Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Radio, Consumer, And Information Flow In The Digital Divide, Tajie Mcleod

Master of Public Administration for Senior Leadership

The persistence of the digital divide continues to limit equitable access to information, despite widespread advances in digital communication technologies. This study examines the role of broadcast radio in influencing consumer behavior and facilitating information dissemination among underserved populations. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research synthesizes qualitative and quantitative findings to analyze patterns of access, trust and media engagement. Results indicate that radio remains a highly accessible and trusted medium, particularly within communities with limited digital access, and that its influence is strengthened through localized content and parasocial relationships with in-air personalities. However, the effectiveness of radio is reduced when …

The Use Of Ai For Continous Risk Monitoring And Its Effect On Project Performance In Nonprofit And Community Based Projects, Janet Awodele, Primrose Zvidzai, Wadzanai Magora, Ashford Makowe

Master of Public Administration for Senior Leadership

Nonprofit and community-based organizations operate in complex and resource-limited environments where effective project performance is critical to achieving social impact, optimizing limited budgets, and offering value to the communities they serve. Despite the significance of proactive risk management, many nonprofits continue to rely on manual, periodic, and reactive risk management practices that limit their ability to identify emerging risks quickly and react effectively during project implementation. These limitations frequently contribute to schedule delays, cost overruns, inefficiencies, and reduced project outcomes.

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) present a chance to improve traditional risk management practices by permitting continuous risk monitoring, early …

Addressing Mexico City’S Water Crisis Via Wastewater Reclamation In The Mezquital Valley, Holden Nicholas Moore, Duncan Drapeau

Sustainability and Social Justice

Urbanization and climate change are resulting in extensive water scarcity across the globe. Mexico City is a prime example of this relationship. Due to neoliberal water policy reform and exponential urbanization along with inadequate water infrastructure and wastewater management systems, Mexico City is already experiencing issues in terms of water quality and equitable distribution. Climate change is projected to exacerbate these issues due to increasing temperatures and changes in annual precipitation trends resulting in water becoming more scarce or even hazardous through droughts and flooding events. For there to be effective adaptation methods, factors that result in vulnerability need to …

Characterization Of Municipal Water Sources For The Mexico-Lerma-Cutzamala Basin Region, Ian F. Hirons

Sustainability and Social Justice

The Mexico and Toluca Valleys in central Mexico are part of one of the most heavily populated megalopolises in the western hemisphere where consistent access to safe, affordable, and quality water sources figures to be a decisive challenge in the era of climate change. This professional project report compiles a range of statistics and information about the vital liquid for 29 municipalities located in and around the Mexico City and Toluca areas. This contribution is derived from a broader team research endeavor that seeks to gauge the impacts and adaptive processes to climate change within those regions. By doing so, …

Modeling The Spatial Distribution Of The Current And Future Ecosystem Services Of Urban Tree Planting In Chicopee And Fall River, Massachusetts, R. Moody, N. Geron, M. Healy, J. Rogan, Deborah Martin

Geography

Mature urban tree canopy cover disrupts the local effects of urban heat islands and provides important ecosystem services such as energy savings through evaporation and shading, pollution removal, storm runoff control, and carbon sequestration. Sustainable urban tree canopy relies on the planting of juvenile trees. Typically, tree planting programs are only evaluated by the number of trees planted and there is a lack of analysis of juvenile trees post-planting. This study examines the value and distribution of energy savings provided by juvenile trees and how that value changes considering predicted tree growth and mortality by 2050. Using i-Tree Eco software, …

Development Of A Human Health-Centered Climate Resilience/Vulnerability Framework For The Mexico City Region, Alex Stever

Sustainability and Social Justice

With climate change impacting every corner of the globe, the health and well-being of all humans is threatened, especially in heavily populated areas such as the Mexico City Region (MCR). With this threat continuously growing it is important to not only be aware of the problem and its complications but have a framework and process that will allow for rapid and well-rounded analyses of how at risk the residents of certain areas are to the threats of climate change. However, with analyzing the impacts of climate change on any sector, including human health and well-being, three conundrums arise: the socio-ecological …

Characteristics Of Temporal And Spatial Variation Of Ndvi In Beijing And The Relationship With Urban Heat Island Effect, Wenye Liang

Sustainability and Social Justice

Vegetation is an important part of ecosystems, and the use of vegetation coverage as an indicator to study the spatio-temporal dynamics of regional vegetation is necessary for ecosystem health evaluation. The urban heat island effect can change the structure and functions of urban ecosystems, and affect the climate, hydrology, atmospheric environment, and energy metabolism of cities, as well as the health of residents. Using Beijing as a case study, this research generates vegetation coverage maps using remote sensing imagery from 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2018. This study indirectly analyzes the urban heat island effect through spatio-temporal changes in vegetation …

