Urban Studies Commons^™

Evaluation Of Transportation Microenvironments Through Assessment Of Cyclysts' Exposure To Traffic-Related Particulate Matter, Linda A. George, Miguel A. Figliozzi, Christopher M. Monsere, Christine M. Kendrick, Alexander Y. Bigazzi, Adam Moore

TREC Final Reports

It is well established that vehicles powered by carbon-based fuels (e.g. gasoline, diesel) have a negative impact on air quality, especially in urban centers. Traditionally, air quality conformity studies analyze the macroenvironmental impact of transportation corridors, as they relate to regional air quality management concerns. Urban residents spend a considerable amount of outdoor time in transportation microenvironments as pedestrians, bicycle commuters, people waiting to use public transport, residents and workers situated along roadways, and commuters within vehicles. An emerging area of research has shown that human health impacts within transport microenvironments can be considerable, but have not been well-characterized. As …

Safety Evaluation Of Curve Warning Speed Signs, Karen K. Dixon, Raul Eduardo Avelar, Ida Schalkwyk

TREC Final Reports

This report presents a review of a research effort to evaluate the safety implications of advisory speeds at horizontal curve locations on Oregon rural two-lane highways. The primary goals of this research effort were to characterize driving operations at rural two-lane highway curve locations where advisory speed signs were present, and to determine to what extent these signs play a role in enhancing safety. Placement of advisory speed signs at horizontal curve locations in the State of Oregon is a practice aided by unique and specific state-level policies and, as such, may vary from nationally accepted procedures. Speed data was …

Go Farm, Goleta: Urban Agriculture Protection For Eastern Goleta Valley, Eli M. Krispi

Master's Theses

This paper explores two potential land use planning strategies that can be used to preserve and enhance the economic viability of agricultural operations surrounded by suburban development in Santa Barbara County’s Eastern Goleta Valley: buffers between agriculture and other land uses, and agritourism. In the case of buffers, academic literature is examined to determine how effective buffers are at various tasks (filtering runoff, mitigating dust and wind, providing habitat, etc.) and how to construct buffers to maximize their effectiveness. Land use plans and codes from several California jurisdictions are studied to see how buffers are put to use. Academic literature …

Rails To Recovery: The Role Of Passenger Rail Transportation In Post-Katrina New Orleans And Louisiana, James R. Amdal

UNOTI Publications

The purpose of this research is: 1) to inform decision makers at both the state and local level on options for successfully implementing a proposed passenger train between New Orleans and Baton Rouge; 2) to evaluate the potential impacts of new streetcar extensions on growth and development within select service corridors within the City of New Orleans. Both of these projects are viewed within the context of a post- Katrina environment. This report also provides a Summer 2010 ‘snapshot in time’ of existing and proposed real estate development along and adjacent to the proposed streetcar extensions in and adjoining the …

From Precarious Labor To Precarious Economy? Planning For Precarity In Singapore's Creative Economy, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The important place of the oftentimes "hidden" independent worker, or freelancer, has been acknowledged in developed countries where the creative economy has grown. These creative workers do not belong to the traditional employment set-up organized around firms. Instead, they move from portfolio to portfolio, assignment to assignment, interspersing corporation-based jobs with periods of self employment. Their work offers freedom, independence and creative space, but has also been characterized as precarious, because the securities of old working patterns no longer hold. While governments in many countries and cities have become attracted to the potential of the creative economy, those that have …

Factors For Improved Fish Passage Waterway Construction, David N. Sillars, Hamid Moradkhani, Nicholas Tymvios, Trevor D. Smith

TREC Final Reports

Streambeds are important fish passageways in Oregon; they provide for the necessary habitats and spawning cycles of a healthy fish population. Oregon state law requires that hydraulic structures located in water properly provide fish passage. Increasingly stringent state and federal regulations apply to these fish passageways, and designers must become more cognizant of conditions over a range of flows to accommodate fish movement and avoid expensive structural failure of these passageways. Fish passage structures are built when roads cross streambeds and may include culverts, or bridges. When these structures are built, the streambeds are re-created using a technique called “roughened …

Upstate New York Entrepreneurial Opportunity Survey Analysis, Ziona Austrian, Merissa Piazza, Eli Auerbach, Sunjoo Park, Joan Chase

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

This survey report is associated with "Upstate New York Regional Analysis: Demographics, Economy, entrepreneurship and Innovation"

Upstate New York Regional Analysis: Demographics, Economy, Entrepreneurship And Innovation, Ziona Austrian, Merissa Piazza, Eli Auerbach, Sunjoo Park, Joan Chase

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

This report is associated with "Upstate New York Entrepreneurial Opportunity Survey Analysis"

The Detroit Food System Report 2009-2010, Kameshwari Pothukuchi

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Research Publications

Assesses the state of the city’s food system, including activities in production, distribution, consumption, waste generation and composting, nutrition and food assistance program participation and innovative food system programs.

Putting Artists On The Map: A Five Part Study Of Greater Cleveland Artists' Location Decisions - Part 5: Properties Analysis - Artist Housing Characteristics, Mark Salling, Gregory Soltis, Charles Post, Sharon Bliss, Ellen Cyran

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

A series of reports detailing the residential and work space location preferences of Cuyahoga county's artists.

