Urban, Community and Regional Planning Commons^™

Comparing Carbon Emissions Across Transportation Mode For A 5-Mile Urban Trip In Spokane, Washington, Christian Agyei

2026 Symposium

Transportation plays a significant role in shaping local greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly in mid-sized cities where automobile use remains dominant. This project examines how carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions differ across transportation modes for a standardized five-mile urban trip in Spokane, Washington. Using emission factors from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the study estimates grams of CO₂ per passenger-mile and total CO₂ emissions per trip for four transportation modes, including single-occupancy vehicles, public transit, cycling, and walking. Commute pattern data from American Community Survey (ACS) provided local context on travel behavior in Spokane. This analysis …

Lipscomb University Parking Garage Analysis, Morgan Hayes, Reagan Maxwell, Daniel Diaz Tortolero, Dominick Dingus, Michael Ent

Student Scholar Symposium

Many students struggle to easily find parking during the school day at Lipscomb University, and this problem will only be emphasized with the potential removal of the nearby Stokes parking lot (containing 255 spaces). To combat this need and help provide additional room for university growth, we propose the addition of a parking garage west of the Fields engineering building, between Belmont Boulevard and Grandview Drive. This garage would be separated from the current garage behind Fields and be slightly larger, containing about 500 spaces over five levels. We evaluate the current number of parking spaces needed at Lipscomb based …

To What Extent Do Urban Planning Practices Impact Climate Change In Latin America?, Oliver Orellana, Mitchell Roberts

Student Scholar Symposium

Understanding best practices with regards to urban planning and development is crucial to the success of any city. Given the historical, geographic, and economic state of Latin American countries, the role of these practices in innovation is exceedingly vital. By analyzing sustainability strategies employed in cities to mitigate the effects of climate change, this research will identify which practices are the most sustainable in the long run. Because Latin American countries face their own unique challenges in areas like democratic transition, physical landscape, or economic well-being, gaining understanding as to which practices would most benefit the region is pivotal to …

Village Of Hope: Moving Away From The Conception Of Temporary To Permanent Shelter In Haiti, Korine Dorval, Ehsan Sheikholharam Ma

Symposium of Student Scholars

Around the world, 1.6 million people lose their homes every week. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Center estimates that 1 million people were internally displaced in Haiti as of the end of 2024.

In Haiti, displacement repeats in a cycle driven by gang violence and natural disasters. Today, as the situation grows worse, the solution is still centered on refugee camps. Architecture seems to intervene only in emergency relief without addressing long-term stability.

This design research examines how architecture can contribute to reducing gang violence by facilitating the transition from temporary to permanent shelter in Haiti. This paper challenges assumptions about …

Working With Local Government Planning Staff: The Need-To-Know Basics, Kimberly K. Gerhart-Fritz

Civil Engineering Professional Development Seminar

Many civil engineers will need to interact with local government during their careers. Understanding WHAT local government planners do and WHY they do it can make that process much easier to navigate, for all involved.

Crosswing Hall- A Biophilic Student Hub For Connection, Community, And Growth, Marianna Sanchez, Robin Puttock, M. Uddin

Symposium of Student Scholars

The Marietta campus of Kennesaw State University has long been perceived as disconnected and lacking vibrancy compared to its counterpart in Kennesaw. This project seeks to transform that narrative by creating Crosswing Hall, a dynamic student hub that fosters campus pride, interdisciplinary collaboration, and lasting connections. Grounded in biophilic design principles, Crosswing Hall utilizes natural materials and thoughtful spatial planning to reduce student stress, enhance well-being, and create a welcoming environment where students feel supported and engaged.

Current student spaces on the Marietta campus prioritize capacity over adaptability, often leading to overcrowding and diminished effectiveness in fostering a sense of …

Reviving Humanity, Ana Gomez

Symposium of Student Scholars

The surge in female incarceration rates in the United States has heightened concerns about the mental health challenges faced by women within correctional facilities. This thesis research explores the intersection of women's incarceration, mental health, and sustainable architectural design aimed at improving outcomes for female inmates. Factors contributing to the increase in female incarceration rates, including changes in sentencing policies, socioeconomic disparities, and the criminalization of mental illness and substance abuse, are critically examined. Research indicates a disproportionately high prevalence of mental health disorders among female inmates, often rooted in past trauma, domestic violence, and systemic inequalities. These issues are …

Understanding The Effect Of Intercity Roads On The Evolution Of Urban Form, Fiona Duvall, Ermal Shpuza

Symposium of Student Scholars

Cities are key to sustainability, social cohesion, public health, and energy use. Successful urban planning relies on understanding the effect of the roads that connect the city with the neighboring settlements, which act as a scaffold for urban growth. The project develops representations and analytical tools for understanding urban evolution.

