangum

No abstract provided.

Marc Jr. For Techboston Academy: Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Guidance Curriculum For 11th Grade Students In An Urban Setting, Carly Holbrook, Jill Amicangelo, Laura Hayden

Laura A Hayden

The field of school counseling is becoming increasingly evidence-based and results-driven. As a way to help Massachusetts’ schools develop school counseling programs, the Massachusetts School Counselors Association created the Massachusetts Accountability Report Card (MARC). We are school counseling interns at TechBoston Academy, a Boston Public School. Over the course of the 2010-2011 school year, we measured the effectiveness of our interventions and compiled them into a “MARC Jr.” The information we will present is a review of our MARC Jr., which focused on our school counseling curriculum for 11th grade students.

Inclusively Walkable: Exploring The Equity Of Walkable Housing In The San Francisco Bay Area, William W. Riggs

William W. Riggs

This study evaluates the inclusiveness of walkable housing in the San Francisco Bay Area. Using a series of regression models that control for an array of factors, this study finds that blacks are more likely to live in less walkable areas, a factor which could result in increased societal costs. These models suggest that this factor may mask other highly collinear factors including income, education, and social networks. This phenomenon is explored with qualitative interviews that reinforce this finding and illustrate the many push and pull factors that influence housing choice. These findings are then used to develop potential hypotheses …

Women's Reaearch And Action Group, Report Of Activites, Professor Vibhuti Patel

Professor Vibhuti Patel

WRAG commenced in 1993 in the context of very active public discourse about Muslim women’s rights under family law (in the wake of Supreme Court judgment in Shah Bano’s case where a 70-odd year old woman was granted maintenance from her husband who had divorced her). WRAG was also established soon after the destruction of Babri Masjid on 6 December 1992, subsequent to which there were attacks against the Muslim community in many parts of India including Mumbai. In this context, WRAG felt the need to understand Muslim women’s perspectives on family laws that govern them. It commenced, in 1994, …

Community Impacts Of Decision Modeling For Foreclosed Redevelopment, Michael P. Johnson Jr., Alvine Sangang, Buki Usidame

Michael P. Johnson

Community development corporations purchase distressed housing to rehabilitate for renter or owner-occupancy. These mission-driven organizations, skilled in the business of housing development, often lack analytic expertise to determine which acquisitions to pursue that would maximize social impact. This paper presents results, using actual purchase data from a Boston-area CDC, to assess the potential social benefits associated with using a decision model as compared to conventional practices.

Data And Analytics For Neighborhood Development: Smart Shrinkage Decision Modeling In Baltimore, Maryland, Michael P. Johnson Jr., Justin Hollander, Eliza D. Whiteman

Michael P. Johnson

Many older cities in the United States confront the problem of long-term declines in population and economic activity in certain neighborhoods have resulted in blighted conditions that make conventional revitalization initiatives based on increased residential and commercial development unlikely to succeed. Planning scholars have developed a theory of smart shrinkage in which emphasis is placed on non-residential land uses that can maintain and improve quality of life while positioning some land for future growth-oriented activities (Hollander and Németh 2011). Smart shrinkage research and practice involves application of methods from information technology and decision science to identify vacant and abandoned parcels …

Considerações Acerca Do Aglomerado Metropolitano De Curitiba Na Perspectiva Da Cidade-Região Global, Alceli Ribeiro Alves

Alves Ribeiro Alves

The aim of this paper is to critically analyse the hypothesis that the Agglomerated Metropolitan area of Curitiba (AMC) represents a spatial scale of analysis characteristic of world or global cities and, therefore, have great economic and political significance on the world stage. Amongst some of these world cities have figured in previous discussions the cities of London, New York and Tokyo, but also Los Angeles and São Paulo. Making use of a theoretical-conceptual repertoire called Global City- Regions, formulated by SCOTT et al. (2001), and a variety of quantitative data retrieved from different databases, the work presented here obtained …

Voices Of Blackford County: Employing Counter-Normative Pedagogy In Service Learning, Sherrie M. Steiner

Sherrie M Steiner

No abstract provided.

Strategy Design For Community Response To Distress And Decline Using Data Analytics, Michael P. Johnson Jr.

Michael P. Johnson

The foreclosure crisis in the U.S. has resulted in immense economic and social losses for individuals and neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods face long-term declines in population and economic activity that have been compounded by the foreclosure crisis. How can government and non-profit organizations design responses to neighborhood distress that reflect distinctive community characteristics and are consistent with long-term policy and planning goals? In this talk, I discuss alternative decision modeling strategies that support neighborhood health. Where foreclosure responses are likely to ensure that neighborhoods remain vital places for residential housing, productive strategies may include property acquisition and redevelopment. Other neighborhoods, however, …

Local Demographic Change: The Limitations Of National, State And Local Data, Jaap Vos

Jacobus J. "Jaap" Vos

This presentation shows the limitations of readily available data in informing planning decisions.

