Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing The Co-Benefits Of Housing And Transportation Investments In Prohousing Designated Jurisdictions, Hongwei Dong

Mineta Transportation Institute

In response to California's ongoing housing affordability crisis, state and local governments have adopted a range of prohousing policies aimed at reducing barriers to housing production and promoting the integration of housing with transportation. This study examines two distinct but related dimensions of prohousing policies in California. One concerns the Prohousing Designation Program (PDP) (established by the 2019–2020 Budget Act), analyzing the adoption and implementation of prohousing policies in 56 California cities that received Prohousing Designation. The other examines recent state and local policy shifts aimed at promoting affordable housing in transit-rich areas. The study uses a mixed-methods research design, …

Jing (敬) And Respect, Wenyang Gao

Comparative Philosophy

Jing (敬) is often translated as “respect”. Some scholars argue for a “perception of worth” reading, conceiving jing as a deontic normative attitude akin to “respect” in the Western tradition. Others propose a “directing attention” reading, holding that jing is a virtue. This article clarifies the meaning and normative structure of jing, arguing that it has three dimensions:  (1) a state of mind characterized by seriousness, (2) an intentional, respectful feeling, and (3) respectful conduct aligned with ritual propriety (Li禮). While the “directing attention” reading correctly identifies jing as a virtue, insisting that jing does …

Rewriting The Plan: Environmental Justice, Community Resistance, And Governance Power In Hollister, California, Rolan Resendiz

Dissertations

This dissertation examines how community-led resistance in Hollister, California, challenged environmental injustice and infrastructure governance through grassroots civic action. Focusing on the Hollister Guardians, a coalition of primarily Latinx residents who organized in response to concerns about the city’s sewer system, this qualitative case study introduces the Critical Just Sustainability Policy Praxis (CJSPP) framework, developed by integrating Critical Policy Analysis and the Just Sustainability Paradigm with a praxis-oriented focus on community action. Using critical document analysis of city council meeting minutes, local media coverage, and community-authored texts mainly from 2023 to 2025, the study explores how policy discourse, institutional decision-making, …

Mitigating Negative Consequences Of New Urban Growth In Disadvantaged Communities, Shishir Mathur, Christopher E. Ferrell, Cindy Adrian

Mineta Transportation Institute

New housing and development in California are often planned in communities that already face economic hardship, environmental burdens, and limited access to reliable transportation. Recent research finds specifically that in the San Francisco (S.F.) Bay Area and Southern California (SoCal) metropolitan regions, there is a high propensity to plan new urban development in socially, economically, and environmentally disadvantaged communities (DACs) with poor transit accessibility and limited personal mobility. This project first reviews the literature to identify potential unintended negative impacts of high concentrations of new urban growth in DACs across social, economic, educational, environmental, and transportation dimensions. It then identifies …

Redefining The Norms: An Interdisciplinary Perspective On Language Testing In Multilinguals With Acquired And Progressive Neurogenic Disorders, Alessa Hausmann, Adolfo M. García, Ana Sofia Costa, Arpita Bose, Boon Lead Tee, Claudia Rivera-Fernandez, Eduardo Europa, Gitit Kavé, Jee Eun Sung, Maira Okada De Oliveira, Mandy Wigdorowitz, Maria Garraffa, Maria Teresa Carthery-Goulart, Michael J. Kleiman, Naama Friedmann, Samir Diouny, Sanne Franzen, Sofia Toniolo, Stephanie Grasso, Thomas H. Bak

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Accurate language assessment is essential in clinical and research contexts. However, most assessment tools and questionnaires have been developed within monolingual frameworks, overlooking the particularities of the vast multilingual population and, thus, often leading to misdiagnosis and inequitable care. Here, we examine the limitations of monolingual-centric approaches to language testing in multilinguals with acquired and progressive neurogenic disorders and explore the implications of multilingualism across linguistic, cognitive, neural, clinical, and sociocultural domains. We also address the need for technological innovation and theoretical refinement to better accommodate linguistic diversity in healthcare. Ultimately, we advocate for a nuanced, equitable, and culturally sensitive …

