Infrastructure Commons^™

Nevada’S Housing Policy Landscape: Data, Analysis, And Policy Solutions, Brookings Mountain West, Lied Center For Real Estate

Brookings Mountain West Special Events

From rising rents to high interest rates to limited supply, housing policy is a central issue in the 2024 elections. Brookings Mountain West, in partnership with UNLV’s Lied Center for Real Estate, hosted a community forum examining the local, state, and federal impacts of Nevada’s housing challenges. New research presented at the forum offer insights into the demographic and economic dynamics of individuals and families navigating Nevada's turbulent housing market, assess trends in home ownership, and evaluate barriers preventing Nevadans from accessing the housing market.

State Transportation Policy & Funding In The Mountain West, 2023, Zachary Billot, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Transportation & Infrastructure

This fact sheet analyzes transportation policy, planning, and investment data as detailed in the report “Getting Transportation Right: Ranking the States in Light of New Federal Funding” by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Five Mountain West States: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah are included in this fact sheet, with data reported as of February 2023.

An Extremely Important Document: Khea's Struggle For A Contract, 1974-1978, John L.S. Daley Dr

KNEA 50th Anniversary

In 1973, the Kansas State College, Pittsburg administration fired thirteen faculty members without cause. In order to improve administration-faculty relations, remaining faculty organized, petitioned for recognition, and drafted PSU/KNEA's first contract with PSU/KBOR, which went into effect five years later. The narrative covering this period draws on Axe Library's KNEA Collection and interviews of former faculty.

Governing Structures For Successful Regional Transit Coordination And Their Formation, Charles Rivasplata, Richard Lee, Michelle Derobertis, Christopher Ferrell

Mineta Transportation Institute

The expansion of metropolitan areas in California has further prompted the need to improve transportation options for all, more effectively linking origins and destinations through key enhancements to the existing network of transit services. This study provides planners and policymakers examples of effective regional transit coordination agencies. To improve multimodal connections and enhance transit services at the local and regional levels, this study explores regional coordination, focusing on entities charged with coordinating multiple transit agencies in a single metropolitan area. The study identified 16 regional transit coordinators (RTCs), identifying the structure, scope, and management of each. The results revealed that …

Battery Electric Vehicles: Travel Characteristics Of Early Adopters, Yunwen Feng, Jean-Daniel Saphores, Hilary Nixon, Monica Ramirez Ibarra

Mineta Transportation Institute

Do U.S. households with battery electric vehicles (BEVs) drive less or more than U.S. households with internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs)? Answering this question is important to policymakers and transportation planners concerned with reducing vehicle miles traveled and the emissions of greenhouse gases from transportation. So far, this question has not been answered satisfactorily, possibly because of the relatively low number of EVs in the U.S. until recently, but also because of methodological issues. In this paper, we aim to fill this gap by analyzing data from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). We apply propensity score matching (PSM), …

The Sacred Dimensions Of The Bri's Infrastructural Commons, Orlando Woods, David A. Palmer

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Whilst the idea of infrastructure has animated scholarship for the past twenty years at least, there remains a need for more expansive understandings of what infrastructure is, and what it can be. The speed, scale and material disruptiveness with which many of the infrastructural megaprojects that constitute China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have been developed both underpin and validate this need. Whilst the effects of the BRI are both manifold and diffuse, all of them expose situations of infrastructural complexity. Rather than considering the BRI simply as the imposition of new material infrastructures on a landscape, we posit the …

Moving Towards The Electrification Of Medium- And Heavy-Duty Vehicles In The Inland Empire, Kimberly Collins, Raffi Der Wartanian, Francisca Beer, Yunfei Hou

Mineta Transportation Institute

This report investigates the transition to zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MDHD) within California’s Inland Empire (IE), emphasizing the significance of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and opportunity charging strategies in facilitating sustainable transportation. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach that combines a systematic literature review, geospatial and big data analytics, and thematic analysis of expert interviews, the study explores the multifaceted challenges and opportunities of electrification. The literature review assesses policies at various governance levels, while geospatial analysis identifies regional traffic patterns and infrastructure needs. Big data analytics examine vehicle movements, complemented by insights from interviews with 16 regional experts, offering a …

American Rescue Plan Act (Arpa) Local Government Investments In Nevada, Sean Curry, Madison Dwyer, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet examines data from the Brooking Institution’s Local Government ARPA Investment Tracker, an online database that tracks the spending of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund dollars at the local government level. This fact sheet examines ARPA spending data from six Nevadan cities and counties: Washoe, NV; City of North Las Vegas, NV; City of Las Vegas, NV; City of Reno NV; City of Henderson, NV; and Clark County, NV.

