Geography Commons^™

Political Ecologies Of Storage For The 21st Century, Sayd Randle, Matthew Archer

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

New resource storage arrangements are proliferating rapidly both in terms of physical infrastructures-for the storage of things like "clean" energy, nuclear waste, carbon dioxide, fresh water, and data-and as part of a set of discursive moves that reinforce a vision of a near future world in which problems of climate change mitigation and adaptation in particular (but also issues like energy security, water security, industry growth, etc.) are solved through eco-modernist techno-fixes. This Symposium sketches the contours of a framework we term political ecologies of storage. In doing so, we treat storage as both a potent imaginary and a concrete …

A New City For A New Era: Xiong'an As Showcase Of China's Evolving Urban Ideology, Andrew Stokols

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Cities have long been expressions of political ideology in China and elsewhere. During China’s rapid urbanization over the past few decades, “new areas” became popular strategies to promote urban growth, following the success of Shenzhen, widely regarded as China’s first special economic zone. Today under Xi, Xiong’an New Area has become the latest “new area of national significance.” But unlike previous new areas in China, Xiong’an has become wedded to a distinct vision of the urban in Xi Jinping’s China, one in which the excesses of reform-era urbanization are controlled through new forms of affordable housing and finance, new ecological …

Singapore At 60: Home Truly Is An Idea That Never Stands Still, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

There are many new stories to embrace but also quiet distances between us that we must bridge.

In a National Day op-ed published in The Straits Times, SMU President Professor Lily Kong reflects on what ‘home’ means as Singapore marks its 60th year of independence — and how that meaning continues to evolve across generations. Prompted by a walk through a familiar playground now transformed, Prof Kong considers how Singapore’s changing physical and social landscape mirrors shifts in national identity. While progress and policy evolution signal a society in transition, she also notes the emergence of quieter divides – between …

No. 43: Migration, Food Insecurity And Angolan Migrants In Namibia, Lawrence N. Kazembe, Ndeyapo Nickanor, Godfrey Tawodzera

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

This study examines the food security challenges faced by Angolan migrants in Namibia, focusing on the interplay between migration, livelihoods, and food insecurity. Drawing on survey data from households in Northern towns and the capital city of Namibia, the research reveals high levels of food insecurity among Angolan migrants, characterized by limited dietary diversity and a reliance on coping strategies such as consuming less preferred foods and reducing meal portions. The findings highlight the marginalization of migrants, who primarily work in the informal sector with low incomes, exacerbating their vulnerability. The COVID-19 pandemic further worsened food insecurity by disrupting livelihoods …

Who Bears The Burden? An Assessment Of Vulnerability And Resilience To Consecutive Disasters In The Portland Metro Region, Idowu Ajibade, Jason Sauer, Matthew Walter, James M. Done, Ming Ge, Elliot Gall, Aswatha Raghunathasami, Paul C. Loikith, Chris Lower, Heejun Chang, Arun Pallathadka, E Mae Sowards

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Climate-related disasters threaten urban areas worldwide, yet gaps remain in understanding how multiple stressors interact to shape resilience. This study examines exposure, vulnerability, and resilience across three consecutive extreme events in the Portland metro area: the September 2020 wildfire-related air pollution, the February 2021 snowstorm, and the June 2021 heatwave. We used geographically weighted regression and Spearman rank correlation analysis to investigate relationships between hazard impacts, the social vulnerability index (SoVI), Baseline Resilience Indicators for Communities (BRIC), and proximity to community-based organizations (CBOs) in 416 census tracts. Our analysis reveals strong spatial correlations between wildfire-related air pollution, winter storm impacts, …

Balat, Maskara, At Wika: Karanasan Ng Isang Dayuhan Sa Pilipinas, Jc Gaillard

Dalumat: Multikultural at Multidisiplinaryong E-Journal sa Araling Filipino

Ang punang ito ay tungkol sa karanasan ng may-akda na dayuhan at kung bakit naging abnormal siya dahil marunong siyang mag-Filipino at Kapampangan sa bansang Pilipinas. Samakatwid, ang pinakatanong ng artikulong ito ay ano ba talaga ang pamantayan at normal sa relasyon ng Pilipinx at dayuhang puti pag dating sa wika? Sa karanasan ng may-akda, naging sentido kumon na normal ang mag-Ingles at abnormal ang mag-Filipino at mag-iba pang katutubong wika. Ganito kalalim ang internalisasyon at normalisasyon ng Ingles bilang wika ng Pilipinx sa harapan ng dayuhang puti sa Pilipinas. Kaya pag dating sa wika, kayumanggi ang balat pero puti …

