Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Milwaukee's Housing Fracture: Studying Housing Submarket Disinvestment With City Information Modeling (Cim) In Milwaukee's Inner Core Housing Submarkets, 1910-1970, Kristian Vaughn

Theses and Dissertations

This research conducts historic patterns analysis of the city of Milwaukee’s inner core housing submarkets from 1910-1970. The study time period captures Milwaukee in its most highly densified and industrialized state prior to suburbanization. To effectively assess the demographic, economic, spatial, and public policy implications of events in the housing submarkets, this research adopts a multi-disciplinary approach to provide a cohesive historical perspective in the city. Theoretically, this research relies on the literature about investment-disinvestment cycles, invasion-succession cycles, and the typo-morphology of the built environment. Methodologically, this research utilizes city information modeling (CIM) and digital twins to re-create conditions in …

Reaching Non-Work Destinations: Accessibility And Its Impacts On Travel Behavior, Sai Sun

Theses and Dissertations

As people’s daily activities are diverse, having access to various opportunities is important. However, the existing body of accessibility literature places great emphasis on job accessibility; research on non-work accessibility is limited. To fill the gap, this dissertation examines accessibility to four types of non-work opportunities (healthcare, retail, recreation, and food services) by three transportation modes (automobile, transit, and walking) as well as their impacts on travel in the Milwaukee region. This dissertation examines accessibility disparities across different racial/ethnic groups and income groups in Milwaukee County by comparing weighted average accessibility and overlaying spatial distribution of accessibility with population distributions. …

The Evergreen Challenges Of Healing: An Evaluation Of Urban Green Space In Harambee, Kacee Ochalek

Theses and Dissertations

Urban green space initiatives have emerged in low- and middle-income cities as a solution to disinvestment, the production of more positive public health metrics, and a tool of community engagement. While the production of urban greening provides ample room for applause, The City of Milwaukee’s Healing Spaces Initiative model regarding the ongoing construction of green space and the implementation of maintenance creates challenges that perpetuate racist capitalistic notions of the neoliberal project. This paper presents reports from participant observation, document analysis, and 17 qualitative interviews with representatives of the City of Milwaukee, community partners, garden leaders, and residents. The data …

The Development Of Do-It-Yourself Skateparks In Contemporary Urban Environments, Emmy A. Yates

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to introduce the reader to Do-It-Yourself (DIY) skateparks by sharing how they come to fruition, how they thrive, and are destroyed in urban landscapes. The goal of this thesis is to document a thorough understanding of how DIY skateparks are organized and managed in contemporary urban environments. Exploring the relationship DIY skateparks have with mental maps, informal rules, subcultures, and legal frameworks can help the reader understand the ways that DIY skateparks impact the urban environments around them. Looking at two well-known and frequented DIY skateparks in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – ‘National DIY’ and ‘Estabrook …

They Were Not Sitting Ducks: Rethinking Black Activism In Housing And Urban Renewal In Late Nineties Milwaukee, Bernard Apeku

History and Urban Studies 971: Seminar on the History of American Urban Problems

No abstract provided.

Mapping For Indoor Walking Environment From Point Clouds By Using Mobile Mapping Systems, Nurfadhilah Ruslan, Nabilah Naharudin, Abdul Hakim Salleh, Maisarah Abdul Halim, Zulkiflee Abd Latif

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

Walkability is one of the issues to be addressed in the planning of smart urban cities. Although, there is a substantial amount of studies on outdoor walking pedestrian, limited study has been done to address indoor walkability. Recently, most of the pedestrians are likely to use indoor route than outdoor route to protect themselves from sun and rain as most of the indoor routes are located on the buildings such as shopping mall and rail transit station. Therefore, it important to collect all the relevant information in the indoor building to addressed the walkability issues. The GeoSLAM ZEB REVO scanner …

Bottom-Up Understanding Of Informal Settlements: Perspectives Of Urban Slum Dwellers In Nima, Ghana., Bernard Apeku