Academic Libraries As A Platform For Indigenous And Agricultural Knowledge Sharing In Rural Communities: A Conceptual And Review-Based Approach, Jenifer Yesmin Laskar, Pradip Kumar Singha

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Agriculture and traditional knowledge are the roots of rural economy, particularly in biologically sensitive areas with diverse cultures. Preserving traditional knowledge in terms of local farming practices is an activity that is generally associated with cultural practices in these areas. The potentiality of academic libraries in terms of bridging roles for dissemination, curation, and sharing of Indigenous knowledge as well as Agriculture knowledge in the respective areas remains largely overlooked. It is an attempt to explore, indicate, and address through the theoretical approaches based upon an understanding of library science concepts, Indigenous studies, community development, sustainability studies, the roles of …

Measuring Multimodal Equity In Resource-Challenged Mpos, Christopher Ferrell, David Reinke, John M. Eells

Mineta Transportation Institute

Ensuring transportation investments are equitable across different populations and travel modes is a priority for many agencies, yet existing tools often make these assessments difficult, especially for smaller and resource-constrained organizations. To address this gap, this report provides the findings of Phase II of our study on reviewing and developing transportation equity metrics. The Phase I project investigated transit equity metrics and provided recommendations on advancements in quantitative methods. Building on Phase I recommendations, this study investigates low-cost methods for comparing the equity between auto (roadway) and transit performance or investments for low resource transportation agencies. A literature review revealed …

Alternative Project Delivery Methods In California: The Path Forward, Ghada M. Gad, Maria Calahorra Jimenez, Chaimae Nacir, Ronald Shrestha

Mineta Transportation Institute

Alternative Project Delivery Methods (APDMs) are increasingly being recognized as effective alternatives to the traditional Design-Bid-Build (DBB) approach for transportation projects. As APDMs gain traction among California’s transportation agencies, understanding the legislative frameworks that enable their use and the characteristics of each method is critical. This study benchmarks the existing use of APDMs in California transportation agencies of varying types and sizes, while considering the characteristics (advantages and barriers/challenges to implementation) of each APDM and the authorizations enabling its implementation. Based on these findings, it also provides recommendations for key factors to consider in APDM selection and implementation. The study …

Scoring Equitable Transit: A Data-Driven Framework For Affordable Transit-Oriented Development In California, Ahoura Zandiatashbar, Anton Rozhkov, Stephanie Nemet, Atticus Washington, Mounashree Prasanna

Mineta Transportation Institute

Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is a cornerstone of California’s climate and land use policy, promising walkable, compact neighborhoods near high-quality transit. However, these benefits are not always distributed equitably. This study introduces a scalable framework for identifying and scoring Affordable Transit-Oriented Development (A-TOD) across the state’s High-Quality Transit Areas (HQTAs). The goal is to equip policymakers, planners, and housing agencies with tools to evaluate station areas based on their physical form, affordability, and equity outcomes. Using a 1.5-mile network-based pedestrian buffer around over 66,000 transit stations, the research team developed a three-stage clustering and scoring system. Station areas were classified by …

Spartan Daily, October 29, 2025, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2025

Volume 165, Issue 29

The Access Assembly: Sharing Ideas And Enabling Informed Adaptations, Brianne Gutmann, Chandra Turpen, Robert P. Dalka, Mackenzie Carlson, Joel Corbo, Gabrielle Jones-Hall, Megan Marshall Smith, Devyn Shafer

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Founded in 2014, the Access Network brings together nine student-centered, university-based programs that are pursuing systemic change towards a vision of a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible STEM community. Network and program leaders are primarily students (undergraduate and graduate) and early-career faculty, many of whom started out as student leaders in Access programs. Over the last nine years, Access has brought people together (virtually or in-person) for an annual event called the “Assembly.” The environment and structures at the Assembly enable the sharing of ideas, excite people to translate those ideas to their local programs, and create space for …

(De)Centralized Water Futures: Key Dimensions Of Infrastructure, Governance, And Operations, Alicia Dailey Cooperman, Jenny Linder Rempel, Ellis Adjei Adams, Alida Cantor, Manuela Muñoz Fuerte, Jeremiah Osborne-Gowey, Nicole J. Wilson, Cassandra L. Workman, Melissa Beresford, Leila M. Harris, Linda E. Méndez-Barrientos, Sameer H. Shah, Amber Wutich, Justin Stoler

