Digital Commons Network^™

An Oasis In Crisis: Lesotho Highlands Water Project Turned Drought, Justine Wendt

Student Theses 2015-Present

Water insecurity in underdeveloped countries is one of the most pressing issues for the longevity of our exponentially developing global economy. Countries like Lesotho, which are land-locked within another, more developed country, have few resources for water, food, and power without the aid of external forces. This paper investigates the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), its relationship to South Africa, and the ramifications faced by local communities. Further, this paper can serve as a case study into what we can avoid in the future, as water initiatives are both inevitable and crucial. Chapter 1 explores quantitative data regarding water scarcity …

Fighting Heat And Rain: New York City’S Climatic Problems And The Effect On The City’S Urbanism, Moises D. Lopez

Student Theses 2015-Present

Severe weather events have come about as a result of the changing global climate, which have drastically changed local and global environments. These events have destroyed many homes, land areas, and, unfortunately, lives. Therefore, it is important for cities that are highly populated to be aware of the great damage a severe weather event can bring. New York City (NYC) has been hit with many severe weather conditions, and with over 8 million habitants, it is important that this city should be prepared for any future weather events that may occur. This paper analyzes the effects of heat waves and …

Combating The Climate Crisis: Anishinaabe Philosophy And Environmental Justice, Margaret Hunt

Student Theses 2015-Present

The climate crisis is considered one of humans' most detrimental issues today. Although there is a struggle to find solutions, many have been and continue to be at the forefront of the environmental movement, specifically Indigenous communities. The Anishinaabe people, in particular, have philosophies centered around environmental care. They view the environment as something deserving of honor and respect. Although these ideas have allowed them to have a respectful relationship with their local ecosystems, the United States government has ignored these ideas from the early stages of the environmental movement. With this, there is also an extensive history of harmful …

Minutes From May 10 2023, University Senate

University Senate Minutes

Minutes from May 10 2023 University Senate Meeting

State Run Dry: How California Manages Inevitable Drought Due To Climate Change, Rachelle Yang

Student Theses 2015-Present

This thesis paper addresses the severe drought brought on by climate change that California is currently experiencing and examines methods to counter the drought in order to minimize water usage and increase water levels. Historically, California has experienced several periods of drought which are increasingly becoming more detrimental to the environment. It is crucial to mitigate the drought as California has already been feeling its major effects from it. As temperatures rise and the atmosphere becomes drier, the water supply in California could be diminished by 10% by 2040. Chapter 1 uses several studies and reports on the California drought …

The English Coulee, Jona L. Pedersen

Floodwall Magazine

No abstract provided.

Two Drawings, Jona L. Pedersen

Floodwall Magazine

No abstract provided.

The Green Core Of The Big Apple: The Significance Of Urban Green Spaces In New York City & Beyond, Grace Dailey

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper addresses the politics of urban green spaces which includes the issue of their inequitable distribution as well as related issues that can arise when communities do not have access to such spaces. There are a variety of types of urban green spaces, however, this paper will be focused on public parks. Together, such outdoor spaces can create cultural, recreational, and community building opportunities that are able to improve environmental and human health. Chapter 1 presents data about the existence and usage of urban green spaces around the world and in New York City in particular. Chapter 2 uses …

Bio-Based Blueprint: Growing Architecture Using [Natural Polymers], Jennifer Adame

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

How can we utilize the bio-materials, Mycelium and Bamboo, in architectural design?

Our everyday usage of materials consists of synthetic polymers that do more harm to our environment and our well-being. Consequently, increasing CO2 emissions, harmful toxins, and long-term pollution. We must strive to find alternatives, such as using mycelium, a natural polymers, to raise social awareness, benefit our well-being and develop applications to create a circular economy to eliminate waste. This thesis proposes a framework system using natural polymers to reimage our everyday materials and offer a sustainable alternative. Developing an architectural guide accessible for individuals without prior knowledge …

Empowering Communities Through Food Entrepreneurship And Creative Placemaking, Bailey Kijek

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The City of Clarkston is one of Atlanta’s oldest and most diverse communities. The city is currently in need of tactical placemaking strategies to create quality public spaces that can serve and unite the members of the community. This thesis seeks to identify the needs of the city using a comprehensive site analysis and apply that knowledge to determine a program that is best suited for the community. To create an impactful design, applicable placemaking procedures will be identified through literature review and case study analyses. The data collected will inform a design procedural that will yield an outcome that …

