Urban Studies Commons^™

The Need For Enhanced Physical Infrastructure In The United States, Tanvi Gandham

CMC Senior Theses

An examination of necessary infrastructure improvements in the United States.

Lgbtq+ Nondiscrimination Laws In Kentucky., Christopher M Wales

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the political and demographic obstacles facing the Fairness movement in Kentucky in regards to local employment protection ordinances for LGBTQ+ persons (Fairness Ordinances). Using case studies on recent Fairness debates in Berea and Bowling Green, this thesis explores the concern some Kentuckians have about LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination ordinances in their communities. From these cases studies, it can be concluded that many of the concerns espoused by opponents of Fairness are simple scare tactics with no evidence supporting their claims. This thesis then utilizes a logistical regression to uncover what demographic characteristics increase the odds of a municipality possessing …

Economic Growth Or Economic Development? An Examination Of Local Government Objectives Through Citizen Well-Being Framework., Mohd Mobin Khan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Economic development is considered one of the key functions and responsibilities of Federal, State, and local governments in the United States. However, most of the policies and strategies related to economic development, regardless of their focus or funding, have a strong role of municipalities for their implementation. Within local governments, economic development efforts often seem to not truly focus on the aspects of ‘development,’ but can rather be characterized as focused on economic ‘growth’ and measured in terms of economic activity generated. Job creation and the enhancement of tax base or revenue are considered two of the most important goals …

Preserving Housing Choice And Opportunity: A Study Of Apartment Building Sales And Rents, Seyoung Sung, Lisa K. Bates

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

NOAH sales show precariousness of this rental housing at a regional scale.

• Active transactions of multifamily rental properties have been disproportionately NOAH. There have been over two thousand transactions of NOAH buildings in the Portland metro area from 2006 to 2017 — over 68,000 units of housing. These sales are accelerating, with over 20 percent occurring in just the last 18 months.
• Sales prices for multifamily rental properties have increased substantially, making preservation of affordable rents more challenging. Regionally, the average sale price increased by 78 percent between 2010 and 2017; during this period there was a 43 percent …

Food Justice In The Trump Age: Priorities For Urban Food Advocates, Nevin Cohen, Janet Poppendieck, Nicholas Freudenberg

Publications and Research

Every constituency – regardless of political ideology – must analyze the effects of the election of Republican majorities in Congress and Donald J. Trump as President of the United States. This is particularly true for advocates involved in eliminating food insecurity and hunger, fighting malnutrition and health inequality, and ensuring sustainable and fair urban food systems with high quality jobs. Anticipating the new administration’s efforts that may undermine food justice enables advocates, researchers, and policy makers to choose priorities and forge strategic partnerships.

World Changers: Inspiring Cultural And Linguistic Excellence In Children, Parents And Teachers, Ana I. Berdecia Med, Caitlin Kosec Mpp, The John S. Watson Institute For Public Policy For Thomas Edison State College

Center for the Positive Development of Urban Children

The New Jersey Cultural Competency and English Language Learners Summer Institute and Mentoring Program hosted its 10th Anniversary, Three-Day Learning Institute, Aug. 23-25, 2016, with the theme, World Changers: Inspiring Cultural and Linguistic Excellence for Children, Parents and Teachers. After the Three- Day Learning Institute, classroom teachers were assigned a mentor who provided monthly supports to the classroom teachers in the adoption English language learners and cultural competency strategies with the goal of creating culturally and linguistic responsive classrooms. Twenty-three teachers from Trenton Public Schools were recruited and received 21 hours of training in best practices for engaging diverse …

A Cross-Sectional Exploration Of Household Financial Reactions And Homebuyer Awareness Of Registered Sex Offenders In A Rural, Suburban, And Urban County., John Charles Navarro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As stigmatized persons, registered sex offenders betoken instability in communities. Depressed home sale values are associated with the presence of registered sex offenders even though the public is largely unaware of the presence of registered sex offenders. Using a spatial multilevel approach, the current study examines the role registered sex offenders influence sale values of homes sold in 2015 for three U.S. counties (rural, suburban, and urban) located in Illinois and Kentucky within the social disorganization framework. Homebuyers were surveyed to examine whether awareness of local registered sex offenders and the homebuyer’s community type operate as moderators between home selling …

Rogue Disposal & Recycling Simplified Refuse Rate Index: Technical Report, Peter Hulseman, Emma Willingham, Peter Whitehead, Northwest Economic Research Center

Northwest Economic Research Center Publications and Reports

As regulated franchises, waste management services are required to have all rate adjustments approved by local governing bodies. This typically involves supporting the requested adjustment with financial and operational data. The cost-intensive nature of this process limits its frequency. Many jurisdictions conduct a formal review every five years, with interim rates set using a proxy for marginal cost changes, typically an index such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI)1. Rogue Disposal & Recycling (RDR) is governed in such a way in several of the jurisdictions it serves. The central reason for this report is that the CPI has not proven …

