Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Uneven Development Of The Sustainable City: Shifting Capital In Portland, Oregon, Erin Goodling, Jamaal Green, Nathan Mcclintock

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Portland, Oregon is renowned as a paradigmatic "sustainable city". Yet, despite popular conceptions of the city as a progressive ecotopia and the accolades of planners seeking to emulate its innovations, Portland’s sustainability successes are inequitably distributed. Drawing on census data, popular media, newspaper archives, city planning documents, and secondary-source histories, we attempt to elucidate the structural origins of Portland’s "uneven development", exploring how and why the urban core of this paragon of sustainability has become more White and affluent while its outer eastside has become more diverse and poor. We explain how a "sustainability fix" – in this case, green …

Workshop Synthesis: Sampling Issues, Data Quality & Data Protection, Jimmy Armoogum, Jennifer Dill

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This workshop discussed various aspect of the mathematical part of survey methodology, as well as archiving and confidentiality issues aimed at improving data quality and its use through time. Participants identified ways to correct or minimize bias by dealing with incomplete sampling frames, using weighing and imputing procedures. We discussed methods to archive and share GPS-based survey data to preserve anonymity. Finally, we debated research needs on these topics for the next following years.

Renewing Spokane: A Study Of Motivating Forces Behind Downtown Revitalization Projects, Kara K. Mowery

All Master's Theses

This study examines the motivating forces behind downtown urban renewal projects through qualitative interview research. Using Spokane, Washington, as a case study, interviews were conducted with key players in downtown revitalization, including public administrators, private developers, and non-profit representatives. While neoliberal theory indicates that economic return serves as the primary motivation for investment, interview questions were designed to uncover whether additional motivating factors stimulate renewal work. Results indicate that those conducting renewal projects are primarily motivated by economics, but additionally cite heritage preservation values and community development as significant factors. Moreover, contemporary renewal projects are found to be small-scale endeavors, …

Feasibility Analysis And Strategic Measures For Promoting Viable New Urban Development, Elizabeth J. Farr

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis demonstrates that New Urbanism is both an advisable and feasible method for reducing carbon emissions to mitigate global climate change. New Urban areas commonly generate lower carbon emissions compared to conventional suburban development due to lower car use and higher levels of walking and use of other forms of transportation. Economic and political feasibility of New Urban development is determined by analyzing case studies, housing price premia, financing, and fiscal impact. The many contexts and perspectives involved in the planning process are analyzed to determine if New Urbanism is advisable in the larger setting in which developers, advocates, …

Crowdsourcing Bicycle Volumes: Exploring The Role Of Volunteered Geographic Information And Established Monitoring Methods, Greg P. Griffin, Junfeng Jiao

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

The recent interest in performance measures and new bicycle infrastructure development has triggered rapid advancements in monitoring methods for active transportation, but comprehensive monitoring programs for the bicycle mode are far from ubiquitous. This study evaluates the use of GPS survey data and a new crowdsourced volume dataset that may offer promise to extend the reach of limited counting programs. The authors integrated count data from 5 separate trail locations in Austin, Texas, with a previous survey using the CycleTracks smartphone app, and a new data product derived from a larger-scale use of the Strava fitness app. New crowdsourced methods …

Informing The Plan - Incorporating Stakeholder Hopes, Dreams, And Concerns: An Assessment Of The Creekside District Master Plan, Meg Merrick

Institute of Metropolitan Studies Publications

In April 2011, the City of Beaverton adopted its Civic Plan Central City Strategy (“the Civic Plan”). The Civic Plan provided a new understanding of the Central City. One of the Civic Plan’s most important strategic goals was the transformation of the Creekside District (an underutilized 50-acre site situated at the heart of the Central City) into a vibrant, sustainable, mixed-use community. The Creekside District master planning effort (that was supported by a HUD Community Challenge Grant) has built on the Civic Plan, Beaverton’s Community Vision (2010), the Beaverton Urban Renewal Plan (2011), and Metro’s 2040 Growth Concept.

The Creekside …

Economic And Emissions Impacts Of A Clean Air Tax Or Fee In Oregon (Sb306), Jenny H. Liu, Jeff Renfro, Christopher Butenhoff, Mike Paruszkiewicz

Northwest Economic Research Center Publications and Reports

Analysis on how a carbon pricing policy would affect different Oregon industry sectors and regions.