Theses and Dissertations

More than a quarter of the world’s population lives in informal settlements which house a rapidly growing proportion of the inhabitants of cities in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Accra, Ghana, and in the Global South more generally. However, scholars have shown that the urban planning and urban redevelopment strategies that affect these settlements are top-down in character with minimal resident participation. These prevailing planning and redevelopment strategies are based on the outsiders’ perceptions of informal neighborhoods, rendering them quite inefficient. Therefore, to develop workable policies and strategies that will improve the living condition of informal urban settlers, it is important …

Measuring Social Vulnerability In Transit Deserts Of United States Metro Areas, Junfeng Jiao, Josh Conrad, Amin Azimian

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

This study was aimed at identifying areas in the US that need both transit improvements and anti-displacement protection. First, rather than focusing on transit-dependent populations, we developed a new method of accounting for overall transportation demand among independent residents in comparison with public transit supply. Next, we analyzed transit deserts in metro areas using the social vulnerability index. Results indicated that living in transit deserts across 200 metro areas today are approximately 24.6 million people, of which about 19% live below the poverty line. Additionally, residents of transit deserts exhibit, on average, a social vulnerability that is approximately 21% higher …

Placemaking And The Loss Of Place: Perceptions Of Tourism-Induced Neighborhood Change In South Korea’S Disadvantaged Neighborhoods, Minji Kim

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation research uncovers how seemingly beneficial urban projects associated with tourism reinforce inequitable urban environments and loss of place by examining different perceptions and experiences of tourism-induced neighborhood change in disadvantaged neighborhoods in South Korea. I investigate how public art projects implemented by the government to regenerate daldongnes—informal hillside settlements—have brought economic and social disruption to residents and generated a series of contest outcomes. In this research, I examine how tourists’ perceptions and representation of the neighborhood in social media contribute to the (re)construction of the neighborhood, how the growth of tourism has influenced place attachment, and how residents …

Transportation Network Company (Tnc) Ridehailing Travel Patterns In Chicago’S Economically Disconnected Areas, Kelly Marie O'Brien

Theses and Dissertations

Transportation network companies (TNCs) like Uber and Lyft position themselves as a complement—rather than a detriment—to existing public transportation. Since the launch of TNCs, however, public transit ridership in major cities has steadily declined. This severely impacts economically disconnected residents, who often do not own automobiles and therefore rely on public transportation. The decline of public transit, coupled with the growth of TNCs, thus begs the question: Do TNC services complement or substitute public transportation in serving economically disconnected urban residents? Using data from the American Community Survey and new TNC data from the City of Chicago, this paper maps …

Transit-Oriented Development And The Implications For Equitable Development: A Case Study Of The Milwaukee Streetcar, Joshua Diciaula

Theses and Dissertations

Many cities across the US have reintroduced the streetcar as an economic development tool, or as an image-branding and tourism-promoting amenity, while public transportation benefits are largely afterthoughts. The purpose of this research is to investigate the Milwaukee Streetcar as a transit-oriented development strategy, the distribution of benefits and burdens, and its implications for equitable development. Guided by semi-structured interviews and content/discourse analysis of planning/policy documents through an equity lens, this study analyzed Milwaukee’s initial downtown streetcar routes against the potential extension lines into the more transit-dependent communities of Bronzeville and Walker’s Point. The findings suggest that the initial routes …

History Of Early Twentieth Century Child Labor In America, Vijaya Tamla Rai

History and Urban Studies 971: Seminar on the History of American Urban Problems

This paper portrays the lives of children laboring in early twentieth century America with a closer focus on cases from Wisconsin. Child labor permits issued by Ozaukee County court and other literature and reports on child labor from the Archives of the UWM Libraries, and photographs depicting child labor taken by Lewis Hine from the National Child Labor Committee Collection are primary sources.