Finger Lickin’ Good: An Analytical Investigation Into The Urban Diet, Jennifer T.R. Tomlinson

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

In this analysis, the origins, customs and implications of fast-food culture will be explored with important focus on the customs of fast-food urban eating. Research indicates that lower-income urban areas are more likely to consume fast-food. The high consumption of fast-food subsequently results in the development of social and economical implications, which include health implications, economic dilemmas, a disconnection between consumers and their consumption and issues of social classification. This analysis also explores the customs of fast-food culture of Pine Hills, Florida with added emphasis on Pine Hills’ cultural uniqueness.

A Pivot Point? Economic Slow-Down Affects Oregon’S Migration Flow, Jason R. Jurjevich

Publications, Reports and Presentations

The combination of three components: fertility, mortality, and migration, collectively lead to population change. Fertility and mortality events in recent history, including escalated fertility levels associated with the ‘baby boom cohort’ and spikes in mortality linked to the Spanish Flu of 1918 for example, have produced demonstrative demographic effects. However, both the unpredictability and ability of migration to produce virtually immediate impacts, often enduring for decades across social, cultural, demographic, and economic landscapes, has long captured the attention of scholars and public policy makers alike. Over the past several decades here in Oregon, migration has undoubtedly shaped the state socially …

It’S A Beautiful Day In The Gayborhood, Cori E. Walter

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

This thesis project discusses the evolution of gay districts in urban centers from the late 1800s to present day. These gay districts transformed as American society and culture changed over the decades. The project begins by looking at the gay ghettos of the late 1880s through the 1910s as places of containment for the “unwanted” populations of a city. The 1920s and 1930s see the rise of the gay village, a place of sexual exploration and entertainment where the gay population found safety and a source of income. Gay districts then became unsafe to frequent during the Red Scare of …

Religion Mix Growth In Canadian Cities: A Look At 2006-2031 Projections Data, Fernando Mata

Western Migration Conference Series

Summary: Special tables from Statistics Canada microsimulation projections data 2006-2036 were used as data sources. The analysis found that the Non-Christian to Christian ratio will double between 2006 to 2031 (from 15 to 30 per 100) while the No religion to Religion ratio will remain stable at about 26 per100 by 2031. Non-Christian to Christian ratios will be equal or higher than 45 per 100 in cities such as Toronto, Abbotsford and Vancouver by 2031. No religion to Religion ratios will continue to be higher than average in most in British Columbia and other Western cities compared to others in …

Putting Artists On The Map: A Five Part Study Of Greater Cleveland Artists' Location Decisions - Part 4: Predictive Analysis - Regression Modeling, Mark Salling, Gregory Soltis, Charles Post, Sharon Bliss, Ellen Cyran

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

A series of reports detailing the residential and work space location preferences of Cuyahoga county's artists.

Putting Artists On The Map: A Five Part Study Of Greater Cleveland Artists' Location Decisions - Part 3: Attitudinal Analysis - Artist Housing And Space Survey, Mark Salling, Gregory Soltis, Charles Post, Sharon Bliss, Ellen Cyran

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

A series of reports detailing the residential and work space location preferences of Cuyahoga county's artists.

Process Evaluation Of The Chicago Juvenile Intervention And Support Center, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

Researchers investigated the operations of a pre-court diversion program that provides services and supports to station adjusted youth offenders after contacting the Chicago Police Department but before they have been formally arrested and referred to the Cook County Juvenile Probation Department. The purpose of the study was to determine the suitability of the program for evaluation and to work with staff to enact any procedural modifications that may be needed to facilitate future evaluation activities.

Youth Dating Culture In Urban Vietnam: Attitudes, Behaviors, And Influences, Alexa Difiore

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper attempts to research urban youth’s attitudes and behaviors concerning everything having to do with dating (the process, PDA, typical dating spots and behavior) and opinions towards “hot issues” in contemporary, Vietnam such as pre-marital sex and co-habitation. My research question focuses on what the term “dating” means among youth in urban Vietnam, and the various influences that affect youth’s dating and sexual lives. Through an extensive literature review, I learned that there is an overall lack of information and discussion about sex in Vietnam. There is also a general idea that from parents, the government, and school that …

How Does Light Rail Transit Affect Urban Land Use?, Needham B. Hurst

Economics Honors Projects

This paper estimates the effect of the Hiawatha Light Rail Transit (LRT) line on land use change in Minneapolis, MN, between 2000 and 2010. I use a binomial logit model and find that within the 1-mile submarket near LRT, the effect of distance to LRT stations on land use change had a different radius and magnitude depending on existing land use. The effect of LRT on conversions of low-density housing to denser uses only extended out to 90 feet from stations after LRT went into operation. Vacant and industrial land were the most likely to experience land use change, especially …

Welfare Reform Policies And Their Effect On Poverty Rates Across The United States, Luke N. Welle

Political Science Theses and Capstones

We have all heard the arguments on the pros and cons of welfare reform, its effect on recipient’s lives, and its effectiveness in achieving its goals. In concluding whether or not it is effective in achieving its goals, the actual goals are broad and difficult to define. I consider the goal being reducing the number of citizens living in poverty. My research focuses specifically on how variations in the welfare system perform in reducing poverty rates across the United States. I investigate what governmental policies each state has in place and their effect on poverty. Those states, in which poverty …

The Potential Impact Of Higher Education On Downtown Fort Worth, Institute Of Urban Studies

Institute of Urban Studies Publications - Archive

No abstract provided.