A Cross-Country Analysis Of China’S Belt And Road Initiative, Leah Shoff

International Studies (MA) Theses

China established The Belt and Road Initiative in 2013 to unite the global economy as well as bolter their own political and economic interests. Though the initiative is relatively new, it is important to understand how the Belt and Road Initiative could impact the global economy. This program is open to any country in the world that seeks to improve its infrastructure. However, critics of China’s proposal have questioned whether countries participating in the program gain economically. Through evaluating the relationship between GDP, time, and other significant data provided by the IMF, a cross-country comparison between Pakistan and the Philippines …

Praying To Tiktok, Seeking The Self: How Rhetoric Reveals And Conceals The World’S Most Powerful Guru Of The Postindustrial Age, Samantha L. Gillespie-Hoffman

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Imagine a world where the most powerful leader is a wellness guru that runs an elaborate church with millions of followers. The guru is so powerful that everyone believes they can read minds and make ordinary people rich and famous. The guru controls forms of communication, media channels, consumer tastes, and what people eat, drink, say, and even think. What if this guru was not human but actually an algorithm? Does this sound like the plot of a science fiction novel? I argue that this scenario is closer to reality than most will admit. In this project, readers encounter a …

Time-To-Failure Prediction Of Fine-Grained Soil Slopes Subject To Weather-Driven Deterioration, Arm M. Morsy

Mineta Transportation Institute

Embankments have been widely used in the construction of transportation and flood defense infrastructure. Embankments constructed from clays experience a suite of weather-driven deterioration processes that lead to a progressive loss of hydromechanical performance, causing potentially severe and costly consequences. This study aimed to predict the time to failure of aging, deteriorating clay embankments supporting transportation infrastructure. A multi-phase numerical modeling approach was developed to replicate the long-term, weather-driven, hydromechanical behavior of clay embankments. This model simulated the behavior of a number of well-documented embankment failure case studies that had sufficient data to derive the necessary soil properties and climate …

Ten Years Forward: An Evaluation Of California’S Active Transportation Program, Bruce Appleyard, Mario Carbajal, Madison Swayne, Nell Ahangarfabrik, Megan Honey

Mineta Transportation Institute

California’s Active Transportation Program (ATP) is a competitive, grant-based program that serves as a major funding stream for active transportation infrastructure in California. The program has six goals based on increasing nonmotorized transportation, safety, equity, sustainability, and health. Evaluation of the ATP’s administrative and scoring processes is crucial to ensure goals are met as equitably and efficiently as possible. Additionally, establishing a methodology for evaluating the safety impacts of active transportation projects is critically important. Through a series of interviews and an extensive review of the documents and rubrics of the program, this report discusses how the Active Transportation Program …

Forecasting Commercial Vehicle Miles Traveled (Vmt) In Urban California Areas, Steve Chung, Jaymin Kwon, Yushin Ahn

Mineta Transportation Institute

This study investigates commercial truck vehicle miles traveled (VMT) across six diverse California counties from 2000 to 2020. The counties—Imperial, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and San Francisco—represent a broad spectrum of California’s demographics, economies, and landscapes. Using a rich dataset spanning demographics, economics, and pollution variables, we aim to understand the factors influencing commercial VMT. We first visually represent the geographic distribution of the counties, highlighting their unique characteristics. Linear regression models, particularly the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and elastic net regressions are employed to identify key predictors of total commercial VMT. LASSO regression …

Battery Management System Development For Electric Vehicles And Fast Charging Infrastructure Improvement, Yu Yang, Hen-Geul Yeh, Cesar Ortiz

Mineta Transportation Institute

The electric vehicle (EV) has become increasingly popular due to its being zero-emission. However, a significant challenge faced by EV drivers is the range anxiety associated with battery usage. Addressing this concern, this project develops a more efficient battery management system (BMS) for electric vehicles based on a real-time, state-of-charge (SOC) estimation. The proposed study delivers three modules: (1) a new equivalent circuit model (ECM) for lithium-ion batteries, (2) a new SOC estimator based on the moving horizon method, and (3) an on-board FPGA implementation of the classical Coulomb counting method for SOC estimation. The research team extends the traditional …

The New China Model: Combating Economic And Political Order, Jack R. Swords

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Contemporary world politics centers around the actions of the two largest powers on Earth, the United States and China. They are both each other’s greatest adversary yet at the same time are each other’s largest trading partners. This thesis explores the nature of China’s economic climate that has seen it grow to one of the world’s foremost powers. However, the East Asian Nation faces economic challenges centered around the three D’s: Debt, Deflation, and Demographics. This thesis analyses what the nature of these challenges are and how China is responding to them within the ever-advancing world of economic and political …

Risk Of Climate Damage In The Mountain West, 2024, Taylor Volk, Isabelle G. Graham, Ivan Sun, Zachary Billot, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

This fact sheet examines 2024 data on the estimated annual cost per person of damage to infrastructure, agriculture, and population from climate related disasters for the five Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The original report, “States at Greatest Risk of Climate Damage - 2024 Study,” by Jaclyn DeJohn and published by SmartAsset, includes data on climate disaster risk for all 50 states.