The research is based on the following analytical methods: 1) Digitally drawing the arterial roads for twenty Adriatic coastal cities in Italy based on historical maps surveyed in 1819; 2) Categorizing the cities into two main groups: those whose arterials have remained mostly unchanged and those whose arterials have been …

Weaving Of Spaces: “Designing Spaces That Create Opportunities For Communication And Freedom Though Ease Of Access”, Fiona Duvall, Ehsan Sheikplharam Mashhadi

Symposium of Student Scholars

The Kennesaw State University campus has much to offer its students and the community, but it has a periphery, disconnecting it from neighboring communities. Marietta square has amazing opportunities for food and community. The main problem here is that the only way to access the square and Kennesaw State University is by car and that these two locations are isolated.

Through the research of the psychological aspects of space, cast studies and psychological research articles. I've found the main problems found in these urban areas are the low walkability, lack traffic safety and lack access to anyone regardless of Finacial …

Locally Stranded - Addressing Rural Cases Of Domestic Violence, Owen Phillips, Robin Puttock

Symposium of Student Scholars

Domestic violence is a nationwide crisis affecting millions of women each year and saw an increase in severity during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020-2022). In Georgia, 37.4% of women report experiencing physical violence by an intimate partner. The situation is especially dire in rural areas, where women experience 150% more incidents at a more intense level than their urban counterparts and must travel three times farther to access resources. Rural women are also nearly twice as likely to be turned away from services due to a lack of space, staffing, and resources. Existing shelters often fail to meet victims' needs because …

Engaging Our Elders: Reprograming The Architecture Of Continued Care Facilities To Engage The Community, Mercy Koehler, Robin Puttock

Symposium of Student Scholars

The elderly are one of the most overlooked groups in our population. The poor attention to the design of their living spaces is a sad testament to this reality. Designed like hospitals and prisons, nursing homes are sterile environments, uninviting to guests and suffocating to residents. The person-centered care of new assisted living communities is an improvement, but often the design of these institutions is governed by economic factors and architectural code requirements that continue to create isolated environments. To create truly inclusive spaces for our growing elderly population, care-centered design must go a step further and find programmatic ways …

Proposed Charlotte To Atlanta High-Speed Passenger Rail Line: An Economic, Infrastructural, And Developmental Analysis In The Upstate Of South Carolina, Ian C. Macurda, Kimberly Whitehead

SC Upstate Research Symposium

This research paper is an in-depth analysis of the high-speed passenger rail line proposed between Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA and its impact on the economy, infrastructure, and future development of the Upstate of South Carolina. Currently, passenger rail service between Charlotte and Atlanta is offered on Amtrak at late hours throughout the night on its long-distance passenger rail line The Crescent from New York City, NY to New Orleans, LA. The train is often delayed and is operating at a deficit for Amtrak, like most of their long-distance routes. Traffic on Interstate 85 through the Upstate is another issue …

Daylighting In Buildings: Investigating The Relationship Between Daylight Levels And Building Compactness In Various Contemporary Architectural Types., Andrew Welch, Ermal Shpuza Phd

Symposium of Student Scholars

Among the most substantial ways to improve the energy efficiency of a building is to manipulate the floorplate in ways that lets more natural light in while reducing the energy loss or gain through the envelope area. However, creating buildings that have more natural light comes with a greater construction cost due to larger envelope areas. The goal of this research is to determine what aspects of floorplate design maximize the natural light entering a building and minimize the construction costs associated with the building. In the first phase of research last year, we analyzed a sample of floorplates from …

Going Airborne: Kent State's Pioneering Leap Into Integrated Advanced Air Mobility, Jason T. Lorenzon

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

This proposal centers on the development of a Concept of Operations in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Kent State University's College of Aeronautics and Engineering is poised to pioneer the integration of drones and electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) systems, bridging the gap between its campus and airport by transporting students and faculty the 3NM distance from campus to the airport and back by a UAV. Beyond a standard research initiative, this proposal signifies a groundbreaking effort to reshape the landscape of educational aeronautics and Advanced Air Mobility and Urban Air Mobility. Our overarching goal is to transcend conventional boundaries …

Architectural Features Of Streetscapes And Aging In Cameron County, Texas: Preliminary Results, Cristian Maestre, Michael Minor, Rosa V. Pirela, Noe Garza, Alvaro Diaz-Badillo, Karla D. Lopez-Lorenzo, Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, Gladys E. Maestre

Research Symposium

The impact of architectural features in urban settings reveals priorities for its residents and the integration of social and natural environments. It has been estimated that 23% of global deaths to the environments in which people live. We aim to characterize the most prevalent architectural features of Cameron County, Texas streetscapes and analyze their role in health promotion and healthy aging.

