Urban Studies Commons^™

The Economic Impact Of Oregon City’S County Seat Status, Mike Paruszkiewicz, Jeff Renfro, Peter Hulseman, Emma Willingham

Northwest Economic Research Center Publications and Reports

Impact analysis discussing the economic role of county presence in Oregon City.

Beyond The Fringe, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reviews the book: Lincoln Bramwell. Wilderburbs: Communities on Nature’s Edge. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2014. Andrew Needham. Power Lines: Phoenix and the Making of the Modern Southwest. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2014.

Differential Health And Social Needs Of Older Adults Waitlisted For Public Housing Or Housing Choice Vouchers, Paula C. Carder, Gretchen Luhr, Jacklyn Nicole Kohon

Institute on Aging Publications

Affordable housing is an important form of income security for low-income older persons. This article describes characteristics of older persons waitlisted for either public housing or a housing choice voucher (HCV) (previously Section 8) in Portland, Oregon. 358 persons (32% response rate) completed a mailed survey with questions about demographics, health and housing status, food insecurity, and preference for housing with services. Findings indicate that many waitlisted older persons experienced homelessness or housing instability, poor health, high hospital use, and food insecurity. Public housing applicants were significantly more likely to report lower incomes, homelessness, and food insecurity than HCV applicants. …

Parking Infrastructure: A Constraint On Or Opportunity For Urban Redevelopment?, Mikhail Chester

PSU Transportation Seminars

Many cities have adopted minimum parking requirements, but we have relatively poor information about how parking infrastructure has grown.

In this research, using building and roadway growth models, we estimate how parking has grown in Los Angeles County from 1900 to 2010, and how parking infrastructure evolves, affects urban form, and relates to changes in automobile travel.

We find that since 1975, the ratio of residential offstreet parking spaces to automobiles in Los Angeles County is close to 1.0 and the greatest density of parking spaces is in the urban core. Most new growth in parking occurs outside of the …

The Changing Geography Of Poverty & Opportunity In Nevada, Elizabeth Kneebone

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Today, suburbs are home to the largest and fastest growing poor population in the country. Regions like Las Vegas have been at the forefront of that trend since 2000. Elizabeth Kneebone, co-author of the book Confronting Suburban Poverty in America, will discuss the rapid growth of poverty and concentrated disadvantage in the suburbs; how these trends intersect with the changing location of affordable housing, services, transit, and jobs; and what the changing geography of poverty means for policymakers and practitioners in Nevada working to promote economic opportunity throughout the state.

Consistent Estimation Of Route Choice Models For Dynamic Transit Assignment, Jeff Hood

PSU Transportation Seminars

Dynamic transit assignment models have the potential to improve local transportation agencies’ capability to forecast the demand for public transit facilities under conditions of limited capacity or varying reliability. In order to be useful in practice, the simulated route choices of passengers in these models need to reflect the behavior of actual residents observed in local travel surveys. Most analysis methods of revealed route choice preferences developed to date have either (1) not been proven to provide consistent estimates or (2) required an untenable computation time for practical applications. Furthermore, no model of transit route choice has accounted for variability …

Webinar: Development Of A Pedestrian Demand Estimation Tool, Kelly Clifton

TREC Webinar Series

Why model pedestrians?

A new predictive tool for estimating pedestrian demand has potential applications for improving walkability. By forecasting the number, location and characteristics of walking trips, this tool allows for policy-sensitive mode shifts away from automobile travel.

There is growing support to improve the quality of the walking environment and make investments to promote pedestrian travel. Despite this interest and need, current forecasting tools, particularly regional travel demand models, often fall short. To address this gap, Oregon Metro and NITC researcher Kelly Clifton worked together to develop this pedestrian demand estimation tool which can allow planners to allocate infrastructure …

Towards Effective Design Treatment For Right Turns At Intersections With Bicycle Traffic, David Hurwitz, Christopher Monsere

PSU Transportation Seminars

The overall goal of this research was to quantify the safety performance of alternative traffic control strategies to mitigate right-turning-vehicle/bicycle collisions, often called "right-hook" crashes, at signalized intersections in Oregon.

A two stage experiment was developed in the OSU high-fidelity driving simulator to investigate the causal factors of right-hook crashes at signalized intersections with a striped bike lane and no right-turn lane, and to then identify and evaluate alternative design treatments that could mitigate the occurrence of right-hook crashes.

Experiment 1 investigated motorist and environmental related causal factors of right-hook crashes, using three different motorist performance measures: (1) visual attention, …

The Case For Age-Friendly Communities, Margaret Neal, Alan Kenneth Delatorre

Institute on Aging Publications

The report was funded by Grantmakers In Aging, an organization dedicated to promoting and strengthening grantmaking for an aging society. The movement toward age-friendly communities is growing, with the key impetus being population aging. Beyond what individuals themselves can do to age optimally, the movement to create communities that are age friendly focuses on how the economic, physical, and social environments can be improved to address not only the needs but also maximize the assets of an aging population, for the benefit of all.

Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership: An Economic Impact Analysis, Emma Willingham, Mike Paruszkiewicz

Northwest Economic Research Center Publications and Reports

The Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), founded in 1988, is a network of non-profit agencies staffed by industry professionals and consultants. Historically, MEP has sought to increase the competitiveness of small to mid-size enterprises (which as a group comprise 99% of all U.S. manufacturing firms) by providing expert guidance and access to resources. In recent years, the severe economic recession sparked increased interest in the strength of the manufacturing sector, due to its longtime status as one of the major drivers of the domestic economy. Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership (OMEP), the Oregon branch of MEP, works to provide data-driven analysis …

The Dream Defaulted: Foreclosure, Crisis, And Hope In Baltimore, Maryland, And Detroit, Michigan, Heidi M. Rafferty-Reijm

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In the United States, the late 2000s were a time of crisis that tested many urban decision-makers. The recession that started in 2007 was defined by a severe crash in the housing market and the proliferation of mortgage foreclosures across the country. Foreclosures occurred in urban, suburban, and rural communities, but had a particularly devastating impact on larger, older cities and their low and moderate-income neighborhoods. These cities had been dealing with economic and population decline for half a century. In many of their urban neighborhoods, foreclosures affected as many as one in four households and added yet another challenge …

Interpreting China’S New Urban Spaces: State, Market, And Society In Action, Shenjing He, Lily Kong, George C. S. Lin

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Chinese urbanism has long historical roots and has profoundly influenced world civilizations. Yet, the Chinese city has not, until very recently, attracted sustained or intense global attention. In the post-reform era, especially after 1992, the scale and speed of China’s urbanization, and the intricacy of its dynamics and socio-spatial consequences have dwarfed those of other countries in the world. The latest reform era of urban China is characterized by a renewed and thriving urbanism, which manifests itself in the sheer scale of new urban space (re)production and the intricate interrelationships among the state, market, and society. The proliferation of new …

The Importance Of Housing, Accessibility, And Transport Characteristic Ratings On Stated Neighborhood Preference, Kristina Marie Currans

PSU Transportation Seminars

Travel demand models commonly lack the ability to understand how changing residential preferences influence future housing, land use, and transportation policies. As communities struggle to address social challenges related to increased economic uncertainty, transportation and land use planning have become increasingly centered on assumptions concerning the market for residential environments and travel choices. In response, an added importance has been placed on the development of toolkits capable of providing robust and flexible models to aid in understanding how differing assumptions contribute to a set of planning scenarios and how future residential location decisions may be made.

In this study, we …

An Activity-Related Land Use Mix Construct And Its Connection To Pedestrian Travel, Steven R. Gehrke

PSU Transportation Seminars

Land use mix is a central smart growth principle connected to active transportation. This presentation describes the indicators of local land use mixing and their association with pedestrian travel in Oregon’s Willamette River Valley. It argues that land use mix is a multidimensional construct reflected by the complementarity, composition, and configuration of land use types, which is positively linked to walk mode choice and home-based trip frequency. Findings from this study underline the conceptual and empirical benefit of analyzing this transportation-land use interaction with a landscape pattern measure of activity-related composition and spatial configuration.

The presentation for this seminar was …

Enhancing The Resilience Of Indigenous Peoples Through A Climate-Smart Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development And Protection Plan, Margaret M. Calderon, Cristino L. Tiburan, Jr., Maria Ana T. Quimbo, Florderiza A. Sanchez, Samantha Geraldine G. De Los Santos

CPAf Policy Brief

This Policy Brief was based on the research project entitled Enhancing Resilience and Coping Capacity of Indigenous Peoples to Changing Climate. This was funded by the Oscar M. Lopez Center for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management Foundation, Inc., and administratively managed by the UPLB Foundation, Inc. For further information, contact Dr. Maria Ana T. Quimbo (Project Leader), University of the Philippines Los Baños at [email protected]

Poverty In Henrico County, Virginia: 1990 - 2014, John V. Moeser

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey, 2010-2014, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. All slides about each of the localities include data about race. Slides reflect data from 1990-2014.

Poverty In Chesterfield County, Virginia: 1990 - 2014, John V. Moeser

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey, 2010-2014, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. All slides about each of the localities include data about race. Slides reflect data from 1990-2014.

Poverty In Metropolitan Richmond - Overview, John V. Moeser

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey, 2010-2014, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. All slides about each of the localities include data about race. Slides reflect data from 1990-2014.

Poverty In Hanover County, Virginia: 1990 - 2014, John V. Moeser

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey, 2010-2014, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. All slides about each of the localities include data about race. Slides reflect data from 1990-2014.

Poverty In Richmond, Virginia: 1990 - 2014, John V. Moeser

Poverty in Metropolitan Richmond

Data for the charts, tables, and maps are the most recent from the U.S. Census, American Community Survey, 2010-2014, Five-Year Estimates. Five-year estimates are used rather than one-year or three-year estimates in order to reduce the margin of error. All slides about each of the localities include data about race. Slides reflect data from 1990-2014.