Evaluation Of Existing Climate-Change Adaptation Plans For Municipalities In Mexico: Proposition Of A “Sustainable Mac-Water Framework” That Considers Vulnerability To Impacts On Water Resources, Tsanta Rakotoarisoa

Sustainability and Social Justice

This paper presents a sustainable adaptive capacity framework for water management for municipalities, named Sustainable MAC-Water framework, after assessing the strengths and weaknesses of adaptive capacity in Mexico and its municipalities. It provides municipalities with an instrument to help them create sustainable adaptive capacity plans (Sustainable MAC plans) to prevent adverse impacts on water resources and related sectors. It is based on a study of policy instruments crafted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Government of Mexico, and literature on adaptive capacity, assessment, and planning. The Sustainable MAC-Water framework recommends the establishment of a Reactive Barriers …

Global Perspectives On Harmful Algal Blooms: Impacts And Responses, Ryan Mitchell

Sustainability and Social Justice

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) can have devastating effects on aquatic ecosystems, economies, and communities. In general, their effects are also likely to worsen and become more frequent because of climate change. This paper will examine contemporary attempts to predict, prevent, monitor, control, and adapt to HABs.

Global Perspectives On Harmful Algal Blooms: Impacts And Responses, Ryan Mitchell

Sustainability and Social Justice

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) can have devastating effects on aquatic ecosystems, economies, and communities. In general, their effects are also likely to worsen and become more frequent because of climate change. This paper will examine contemporary attempts to predict, prevent, monitor, control, and adapt to HABs.

Refugee Housing In Worcester: A Neighborhood Case Study Of Bell Hill, Tyler Seth Maren

Sustainability and Social Justice

This paper examines refugee resettlement practices at the neighborhood level, asking what neighborhood characteristics are conducive to achieving positive integration and housing stability outcomes. Using data from a quantitative study of refugee resettlement case files from Ascentria Care Alliance as a foundation, this research takes the form of an analysis of the Bell Hill neighborhood in Worcester, MA, a major resettlement destination. Using Ascentria data, secondary data sources such as US Census data and the Worcester Assessor’s Database, and site visits, this paper constructs a profile of Bell Hill along four major dimensions: community characteristics, housing, social infrastructure, and physical …

Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances In Consumable Fish & Surface Waters Near Sites Using Aqueous Film-Forming Foams: Potential Risks, Suggested Regulatory Standards And Policy Approaches For Massachusetts, Tachalla Gibeau

Sustainability and Social Justice

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are emerging contaminants of concern with potential for adverse effects on both human and environmental health. Hence, long-chain PFAS compounds used in legacy aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) are being phased out, resulting in the stockpiling of them at various commercial installations. PFAS contaminated runoff from these facilities has the potential to contaminate nearby surface water bodies and the fish inhabiting them. An analytical approach was used to identify surface water bodies in Massachusetts that are habitats for fish susceptible to PFAS contamination and where said fish are also popularly consumed by locals – thereby representing …

Redesigning Our Conception Of Local Food Utilizing A Value-Based Approach, Heather Riesenberg

Sustainability and Social Justice

The goal of this study was to design a new method of evaluating and building local food systems which is based on a new conception of how we view local food. Beginning with a review of the current literature on how local food is defined and its apparent goals, I begin to pick apart the dated idea that local needs not be more complex than the 400-mile limit offered by the USDA. Utilizing the literature review, I bring together a host of values that local food seems to (want to) embody and use these to form a pathway toward the …

Food Deserts Debunked And Decentered: From Deficit To Relational Mapping For Food Justice In Worcester, Ma, Brenna Robeson

Sustainability and Social Justice

The mapping of food deserts has become a standardized component of food and health policy work concerned with expanding food access. These maps often follow a similar format of spatially identifying where grocery stores are absent in communities, thus suggesting a straightforward problem diagnosis and intervention blueprint. This paper questions the over-emphasis among many food and health policy practitioners on these technically engineered policy stories, specifically for their obstruction of histories of white supremacy and capitalism within the US food system and urban landscapes. A mixed-methods approach is applied to a case study of Worcester, MA which appropriates GIS to …

Puerto Rico's Coffee Region: A Socio-Economic Profile, Carla B. Lee Ms.

Sustainability and Social Justice

Using demographic, social, and economic information from the US Census Bureau, this study portrays the current conditions of Puerto Rico’s Coffee Region. There is evidence for the decline of the overall population in Puerto Rico, specifically younger groups, while women are economically disadvantaged in this region. Although there has been significant decline in the agricultural sector as a percentage of GDP, coffee holds significant potential to improve overall economic growth in the region.