Spatial Thinking In Planning Practice: An Introduction To Gis, Yiping Fang, Vivek Shandas, Eugenio Arriaga Cordero

PDXOpen: Open Educational Resources

The goals of this textbook are to help students acquire the technical skills of using software and managing a database, and develop research skills of collecting data, analyzing information and presenting results. We emphasize that the need to investigate the potential and practicality of GIS technologies in a typical planning setting and evaluate its possible applications. GIS may not be necessary (or useful) for every planning application, and we anticipate these readings to provide the necessary foundation for discerning its appropriate use. Therefore, this textbook attempts to facilitate spatial thinking focusing more on open-ended planning questions, which require judgment and …

Developing Seamless Connections In The Urban Transit Network: A Look Toward High-Speed Rail Interconnectivity, Tingting Yu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the past, the studies in the U.S. on high speed rail have been on economic impact. Recently, there are a few studies on the multimodal connectivity at high speed rail stations. High speed rail stations are viewed as hubs that are connected by different modes of public transportation by which passengers are transported to their destinations. How and in which way these different modes are connected to high speed rail stations influence the ridership of high speed rail stations. As the development of high speed rail system in the U.S. has come to the stage for actual design and …

Evaluating The Level-Of-Service Of Protected Bike Lanes, Nick Foster

PSU Transportation Seminars

Summary: The most recent edition of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) contains analysis procedures for measuring the level-of-service (LOS), also referred to as quality of service, provided by an urban roadway to bicyclists. The method uses different design and operating features of the roadway segment (e.g. width, motor vehicle volumes and speeds) to assess an LOS grade of A (best) to F (worst). These procedures are used by planners and engineers to recommend how existing streets could be retrofitted or new streets designed to better serve people on bicycles (and other modes). However, the current HCM does not include methods …

Accessory Dwelling Units In Portland, Oregon: Evaluation And Interpretation Of A Survey Of Adu Owners, Jordan Palmeri

PSU Transportation Seminars

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are booming in Portland, Oregon. ADUs are small separate living units on single family lots that are often called granny flats or mother-in-law units. Over the last few years, fee waivers from the City of Portland have increased ADU development from 30 units per year to over 200 units. These discreet forms of density can offer a variety of environmental, social, and economic benefits to ADU owners and their communities. Many of these benefits, however, have always been speculated rather than substantiated by data.

In an effort to better understand the real impact or benefit of …

Impact Washington:An Economic Impact Analysis, Mike Paruszkiewicz, Jeff Renfro

Northwest Economic Research Center Publications and Reports

This report estimated the economic impact of Impact Washington on manufacturing in Washington State.

Trick Or Treat(Ment)? : Impact Of Route-Level Features On Walk And Bike Decisions, Joseph Broach

PSU Transportation Seminars

Trick or Treatment? Impact of Route-Level Features on Decisions to Walk or Bike Summary: Some travel routes attract people walking and cycling, while others may scare them away. What features of street environments are most important, and how do available routes affect decisions to bike or walk on a specific trip?

Research to date has focused on either large-scale areal measures like "miles of bike lane nearby" or else has considered only shortest path routes. Neither method is suited to capturing the impact of targeted route-level policies like neighborhood greenways. This session will present a new technique for measuring bike …

Racial Disparities In Access To Community Water Supply Service In Wake County, North Carolina, Jacqueline Macdonald Gibson, Nicholas Defelice, Daniel Sebastian, Hannah Leker

Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research

Anecdotal evidence suggests that historically African American communities on the fringes of cities and towns in North Carolina have been systematically denied access to municipal drinking water service. This paper presents the first statistical analysis of the role of race in determining water access in these fringe areas, known as extraterritorial jurisdictions. Using publicly available property tax data, we quantified the percentage of residences with municipal water service in each census block in Wake County (the second-largest by population in North Carolina). Using the resulting water service maps plus 2010 U.S. Census data, we employed a logistic regression to assess …

Louisiana's Water Innovation Cluster: Is It Ready For Global Competition?, Stephen C. Picou

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The rapid growth of Louisiana's coastal restoration science and technology assets is paralleled by the growth of business resources to fulfill myriad project needs. Many institutions and organizations in Louisiana seek to further develop the state's research, education, engineering and related restoration assets into a globally competitive set of industries with exportable expertise and products that help the state capitalize on its water challenges. Globally, similar efforts are identified (and often branded) as water technology innovation clusters (or more simply water clusters). This paper explores the phenomenon of the development of water clusters by public-private partnerships and initiatives, nationally and …

