Digital Commons Network^™

Urban Mayors Press - Winter 2021, John S. Watson Institute For Urban Policy & Research At Kean University

Urban Mayors Policy Center

The Urban Mayors Press is a digital newsletter created to highlight the impactful work of New Jersey Urban Mayors Association (NJUMA) members and to provide resourceful information to municipalities throughout New Jersey from federal, state and local agencies.

Challenges Of Electrifying Medium And Heavy Duty Vehicles In California And How These Challenges Can Be Overcome, Tracy Tilley

Master's Projects and Capstones

California is electrifying medium and heavy vehicles (vehicles weighing over 8,500 pounds) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide environmental justice for disadvantaged communities. These vehicles are used for delivery, construction, refuse collection or long haul trucking. The three main challenges of electrification are infrastructure, policy and funding. To address these challenges, policy analysis was used to review California’s policies already in place for electrification of medium and heavy duty vehicles. Comparative analysis was used to look at policies in other countries and environmental programs for strategies to help electrification efforts.

California faces a lack of infrastructure of medium and …

Importance Of Safety In Public Parks For Crime Prevention, Camille Frace

City and Regional Planning

The goal of this portfolio is research based education regarding the importance of safety in parks for crime prevention. By exploring the growing importance between safety, public parks, and crime prevention, learning about all factors incorporated and supporting the subject are both keys in understanding the relationship as a whole. The urban and built environments, crime statistics and perceptions, safety audits, design, conditions, and various other factors contribute to the overall picture of safety.

The Global Child: A Roadmap For Becoming Culturally Responsive Educators, Ana I. Berdecia Med, Caitlin Kosec Mpp, Kamili O. Leath Ms, The John S. Watson Institute For Public Policy For Thomas Edison State College

Center for the Positive Development of Urban Children

The program strategies and the assessment tools encourage early childhood teachers to adopt 26 strategies across three competency areas: 1) classroom design; 2) teachers’ rhythm and temperament; and 3) instructional strategies during the 10-month program year. Mentors are assigned to each teaching team and through supportive site visits and assessment visits help the teams change their thinking and practices to be more culturally and linguistically responsive.

A Policy Analysis Of Lead Paint Disclosure Implementation In Residential Homes In Missoula Montana, Marissa Lein Lehner

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Using Weimer and Vining’s (2017) framework and interviews with key actors, this policy analysis evaluates the implementation of federal lead paint disclosure requirements in Missoula Montana. Lead based paint was commonly used in homes built prior to 1978. Disclosure requires landlords and any persons selling a home to disclose known lead-based paint hazards to buyers and renters. The policy was enacted to promote informed decisions to avoid or reduce the risk of lead paint exposure. Lead paint disclosure serves a critical purpose to inform citizens of risk of lead paint in older housing, because any lead exposure is particularly detrimental …

Environmental Injustice: How Treaties Undermine Human Rights Related To The Environment, Lisa E. Sachs, Lise Johnson, Ella Merrill

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment Staff Publications

Growing cries for action to effectively address the climate and other environmental crises hold important implications for the governance of cross-border investments. Policymakers and environmental advocates have often overlooked how provisions granted by states in international investment agreements (IIAs) have been used by investors to challenge government measures taken in the public interest to protect the environment and advance environmental justice.

This 2019 paper, published in the Sciences Po Legal Review issue devoted to the climate crisis, explains how the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism, made available to investors in thousands of bilateral and multilateral trade and investment agreements, may …

The Hard Look Doctrine: How Disparate Impact Theory Can Inform Agencies On Proper Implementation Of Nepa Regulations, Monica Mercola

Journal of Law and Policy

Executive Order 12898—Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations—was issued to achieve “environmental protection for all communities” by drawing federal agencies’ attention to the environmental and human health effects brought about by their actions. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) sets forth a detailed process which aims to ensure that each agency will have available, and will consider, a carefully detailed compilation of information concerning significant environmental impacts resulting from federal actions before taking those actions. Realizing the Executive Order’s goal, however, is rendered problematic, in part because of the difficulty in challenging an Environmental …

Sustainable Solutions, Fall/Winter 2020, Issue 41

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Environmentally Responsible Land Use, Spring/Summer 2010, Issue 22

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Communities, Fall/Winter 2010, Issue 21

Sustain Magazine

No abstract provided.