Scaling Global Urban Greenspace, Kyra J. Liedtke

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Cites are novel ecosystems. Understanding the complex interactions between urban abiotic and biotic attributes is important for managing future urban expansion. Using urban scaling theory (UST) combined with global datasets raises the prospect of deriving predictive rules for scaling urban greenspace with city size. Aspects of the city, such as greenspace, are influenced by several social and ecological factors that scale with a city's size. Empirical data from European cities showed superlinear scaling, in which greenspace increased disproportionately with city size. However, the comprehension of global greenspace scaling still needs to be understood. A macroecological perspective using a scaling approach …

Sustainable Small House Project, Mollie Jo George

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The Sustainable Small House Project was developed in cooperation with UNO/UNL Engineering, UNO Gerontology, and Metro Community College. This project merges both sustainable living with the small house movement to promote aging-in-place for older adults. This presentation describes the journey of Dr. Bing Chen as he envisioned the Sustainable Small House Project to its development and finally to implementation at its current location--west of Baxter Arena or adjacent to the UNO ballfield.

From a gerontological lens, the project focuses on principles of universal design which allows for aging-in-place, fall-detection and prevention using smart technologies such as Nobi, and voice-activated technologies …

Learning From Public Spaces In Historic Cities, Cody Josh Kucharski

Symposium of Student Scholars

Successful public spaces in cities are key for enhancing social cohesion and improving health and safety. Learning from historic cities involves the development of representational and analytical tools aimed at capturing their essence as places of human interaction. The research reports findings of the spatial analysis of twenty Adriatic and Ionian coastal cities, which addresses the question of how the network of public spaces calibrates different degrees of spatial enclosure necessary for creating successful social interactions. Cities in the littoral region include well-preserved historic centers that are renowned for the successful integration of urban squares into the urban fabric. For …

Mapping The Impact Of A Trailway System On The Amount Of Trash Present Within Two Watersheds Of Lynchburg City, Virginia, Lillian Smith

Student Scholar Showcase

Transportation of trash debris within water systems is a prominent occurrence which has been linked to natural and artificial processes such as wind, rain, and littering. Recreational areas, such as activities along greenway trails, have been determined to be a source of debris found in waterways. This study examines whether the presence of an established recreational trail system limits trash accumulation in the entirety of a watershed. Trash data collected at Blackwater Creek, which contains an established trail system, was compared to trash data collected at Fishing Creek, containing a non-established trail system, to answer this hypothesis. A distance of …

Demographic Change In The North Atlanta Metro Area, Zachary Lloyd

Symposium of Student Scholars

The northern Atlanta suburbs are perhaps the premiere destination for migrants, both domestic and international, into the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. Filled with activities, good schools, and endless dining options, these communities are not only relatively safe to raise a family in, but also offer plenty to do for married couples and retirees. The counties of Gwinnett and Cobb, along with the northern portion of Fulton County (known as North Fulton) are the traditional northside suburban destinations, but growth there has slowed because much of the land is now densely developed. Predictably, the suburbs have extended northward through the counties of …

From Displaced To Our Place: Using An Educational Narrative To Build Community In A Displaced Community, Morgan Frederick

Symposium of Student Scholars

Thomasville heights is a displacement neighborhood for people pushed out by Atlanta’s Urban Renewal projects. Thomasville Heights remains a casualty of a system of economic segregation. Under this system of segregation these neighborhoods are left in detrimental states. It is in places like Thomasville Heights where the phrase “place matters” becomes a call to action. A town of 6000 residents and only one elementary school, Thomasville heights is bordered by multiple freight yards, a cemetery, landfills, and Atlanta’s US penitentiary, just a 5-minute walk from that one elementary school. There remains a vast difference between that of low-income urban, and …

Restoring History: Mixed-Use Hotel & Retail Center, William Chase Sisk

Symposium of Student Scholars

Monroe, Georgia, is a unique small town, located halfway between Athens and Atlanta. The small-town atmosphere and amenities have become a popular destination for people attracted to the historic buildings, downtown events and UGA football home games. Monroe is popular for its wedding venues, antique malls, and car shows, but there are not enough hotel rooms. Currently within the historic downtown, there are only one bed and breakfast, two AirBNB’s, and no hotels, although every downtown storefront is occupied by restaurants, retail stores, and businesses.