Ordering Spaces, Making Places: Women’S Uses Of Non-Domestic Spaces In Tokyo, Japan, 1868–1937, Yuko Nakamura

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores Japanese women’s uses of non-domestic spaces in the modern period (1868–1945), focusing on the transformations that were occurring in the new capital city of Tokyo. After the 1868 Meiji Restoration, a modern government took over in place of the Tokugawa shogunate, the feudal military government that had ruled Japan for nearly three centuries, based on a hereditary status-based system. The fall of Tokugawa social order liberated Japanese people from the principle that John W. Hall famously called “rule by status.” Yet, it also complicated the ways in which the society was organized. Because the status system had …

Sheltering Opportunity: City Planning And Housing In Chicago, 1909-1941, Kari Renae Smith

Theses and Dissertations

City planning in the United States has undergone continuous evolution; the profession has struggled to produce solutions that match the caliber of its ambitions while keeping up with the ever-changing city. Furthermore, at times special interests have co-opted city planning, utilizing and constraining the profession to meet those interests – often focused on increasing property values while neglecting other social needs, not least of which is the provision of adequate housing. This dissertation aims to contribute to a better understanding of how the definition and scope of city planning changes to include or exclude social issues by examining the relationship …

Black-Jewish Tensions And Modern Antisemitism In America, David Michael Wieczorek

History and Urban Studies 971: Seminar on the History of American Urban Problems

This paper explores the theme of antisemitism as it relates to the relationship between Blacks and Jews. It looks at the history of the relationship and how it came to crumble during the 1960s and 1970s.

The Profits Of Insanity: The Urbanization And Economic Development Of Asylum Poor Farms In Wisconsin, 1890-1920, Robert W. Penner

History and Urban Studies 971: Seminar on the History of American Urban Problems

A primary source research project and term paper on the intersection of poverty and insanity and the exploitation of inane labor at Wisconsin county asylums 1890-1920.

Post World War Ii Housing Crisis For African-American Communities In The North: Case Study The Inner Core Of Milwaukee, 1945 – 1968., Mania Tahsina Taher

History and Urban Studies 971: Seminar on the History of American Urban Problems

No abstract provided.

Walkability And Accessibility: Users' Perspectives Of A Planned Neighborhood, Nancy S. Chu

Theses and Dissertations

The transformation of the Westlawn Housing Development, one of the largest housing projects in Wisconsin, has led to this research. The old development, which was modeled after the military barracks style for its uniformity and practicality, is in extreme contrast to the new design influenced by the Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND). TND was well received by the middle class as an alternative to the suburban sprawl sweeping the nation in the 1980s. However, research suggests that most TND’s are premised on upper-middle-class preference and do not focus on the housing needs of the general population.

This research will explore if …

Income Divide And Race/Ethnicity In Tennessee Metropolises, Madhuri Sharma

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

Tennessee, like other Southeastern states, has also gained in its share of racial/ethnic diversity, but it also contains some of the most segregated and poorest (e.g., Memphis) metropolises in the southeast. This paper examines one dimension of inequality – the income divide – measured here by the 95/20 Ratio. Important questions include: How does income divide vary across the major racial/ethnic groups in Tennessee’s ten metropolises? How do they associate with diversity, segregation, and other geographic predictors? By using simple ranking and correlations analyses to explore these relationships, I find that metropolises that are large, diverse and mostly segregated, with …

Analyzing Transportation Services For Older Adults In Southeastern Wisconsin, Elizabeth Jean Saunderson

Theses and Dissertations

Older adults are important users to consider in the evaluation of transportation services. Many older non-drivers take fewer trips than their driving peers. It is important that transportation services meet the needs of older adults to provide greater access to this subset of the population. This thesis applies the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to evaluate the thirty-one non-private transportation services that exist in southeastern Wisconsin. The AHP structure uses multiple criteria to evaluate and rank several alternatives based on a stated goal. An optimization model using the LINGO solver introduces a fuzzy scale level to the AHP and assigns weights …

An Integrated Environmental Analysis Framework For Multi-Functional Urban Food Production Utilizing Nutrient Recycling From Organic Waste Streams, William Kort