On Foot And By Bike: Who Uses The Greenbelt?, Jaap Vos

Jacobus J. "Jaap" Vos

This presentation provides a quick preview of the initial results of the City of Boise's 2014 annual Greenbelt user survey. In addition is provides insight in the logistics that are involved in pulling of the survey without glitches.

Tacoma's Japanese Language School: An Alternative Path To Citizenship And Belonging In Pre-Wwii Urban America, Lisa Hoffman

Lisa Hoffman

No abstract provided.

"Wage Deserts:" An Exploration Of Geographically Concentrated Poverty In Philadelphia, Pa Using Census Lehd Data, Laura Wolf-Powers, Shiva Kooragayala, Katie Nelson, Joshua Warner

Laura Wolf-Powers

This presentation develops the idea of a "wage desert," a census tract in which more than 80% of wage earners are earning less than a self-sufficiency wage. It was an invited presentation at the Census Bureau's annual LED Partnership Workshop in September, 2014.

Urban Wildlife, John Hadidian, Sydney Smith

John Hadidian, PhD

Despite the potential for difficulty, there are several reasons why urban wildlife should be valued and better understood. First is its scientific and heuristic value. Urban wildlife populations are essentially parts of ongoing natural experiments in adaptation to anthropogenic stress. How urban animals are affected by human activities— and how they cope with them— can represent, on a highly accelerated scale, a model of what is happening to species in other biomes. No other wild animals live in such intimate contact and under such constant constraint from human activities as do synanthropes. Second, urban animals are exposed to many environmental …

A Framework For Creating Active And Healthy Communities: A Case Study Of The Gold Coast, Bhishna Bajracharya, Linda Too, Isara Khanjanasthiti

Linda Too

Poor modern lifestyle choices have led to a burgeoning health concern for various government agencies prompting urgent review and action. Whilst the health sector has the primary role in addressing health issues, town planning can also contribute to better health by providing supportive environments for an active and healthy lifestyle. Local councils and other decision makers have a fundamental role in promoting healthy lifestyles among local community members through city planning and implementing physical activity and health programs. This research paper has two primary objectives. First, it develops an integrated 3-P (Place, Program and Partnership) framework for promoting active and …

A Framework For Creating Active And Healthy Communities: A Case Study Of The Gold Coast, Bhishna Bajracharya, Linda Too, Isara Khanjanasthiti

Bhishna Bajracharya

Poor modern lifestyle choices have led to a burgeoning health concern for various government agencies prompting urgent review and action. Whilst the health sector has the primary role in addressing health issues, town planning can also contribute to better health by providing supportive environments for an active and healthy lifestyle. Local councils and other decision makers have a fundamental role in promoting healthy lifestyles among local community members through city planning and implementing physical activity and health programs. This research paper has two primary objectives. First, it develops an integrated 3-P (Place, Program and Partnership) framework for promoting active and …

Australian Bid Cost Benchmarking Of Public Private Partnerships, Michael Regan, Jim Smith, Peter Love

Michael Regan

Bid costs are essentially a concern of private companies and evidence is difficult to source from companies keen to safeguard their cost structures in a competitive bid market. Little evidence is available from the product disclosure statements of public companies or published statutory or Securities Exchange returns. Few companies disclose detailed information although there is wide use of generic “rules of thumb” for different project categories and most companies engaged in the PPP market are unwilling to provide information other than in anecdotal form. This paper reviews empirical and pilot survey evidence to ascertain bid cost benchmarks for public private …

Financing Mechanisms For Public Private Partnerships: Australian Experience, Michael Regan, Jim Smith, Peter Love

Michael Regan

Recent events in international capital markets has had major impact on the ongoing rollout of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and slowed their use. Capital has been hard to source especially for projects over $300 million, the patronage risk model for economic infrastructure is no longer available, debt is more expensive than it was 18 months ago and credit risk insurance is no longer readily available. This has affected bid markets and slowed the delivery of new infrastructures with longer-term implications for economic performance across the whole economy.

Comparing Project Costs Internationally: Methodology And Data Issues, Rick Best

Rick Best

It is not uncommon to see or hear statements that suggest that the cost of a project in one country is some multiple of the cost in another. Whether the claim is that it is more or less costly is irrelevant – the fact is that such statements are often meaningless yet governments and clients are all too ready to accept such claims and act on them in their decision-making. In some cases relative cost, however poorly calculated, is used as the basis for conclusions regarding relative productivity in industries such as construction. Arriving at truly comparable costs between countries …

A Tale Of Two Cities: Residential Segregation In St. Louis And Cincinnati, Sungsoon Hwang

Sungsoon Hwang

This chapter explores spatial patterns and processes of residential segregation in St. Louis and Cincinnati using spatial analytical methods. Mapping Blacks by the location quotient and local Moran’s I shows that Blacks are more spatially clustered in St. Louis, and are more concentrated in Cincinnati. Spatial housing submarkets, local market segments with the distinct preference structure, are delineated using multivariate techniques; results demonstrate that St. Louis has more divided and polarized housing markets than Cincinnati. Spatially varying impacts of factors underlying housing market segmentation were examined using geographically weighted regression. It was shown that a premium for life cycle (or …

Uno Team Plots Lots As Land Use Debate Unfurls In Treme, Michelle Thompson

Michelle M. Thompson

Advocates for rejuvenating the Treme now have a blueprint to work from.