The need for overnight accommodations has raised the possibility of a new mixed-use hotel and …

On The Wrong Side Of The Track: The Role Of Karachi Circular Railway In Determining Intra-City Boundaries, Aneela Kiran, Dr. Faisal S. Qadri

CBER Conference

No abstract provided.

Urban Resilience And Impact On Utility Services - Panel Discussion Iii, Noman Ahmed, Laeeq Ahmed, Sadia Dada, Javed Younas

CBER Conference

The government services departments are ill-equipped to provide sufficient services to the people of Karachi. The authorities are solely responsible for lack of provision of services resulting in the city’s dysfunction in the event of natural disasters. The physical existence of service delivery corridors should be notified to the public and a comprehensive plan needs to be put in place to create awareness about the rights of the consumers and utilities service providers. 75% of Karachi today does not experience load-shedding, adding that the illegal encroachment in the city is leading to safety impairment. Currently the eco-system is not conducive …

Living Landscapes: Combining Education And Ecology For A More Resilient New York Harbor, Murray Fisher, Brad Howe

Year on Climate Change: Events

This session will highlight a unique partnership between a landscape architecture firm, an environmental group, and a public high school that are working together in New York Harbor to increase the area’s resiliency as the climate changes, and to engage and train the next generation of environmental and Harbor stewards.

The Hospitality Design Laboratory: Testing A Growing Global Resource For Architectural Planning Research In The Tourism/Resort Industry, Glenn Nowak

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The HD-Lab at UNLV is an experiment in merging academic research teams with industry leadership to address the ever-changing landscape of global tourism, gaming, and hospitality as it pertains to the built environment. This poster session seeks to share overviews of previous studies, lessons learned, and opportunities for future architectural research. Collaborations amongst diverse teams aim to foster interdisciplinary research and continued contributions to the intellectual capital of hospitality design in Las Vegas and around the world. The presentation is structured across six broad and intertwined areas of foci: 1. Integrated resorts’ future evolutions and innovations, 2. Tourism architecture’s advanced …

“Paying” The Way For A Better Bart Future: A Call For Better Enforcement Of Fare Evasion Policies And Strategic Planning At Bart, Ethan S. Tan

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system has undoubtedly shaped the way the San Francisco Bay Area operates today. BART has molded itself to becoming a popular form of transportation for citizens of the area. However, numerous problems have arisen in recent years in regard to the overall “healthiness” of the BART system with its ex-aging fleet of trains, undertrained staff, lack of BART Police presence, rampant illegal drug use, etc. which has made BART unpopular with riders. The root cause of these problems through, is the lost revenue through “stolen” rides. At any one of BART’s 48 stations in …

Rough Roads Ahead!?, Sarah Reed, Brooke Thomas, Jim Hellmann

Purdue Road School

Have you ever found yourself in the public's cross-hairs when it is time to implement a few roadway improvements? Are you handicapped in your ability to describe the true value of community planning and economic development planning? Come hear from one dynamic trio with the ability to identify issues and opportunities that others might not see and work to uncover even more ways tin which we are better together.

Community Brought Together, Ethan Alan Conkin, Timothy Jacob Abbott, Tyemirlan Murat, Shahnaz Aly

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Community Brought Together

Ethan Conkin, Jacob Abbott, Tyemirlan Murat

Shahnaz Aly

Architectural Science

A community is a small or large social unit (a group of living things) that has something in common, such as norms, religion, values, or identity. Communities often share a sense of place that is situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, town, or neighborhood) or in virtual space through communication platforms.

Are we hiding behind selfies and negative social media behavior instead of promoting human interaction and kindness? “For the past decade community has been slowly disappearing. Are we too busy for community, …

Revitalization: Creating New Architecture From Remnants, Joseph Williams, Anthony Graham, Milton Ochoa, Shahnaz Aly

Posters-at-the-Capitol

While it may seem appropriate to overlook the old for the new, is it possible to sustain our ecosystem in this manner? The choices we make impact our environment and those within it. Instead of relying on the novelty of the new, we should look to our inadequacies to give us greater opportunities. For we can achieve this through revitalization. By using revitalization, we have the opportunity to imbue something with new life and vitality. Revitalization in architecture can serve as a means to stabilize and perform for the greatest benefit to our ecosystem. We should look to revitalization in …