Theses and Dissertations

Increasing enthusiasm for local food, including urban agriculture, has piqued research interest in the tenets underlying perceived benefits of localizing food production. This study develops and demonstrates the application of a comprehensive framework for the life cycle environmental assessment of the utilization of urban organic wastes in urban agriculture, specifically fruit and vegetable production. Results indicate that this full “urban nutrient cycle” may have significant environmental benefits in terms of land area requirements, water use, wastewater generation, nutrient recovery, environmental contamination and green infrastructure potential, compared to more conventional methods of waste processing and food production. Urban intensive food production …

Freeway Removal In Milwaukee: Three Case Studies, Alex Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

A growing number of cities are choosing to remove parts of their urban freeway network to make room for alternative land uses. This study examines the history of two freeway spurs in Milwaukee—the Park East Freeway and Interstate 794—which were both targeted for demolition. Park East was demolished in 2002, but Interstate 794, which was considered for partial demolition on two separate occasions, was eventually rebuilt. This study asks what the cases of Park East and I-794 can tell us about the attributes of a successful freeway teardown project. This study traces the history of both freeways from the 1950s …

Get A Lot For Less: Evaulation Of The $1 Vacant Lot Pilot Program In Milwaukee's 15th Aldermanic District, Sierra Starner-Heffron

Theses and Dissertations

Between July, 2014 and July, 2015, the city piloted a program in which City-owned vacant lots could be sold for $1 to adjacent homeowners exclusively in the 15th Aldermanic District. The focus of this research was to determine the effectiveness of the $1 lot program in revitalizing the neighborhoods within that District. Using a visual assessment, this research observed the condition of 26 vacant lots sold approximately one year prior to the assessment and scored them based on a unique set of factors including the presence of a fence (a proxy for defensible space) the presence of gardens, whether any …

Latino Milwaukee: A Statistical Portrait, Marc V. Levine

Center for Economic Development Publications

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of Bike Sharing In Underserved Communities Within Milwaukee And The Twin Cities, James Hannig

Theses and Dissertations

Despite becoming increasingly more popular in cities across North America, many bikeshare systems have received criticism for not reaching minority and low-income populations. Several bikeshare operators have implemented measures to reach these populations including removing financial barriers, placing stations in underserved neighborhoods, and partnering with various community organizations. However, until recently, few have explored how people in these underserved areas perceive bike sharing.

Feedback was solicited from key community partners in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota to better understand how bike sharing is perceived in underserved communities and to determine whether other models could better address the transportation needs …

Public Transit And Access To Jobs In The Milwaukee Metropolitan Area, 2001-2004, Joel Rast

Center for Economic Development Publications

No abstract provided.

Creating Neighborhood In Postwar Buffalo, New York: Transformations Of The West Side, 1950-1980, Caitlin Boyle Moriarty

Theses and Dissertations

This project reconsiders post-World War II neighborhood change by examining how various groups in Buffalo, New York conceptualized, experienced and produced the West Side as a cultural and economic artifact between 1950 and 1980. This approach offers an alternative to conceptualizing neighborhoods as bounded, natural entities and it encourages narratives that complicate the prevailing metaphor of decline in rust belt cities by illuminating other components of postwar neighborhood change than population loss and economic disinvestment. This project uses neighborhood retail as a lens through which to examine how city planners, the West Side Business Men's Club, the Federation of Italian …

New Sheriff In (Down)Town?: Business Improvement Areas And The Regulation Of Public Spaces: A Case Study Of Seattle, Washington, Shannon R. Kelley

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) in Seattle, WA. While the literature on BIAs continues to grow, interestingly, very few studies have been performed on BIAs in west coast cities, as the mass preponderance of the BIA literature body within the United States has focused on east coast cities. Thus, the first purpose of this study is to provide a comparative analysis of Seattle BIAs. This analysis describes the formation, organizational structure, geographic size, budget size, and service programming of each BIA in Seattle. In addition, this thesis also briefly assesses the accountability, the democratic nature, and the potential …

Zipcode 53206: A Statistical Snapshot Of Inner City Distress In Milwaukee: 2000-2012, Marc V. Levine

Center for Economic Development Publications

No abstract provided.

Is Wisconsin Becoming A Low-Wage Economy?, Marc V. Levine

Center for Economic Development Publications

No abstract provided.