Rebuilding After Hurricane Katrina: The Big Easy, And The Long Road Home., Jennifer S. Boucher

Political Science Theses and Capstones

The objective of this study is to analyze the influences of demographic patterns, planning politics and funding disbursement processes in rebuilding New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina's storm surge engulfed several neighborhoods of Orleans Parish Louisiana, on August 29th 2005.Immediately following the storm surge, national opinion makers began debating the possibility of shrinking the footprint of New Orleans, as part of the rebuilding process. Although recovery efforts were begun almost immediately, at the five year anniversary of the cataclysmic natural disaster more than a hundred thousand of New Orleanians are still displaced. Utilizing regression analysis as a quantitative measure and qualitative …

The Politics Of Subsidizing Sports: Legislative Voting For Three Minnesota Sports Venues, Dave Hitchcock

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Since 1998 the State of Minnesota has funded the building of the Xcel Energy Center, Target Field, and TCF Bank Stadium. The focus of this research is to locate voting trends within the Minnesota House of Representatives towards these venues. I recorded the votes of each member on the legislation approving these venues from the Minnesota Journal of the House and then constructed data sets for all three buildings. From this data, trends emerge potentially linking the voting tendencies of members based on party, gender, and geographical location of their district. Initial analysis supports a fairly strong relationship between district …

Examination Of Regional Transit Service Under Contracting: A Case Study In The Greater New Orleans Region, Hiroyuki Iseki, Charles Rivasplata, Rebecca Houtman

UNOTI Publications

Many local governments and transit agencies in the United States face financial difficulties in providing adequate public transit service in individual systems, and in providing sufficient regional coordination to accommodate transit trips involving at least one transfer between systems. These difficulties can be attributed to the recent economic downturn, continuing withdrawal of the state and federal funds that help support local transit service, a decline in local funding for transit service in inner cities due to ongoing suburbanization, and a distribution of resources that responds to geographic equity without addressing service needs.

This study examines two main research questions: (1) …

Where Locals Play: Neighborhood Casino Landscapes In Las Vegas, Rex J. Rowley Ph.D.

Occasional Papers

Neighborhood casinos—gaming properties that target a primarily local market—are an influential feature on the Las Vegas cultural landscape. Such institutions reveal a number of geographical patterns that have important implications in gaming and place studies. The distinguishing characteristics of neighborhood casinos underscore the importance of proximity to a market, a focus that is evident in their advertising strategies. Additionally, the prominence of such casino-resorts within their respective neighborhoods makes them important symbols and indicators of the character of the surrounding community. These unique institutions teach lessons that can potentially be extrapolated to other gaming markets around the country.

Minneapolis Saint Paul Regional Analysis: Demographics, Economy, Entrepreneurship And Innovation, Ziona Austrian, Merissa Piazza, Eli Auerbach, Sunjoo Park

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

This report is associated with "Minneapolis Saint Paul Entrepreneurial Opportunity Survey Analysis"

The Nasa Glenn Research Center: An Economic Impact Study Fiscal Year 2010, Iryna Lendel, Sunjoo Park

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

Minneapolis Saint Paul Entrepreneurial Opportunity Survey Analysis, Ziona Austrian, Merissa Piazza, Eli Auerbach, Sunjoo Park

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

This survey report is associated with "Minneapolis Saint Paul Regional Analysis: Demographics, Economy, entrepreneurship and Innovation"

The Perceptions Of Self And Others: Examining The Effect Identity Adoption Has On Immigrant Attitudes Toward Affirmative Action Policies In The United States, Tiffiany O. Howard

Political Science Faculty Research

While there exist several studies devoted to evaluating the political attitudes of US citizens, very little has been done to distinguish between the political attitudes of immigrants and citizens of the same racial or ethnic group. Using data from the Multi-City Study of Urban Inequality, 1992-94, this study evaluates the role identity adoption plays in highlighting the distinctions which exist between the political attitudes of immigrants and those of US citizens from the same racial/ethnic group. The results reveal that despite pronounced cultural distinctions between immigrants and US citizens, in many cases race and ethnicity are important unifiers on opinions …

Proper Crime Recording As An Effective Feedback Tool In Articulating A Crime Policy, Kevin A. Unter

Georgia Journal of Public Policy

Crime policy is subject to the policy process just like other governmental policies.  An effective crime policy is one that reduces the amount of crime in a police department’s jurisdiction, e.g., the city.  Accordingly, crime policy consists of the same policy components – agenda setting, formulation, implementation, and feedback.  The implementation of any crime policy depends on the information collected by police departments, often through crimes reported to the department via 9-1-1 calls or brought to a police officer’s attention through proactive police work.  The success of that police work relative to the reported crime first depends on whether the …