Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Public History Is Now, Sarah E. Dougher

Amplify: A Journal of Writing-as-Activism

A walking tour of downtown Portland in August 2021 raises questions for the writer about the purpose of “memory activism,” its relation to writing-as-activism. Drawing on critiques of urbanist Jane Jacobs and interrogating the concept of “reckoning,” the essay explores ways in which the streetscape and people there can deliver meaning and pose questions about systemic racism and unsheltered existence.

Oregon's Senate Joint Resolution 12: Understanding The Implications Of A Constitutional Right To Healthcare, Anna Starr, Mpp

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

Problems persist throughout the U.S. healthcare system including exorbitant costs, poor health scores, high rates of uninsured, and lack of access to services among marginalized groups. Among many proposed solutions is a constitutional provision to healthcare. Largely based in ethics, healthcare as a right is also expected by many to improve health outcomes. However, while constitutional provisions for healthcare are found in countries around the world, empirical research results are limited and mixed at best. In the wake of social justice movements and resurgence of vibrant conversations about human rights, and with international pressure mounting for the U.S. to follow …

Peak-Load Pricing In Portland: Theory, Application, And Recommendations For Central Business District Pricing Policy, Camille N. Mikkelsen

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

In order to make good microeconomic policy in the public sector, non-rivalrous goods and joint costs need to be addressed. One field where non-rivalrous goods and joint costs are important to consider is in the economics of peak-load pricing and transportation policy. This concept is often applied to electrical utilities, but not often applied as a way to relieve the burden of downtown traffic congestion during peak traffic times or to increase city revenues. This paper discusses the theory of peak-load pricing as it applies to “central business districts” (CBDs). It demonstrates successful and unsuccessful examples of peak-flow …

Economic Primer & Policy Analysis: Rent Control Policies & Oregon Sb-608, Gabrielle A. Brown

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

Rent control policies are controversial. They create significant winners and losers and raise serious questions about the prioritization of certain segments of society with others and economic concerns with moral ones. With such dynamics, it is a given that there are no easy answers, at least not to those not given to ideological posturing. The fact is that housing is both an economic system and a human one, with very real ramifications for those involved, which just happens to be everyone.

In 2019, the State of Oregon passed SB-608, a bill intended to address two primary concerns: rental cost growth …

Has Portland Been Demolishing Its Green Spaces? A Remote Sensing Analysis Of Portland's Urban Vegetation, Robby Gottesman, Eric Shierman

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

The magnitude of the Urban Heat Island effect (UHI) in Portland, Oregon is determined from June 1984 to September 2017, and used as a proxy for urban development. This analysis demonstrates that the magnitude of Portland's UHI has remained largely unchanged over this period, implying no significant decline in its urban vegetation. This is supported by analysis of the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) of the Portland Metro area, which has also remained largely unchanged over the period studied. An estimate of the total area of vegetation detectable via satellite in the Portland Metro is also determined and found to have …

The Hidden Killer: Towards Regulating Railyard Diesel Particulate Matter Emissions In Oregon, Kevin Downing, Robert Mccullough, Eric Shierman

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

Diesel engines are the predominant choice when moving freight, particularly for the railroad industry. Compared to gasoline engines, diesel emits relatively few of the toxic compounds generally associated with internal combustion. However, diesel engines produce a disproportionate quantity of particulate aerosols. Airborne pollutants from locomotives and freight transferring equipment in railyards significantly impact the air quality of surrounding neighborhoods. We summarize the health impacts of diesel particulates emitted from railyards in Oregon. Using the most conservative range of the EPA's assessment, we calculate a Pigouvian Tax for the railroad companies to pay, totaling $624.24 per μg/m3 for each person in …

Symposium On Homelessness, Jan Roberson, Taylor Campi, Alexandre Pomar, Molly Harvis, Matthew Ulsh, Julia Taylor, Amanda Rapinchuk, Aaron Kaufman

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

On May 19, 2017, the Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs cohosted a symposium to address the pervasive issue of homelessness as it pertained to the city of Portland, Oregon and its greater metropolitan area. Included are the papers presented at the symposium.

Communities Of Concentrated Poverty: A Proposal For Oregon, Sara A. Chopp

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

This paper is a proposal for how to address poverty in Oregon based on information gathered from interviewing experts in the field and reviewing literature produced by scholars and organizations that address issues related to poverty. The following outlines how we can best address communities of concentrated poverty in Oregon by (1) Addressing communities of concentrated poverty as well as individuals in poverty; (2) Designing efforts that focus on race, equity and social mobility; (3) Defining communities of concentrated poverty using a multidimensional definition based on the dimensions of poverty outlined in The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s 2016 …

Policy Analysis: Minimum Wage In The Portland Metropolitan Area, Aaron Kaufman

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

Oregon’s current minimum wage of $9.25 per hour is unsustainable as it does not provide adequate nutritional resources or housing for full time employees. Additionally, employers of minimum wage workers often rely on social safety net benefits for their workers which effectively subsidize wages. This creates an unnecessary burden on the taxpayer. Oregon Senate Bill 1532 increases the minimum wage incrementally within Portland’s Metropolitan Area to $14.75 in 2022. This wage provides full time minimum wage workers enough income for adequate nutrition and reasonable housing while reducing reliance on social safety net programs.