The Transformational Haze: Crisis, Shadow Economies, And Global Civil War On The Venezuela-Colombia Border, Sam Kirsch

Sustainability and Social Justice

This paper presents a counter-narrative to the current migration ‘crisis’ on the Venezuela-Colombia border. Its purpose is to highlight the geopolitical complexities of this event that are de-emphasized by media and neoliberal discourse. The frameworks of crisis narrative, shadow economies, and “global civil war” grants us the analytical lens that will allow us to peer further into the processes that have led to the Venezuelan migration. Through this lens, I will illuminate intricacies in the relationship between Colombia, Venezuela, and the West in a way that justifies the exploration of alternative interpretations to mainstream claims of socialism, tyranny, and intervention.

Webster Square Neighborhood Plan, Conor Mccormack

Sustainability and Social Justice

In this study, Webster Square is examined as a neighborhood and commercial node within the City of Worcester, MA. Using a variety of data sources and analyses, the study looks at the characteristics of the area to define the condition and context of Webster Square as it currently exists.Guided by current planning theory, contemporary practice, and key informant interviews, this study then suggests different directions for future development and growth in Webster Square. These visions for the future look to address key issues to help make the neighborhood a more vibrant, cohesive, and walkable community. More broadly, this study highlights …

Unbundling Property In Boston’S Urban Food Commons, Oona Morrow, Deborah Martin

Geography

Households and community organizations are involved in the creation, use, care, and management of urban spaces, including through food practices such as planting, foraging, harvesting, weeding and pruning at the ambiguous edges of public and private property. Drawing on case studies in Boston, Massachusetts, we examine how commons are articulated through these practices, particularly in relation to multiple dimensions of property rights. Specifically, we ask how food practices can open urban spaces to negotiations around access, responsibility, care, and ownership, especially when (property) ownership is not an end-goal, but a circumstance shaping other practices. Using interviews and participant observation of …

Wellness And Prevention Program Sustainability Design For Clark University Athletics Department, Emily Corbett

Sustainability and Social Justice

The purpose of this work is to design a wellness based prevention program that is tailored to fit the campus community within Clark University, Worcester, MA, called the Peer Athletes Advocating for Wellness (PAAW) initiative. This paper first presents the current research on wellness related issues within a college campus, specifically surrounding sexual violence. It then outlines the current sexual violence prevention programming that takes place yearly for incoming first year students at Clark University, as well as a one-time initiative during which student athletes participated in the sexual violence prevention programming. There is a review of the current most …

Analysing Transition Pathways In Developing Cities: The Case Of Nairobi's Splintered Sanitation Regime, Mara J. Van Welie, Pauline C. Cherunya, Bernhard Truffer, James T. Murphy

Geography

Today's rapid global urbanization highlights the need for long-term transformations of basic service sectors in developing cities in order to improve the livelihoods of the urban poor. Sustainability transitions frameworks have proven fruitful for addressing these sort of challenges. However, they have been at pains so far in accounting for the heterogeneity and complexities that typically characterize informal settlements in the Global South. We therefore propose a conceptual framework that extends the conventional analysis of socio-technical regimes by distinguishing the two levels of sectoral regime and service regime. Challenges for sustainability transitions may then be identified by missing alignments within …

Swot Analysis Of Comprehensive Anti-Gang Strategies (Cags), Jenelle Howard

Sustainability and Social Justice

Worcester has faced many challenges with violence among youth in underserved areas. Over the past couple of years, there has been an increase in violent behaviors on the East-Side of Worcester. This dual degree report will evaluate a program that was developed to help with combating youth violence on the Eastside of Worcester. Comprehensive Anti-Gang Strategies (CAGS) is funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) in the amount of $327,312 for two years. This evaluation of CAGS will include an analysis using the SWOT framework to help analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that CAGS …

Foreclosures For Sale: Revisiting Stories Of Worcester's Mortgage Crisis, A Radio Documentary, Hallie Blashfield, Beatrice Misher

Sustainability and Social Justice

This radio documentary uses the personal stories of homeowners fighting to keep their homes in Worcester Massachusetts to explore the state of Foreclosure in Worcester ten years after the Great Recession. It follows the Worcester Anti-Foreclosure Team (WAFT) and its members in their fight against illegal foreclosures and their battles in Worcester Housing Court. Grounded in personal narratives, the documentary highlights systemic issues with the banking and legal system.

Building A Sense Of Community: A Case Study Of The Fairmount Neighborhood In Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Bethany Yeo

Sustainability and Social Justice

This thesis study examines the relative sense of community by isolating key factors that contribute to a sense of community: social trust, identity, and bridging/social cohesion. It also analyzes the relationship, if any, between these three factors and the built environment. Data was collected from 107 archived community impact measurement surveys from NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley. The results show that residents experienced a lack of sense of community despite the built environment although results were not significant.