How Pennsylvanians Define Environmental Justice, Kayla Hofmann

Sociology Summer Fellows

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) defines an environmental justice area as any census tract that partially or wholly includes a 30 percent or greater minority population or 20 percent or more of a population living in poverty. However, little is known about how the average Pennsylvanian defines environmental justice, hindering our ability to determine whether the current definition is adequate. Using transcripts from nine listening sessions on the DEP’s tour of affected counties, I address 3 questions: (1) How do people define environmental justice? (2) What do people think are the most pressing issues in each county? And …

Facilitating Greenhouse Gas Reduction And Climate Change Adaptation Within The Coastal Zone: A Policy Analysis For The California Coastal Commission, Nicole Young

Master's Theses

California is already experiencing impacts to its coastline due to climate change, and more severe impacts are anticipated if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. These climate change impacts are especially strong within the California coastal zone, which falls under the jurisdiction of the California Coastal Commission. The Commission has a history of rigorous environmental protection and is committed to protecting California’s coast through proactive planning and regulation, however they will need to initiate coastal policies with ambitious targets to facilitate effective climate change adaptation and mitigation. This study analyzed existing California climate policies and Coastal Commission policies to identify …

“So That Humanity Can Continue”: Indigenous Interventions With Colonial Farming Practices, Kristen Brown

The World of Food: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on What We Eat and Grow

A Dodge Ram commercial from the 2014 Super Bowl drew criticism for its shameless pandering to middle America’s nostalgia for the family farm, a powerful memory-image embedded in the United States’ historical narrative. The domestically-inflected term “family farm,” however, elides the corporate control of agri-business and its highly raced, profit-driven global designs. The ideological underpinnings of the midwestern family farm might be traced to the late nineteenth century’s treatment of the American Indian. Erratic and subjective changes in federal policy regarding land and water use, illustrated by the Dawes Allotment Act (1887) and Winters Doctrine (1908), continue to influence questions …

Trial By Water: Reflections On Superstorm Sandy, Thomas Maligno, Benjamin Rajotte

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Trash Talk: The Effects Of Plastic Pollution On Seabirds In Narragansett Bay, Erin A. O'Neill

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

Plastic pollution in the ocean is a global concern with more than 8 million tons of plastic dumped into our oceans every year. This policy paper assesses plastic pollution in Narragansett Bay and the negative implications it holds on local seabird populations. Also, essential background information on plastic production and throwaway culture is provided. Moreover, the biological significance of seabirds is described, highlighting the vital role such populations play in local ecosystems such as Narragansett Bay. This paper contributes research to the global issue of plastic pollution by observing declining native wildlife life populations, such as seabirds, on a local …

A Localized Sourcing Model For The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), Claire H. Burrus

Environmental Studies

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federally funded public food program that combats food insecurity by providing credits to SNAP recipients for the purchase of food products. SNAP is effective in addressing hunger, a symptom of poverty, but is ineffective at addressing nutritional inequity, another symptom of poverty, and is also ineffective at addressing the roots of poverty itself. I propose a localized sourcing model for SNAP which addresses both the symptoms and roots of poverty by improving the capacity of the policy to address nutritional inequity and economic injustices. The localized sourcing model benefits the communities in …

California Energy Policy Alternatives For Commercial Buildings To Create Energy Resiliency, Reduce Carbon Emissions, And Lessen Dependency On Electrical Utilities For The Future California Economy, Russell Garcia

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Policy Delphi study was to identify and assess the energy efficiency policies for commercial buildings in California that experts believe are most important and likely to be implemented by the year 2025 to create energy resiliency, reduce carbon emissions, and lessen dependency on electrical utilities in the future California economy. Methodology: The methodology for this Policy Delphi study was descriptive, and used to forecast the future relative energy policy for energy efficiency in commercial buildings in California. Inside the theoretical framework of policy analysis, this Policy Delphi study was designed around the insights of a …