Analysis Of The Development Potential And Strategy Of The Kauman Batik Village In Surakarta Using Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (Qspm) Approach, Fauzi Syani Prananto, Edi Kurniawan, Satya Budi Nugraha

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

The increasing development of other leading destinations in Surakarta City, there are many challenges that must be faced by Kauman Surakarta Batik Village. The activation of tourism potential that has not been fully managed optimally shows that the existence of the village is starting to be threatened. The purpose of this research is to identify tourism potential that needs to be developed and to analyze the development strategy of Kampung Batik Kauman Surakarta tourist attraction by looking at the potential it has. The method used in this research is quantitative with data collection techniques, namely observation, interviews and questionnaires. Data …

Flash Flood Modelling In The Brantas Hulu Sub-Watershed, Batu City, Indonesia, Listyo Yudha Irawan, Vischawafiq Azizah, Siti Nur Farihah, Luisa Fernanda Medina, Puspita Indra Wardhani, Nanda Regita Cahyaning Putri, Mellinia Regina Heni Prastiwi, Mohammad Rendra Magandhi Arizal

Jurnal Pendidikan Geografi: Kajian, Teori, dan Praktek dalam Bidang Pendidikan dan Ilmu Geografi

Flash floods are especially hazardous hydrological phenomena, noted for their abrupt occurrence and capacity to inflict severe damage on infrastructure, farmlands, and residential zones, often leading to substantial socio-economic upheaval and fatalities. A flash flood struck the Upper Brantas watershed on November 4, 2021, at 14:00, precipitated by intense rainfall over a short duration, leading to significant hydrological impacts. The event manifested at six critical points within Batu City, with Sambong Hamlet and Beru Hamlet experiencing severe inundation. The flash floods disrupted residential areas and severely affected agricultural lands through debris flows. Preliminary assessments indicated that approximately 35 houses were …

“Me Siento Como En Puerto Rico” : Puerto Rican Diaspora Communities’ Placemaking Through Urban Agri-Culture, Zuleima Esmeralda Vázquez-Carrillo

Theses - ALL

Puerto Ricans have a long history of migrating to the U.S., historically laboring as farmworkers, a result of colonial displacement and economic restructuring. Some Puerto Ricans who migrated to the U.S. engage in Urban Agriculture, helping them maintain ties to their cultural identity by growing Puerto Rican foods and creating gardening and farming spaces that resemble the Puerto Rican landscape. While critical food and UA scholars have vastly studied the connections between placemaking and food justice through the experiences of immigrants, the Puerto Rican diaspora has been largely overlooked. Drawing from interviews and landscape analysis from field visits in Puerto …

There Are No Good Landlords: Deconstructing Discourses Of The “Mom And Pop” Landlord In Syracuse, Ny, Natalie Mclaughlin

Theses - ALL

This thesis examines how landlords operating in Syracuse, NY’s high poverty neighborhoods use discourse to legitimize their class interests and reinforce their dominance in a postindustrial, neoliberalizing city. Drawing on interviews and participant observation with members of the Central New York Landlord Association, it explores how landlord narratives are shaped by, and help reproduce, the interconnected structures of urban neoliberalism, racial capitalism, and settler colonialism. While the City of Syracuse promotes redevelopment strategies to attract private capital and raise property values, many landlords continue to profit from long-term disinvestment and tenant confinement to the city’s poorest rental markets. Local landlord …

Living Heritage, Resilience And Ethically Informed Infrastructures In Malawi, Martha B. Lerski, Frank Puluputu Mwale

Publications and Research

Rooted in a rural community’s needs, this paper explores how historically, and ethically informed infrastructures can support community engagement towards identification, documentation, and dissemination of local, traditional, and indigenous knowledge relating to climate change. The paper examines climate adaptation and sustainability issues through the lenses of community organizing and Library & Information Science best practices. It draws on a growing body of literature identifying a role for expanded epistemological and subject discipline perspectives. While the impacts of climate on material culture are increasingly recognized, intangible, and biocultural heritage have not received as much attention. Living heritage traditions and knowledge systems …

Cultivating Post-Soviet Gardens: Seed Saving And The Household Plot In Rural Tajikistan, Katherine Macdonald

Dissertations - ALL

Over the last five years, local NGOs across Tajikistan have established community-based seed banks to support households cultivating agrobiodiverse kitchen gardens. While social movements to preserve local crop varieties are well-documented in other rural contexts, they are new to Central Asia and had gone without study. This dissertation brings together insights from political ecology, feminist political economy, and critical agrarian studies to explore how and why this effort emerged and what rural women’s participation in it signals about life-making in Tajikistan’s post-Soviet countryside. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork and document analysis, I argue that community-based seed banks are a response to …