A team with the University of New Orleans mapped out almost every parcel in the historic neighborhood to show which blocks are flourishing and which could use some extra TLC. The report, released Monday, lays out the groundwork for the Historic Faubourg Treme Association to point to as it pushes back against city-sanctioned demolitions of decaying houses or should it advocate for the removal of Interstate 10 above Claiborne Avenue.

"We can use this data to help make our community a better place for residents and property owners, …

Uno’S Planning And Urban Studies Department Completes Mapping And Analysis Of Tremé, Michelle M. Thompson

Dr. Michelle M. Thompson, GISP, FRGS

Ninety-seven percent of the buildings in the historic Tremé neighborhood are rated either good or fair, according to a comprehensive mapping and analysis project completed by the University of New Orleans Department of Planning and Urban Studies. Out of 670 total buildings rated in the survey, 525 were deemed to be in good condition, while 124 were rated fair and 21 (3 percent) were rated poor. The property condition survey was conducted in the spring of 2013 for the Historic Faubourg Tremé Association by WhoData in coordination with Project Homecoming. In the spring of 2014, a geographic information system (GIS) …

Mediating Community: Residential Development, Community, Information And Communication Technologies (Icts), Marcus Breen, Jeffrey Brand, Donna Henson, Sven Brodmerkel, James Birt, Bhishna Bajracharya, Sri Ganesh Nair

James Birt

The project aims to define and describe community in new residential developments and mobilize existing, new and innovative ideas about community using ICTs.

The Future Of The Valley: Do We Actually Know What To Expect?, Jaap Vos

Jacobus J. "Jaap" Vos

Presentation about the population changes in the Treasure Valley.

Using Big Data: Free, Readily Available But Not Without Problems, Jaap Vos

Jacobus J. "Jaap" Vos

Presentation about the problems with the aggregation of data.

Historic Faubourg Tremé Association Mapping & Analysis, Michelle M. Thompson, Laura Banos, Jasmine Bazley, Xiaoxu Chen, Derreck Deason, Alexander Dolmseth, Race Hodges, Grace E. Major, Nicholas Perez-Alvarez, Morgan Shepard, Nicholas Puczkowskyj, Teira Woodridge

Dr. Michelle M. Thompson, GISP, FRGS

The "Historic Faubourg Tremé Association Mapping & Analysis" is a continuation of public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS) work started with WhoData.org in spring 2014. The mapping of on-the-ground property conditions with City designated blight provides the HFTA Land Use Committee with additional resources to develop and deploy plans to revitalize the whole of Tremé. The maps and analysis were completed by the University of New Orleans Department of Planning & Urban Studies students in MURP 4081/5081 Information Technology for the Planning Profession.

Converting Garages Into A Dissertation: A Conversation With Jacob Wegmann, Jonathan P. Bell

Jonathan P. Bell

UrbDeZine, June 17, 2014. In part 1 of the article, I highlight that burgeoning scholarship on "informality" in the U.S. housing market fails to address the implementation side of planning: the regulation and enforcement of unpermitted dwelling units. Part 2 includes a Q&A with PhD candidate Jacob Wegmann on his groundbreaking dissertation examining the impacts of extralegal dwelling units on the political economy and housing market in Southeast Los Angeles County. The enforcement perspective is core to Wegmann's study. URL: http://losangeles.urbdezine.com/2014/06/17/converting-garages-into-a-dissertation-a-conversation-with-jacob-wegmann/

Achieving Successful Long-Term Recovery And Safety From A Catastrophe: Recommendations For Mitigation, Shirley Laska, Earthea Nance, K.C. King, Joel Devalcourt

Earthea Nance, PhD (Stanford University, 2004)

No abstract provided.

Achieving Successful Long-Term Recovery And Safety From A Catastrophe: Recommendations From Hurricane Katrina-Executive Summary, Monica Farris, Shirley Laska, Pamela Jenkins, Robert Montjoy, Earthea Nance, Joel Devalcourt, K.C. King, Michelle Gremillion, Thomas Birkland, Branda Nowell

Earthea Nance, PhD (Stanford University, 2004)

No abstract provided.

Transportation Safety And Access: A Case Study Of The St. Claude Bridge In New Orleans, Earthea Nance

Earthea Nance, PhD (Stanford University, 2004)

The community-university collaborative model, first developed in early-1990s public health research, expands opportunities for new research partnerships and joint problem-solving. This model is ideally suited to land-grant colleges and urban research universities whose mission involves community engagement. At the University of New Orleans, this model is employed in “practicum” graduate courses offered in the Department of Planning and Urban Studies. One such practicum partnered with the Lower 9th Ward community in spring 2012 to address serious safety problems with the St. Claude Bridge. The bridge, which linked the lower and upper halves of the community and served as an essential …