The Mass Mobility Of America: A Multimodal Guide, Christian Carroll

Honors Projects

America has a problem-and its root is mobility. With the world everchanging at the hands of technology and social media, other forms of once well-revered technology, such as the combustible engine and coal-powered locomotives, are now at a crossroads. The automobile still dominates the transportation landscape-this is seen through city layouts that have promoted sedentary lifestyles, an increase in infrastructure costs, and a rise in carbon dioxide emissions. All three of these issues are part of a bigger problem in modern society- a lack of affordable and reliable healthcare, a crumbling American transportation infrastructure, and a world facing issues of …

Cleaner, Greener, Healthier: A Prescription For Stronger Canadian Environmental Laws And Policies By David R. Boyd, Alex D. Ketchum

The Goose

Review of David R. Boyd's Cleaner, Greener, Healthier: A Prescription for Stronger Canadian Environmental Laws and Policies.

The Many Sins Of Nepa, Richard A. Epstein

Texas A&M Law Review

Forthcoming

World Changers: Inspiring Cultural And Linguistic Excellence In Children, Parents And Teachers, Ana I. Berdecia Med, Caitlin Kosec Mpp, The John S. Watson Institute For Public Policy For Thomas Edison State College

Center for the Positive Development of Urban Children

The New Jersey Cultural Competency and English Language Learners Summer Institute and Mentoring Program hosted its 10th Anniversary, Three-Day Learning Institute, Aug. 23-25, 2016, with the theme, World Changers: Inspiring Cultural and Linguistic Excellence for Children, Parents and Teachers. After the Three- Day Learning Institute, classroom teachers were assigned a mentor who provided monthly supports to the classroom teachers in the adoption English language learners and cultural competency strategies with the goal of creating culturally and linguistic responsive classrooms. Twenty-three teachers from Trenton Public Schools were recruited and received 21 hours of training in best practices for engaging diverse …

Infiltrating Green Into The Urban Machine: Creating Equity Through Zero-Acreage Farms In Nyc, Hania Hribal-Kornilowicz

Student Theses 2015-Present

Urban centers have long been areas characterized by teeming activity, innovation, and idealized opportunity. However, without fail every urban center contains the paradox between abundance and injustice as evidenced by high rates of food insecurity, lack of green space, and the compounding health disparities experienced by predominantly low-income and minority residents. These injustices will only worsen as the impacts of climate change accelerate. In response, this thesis uses New York City as a case study to explore the efficacy of ZFarming, which is farming in and on buildings, for creating more equitable and sustainable cities. This is accomplished by establishing …

The Role Of The State, Multinational Oil Companies, International Law & The International Community: Intersection Of Human Rights & Environmental Degradation Climate Change In The 21st Century Caused By Traditional Extractive Practices, The Amazon Rainforest, Indigenous People And Universal Jurisdiction To Resolve The Accountability Issue, Marcela Cabrera Luna

Master's Theses

Local, national and international conventions that protect indigenous sovereignty and their territories, where many of the resources are extracted from by multinational corporations (MNCs) particularly oil, the number one commodity of the world and cause of climate change, continue to be jeopardized because of the lack of a clear international legal framework that can protect them and potentially hold multinationals accountable for their actions. These practices are causing not only environmental issues to the indigenous and surrounding communities, but climate change is in fact, the real human rights issue of the 21^st century and it affects everyone. By using …

Toxic Landscapes, Environmental Justice, And The Community: An Assessment Of Citizen Participation In Superfund Site Remediation Across Vulnerable Populations, Simone Justine Domingue

LSU Master's Theses

The environmental justice movement has made progress toward unveiling environmental inequalities and addressing these inequalities through the empowerment of low-income and minority communities. Federal agencies like the EPA have incorporated environmental justice principles into their operating frameworks, with the goals of ensuring every community is treated similarly when it comes to the implementation of environmental statutes, and ensuring community members are active participants in environmental activities that affect community well-being. Community involvement at federal Superfund sites is rarely conceptualized as an event related to environmental justice despite the role it has in shaping decisions at hazardous waste sites. This study …

Sustainable Urban Park Systems, Dorothy C. Ibes

Cities and the Environment (CATE)