Crowd-Sourcing The Smart City: Using Big Geosocial Media Metrics In Urban Governance, Matthew Zook

Geography Faculty Publications

Using Big Data to better understand urban questions is an exciting field with challenging methodological and theoretical problems. It is also, however, potentially troubling when Big Data (particularly derived from social media) is applied uncritically to urban governance via the ideas and practices of “smart cities”. This essay reviews both the historical depth of central ideas within smart city governance —particular the idea that enough data/information/knowledge can solve society problems—but also the ways that the most recent version differs. Namely, that the motivations and ideological underpinning behind the goal of urban betterment is largely driven by technology advocates and neoliberalism …

The Cloud, The Crowd, And The City: How New Data Practices Reconfigure Urban Governance?, Philip Ashton, Rachel Weber, Matthew Zook

Geography Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Municipal Resource Guide To Leading Practices In Cost Savings, Martin Horak, Andrew Sancton, Rachna Goswami, Umera Ali

Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance – Publications

Ontario municipalities of all sizes face pressure to “do more with less.” Commissioned by the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs, this Resource Guide provides municipal officials with single-source information about a range of current leading practices in cost savings in small and mid-sized Ontario municipalities. Municipalities across the province are continually developing innovative practices that save costs without incurring service level reductions. Most of these practices involve small-scale initiatives that result in modest savings. Yet even modest savings add up over time, and multiple small initiatives in a single municipality can make a big difference. In addition, by providing an …

The Intersection Of Culture And Activism In The Filipino Community In Soma, Ericka J. Martynovych

Master's Theses

My research analyzes the intersection between culture and activism, through oral histories with participants and organizers of SoMa Pilipinas, the Filipino cultural heritage district in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco. I analyzed the impact of the establishment of the Filipino cultural heritage district on the Filipino community in the South of Market neighborhood. I examined what motivates members of this community to be politically active by organizing and attending protests and rallies, speaking at Planning Commission hearings at City Hall, attending planning meetings for SoMa Pilipinas, building relationships across organizations and fields, and providing resources for community …

Graffiti Abatement Program In The City Of East Palo Alto, Oscar Ortiz

Master's Projects

This research project will be of interest for community residents, local government, and non-profit organizations in the City of East Palo Alto. The three main objectives for this project are:

1. Strengthen or establish a relationship between community residents and officials in the City of East Palo Alto.
2. Provide data for local government officials that will help abate graffiti throughout the city.
3. Offer recommendations to improve neighborhood safety, sense of security, and appearance in East Palo Alto

The research question for this report is: How can community participation help abate graffiti in the City of East Palo Alto?

Access To Taxicabs For Unbanked Households: An Exploratory Analysis In New York City, David A. King, Juan Francisco Saldarriaga

Journal of Public Transportation

Taxicabs are critical complements to public transit systems. In New York City, ubiquitous yellow cabs are as iconic as the city’s subway system, and the city recently added green taxicabs to improve taxi service in areas outside of the Central Business Districts and airports. In this paper, we used multiple datasets to explore taxicab fare payments by neighborhood and examine how paid taxicab fares are associated with use of conventional banking services. There are clear spatial dimensions of the propensity of riders to pay cash, and we found that both immigrant status and being “unbanked” are strong predictors of cash …

Identifying Key Factors Of Rail Transit Service Quality: An Empirical Analysis For Istanbul, Erkan Isikli, Nezir Aydin, Erkan Celik, Alev Taskin Gumus

Journal of Public Transportation

Providing a high quality of service in public transportation is essential to reduce dissatisfactions stemming from traffic congestion and noise. Public transport providers need to find ways to dilute the effects of immoderate use of private cars in big cities while maintaining a sufficient level of customer satisfaction. This study aimed to identify the key service quality (SQ) factors that drive passenger satisfaction in Istanbul’s rail transit (RT) system using data obtained from an extensive survey conducted by the Istanbul Public Transportation Co. A total of 11,116 passengers who used rail transport from May 15–June 3, 2012, and June 17–July …

Poverty By Race Of Poor In Henrico County, Virginia, John V. Moeser, Taylor Holden, Evelyn Jeong, Jacob Salamy

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey (ACS), 2011-2015, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. Slides reflect ACS and Census data from 2000-2015. This update also includes maps and figures pertaining to the Asian and Hispanic/Latino foreign born populations in the region.

Children Under 18 Living In Poverty, 2000-2015, John V. Moeser, Taylor Holden, Evelyn Jeong, Jacob Salamy

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey (ACS), 2011-2015, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. Slides reflect ACS and Census data from 2000-2015. This update also includes maps and figures pertaining to the Asian and Hispanic/Latino foreign born populations in the region.

Poverty By Race Of Poor In Chesterfield County, Virginia, John V. Moeser, Taylor Holden, Evelyn Jeong, Jacob Salamy

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey (ACS), 2011-2015, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. Slides reflect ACS and Census data from 2000-2015. This update also includes maps and figures pertaining to the Asian and Hispanic/Latino foreign born populations in the region.