Social Justice In Outdoor Experiential Education: A Literature Analysis Of K-12 Outdoor Education Programs In The United States, Digby Kalert

Sustainability and Social Justice

Historically, the field of outdoor experiential education (OEE) has been exclusionary and has primarily served white middle- and upper-middle class male populations. Scholars have called for research on how to address issues of social justice in the field for decades, and leaders are finally making steps toward becoming more inclusive. Through a secondary analysis of empirical studies on OEE, this paper examines how the field has modified its focus towards minority populations in K-12 OEE programs in the United States and provides recommendations for practitioners of OEE. There is evidence of an increase in studies on how OEE is perceived …

Arts And Social Justice: The Role Of Art Organizations In Building Community, Hannah Romig

Sustainability and Social Justice

ABSTRACT

ARTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE: THE ROLE OF CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS IN BUILDING COMMUNITY

HANNAH ROMIG

This research paper will examine how art can be used as a tool for community development and social change, using a community arts program in one city’s multi-cultural district as a case study. Research will be conducted using a variety of methods, including quantitative data analysis and qualitative data collection. Interviews with key informants and organizations will be a primary source of qualitative data. Observations and census data will be used to supplement information gathered from interviews. This particular community arts program employs principles of …

The Etm And Alce Testing: Summer Internship In Clark Labs, Wenle Jiang

Sustainability and Social Justice

Abstract

The ETM and ALCE testing: Summer internship in Clark labs

Wenle Jiang

This paper is a description of my internship with Clark Labs in the summer of 2017. I worked as research assistant responsible for testing the Earth Trends Modeler and the American Land Change Explorer. Earth Trends Modeler is a revolutionary earth observation tool that allows for the modeling and analysis of earth trends and ecosystem dynamics. The American Land Change Explorer (ALCE) is a free web application designed to illustrate the potential of predictive land change modeling using a subscription-based service called the American Land Change Modeler …

Creating Web Maps Of Forest Restoration Plots At Iracambi Atlantic Rainforest Research Center, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Daniel Lassila

Sustainability and Social Justice

The purpose of this report is to provide a detailed account, discussion, and analysis of my internship at Iracambi Atlantic Rainforest Research Center in Minas Gerais, Brazil during the summer of 2017, where I worked under the direction of GIS Supervisor Mr. Cliff Jones. The central focus of my work dealt with consolidating existing GIS data on the organization’s rainforest restoration effort into a single normalized database - based on the Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact, creating a structure for future forest restoration volunteers including enabling offline field collection using Collector for ArcGIS, then creating an ArcGIS Online web map based …

A Place To Call Home: The Fight For Affordable, Erin Lavitt

Sustainability and Social Justice

ABSTRACT A PLACE TO CALL HOME: THE FIGHT FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN HIGHINCOME AREAS BY ERIN LAVITT This paper provides a focus on the national affordable housing crisis, using the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts as a case study. The project looks at the difficulties of overcoming resident resistance, entrenched zoning difficulties, and how the politicization and depoliticization of the crisis has influenced the effectiveness of affordable housing programs. The structure of the paper is as follows. First, a background is provided on the history of affordable housing. This history begins with M.G.L. Chapter 40B, the 1969 Massachusetts act concerning …

Mapping Energy Access In Rural Tanzania: 2017 Summer Internship With The World Resources Institute, Naramena Mccray

Sustainability and Social Justice

This report details my 2017 summer internship experience; both the report and the internship being requirements of the GIS for Development and Environment Graduate Degree at Clark University. My internship was hosted by the World Resources Institute, an international non-profit organization in Washington D.C. As implied by my position title, “Energy Access-GIS Intern”, I spent the duration of my internship (14 weeks) applying my geospatial expertise to address the topic of energy access which is an issue effecting rural areas of many developing countries. I was given the responsibility of creating an interactive map application of Tanzania accessible by energy …

Underserved And Unaccompanied: Lgbtq Youth, Meeting The Intersecting Needs Of Youth Homelessness And Lgbtq Identities In Worcester, Ma, Molly Kellman

Sustainability and Social Justice

LGBTQ youth are at a much higher risk for experiencing homelessness, victimization, abuse, and disconnection from social and medical services than their non-LGBTQ peers. This research paper uses a mixed-methods approach to identify the specific needs of unaccompanied LGBTQ youth in Worcester, Massachusetts, and how the youth service sector can better meet the needs of this population. Analysis of data from unaccompanied LGBTQ youth and the providers who serve them revealed a disconnect between service providers, and a lack of resources that accommodate the intersections of homelessness and LGBTQ identities. LGBTQ youth in Worcester are more at risk of experiencing …