Wasted Space: Using Parking Lots & Vacant Land To Improve Neighborhood Completeness, Ryan Martyn

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

This study conducts a spatial analysis of Portland, Oregon, focusing on leveraging underutilized areas like parking lots and vacant land—termed "wasted space"—to improve the city's completeness. Central to this investigation is the concept of a "complete neighborhood," characterized by access to daily necessities within convenient active transportation trip. This comprehensive idea encompasses walkability, equitable access to services, and sustainability.

This paper aims to redefine the concept of a complete neighborhood with precision and delve into its implications. The research looks at five regional, town, and neighborhood centers as defined by the city of Portland. These centers act as pivotal hubs …

Examining Transit Service Improvements With Internet-Of-Things (Iot): A Disparity Analysis, Shailesh Chandra, Robert Valencia, Vamsi Krishna Oruganti

Mineta Transportation Institute

Literature shows that poor service reliability of transit often leads to uncertain waiting times at transit stations, diminishing their popularity and usage, and this particularly affects low-income populations more likely to rely heavily on transit. This research delves into an in-depth analysis of the inequality assessment of the Los Angeles (LA) Metro Rail lines, with a particular focus on evaluating the potential impacts of integrating Internet of Things (IoT) technology. This study investigates how IoT could influence service connectivity, accessibility, and the existing disparities in transit services. The primary goal of this study is to assess how the implementation of …

Crafting Community Solar Programs To Alleviate Energy Burdens And Empower Communities In Virginia, Elizabeth Anne Sekelsky

Master's Projects and Capstones

Low to moderate-income (LMI) groups usually suffer from high energy burdens and community solar is a renewable energy strategy that can save LMI groups on their monthly electricity bills. This research explores the intersection of renewable energy and energy justice, specifically the potential for community solar, energy efficiency, and home weatherization to alleviate Virginia's energy burdens. Included is an analysis of incentives, programs, and Greenhouse gas emission goals for the state, investigations on how low-income groups are receiving aid and what is available to them from programs and utilities, suitable sites for solar based on groups in need, and comparisons …

Does California High-Speed Rail Promote Accessibility For Station Cities?: Case Study Of Fresno And Merced, Chih-Hao Wang, Na Chen

Mineta Transportation Institute

California High-Speed Rail (CHSR) will largely change transportation cost across the state after it starts operating. Past studies show that only Fresno and Merced among station cities in the Central Valley would attract more future activities with the CHSR. The establishment of active CHSR also implies a new daily living sphere for all the station cities, and, therefore, accessibility to work and residential amenities should be reviewed to inform planners of future land-use and transportation developments. A research framework has been developed better to understand the impact of CHSR on job and amenity accessibility by driving, transit, and walking in …

Smart Cities And How They Affect Those With Disabilities, Kassie Dover

Honors Theses

This study investigates how to further improve the lives of people with Autism and Cerebral Palsy when it comes to the development of Smart Cities. This is an effort to provide a glimpse into the perspective of those with these disabilities when it comes to technological advancement. The focus of this study was Chattanooga,Tennessee and Los Angeles, California. These two cities are respectively on the East and West side of the country. Thus, there is of course a difference when how these two cities function. This was done through research under the guise of a question and answer methodology. The …

Big Infrastructure And/As Flexibility: The Sites Reservoir Story, Sarah Priscilla Randle, David Linville

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

If constructed as planned, the Sites Reservoir Project will add roughly 1.85 billion m3 (1.5 million acre-feet) of storage capacity to California's water system. Per project proponents, however, the reservoir complex should be understood as infrastructure that would not only increase available water supply but also provide the state's water network with an infusion of a vital systemic quality: flexibility. This article considers such discourses of flexibility through a case study of the Sites project, grounded in analysis of planning documents, government, think tank, and NGO reports, and media coverage from outlets across California. The resulting account shows how the …

What Do Americans Think About Federal Tax Options To Support Transportation? Results From Year Fifteen Of A National Survey, Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Hilary Nixon

Mineta Transportation Institute

This report summarizes the results from the fifteenth year of a national public opinion survey asking U.S. adults questions related to their views on federal transportation taxes. A nationally representative sample of 2,522 respondents completed the online survey from February 7 to March 12, 2024. The questions test public opinions about raising the federal gas tax rate, replacing the federal gas tax with a new mileage fee, and imposing a mileage fee just on commercial travel. In addition to asking directly about support for these tax options, the survey collected data on respondents’ views on the quality of their local …

Impervious Surfaces From High Resolution Aerial Imagery: Cities In Fresno County, Yushin Ahn, Richard Poythress