Lack of multi-dimensional, substantive research on city park systems has undermined the potential role of these public amenities in advancing urban sustainability goals. This study informs holistic policy, planning, and management of parks to balance the multiple goals of sustainability region-wide. A vision for a sustainable urban park system is introduced, informed by multidisciplinary thought and theory. This vision is then operationalized in the development of a quantitative method that examines four key dimensions of sustainability—physical, environmental, socio-economic, and built—across a citywide urban park system. The approach can be customized for use in other cities, but is here applied to …

The Adoption Of State Wetland Policies: How Do Wetlands Fit Within The Theoretical Framework Of Environmental Policy Determinants?, Rachel Bogart Krech

LSU Master's Theses

Wetlands are an extremely important natural resource in the United States. They offer storm surge protection, sediment stabilization, groundwater recharging, carbon sequestration, and habitat for many species. Despite their values, wetlands have a long history of being misunderstood. It was not until the mid-1970s that scientific understanding helped transform policy from that of rapid conversion to that of conservation. By this time, the lower 48 states had already lost 53 percent of its total wetlands. The nature of wetlands and federal limitations make the management of this natural resource a primarily state-based responsibility. However, the way that states construct their …

Sovereign Conflicts And Divided Loyalties: Native American Survivance In The Era Of Nuclear Modernity Story Of The Western Shoshone And Their Response To The Yucca Mountain High-Level Radioactive Waste Repository, Amy Sue Goodin

American Studies ETDs

This is the story of the ways in which the Western Shoshone have articulated identities amidst the ever-changing structures of governance that have defined U.S.-Native intergovernmental relations since the early days of U.S. efforts to colonize the American continent. However, the story focuses on nuclear colonialism. At issue is the specific nature of tribal participation in nuclear waste policy under emergent conditions of possibility as defined by U.S.-Native intergovernmental interactions (or a lack thereof). Ultimately, then, it is a story of how the Western Shoshone have articulated adaptive identities to assure survivance both physically and culturally to combat U.S. efforts …

Environmental And Occupational Interventions For Primary Prevention Of Cancer: A Cross-Sectorial Policy Framework, Carolina Espina, Miquel Porta, Joachim Schüz, Ildefonso Hernández Aguado, Robert V. Percival, Carlos Dora, Terry Slevin, Julietta Rodriguez Guzman, Tim Meredith, Philip J. Landrigan, Maria Neira

Faculty Scholarship

Nearly 13 million new cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths occur worldwide each year; 63% of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries. A substantial portion of all cancers are attributable to carcinogenic exposures in the environment and the workplace.

The objective of this study was to develop an evidence-based global vision and strategy for the primary prevention of environmental and occupational cancer.

The study concluded that opportunities exist to revitalize comprehensive global cancer control policies by incorporating primary interventions against environmental and occupational carcinogens.

Food Stamps Grow Urban Gardens, Daniel Bowman Simon

Cities and the Environment (CATE)

Plants and seeds can be purchased with SNAP (formerly Food Stamps, renamed Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP in 2008,) but most current SNAP participants are unaware. Nearly four decades ago, in 1973, Alabama Senator James Allen championed an amendment to allow the purchase of food-producing plants and seeds with Food Stamps. The Senate passed the amendment after less than ten minutes of floor debate. However, in the ensuing decades, there has not been a focused national effort to make SNAP participants raise awareness of this choice that is available to SNAP participants, nor to connect SNAP participants to resources …

Are Climate Change Policies Fair To Vulnerable Communities? The Impact Of British Columbia's Carbon Tax And Australia's Carbon Pricing Policy On Indigenous Communities, Karen Bubna-Litic, Nathalie J. Chalifour

Dalhousie Law Journal

This paper compares carbon pricing policies in British Columbia and Australia in order to identify differences between carbon taxes and emissions trading schemes (ETS) from a fairness perspective. We examine how taxes and trading systems impact indigenous communities in both jurisdictions. While the regressivity of carbon pricing is a critical part of any fairness assessment, we argue that socioeconomic and cultural factors must also be taken into consideration. We discuss the importance of accompanying carbon pricing with policies that mitigate not only distributional impacts, but also additional impacts. These may be funded by the revenue generated by the policy or …