Help-Yourself City: Market-Driven Planning And D.I.Y. Responses In Making The “Neoliberal” Streetscape, Gordon Douglas

Faculty Publications, Urban and Regional Planning

Since the 1970s, the consequences of global economic restructuring and the rise of free-market “neoliberal” ideologies in governance have been visible in most every arena of social life, but are perhaps nowhere more visible than in urban space. The humble bus stop, a basic element of local transit service, is today often turned over in large part to private advertising interests and in the process has become both an indicator of neglect and a symbol of the commodification of public space. This paper examines such physical manifestations of neoliberal planning policy in the urban streetscape – spatial neglect and inequality …

Regulations Of E-Bikes In North America, John Macarthur, Nicholas Kobel

TREC Final Reports

Throughout the world, the electric bicycle (e-bike) industry is growing very quickly. The North American market has been somewhat slow to adopt this technology, which is still considered to be in the “early adopter” phase (Rose & Dill, 2011; Rose, 2011), but in recent years, this has begun to change. But as e-bike numbers increase, so too will potential conflicts (actual or perceived) with other vehicles and non-motorized devices, bicycles and pedestrians, causing policy questions to arise. Indeed, conflicting user groups are petitioning state legislatures and local governments for permission to operate legally on roadways and paths or to ban …

An Interpretive Plan Guide For Wilderness Park In Lincoln, Nebraska, Rachel J. Ward

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

Wilderness Park, located in Lancaster County, Nebraska, is a public park of unique ecological and historical value to the city of Lincoln and to the surrounding region. The natural and historical features of the park present an opportunity to communicate environmental and historical topics that are relevant on local, national, and global levels, as well as inspire a lively sense of pride in the community. The problem is that many topics relevant to Wilderness Park are not currently being interpreted at the park, and that there are relatively few interpretive resources available to park visitors.

The purpose of this project …

The Fatherhood Factor: The Impact Of The Father-Child Relationship On The Social, Interpersonal, And Recidivism Risk Factors Of Previously Incarcerated Men, Larissa A. Maley

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Of the men who return home from prison, nearly 7 out of 10 will be re-arrested and sent back within 3 years of their release (Travis, Solomon, & Waul, 2001). This trend has large- scale implications, not just for individuals, but for their families and communities as well. Clearly, understanding the factors that contribute to a man’s success or failure in staying out of prison is extremely important in constructing policy and programs to assist these at-risk individuals and communities. Of the few studies that have explored the lives of previously incarcerated men, some have found fatherhood to be a …

Regional Connections 2: Economy, Jeremy Young, Shelia A. Martin, Meg Merrick, Robert Smith

Metroscape

This article provide Part 2 of our discussion of the connections among different parts of the region by exploring how our economy—in particular, employment in our region’s key economic clusters—creates important economic connections among the cities and counties in the region.

Part 1: http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/10978

Hiding In Plain Sight: The Baldock Restoration Project, Andrée Tremoulet, Ellen M. Bassett, Allison Moe

Metroscape

Authors Andrée Tremoulet, Ellen Bassett, and Allison Moe tell a story about balancing public concerns about encountering the homeless in highway rest areas with the need to connect them with resources to address the complex social, political, and economic circumstances underlying their lack of housing.

Assessing Transit Fare Equity In Utah Using A Geographic Information System, Steven Farber, Keith Batholomew, Xiao Li, Antonio Paez, Khandker M. Nurul Habib

TREC Final Reports

The goal of this study is to develop and apply a new method for assessing social equity impacts of distance-based public transit fares. Shifting to a distance-based fare structure can disproportionately favor or penalize different subgroups of a population based on variations in settlement patterns, travel needs, and most importantly, transit use. According to federal law, such disparities must be evaluated by the transit agency, but the area-based techniques identified by the Federal Transit Authority for assessing discrimination fail to account for disparities in distances travelled by transit users. This means that transit agencies currently lack guidelines for assessing the …

A Survey Of Urban Agriculture Organizations And Businesses In The Us And Canada: Preliminary Results, Nathan Mcclintock, Mike Simpson

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report summarizes the results of an online survey, conducted during February and March 2013, of 251 groups involved with urban agriculture (UA) projects in approximately 84 cities in the US and Canada. This is only a preliminary report. As such, we present descriptive statistics rather than a interpretive analysis of the survey responses. Furthermore, it is important to recognize that these results are not necessarily representative of all urban agriculture businesses and organizations across North America. Nevertheless, these results point to certain trends and patterns that offer rich opportunities for further inquiry.