Mineta Transportation Institute

This study investigates impervious surfaces — areas covered by materials with restricted water permeability, such as pavement, sidewalks, and parking lots—due to their crucial role in influencing water dynamics within urban landscapes. The impermeability of these surfaces disrupts natural water absorption processes, resulting in adverse environmental consequences such as increased flooding, erosion, and water pollution. The research employs impervious surface analysis, a method involving the mapping and analysis of these surfaces within specified study areas, including cities, counties, and census tracts. Remote sensing techniques, specifically satellites and aerial imagery, are commonly utilized for the identification and classification of impervious surfaces. …

Navigating The Threat Posed By The Chinese Communist Party, Adam Opp

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

For decades, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the economic growth of China has become a threat to the United States. Beginning in 1978, the CCP issued a series of economic, market-oriented reforms which led to a period of economic growth and productivity increase in China. The CCP turned to diplomacy with the United States and other nations to increase foreign investment and implemented the Belt and Road initiative. The impressive scale of Chinese economic growth poses an economic and hegemonic threat to the United States, as China’s economy is projected to outpace the United States and the CCP has …

Family Medicine’S Role In Addressing The Intersections Of Redlining And Climate Change, Daryl O. Traylor, Eboni E. Anderson, Brianna Clark, Alex M. Smith, Cooper K. Allenbrand

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

Redlining, the practice of discriminating against specific neighborhoods based on race and socioeconomic status, leads to persistent environmental hazards and socioeconomic inequalities that have lasting adverse health effects on their populations. Health disparities are further exacerbated through the concentration of environmental hazards, as well as the escalating impact of climate change, which poses an increased risk of respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease, mental health issues, heat-related illness, infectious diseases, food insecurity, and socioeconomic difficulties in redline neighborhoods.

This paper examines the interplay of redlining, climate change, and health disparities, with an emphasis on the enduring consequences for these marginalized communities. Through …

10 Meters To Disaster: The Challenges Of Premature Application Of Circular Economy Strategies In Jakarta’S Waste Management Structure, Almira Bowo

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Jakarta's complex issue of waste management encompasses a multitude of challenges that include inefficiencies in infrastructure, a lack of public awareness of the consequences of an inadequate waste system, socioeconomic disparities, and a deficiency in intersectoral collaboration. The urgency for holistic and sustainable solutions that prioritize proactive waste collection is underscored by the complexities of these dynamics. This field study paper argues that the attention that is being drawn towards trending waste management innovations, which are reactive strategies, could bring the waste crisis in Jakarta to an even more critical state. The sections will critically examine current waste management efforts …

Identidad Bajo Amenaza En Chinchero, Perú: El Megaproyecto Del Aeropuerto Internacional Plantea La Cuestión: ¿Cuál Es Más Importante Para El Estado Peruano—El Turismo O El Patrimonio?, Celeste Funari Muse

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El megaproyecto del Aeropuerto Internacional de Chinchero inicialmente fue propuesto hace 46 años, así que ha sido un símbolo del futuro del distrito durante casi cinco décadas. Ubicado a sólo una hora de distancia de la ciudad de Cusco, el pueblo de Chinchero es conocido por su hermoso paisaje, tradición e impresionantes ruinas incas. De todo el mundo, los turistas desembarcan en el aeropuerto de Cusco y pasan por Chinchero de camino al valle sagrado y Machu Picchu. Desde el inicio de la construcción en 2017, el sitio del nuevo aeropuerto es visible desde casi cualquier lugar de Chinchero, como …

Exploration And Practice Of Scientific Communication In National Major Science And Technology Infrastructure: Taking China’S Fast Telescope As Example, Hui Ji, Jieyun Jiang, Chengmin Zhang, Xianghan Cui, Dehua Wang, Linyan Jiang, Yiyan Yang, Cai Zhang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

National major scientific and technological infrastructure is a crucial pillar of national innovation, fulfilling multiple missions such as advancing scientific research, supporting engineering practice, and enhancing public scientific literacy. This study takes the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), known as the “FAST project,” as an example case to explore the practices and innovations in scientific communication within such national infrastructure. As the world’s largest single-dish radio telescope, the FAST project employs various methods, including exhibition halls, open days, popular science reports, educational programs, and all-media communication, particularly targeting rural and economically disadvantaged areas like Guizhou Province. These efforts provide …

Resilient Cities And The Housing Trust, Marc L. Roark, Lorna Fox O'Mahony

Arkansas Law Review

In the 1970’s, cities across the United States faced new obstacles due to the deterioration of public infrastructure. Public housing projects that were built through federal housing initiatives were reaching the end of their lives after less than twenty years of being in service. Over the last forty years, cities in the United States have turned increasingly to housing trust funds to address the conjoined problems of the withdrawal of federal resources dedicated to affordable housing provision, and insufficient public housing infrastructure. In this Article we focus on the emergence of the Housing Trust as a vehicle for shoring up …