Spartan Daily, May 9, 2023, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2023

Volume 160, Issue 41

Disaster Risk In The Carceral State, Saptarishi Bandopadhyay, Joshua R. Coene

Articles & Book Chapters

The overlap between prisoner vulnerability and disasters in the United States is undeniable. During 2020 and 2021, the United States endured a series of natural hazards such as wildfires, floods, and hurricanes, many of which exposed the country’s 2.1 million inmates to additional risks and compounded the danger posed by COVID-19. Yet policymakers and scholars are only beginning to appreciate the centrality and magnitude of disaster risk management for the millions of people currently held in penal institutions around the country. Unsurprisingly, the production of “lessons learned” documents that follow in the aftermath of disasters overlook how prisoner vulnerability is …

Disaster Risk In The Carceral State, Saptarishi Bandopadhyay, Joshua R. Coene

Journal Articles

The overlap between prisoner vulnerability and disasters in the United States is undeniable. During 2020 and 2021, the United States endured a series of natural hazards such as wildfires, floods, and hurricanes, many of which exposed the country’s 2.1 million inmates to additional risks and compounded the danger posed by COVID-19. Yet policymakers and scholars are only beginning to appreciate the centrality and magnitude of disaster risk management for the millions of people currently held in penal institutions around the country. Unsurprisingly, the production of “lessons learned” documents that follow in the aftermath of disasters overlook how prisoner vulnerability is …

Building Unity; Design Framework For Inclusive New Urbanism, Chad Sharp

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

The city of Atlanta has historically embraced isolated growth over integrated density, which has contributed to the city’s limited inventory of inclusive urban centers. This divisive approach to urban design has helped facilitate a city of extremes; with high regional concentrations of wealth and poverty. This phenomenon is worsened by the city’s inherently exclusive transportation network and isolated residential development patterns. As Atlanta continues to grow and densify, it is crucial to adopt planning and design models that prioritize high-density, mixed-use residential developments in equitable locations with easy access to public transportation. To account for the failures of property filtering …

Cinderella, Kevin Sparks

Calliope

No abstract provided.

Energy And Climate Change Issues Around Csudh, Alex E. Perez, Tara B. Jones, Raju Bista, Parveen K. Chhetri

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change

Climate change is posing significant challenges to California’s energy sector. Extreme weather events (heat and cold) may pressure existing infrastructure. Many studies have indicated that extreme climate events would impact the energy system by affecting peak electricity demand. However, very few studies have been conducted to understand how disadvantaged communities (DACs) will be impacted. Because of unequal access to energy infrastructure (electricity generation and battery storage), DACs are more vulnerable to power outages due to the rising number of significant weather events caused by climate change. To address the issue of how DACs are disproportionately affected by climate change-related energy …

Exploring The Use Of Trauma Informed Practices In Campus As Lab Programs: Learnings From A Workshop Series, Laurelin Haas, Rachelle L. Haddock, Joe Fullerton

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change

With the intersectional challenges of the climate crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and mental health challenges in various forms, empowerment can hold a significant key to mitigating and preventing traumatic experiences at post-secondary institutions. Campus as Lab (CaL) is a growing trend in higher education whereby students, faculty, and staff use experiential learning and applied research projects to advance sustainability on their campuses. It is a unique, empowering learning methodology that can synergistically benefit academic and operational sustainability efforts at post-secondary institutions. In July 2021, a group of professionals who support or lead CaL initiatives gathered to participate in four Summer …

Full Issue

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change

CSU Journal of Sustainability and Climate Change, 2022, Volume 2.