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Water system centralization and decentralization have variously been promoted as key to achieving household water security and Sustainable Development Goal 6.1. We argue that the lack of specificity with which scholars and practitioners use the terms centralization and decentralization limits our understanding of different water system configurations and their impacts. In this Primer, we provide a framework for thinking about levels of (de)centralization across three linked system dimensions: infrastructure, governance, and operations and maintenance. We encourage those analyzing water systems to characterize (de)centralization with respect to these multiple dimensions, as well as the system's broader political-economic and hydro-climatic contexts. Emphasizing …

Same Face, Different Name - Colonialism, Colonization, And Capitalism: How To Combat The Insidious Capitalist Individualism That Denies Basic Human Rights To Us Citizens Via Community Centric Bartering, Nadia Loney

McNair Research Journal SJSU

This paper examines the effects of colonialism, colonization, and capitalism

on the social fabric of the United States and how severing key connections

within society has hindered the direct benefits of community. As has been

tested in various cities around the world, intentional bartering can create a

sustainable community and combat the devastating effects that these

systems have had on the environment and the escalation of violence both

internally and globally. Art aimed at community rebuilding and a

decentralization of the US dollar, can help facilitate innovation that heal

various social wounds.

Full Issue

McNair Research Journal SJSU

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Transit In The San Francisco Bay Area, Richard W. Lee, David B. Reinke, Christopher E. Ferrell, Charles Rivasplata, John M. Eells, Luana Chen

Mineta Transportation Institute

This report presents the findings from our study for the California State Assembly Transportation Committee on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Bay Area Transit. The study consisted of a review of the literature on the effects of the pandemic on transit in the US, a detailed look at changes in ridership and economics for Bay Area transit agencies, comparisons of Bay Area transit ridership changes to those in similar US metropolitan areas, and analysis of possible remedies to restore the financial health of Bay Area transit agencies. Bay Area transit ridership has recovered somewhat from the depths of …

What Tackles Vehicle Ghg Emissions In California: Regional Plan Adoption Or Local Leadership?, Ahoura Zandiatashbar, Serena Alexander, Branka Tatarevic

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The California Senate Bill No. 375 (SB 375) serves as a model policy for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by integrating transportation and land-use planning through regional and local policies. The 18 California Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are tasked with developing Sustainable Communities Strategies (SCS) to guide emissions reductions, often implemented locally through Climate Action Plans (CAPs). However, CAPs are voluntary, and misalignment with SCS objectives can undermine their effectiveness. This study examined 25 California cities using content analysis and regression modeling to explore whether independent local actions, supported by community engagement, activist strategies, and leadership, are more effective than …

Bridging Gaps With Occupational Therapy: The Unique Role Of Occupational Therapy In Women’S Day Shelters, Alex Sato

Doctoral Projects

Homelessness is a multifaceted, complex issue that we face as a society. Mainstream services provided to homeless or vulnerable populations tend to focus on housing and basic services. While these are essential and meaningful, literature suggests there is a lack in trauma and self-care support (Marzana et al., 2023; Milaney et al., 2020). Looking through an Occupational Therapy (OT) lens, there are a multitude of ways the profession can provide holistic care. Current OT service provision within this population most commonly focuses on obtaining and maintaining housing and addressing the survival occupations these individuals may be engaging in (Cunningham & …

Case Study: Impact Analysis Of Roof-Top Green Infrastructure On Urban System Sustainability In San José, Ca, Indumathi Jeyachandran, Juneseok Lee

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

This paper presents results from a case study focusing on analyzing impacts of Green Infrastructure (GI) on sensible and latent heat fluxes, urban microclimate and the subsequent water–energy nexus components of an urban infrastructure system. The case study, focusing on the campus of a public university in San José, CA, aimed to quantify the pre- and post-conditions for a hypothetical GI implementation, which is in support of San José State University’s (SJSU) robust sustainability initiatives, which are also aligned with Silicon Valley’s broader strategic goals. The results revealed that a reduction of 0.3 °C in the average daily peak maximum …