Introduction: Unpacking The Census – 2017, John V. Moeser, Taylor Holden, Evelyn Jeong, Jacob Salamy

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey (ACS), 2011-2015, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. Slides reflect ACS and Census data from 2000-2015. This update also includes maps and figures pertaining to the Asian and Hispanic/Latino foreign born populations in the region.

Poverty By Race Of Poor In Richmond, Virginia, John V. Moeser, Taylor Holden, Evelyn Jeong, Jacob Salamy

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey (ACS), 2011-2015, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. Slides reflect ACS and Census data from 2000-2015. This update also includes maps and figures pertaining to the Asian and Hispanic/Latino foreign born populations in the region.

Poverty In The Greater Richmond Region, 2000-2015, John V. Moeser, Taylor Holden, Evelyn Jeong, Jacob Salamy

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey (ACS), 2011-2015, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. Slides reflect ACS and Census data from 2000-2015. This update also includes maps and figures pertaining to the Asian and Hispanic/Latino foreign born populations in the region.

Poverty By Race Of Poor In Hanover County, Virginia, John V. Moeser, Taylor Holden, Evelyn Jeong, Jacob Salamy

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey (ACS), 2011-2015, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. Slides reflect ACS and Census data from 2000-2015. This update also includes maps and figures pertaining to the Asian and Hispanic/Latino foreign born populations in the region.

Immigration And Country Of Origin: Greater Richmond, Virginia Region, John V. Moeser, Taylor Holden, Evelyn Jeong, Jacob Salamy

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey (ACS), 2011-2015, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. Slides reflect ACS and Census data from 2000-2015. This update also includes maps and figures pertaining to the Asian and Hispanic/Latino foreign born populations in the region.

Race And Place In The Greater Richmond, Virginia Region, John V. Moeser, Taylor Holden, Evelyn Jeong, Jacob Salamy

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey (ACS), 2011-2015, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. Slides reflect ACS and Census data from 2000-2015. This update also includes maps and figures pertaining to the Asian and Hispanic/Latino foreign born populations in the region.

Percentage Of Population Unemployed In The Greater Richmond, Virginia Region, John V. Moeser, Taylor Holden, Evelyn Jeong, Jacob Salamy

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey (ACS), 2011-2015, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. Slides reflect ACS and Census data from 2000-2015. This update also includes maps and figures pertaining to the Asian and Hispanic/Latino foreign born populations in the region.

Median Household Income: Greater Richmond, Virginia Region, John V. Moeser, Taylor Holden, Evelyn Jeong, Jacob Salamy

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey (ACS), 2011-2015, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. Slides reflect ACS and Census data from 2000-2015. This update also includes maps and figures pertaining to the Asian and Hispanic/Latino foreign born populations in the region.

Unpacking The Census: 2015 Updates -- Master Copy, John V. Moeser, Taylor Holden, Evelyn Jeong, Jacob Salamy

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

NOTE: Master copy file contains 58 slides and may take several minutes to download.

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey (ACS), 2011-2015, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. Slides reflect ACS and Census data from 2000-2015. This update also includes maps and figures pertaining to the Asian and Hispanic/Latino foreign born populations in the region.

Poverty By Race Of Poor In Quad-County Area, John V. Moeser, Taylor Holden, Evelyn Jeong, Jacob Salamy

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey (ACS), 2011-2015, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. Slides reflect ACS and Census data from 2000-2015. This update also includes maps and figures pertaining to the Asian and Hispanic/Latino foreign born populations in the region.

Civic Dignity And Meaningful Political Participation, Melissa Mahoney Smith

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation looks at how enhanced political participation opportunities can increase individual liberty and improve public-sector reform efforts. It blends political theory with contemporary concerns for individual well-being and government accountability. To do this, several research methodologies are used, including normative, qualitative process-tracing, and quantitative analysis.

First, the dissertation draws insights from ancient and modern political philosophy and the political thought and example of Jane Addams in 19th Century Chicago. It begins with Josiah Ober’s work on civic dignity, which he defines as “equal high standing” among citizens, marked by “non-infantilization and non-humiliation.” This definition is a useful starting point …

Happiness In Communities: How Neighborhoods, Cities And States Use Subjective Well-Being Metrics, Laura Musikanski, Carl Polley, Scott Cloutier, Erica Berejnoi, Julia Colbert

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

This essay, the fourth and last of a series published by the Journal of Social Change, is intended as a tool for community organizers, local policy makers, researchers, students and others to incorporate subjective well-being indicators into their measurements and management of happiness and well-being in their communities, for policy purposes, for research and for other purposes. It provides case studies of community-based efforts in five different regions (São Paulo, Brazil; Bristol, United Kingdom; Melbourne, Australia; Creston, British Columbia, Canada; and Vermont, United States) that either developed their own subjective well-being index or used the Happiness Alliance’s survey instrument …