The Santa Clara, 2023-05-05, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Lower Speed Limits On Fatalities And Serious Injuries, Naufa Nuha

Theses and Dissertations

Responding to concerns about road safety, New York City passed a law called Vision Zero in 2014 that progressively decreased all local road speed limits to 25 miles per hour. This was in an effort to increase road safety from collisions. Starting a year prior to Vision Zero, the city started lowering speed limits in certain high-risk roads. I use data on accidents from New York City Open Data to examine the effect of reducing speed limits in Manhattan. The analysis exploits the implementation of lower speed limits on some roads prior to 2014 that provides a quasi-experimental design. Estimates …

Conservation Policy, Indigeneity, And Changing Traditional Hunting Practices In West Papua, Sepus M. Fatem, Yubelince Y. Runtuboi, Micah R. Fisher, Yafed Sufi, Ahmad Maryudi, Nurhady Sirimorok

Forest and Society

Regional governments are increasingly developing conservation policy initiatives that are framed alongside the empowerment of Indigenous Peoples. This paper examines the case of Tambrauw, West Papua, that set out to establish one of the first ever Conservation Regencies in Indonesia. To understand the implications of conservation policy developments, we explored from an environmental justice perspective the ways that one of the most important forest-based activities of local communities – hunting – has changed in recent years. Data was collected using qualitative methods of participatory observation and interviews between 2015-2018 across three Tambrauw districts. The study shows how policy changes are …

Examining And Developing Environmental Stewardship Funding Networks In Los Angeles: A Research Proposal, Lily Maddox, Michele Romolini

Honors Thesis

Similar to other types of non-profit funding, environmental grants have a continuing history of being inaccessible to the groups that could benefit from them the most. While many environmental stewardship organizations are in need of funding for community projects, Los Angeles lacks a clear network of environmental funders that is accessible to all potential actors. This project is a proposal to study existing environmental funder coalitions as well as philanthropic trends in Los Angeles. The findings from this research will ultimately be used to compile a database of environmental grant sources in Los Angeles detailing both funders and their grant …

The Ethical Contribution Of Cultural Diversity As A Social Determinant Of Health, Pooja Patel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation examines how cultural diversity as a social determinant of health, aligned with human life, human dignity, human rights, and human equity provides an ethical contribution. My explanation of the ethical contribution of cultural diversity as a SDOH refers to a quadrant of topics that expands the approach of the UNESCO Declaration of Bioethics and Human Rights. The UNESCO approach addresses cultural diversity in relation to human dignity and human rights. I adopt a quadrant of topics that aligns human dignity with human life and human rights with equity. Aligning these topics in the quadrant (dignity/life and rights/equity) explains …

Spring 2023 Commencement Program, University Of Alabama In Huntsville

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

The True "New Eve": Ben Wildflower's Magnificat And The Second Creation Story, Mary L. Parks

Obsculta

Images of the Virgin Mary have provided comfort to Christians for almost two thousand years. Many of these images have depicted the Mother of God as gentle, demure, pure, and obedient. Ben Wildflower’s woodcut, Magnificat, imagines another side of Mary’s story. This paper considers the second creation story, “New Eve” typology, and church teaching about current social and environmental issues to demonstrate why Magnificat is an ideal portrait for the true “New Eve”.

Front Matter And Table Of Contents

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

Prefatory Matter And Table Of Contents

University of Miami Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Link May 2, 2023, Access To Justice Institute

The Link Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Impact Of The Shelby Farms Greenline As An Equitable Transportation Source Through The Use Of Streetlight Data Analytics, Logan Nelson Sirbaugh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This study employs the use of StreetLight Data analytics to evaluate the Shelby Farms Greenline in Memphis, TN as an equitable pedestrian transportation source. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify current practices in equitable pedestrian infrastructure design and pedestrian data collection methods. Using American Community Survey data (annual household income and race/ethnicity), four access points were identified along the Greenline based on demographic and geographic representation. Each location was analyzed using traveler and trip attributes provided by StreetLight data to evaluate pedestrian use of the Greenline. The results of StreetLight Data were validated using two permanent pedestrian counters …

Autonomous Shuttle Transit: An Exploratory Case Study And The Future Impact On Tsu Campus, Rayford D. Richardson

Dissertations (2016-Present)

By 2040 the third-largest city in the United States, Houston, Texas, a top global city for traffic congestion, will become a significant metropolis with future growth possibilities of 11 million people passing Chicago (HGAC, 2018). For this purpose, Houston and surrounding growing populations will contribute to gridlock traffic, with highway expansions increasing ozone and inefficient transit systems with longer commutes in underserved, sidelined communities. Above all, historically, persons of color, notably Black Indigenous Persons of Color (BIPOC) in Black and Brown marginalized communities, are deprived of transportation accessibility. Undoubtedly, Driverless Shuttle (DS) rideshare platforms reflect that higher-income whites are admittedly …