Are California’S Local Jurisdictions Disproportionately Directing Growth Toward Existing Disadvantaged Communities? Evidence From The Southern California And San Francisco Bay Area Regions, Shishir Mathur, Christopher Ferrell

Mineta Transportation Institute

Communities across the United States are striving to promote smart urban growth through compact urban infill residential development. They are doing so to mitigate sprawl's negative fiscal, environmental, social, and physical impacts, strengthen land use-housing-transportation linkages, and develop at densities needed for well-functioning public transit. Some states, such as California, have gone a step further by linking compact urban infill development as critical to meeting greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. Anecdotal evidence suggests some California local jurisdictions are planning disproportionately large amounts of new urban development in disadvantaged communities (DACs). However, empirical evidence is lacking. This study aims to fill …

Battery Electric Vehicles: Travel Characteristics Of Early Adopters, Yunwen Feng, Jean-Daniel Saphores, Hilary Nixon, Monica Ramirez Ibarra

Mineta Transportation Institute

Do U.S. households with battery electric vehicles (BEVs) drive less or more than U.S. households with internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs)? Answering this question is important to policymakers and transportation planners concerned with reducing vehicle miles traveled and the emissions of greenhouse gases from transportation. So far, this question has not been answered satisfactorily, possibly because of the relatively low number of EVs in the U.S. until recently, but also because of methodological issues. In this paper, we aim to fill this gap by analyzing data from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). We apply propensity score matching (PSM), …

Governing Structures For Successful Regional Transit Coordination And Their Formation, Charles Rivasplata, Richard Lee, Michelle Derobertis, Christopher Ferrell

Mineta Transportation Institute

The expansion of metropolitan areas in California has further prompted the need to improve transportation options for all, more effectively linking origins and destinations through key enhancements to the existing network of transit services. This study provides planners and policymakers examples of effective regional transit coordination agencies. To improve multimodal connections and enhance transit services at the local and regional levels, this study explores regional coordination, focusing on entities charged with coordinating multiple transit agencies in a single metropolitan area. The study identified 16 regional transit coordinators (RTCs), identifying the structure, scope, and management of each. The results revealed that …

Comparing Shade And Impervious Surface Area With Extreme Heat And Environmental Equity: An Analysis Of The Urban Heat Island Effect In Santa Clara County, California, Jamsheed R. Mistry

Master's Theses

In the modern epoch of the Anthropocene, the rapid rise in urban sprawling has prompted a disproportionate exposure to extreme heat within underserved communities. As the global populace becomes increasingly urbanized, the inevitable formation of urban heat islands is becoming an imminent cause of concern for environmental and social justice. Due to an increase in urbanization, anthropogenic activities have not only increased the energy demand for cooling initiatives but also have increased the intensity of heat-related illnesses, such as heart attacks, dehydration, and respiratory diseases. Additionally, urbanization has yielded an unequal distribution of heat exposure and heat-related illnesses, particularly in …

Battery Electric Vehicles: Travel Characteristics Of Early Adopters, Yunwen Feng, Jean Daniel Saphores, Hilary Nixon, Monica Ramirez Ibarra

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Do U.S. households with battery electric vehicles (BEVs) drive less or more than U.S. households with internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs)? Answering this question is important to policymakers and transportation planners concerned with reducing vehicle miles traveled and the emissions of greenhouse gases from transportation. So far, this question has not been answered satisfactorily, possibly because of the relatively low number of EVs in the U.S. until recently, but also because of methodological issues. In this paper, we aim to fill this gap by analyzing data from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). We apply propensity score matching (PSM), …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Non-Traditional Climate Change Communication Tools In The City Of Santa Cruz, Saara Ranabhat

Master's Theses

Coastal cities face significant challenges from climate-induced coastal hazards. The City of Santa Cruz is a medium-sized municipality in Monterey Bay on California's Central Coast with over $1 billion worth of property and infrastructure at risk to climate-induced coastal hazards by 2100. However, city officials have noticed a lack of representation of climate-vulnerable communities in the development of various climate adaptation plans and policies. In order to remedy this problem, the City is experimenting with various climate change communication tools, such as virtual reality (VR), card games, murals, and comic books, in collaboration with different agencies. But limited understanding exists …