Agricultural Extension In An Urban Informal Settlement During Covid-19: The Effectiveness Of The “Tanimang Bayan” Initiative In Sitio San Roque, North Triangle, Quezon City, Patrice Bianca R. Yapjoco

CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep inequalities in food access, particularly in urban informal settlements. This study examines the effectiveness of the “Tanimang Bayan” initiative, an urban agriculture project implemented in Sitio San Roque, Quezon City, as a form of agricultural extension during the pandemic. The research adopts a qualitative approach, drawing on data from key informant interviews, participant observation, and secondary sources. Findings indicate that the initiative provided a localized response to food insecurity by enhancing access to fresh produce and promoting community-led production. It also supported collective action and self-organization among residents, strengthening their autonomy in navigating structural limitations. …

Geo-Historical Analysis Of Earthquakes In Palestine: Spatial Distribution And Risk Exploration To Enhance Contribution To Decision-Making, Yacoub Al-Qasasfeh

Journal of the Arab American University مجلة الجامعة العربية الامريكية للبحوث

This study examines the historical evolution of earthquakes in Palestine from 760 BCE to 2023 CE. The aim is to comprehend and provide insights for decision-makers regarding the seismic nature of the region. The study traces the movement of tectonic plates across various geological eras, analyzing the resulting changes in the geology of Palestine and their role in shaping its current morphology. Using a descriptive, historical, and analytical approach, the study relies on relevant reports and studies. The seismic movements, including medium, strong, and violent earthquakes, were tracked over an extended period. The study calculated the periodic average for each …

Urban Sprawl On Agricultural Lands In Marj Ibn Amer Plain (1973-2022) - Palestine (Using Modern Geographical Techniques), Mustafa Jarrar

Journal of the Arab American University مجلة الجامعة العربية الامريكية للبحوث

This study aims at the spatial analysis of urban expansion in the plain of Marj Ibn Amer at the expense of agricultural lands in the period between 1973 to 2022, using geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing RS, Depending on the Landsat satellite image, which were processed, improved, classified and analyzed, and then quantitative calculations were made for urban expansion , It has been shown by the results obtained that the volume of urban sprawl on agricultural lands in the Marj Ibn Amer plain has evolved from 53.59 km2 in 1973 to 164.22 km2 in 2022 , and the …

Mapping Responsible Workflows For Geospatial Data Science: Developing The I-Guide Data Ethics Toolkit, Peter T. Darch, Kyra M. Abrams, Ivan Y M Kong

I-GUIDE Forum

AI workflows in geospatial data science offer significant societal benefits but raise ethical, transparency, and reproducibility challenges. Current ethical frameworks and tools are often hard to integrate into daily research practice. This paper introduces the I-GUIDE Data Ethics Toolkit (DET), a lightweight suite designed for users of the NSF-funded Institute for Geospatial Understanding through an Integrative Discovery Environment (I-GUIDE). Based on a longitudinal mixed-methods study, including surveys, interviews, and observations, we identified five design priorities: usability, anticipatory planning, distributed responsibility, comprehensive coverage, and policy compliance. We integrated existing AI and data research lifecycles into an eight-stage I-GUIDE Research Lifecycle, serving …

Evaluating The Evaluation Matrices: Integrating Spatial Assessment In Geospatial Ai Model Training And Evaluation, Fangzheng Lyu

I-GUIDE Forum

This paper examines the limitations of current evaluation metrics in GeoAI. Through two case studies on deep learning models—a building detection classification problem and a remote sensing image fusion regression problem—this paper demonstrates how traditional statistical evaluation matrices alone can be misleading in geospatial problems. The findings indicate that traditional metrics (e.g., RMSE, MAE) used in current GeoAI models can have difficulty capturing the spatial dimensions inherent to geospatial problems. This paper suggests that the model evaluation process in GeoAI should move beyond traditional evaluation matrices by integrating spatial thinking throughout the modeling pipeline—not only incorporating spatial accuracy in model …

Expanding Access To Cybergis-Compute Through Support For Heterogeneous Workflows, Alexander C. Michels, Ian Zhang, Anand Padmanabhan, John Speaks, Rebecca Vandewalle, Shaowen Wang

I-GUIDE Forum

CyberGIS-Compute is a geospatial middleware tool designed to lower technical barriers to High-Performance Computing (HPC) resources. It provides end-users with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for submitting models to HPC and allows model developers to contribute their workflows by adding a manifest to their repositories. However, the simplification of the user interface and streamlining of model contribution have unintentionally limited the scope of models that could be run on CyberGIS-Compute. In this paper, we discuss recent developments to the CyberGIS-Compute project that are aimed at supporting a wider variety of workflows including performance enhancements, supporting additional configuration options for jobs, …

Assessing Vulnerabilities Associated With High-Risk Dams In Utah, Courtney Flint Dr., Michael Englert, Upmanu Lall Dr.