The Cost Of Poverty: The Perpetuating Cycle Of Concentrated Poverty In New Jersey Cities • A Comprehensive Budgetary Analysis Of Four Urban New Jersey Municipalities, John S. Watson Institute For Public Policy Of Thomas Edison State University, New Jersey Urban Mayors Association, The Anti-Poverty Network Of New Jersey, Fund For New Jersey

Urban Mayors Policy Center

This report examines the problem of concentrated poverty in the State of New Jersey. Both the individual and the long-term economic consequences of concentrated poverty are well- documented in social science research. The report adds to that knowledge by examining the practical, budgetary consequences faced by urban centers that are characterized by high poverty levels. The report focuses on four cities, which are represented in the New Jersey Urban Mayors Association (NJUMA) — Bridgeton, Passaic, Perth Amboy, and Trenton. While these regions vary considerably, they all share one important fact: their poverty rates are double or triple the New Jersey …

Periodic Atlas Of The Of The Metroscape: Warming Up The City - Mapping The Hottest (Literally) Neighborhoods Of Portland, Vivek Shandas, Jackson Voelkel

Metroscape

Vivek Shandas and Jackson Voelkel show us how urban head varies by characteristics of a neighborhood's built and natural environment. The Atlas reminds us to be aware of the potential impact on those most likely to suffer ill effects from the heat.

6 Reasons To Relax About Portland's Recent Sell-Offs, Thomas Kerr

Metroscape

Are you feeling nostalgic for Oregon-born companies like Dave's Killer Bread, Little Big Burger, and Precision Castparts? Thomas Kerr asserts that we need not fear the recent rash of acquisitions. New owners often bring fresh ideas and capital to the table while maintaining the characteristics we've come to love about our locally owned companies.

Boom Town: Prioritizing Preservation Under Pressure, Linn Davis

Metroscape

A demolition epidemic? Linn Davis explores the history of architectural preservation in the region, how it intersects with other development issues, and how we might strengthen our ability to protect architecturally important buildings amid Portland's rush to build sufficient housing and commercial space to accommodate our growing needs.

Food Policy: Urban Farming As A Supplemental Food Source, Bessie Didomenica, Mark Gordon

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

Food policy has a unique role for public, nonprofit, private, and academic stakeholders. Growing food in the city is a challenge worldwide. Food systems can be destroyed by external (weather extremes) and internal (zoning regulations) forces. This study explores urban farms as a secondary food source and their common themes across four sectors. A Northeastern U.S. city was the case study to examine how it implemented its formal urban agriculture program. The positive social change implications of urban farms include greater food visibility and food access in low-income areas and more consumer awareness about growing fresh food. This study contributes …

Halprin Sequence Reimagined, Andrea Villarroel, Nate Miller, Kris Decker, Foster Gough, Scott Robinson

Urban Design Workshop

The Halprin Sequence is a series of underutilized green spaces in the heart of Portland, Oregon. Once a booming attraction, as time has past and the city has grown, the Halprin Sequence has been forgotten amongst the towers. With a rich history in urban development and design, the Halprin Sequence could offer much more to the people of Portland than it is currently. The surrounding street of Fourth Avenue is also underutilized. The street is primarily used by automobiles, and the sidewalks are not pleasant to walk through.

For a green space network, the Halprin Sequence is in an ideal …

The Landscape: Walkable Tigard, Elizabeth Morehead

Metroscape

Elizabeth Morehead takes a walk in Tigard and reviews the effort to make Tigard and other suburbs - built in a car-dependent area - more walkable, healthy, and attractive to current and prospective residents

The Influence Of Urban Development Dynamics On Community Resilience Practice In New York City After Superstorm Sandy: Experiences From The Lower East Side And The Rockaways, Leigh Graham, Wim Debucquoy, Isabelle Anguelovski

Publications and Research

While (urban) resilience has become an increasingly popular concept, especially in the areas of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA), it is often still used as an abstract metaphor, with much debate centered on definitions, differences in approaches, and epistemological consider- ations. Empirical studies examining how community-based organizations (CBOs) “practice” resilience on the ground and what enables these CBOs to organize and mobilize around resilience are lacking. Moreover, in the growing context of competitive and entrepreneurial urbanism and conflicting priorities about urban (re)development, it is unclear how urban development dynamics influence community- based resilience actions. Through empirical …

Looking Back At Planning Oregon, Henry Richmond, James Sitzman

Metroscape

An interview with Henry Richmond is the product of a new project called People and the Land: An Oral History of Oregon's Statewide Land Use Planning Program. Richmond explains the political and economic conditions in which land use program was forged, and how these have changed over time.

The full interview is available here: http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/16296

Beyond The Screen: Uneven Geographies, Digital Labour, And The City Of Cognitive-Cultural Capitalism, Dillon Mahmoudi, Anthony M. Levenda

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, we demonstrate that an examination of the socio-environmental impacts of digital ICTs remains a fruitless enterprise without “materializing” digital labour. We suggest one approach to materializing digital labour: this first includes connecting political economic analyses of digital ICTs to the co-evolution and geography of planetary urbanization and technological change, and second, examining the relationships between immaterial, digital, labour with the material industrial production system. In the context of broad changes in technology, social life, and urbanization, many scholars have theorized a shift towards a third phase of capitalism, beyond mercantilism and industrialism, based in immaterial, digital, and …