Synthesizing Physiology With Aquaculture For Olympia Oyster Restoration In Elkhorn Slough, Ca, Jacob Harris

Master's Theses

Conservation aquaculture is an emerging restoration strategy for depleted and low-density foundation species. It was recently applied for Olympia oysters in California. The only native oyster species is at risk of local extinction in much of its range. Conservation aquaculture can support oyster abundance, but long-term restoration success will be constrained by habitat conditions that suppress early growth and reproductive fitness. Following years of reproduction failure in Elkhorn Slough, CA, we examined these two critical life stages: juvenile and brooding. Our aim was to improve restoration by evaluating aquaculture methods and studying their physiology. We tested site parameters, oyster size, …

A Guide To Navigating Existing And Emerging Sources Of Local Vmt And Travel Data, So-Ra Baek, Dohyung Kim

Mineta Transportation Institute

As the crisis of climate change looms, transportation policy in California continues to emphasize sustainability in land-use and transportation decisions. This report evaluates the implementation of two sustainability-focused policies (Senate Bill 375 and 743) by local governments and the current-state-of-the-practices by metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in assisting them in California. The research focuses on local governments’ access and use of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and transportation data for achieving VMT and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction by land-use planning. The research also examines the role of MPOs in providing needed transportation data, training, and technical support to its local members to …

Examining The Externalities Of Highway Capacity Expansions In California: An Analysis Of Land Use And Land Cover (Lulc) Using Remote Sensing Technology, Serena E. Alexander, Bo Yang, Owen Hussey, Derek Hicks

Mineta Transportation Institute

There are over 590,000 bridges dispersed across the roadway network that stretches across the United States alone. Each bridge with a length of 20 feet or greater must be inspected at least once every 24 months, according to the Federal Highway Act (FHWA) of 1968. This research developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based framework for bridge and road inspection using drones with multiple sensors collecting capabilities. It is not sufficient to conduct inspections of bridges and roads using cameras alone, so the research team utilized an infrared (IR) camera along with a high-resolution optical camera. In many instances, the IR camera …

Metropolitan Transportation Commission Discretionary Transit Funding Methods Evaluation, Christopher E. Ferrell, John M. Eells, David Reinke, Richard Lee

Mineta Transportation Institute

In 2021, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) approached the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) with a proposal to have MTI provide an evaluation of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC’s) operational discretionary funding allocation policies and methods for Bay Area transit operators. The research was done in two parts. Part 1 investigated MTC’s past and current allocation methods for discretionary operational transit funding programs; Part 2 involved the evaluation of outcomes if MTC employed alternative allocation methods. After the Part 1 review of MTC’s various transit funding programs, the federal pandemic relief funds and the Transportation Development Act/State Transit Assistance …

Defining And Measuring Equity In Public Transportation, Christopher E. Ferrell, David Reinke, John M. Eels, Matthew M. Schroeder

Mineta Transportation Institute

Transit should serve all users, regardless of age, race, ability, or any other identity. Policies and planning must be conscious of inequities when defining and measuring equity in public transportation. This study was done to aid the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the state’s transit agencies in assessing transit service equity and assisting with evaluating past, existing, and future inequities. This report identifies and evaluates policies and practices associated with equity measurement in public transit from extant academic and professional literature sources. These include the Federal laws and regulations addressing Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and …

Evaluating Automated Truck Platoon (Atp) Deployment For The Los Angeles–Inland Empire Trade Corridor Enhancement, Shailesh Chandra, Aastha Chaudhary, Prakhar Srivastava, Jose Torres-Aguilera

Mineta Transportation Institute

The California Freight Mobility Plan 2020 lists the Los Angeles-Inland Empire trade corridor region as a prominent industrial hub experiencing an increase in freight flows. The California Freight Mobility Plan also regards automated truck platoon (ATP) as an emerging opportunity to minimize congestion on the trade corridor routes. Percentage change in accessibility from 2022 (“without” ATP) to 2040 (“with” ATP) is calculated for the eighteen industry sectors of the Los Angeles-Inland Empire trade corridor. The application of the accessibility formulation was carried out with data on travel time from I-710 and I-10 within Los Angeles County. The findings suggest that …