I-GUIDE Forum

Across the United States, the age of dam infrastructure presents a substantial threat. The potential for structural failure associated with these aging dams is exacerbated by increased climate uncertainty and the threat of dam overtopping due to extreme and prolonged precipitation events. These compound threats place downstream areas at pronounced risk. These downstream areas vary widely. Some are relatively free of vulnerable elements, while others have a complex mix of infrastructure, populations, and ecologically important elements. This paper highlights the risk situation associated with aging dams and hydroclimatic extremes, the methodological and geospatial challenges and opportunities associated with mapping the …

Elemental Analysis Of Sediments In Johnson County, Kansas: Applications In Fluvial Suspended Sediment Tracing, Kiena Campbell

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

This exploratory study investigates whether bulk elemental analysis of sediment samples using inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) can reveal chemical signatures that identify anthropogenic contributions to sedimentation and increased fluvial suspended sediment loads, and whether these contribution sources can be identified. Human activity, urbanization, and changes in land use increase erosion, resulting in higher-than-natural suspended sediments (SS) in waterways and increasing sedimentation in reservoirs across the state of Kansas. These threats to freshwater storage capacity are especially urgent given the projected rise in freshwater demand in the Great Plains region driven by climate change. Understanding the origin of anthropogenic SS …

Analyzing Human - Nonhuman Primate Conflict Mitigation Techniques In Mto Wa Mbu, Northern Tanzania, Lil Adams

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

Human-wildlife conflict is a widespread challenge faced by those living in regular contact with wildlife that can have profound impacts on livelihood outcomes for humans, wildlife, and their shared environment (Barua et al., 2013; Blackie, 2023). Human – non-human primate conflict is particularly crucial due to primates’ high capacity to live among human populations (Chapman & Chapman, 1990; Alberts & Altmann, 2006; Reader et al., 2011; Sinha & Vijayakrishnan, 2017), and is currently on the rise due to increasing contact between human and non-human primates (Hockings, 2016; Uddin et al., 2020). To characterize and analyze techniques currently being used to …

A Spatial Analysis Of Residential Photovoltaic Adoption In New Jersey: Focusing On 2020 With Trends Through 2025, Brandon Mcalister

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

This capstone project seeks to find the relationship between socioeconomic and demographic variables and their relationship to residential photovoltaic installations across New Jersey. The study consists of Geographic Weighted Regression Analyses to construct and socioeconomic index indicating the likelihood of photovoltaic adoption in New Jersey zip codes. Then using the index to predict future photovoltaic adoption across the state. The study found that socioeconomic and demographic variables can predict photovoltaic adoption within one year, but when placed in an index and used to predict future adoption trends, the model under predicts and extremely over predicts. While socioeconomic status is a …

Political Ecologies Of The Livestock Industry, Jecca Bowen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the United States today, livestock production is dominated by an intensified, industrialized production paradigm whose growth in recent decades has utterly transformed the logistical realities and community impacts of animal agriculture. This dissertation investigates the effects of this production paradigm on livestock producers—whose decision-making is shaped by multi-scalar and often contradictory forces—as well as residents living near these large operations. To do so, I draw upon mixed-methods fieldwork, including in-depth interviews, spatial analysis, and field odor measurements in Weld and Morgan Counties in northern Colorado. I also use political ecologies of emotion, embodiment, and health to examine the complex …

Utilizing Spatial Criteria To High-Grade Wyoming Eor Opportunities Along Proposed Pipeline Corridors: A Value Driven Approach, Jack Borski

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

Oil and gas development has played a critical role in human civilization, and continues to bring drive economies around the world. One such economy is the state of Wyoming that has seen oil and gas production generally decline of the last several decades due to the depletion of high volume conventional reservoirs. A proven secondary technique such as CO2 enhanced oil recovery (EOR) may serve as a method to arrest declining production, and increase economic activity. Wyoming has recognized this opportunity, and has attempted decrease the barriers of entry for oil and gas operators to invest in field-level CO2 EOR …