Our preliminary results reveal that the UA …

Accessibility-Based Transportation Planning: Literature And Applications For Shrinking Cities, Joanna Ganning

TREC Final Reports

For 15 years, scholars have claimed that accessibility-based transportation planning was at the brink of becoming a new paradigm, and yet this hope remains unrealized. Its implementation may lag due to vague definitions when compared to mobility, or because those who would benefit from accessibility-based planning lack political power to rally its support. Possibly, the lag in implementation reflects the missing linkages between theory and application for many contexts. This literature review synthesizes knowledge regarding the applications for accessibility-based transportation planning for shrinking cities along the themes of environmental, social, and economic sustainability. While residents in shrinking cities might especially …

Rekindling The Public Romance: Rethinking Civic Engagement, Tony Andersen

Metroscape

Public engagement specialist Tony Andersen, examines the state of the relationship between the government and the public and finds the relationship wanting. In his piece he examines new tools for public participation and channels for improving communication—always the first step on the path of reconciliation.

The Landscape: Activating The Waterfront, Jeremy Young

Metroscape

This article discusses ideas from a 6-month project (Downtown Portland Waterfront Activation Strategy) completed by a team of students in PSU’s Masters in Urban and Regional Planning program.

Business Owner Outreach: Creekside District Master Plan, Meg Merrick, Brenda Martin

Institute of Metropolitan Studies Publications

In April 2011, the City of Beaverton adopted its Civic Plan Central City Strategy (“the Civic Plan”). The Civic Plan provides a new understanding of the Central City. One of the Civic Plan’s most important strategic goals is the transformation of the Creekside District (an underutilized 50-acre site situated at the heart of the Central City) into a vibrant, sustainable, mixed-use community. The Creekside District master planning effort (that is supported by a HUD Community Challenge Grant) will produce a development program that integrates: suitable and affordable housing for existing and future populations; increased efficiency and connectivity of existing public …

Do Tods Make A Difference? Max Yellow Line Portland, Oregon, Jenny H. Liu, Zakari Mumuni, Matt Berggren, Matt Miller, Arthur C. Miller, Reid Ewing

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This analysis was intended to help answer the following policy questions:

Q1: Are TODs attractive to certain NAICS sectors?
Q2: Do TODs generate more jobs in certain NAICS sectors?
Q3: Are firms in TODs more resilient to economic downturns?
Q4: Do TODs create more affordable housing measured as H+T?
Q5: Do TODs improve job accessibility for those living in or near them?

The first question investigates which types of industries are actually transit oriented. Best planning practices call for a mix of uses focused around housing and retail, but analysis provides some surprises. The second question tests the economic development …

Do Tods Make A Difference? Ns Streetcar Line Portland, Oregon, Jenny H. Liu, Zakari Mumuni, Matt Berggren, Matt Miller, Arthur C. Nelson, Reid Ewing

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This analysis was intended to help answer the following policy questions:

Q1: Are TODs attractive to certain NAICS sectors?
Q2: Do TODs generate more jobs in certain NAICS sectors?
Q3: Are firms in TODs more resilient to economic downturns?
Q4: Do TODs create more affordable housing measured as H+T?
Q5: Do TODs improve job accessibility for those living in or near them?

The first question investigates which types of industries are actually transit oriented. Best planning practices call for a mix of uses focused around housing and retail, but analysis provides some surprises. The second question tests the economic development …

Underrepresented: Descriptive Representation And Political Interest Of African Americans And Women In The 2008 Election, Kristine K. Coulter, Jennifer R. Garcia, Christopher Stout

Ralph Bunche Journal of Public Affairs

- 83 - Representing the Underrepresented: Descriptive Representation and Political Interest of African Americans and Women in the 2008 Election Kristine Coulter University of California, Irvine Jennifer R. Garcia University of California, Irvine Christopher T. Stout Southern Illinois University, Carbondale In this article, we examine the effect of the presidential candidacies of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and the vice presidential candidacy of Sarah Palin on change in political interest among African Americans and women over the course of the 2008 election. We also examine the effects of these candidacies on intra-group characteristics in these marginalized groups. Consistent with the …