Object-Based Image Analysis And Artificial Intelligence Identification Of Anthropogenic Disturbance On Lesser Prairie Chicken Habitat In Cheyenne County, Colorado, Tara Hoelzer

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

Renewable energy projects often require extensive landcover for their operations. When one of these projects encroaches into territory of threatened species, such as Lesser Prairie Chickens, an analysis of habitat suitability and human disturbance is required to proceed. Traditionally, this involved manually reviewing aerial imagery within a 6-mile radius, digitizing features, and interpreting them using a human technician—an approach that was time-consuming and prone to human error. By using pretrained AI models within Model Builder™, the identification of roads and structures was automated, making the process faster and more consistent than manual visual analysis. As AI and technology continue to …

Pilgrimage, Trade And Empire: A Gis Investigation Of Pre-Hispanic Roads In The Ocoña And Chorunga Valleys Of Peru, Geri Evilla

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research examines Inca imperial expansion into the Ocoña and Chorunga Valleys, through an investigation of precolonial roads and trails. It focuses on the Middle to Late Horizons (700 BCE-1534 CE), with specific attention to the last 100 years, when the region was occupied by the Inca state and experienced a rapid increase in population and architectural development. Data collected in excavations, and pedestrian, and drone surveys were used in geographic information systems, to map pre-Hispanic road systems. A combination of Least Cost Path and viewshed analyses were used to investigate land use patterns and tie this region into the …

Toward Sustainable Human Well-Being: A Multidimensional Assessment In Colorado, Uma Umut Baysal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Evaluating progress in human well-being is essential for guiding effective policy and promoting sustainable development. Traditional approaches often emphasize economic and social dimensions while overlooking ecological indicators critical to long-term sustainability. This research addresses that gap by proposing a layered, scalable local framework for county-level analysis and bottom-up decision-making, integrating multiple objective indicators to assess and compare well-being outcomes across regions.

The first goal of this dissertation is to measure human well-being in Colorado counties by developing a Human Well-Being Index (HWBI). This index combines a newly developed Built Environment Index (BEI) comprising five sub-indices: accessibility, housing affordability, transportation, …

Hollow Choices: The Choice Neighborhood Initiative (Cni) And The Performance Of Participation, Lena Kufferman

Geography Undergraduate Senior Theses

Since HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros' pledge in 1995 to “end public housing as we know it, ” the United States has seen the rapid depletion of public housing stock. Alongside this mass demolition, a new redevelopment paradigm emerged: a community-oriented planning model that requires resident participation. HUD’ s shift toward participatory planning began with HOPE VI in 1992, which sought private investment to demolish public housing, and was formalized in 2010 through the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative (CNI). This thesis examines a CNI planning phase—a stage overlooked in existing scholarship, which largely stresses post-occupancy outcomes like displacement, (im)mobility, socioeconomic integration, and …

Legal Geographies Of Mapuche-Williche Ancestral Waters: Real Estate Development And Contested Jurisdiction In Riparian Areas, Adamari Benavidez

Geography Undergraduate Senior Theses

In the Wallmapu (ancestral Mapuche territory) of southern Chile, river and lakefront real estate development is often promoted by state institutions and developers as conservation or eco-tourism. However, these inmobiliaria projects are part of a longer trajectory of settler colonial jurisdiction, historically materialized through the dispossession of Mapuche-Williche territory. In the Maihue–Ranco subwatershed, this encroaching development are sparking increasing conflict with Mapuche-Williche lof (community), as developers and residents engage in extralegal practices—diverting waterways, denying access to lakefronts, surveilling mobility—that are fundamentally incompatible with Mapuche territorial order (Azmapu).

In this thesis I ask: (i) What spatial and legal strategies …

The Idea Of Ethiopia: Heritage Tourism In The Land Of Origins, Hosaena T. Tilahun

Geography Undergraduate Senior Theses

Hosaena Tilahun's "The Idea of Ethiopia" explores how heritage tourism in Addis Ababa cultivates Ethiopian patriotism and exceptionalism. Through an in-depth, close reading of the National Museum of Ethiopia, Unity Park, and the Oromo Cultural Center, supplemented by observations at the Red Terror Memorial Museum and Dergue Prison, Tilahun examines how heritage sites shape the political memory of national resistance, revolution, and Black internationalist thought. Tilahun discovers omissions of Menelik II's role in the Red Sea Slave network, encountering museum and archival silences about the internal conquest of peoples peripheral to the northern Abyssinian empire. As these heritage site renovations …