Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Home, Neighborhood, And Community Environments And Social Isolation In Later Life: Joint Associations And Their Moderation By Life-Course Socioeconomic Mobility, Jeein Law

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Social isolation is a major public health concern among older adults, yet less is known about how multilevel residential environments shape isolation among those aging in place. Guided by the Socio-Ecological Model, Person–Environment Fit, and a life-course perspective, this dissertation examined whether micro-level home hazards, meso-level neighborhood social cohesion and physical disorder, and macro-level census-tract structural conditions were associated with social isolation. It also examined whether life-course socioeconomic mobility moderated the associations between home and neighborhood environments and social isolation.

This dissertation used two nationally representative longitudinal studies of U.S. older adults. Aims 1 and 2 used the National Health …

A Poetic Call For And A Reflection And Commentary On Clarity, Understanding, Hope, Courage, And Compassion, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

Finding a published poem I had written as a teenager, titled “The Heavens Weep.” this article uses that poem as the basis for a commentary that reflects on the state of the world today (2026),  As a commentary, the article uses the poetic and metaphoric words in the poem as a relevant "reality check" for what is still going on today.  In essence, the commentary is about a call for Clarity, Understanding, Hope, Courage, and Compassion, or what I call Archetypal Energies, Higher Vibrational Energies that operate deep within our individual and collective psyches to creatively urge us to "see" …

What Is Happening In The World Today And Why: Humanity’S Evolving Consciousness And The Role Of Archetypal Energies As Guides During An Unfolding Weeding Out And Alignment Process, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

What is happening in the world today and why? Humanity is evolving its consciousness at individual and collective levels. Given these seemingly tumultuous times, as of this writing (January 2026), to make such a statement may sound like a strange thing to say. However, I suggest that if you are alive today and if you are reading these words, these are the very times for which you were born--to assist Humanity as it evolves its consciousness with your unique gifts, whatever they may be. That is, this period of our individual and collective human being-ness may be characterized as an …

Integrating A Stakeholder-Centric Approach Into Dynamic Adaptation Policy Pathways For Equitable Coastal Flood Risk Management In East Boston, Shailee M. Desai

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This research aims to illustrate a methodology incorporating diverse stakeholder values in adaptation planning to promote equitable outcomes using a hypothetical case study of the Lower Border Street area in East Boston, using the Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways (DAPP) framework for managing coastal flood risk. It offers three significant contributions to the field of adaptation planning: (i) It demonstrates how to integrate a stakeholder-specific assessment within the DAPP framework and illustrates individual impacts to a variety of stakeholders, including high- and low-income residents, commercial actors, government actors, and coastal landowners hoping that the planning process remains transparent and motivates local …

Archetypal Energies And Global Mental Health, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

As a keynote speaker at the Global Mental Health Conference 2024, held at Sophia University, Costa Mesa, CA, in-person and virtually, August 16-18, 2024, my topic was "Archetypal Energies As A Framework for Self-Empowerment and Well Being". The theme of this 2024 global conference was: Enlightened Minds, Compassionate Hearts, and Embodied Wisdom. To supplement my keynote address, I wrote this blog article titled "Archetypal Energies and Global Mental Health".

Who Counts In Climate Resilience? Transient Populations And Climate Resilience In Boston And Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Johnna Flahive, Katsyris Rivera Kientz, Dlynzee Damas, Chris Watson, Evan Stewart, Ellen Douglas

Sustainable Solutions Lab

In the Northeast U.S., climate change impacts are predicted to increase and intensify unless global carbon emissions are reduced enough to mitigate impacts on local municipalities. As a result, thousands of people in Massachusetts are vulnerable to dynamic and extreme weather conditions, including temperature fuctuations and precipitation patterns, particularly those who are socially, politically, or economically marginalized. While decision-makers in Boston and Cape Cod municipalities must consider diverse stakeholder needs, one population is notably missing from most climate resilience efforts: people experiencing transience due to housing insecurity. Within the Commonwealth, there are two transient populations who are among the most …

Voices That Matter: Boston Area Residents Of Color Discuss Climate Change, Lorena M. Estrada-Martínez, Paul Watanabe, Katsyris Rivera-Kientz

Sustainable Solutions Lab

This report presents findings from a qualitative study conducted by the Sustainable Solutions Lab at the University of Massachusetts Boston, centering on the climate change perspectives of 70 residents of color from the Greater Boston area. Through focus group discussions with Asian American, Black, Latino/a, and Native American participants, the study examines three core areas: the health impacts of climate change, levels of community preparedness, and individual and governmental responses. The findings reveal a shared concern over climate-related health vulnerabilities, structural barriers to climate preparedness, and a general mistrust of governmental leadership stemming from historical and ongoing racial inequities. Participants …

Connecting For Equitable Climate Adaptation: Mapping Stakeholder Relationships In Metro Boston, Rosalyn Negrón, Antonio Raciti, Rebecca Herst, Patricio Belloy, Katsyris Rivera-Kientz, Gabriela Boscio Santos, Ashley Smith

Sustainable Solutions Lab

Climate change is already disproportionately impacting historically marginalized populations. Without intentional interventions, adaptation efforts will amplify existing social and economic inequities. At the same time, society will mobilize massive resources to address increasing climate-related threats. This means that climate change also presents opportunities to address persistent and systemic inequities. However, equitable adaptation efforts are impeded by multiple factors. For example, many frontline communities do not have the capacity to work on adaptation efforts if it means diverting attention from addressing existing inequities. Even as policymakers, practitioners, and planners increasingly prioritize climate adaptation, frontline communities are not brought into the process …

Learning From The Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (Mvp) Program In The Greater Boston Region, Patricio Belloy, David Sulewski, Stacy D. Vandeveer

Sustainable Solutions Lab

This report examines the implementation and impacts of Massachusetts' Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program, with a particular focus on adaptation planning and action in the Greater Boston region. Initiated by the Commonwealth in 2016, the MVP Program aims to build local capacity and advance municipal climate adaptation through state-funded planning and action grants. Drawing on case studies, interviews, and document analysis, the report explores how the program fosters stakeholder engagement, supports vendor-led planning processes, and integrates environmental justice principles. While the MVP Program has made significant strides in promoting climate dialogue and nature-based solutions, it faces persistent challenges including uneven …

Oportunidad En La Complejidad:Recomendaciones Para Una Resiliencia Climáticaequitativa En East Boston, Patricio Belloy, Antonio Raciti, Katsyris Rivera-Kientz, Rebecca Herst

Sustainable Solutions Lab

East Boston es un vecindario costero diverso y de clase trabajadora en la ciudad de Boston, el cual está experimentando una rápida gentrificación. Al mismo tiempo, problemas ambientales locales como la contaminación del aire y el ruido de la operación del cercano Aeropuerto Internacional Logan continúan perjudicando a los residentes, particularmente a las comunidades más marginadas. Además de las presiones inmobiliarias y la contaminación del aeropuerto Logan, las evaluaciones técnicas y científicas advierten que una gran parte del vecindario corre el riesgo de verse gravemente afectado por los impactos del cambio climático, como el aumento del nivel del mar, las …

Opportunity In The Complexity: Recommendations For Equitable Climate Resilience In East Boston, Patricio Belloy, Antonio Raciti, Katsyris Rivera-Kientz, Rebecca Herst

Sustainable Solutions Lab

East Boston is a diverse, working-class, coastal neighborhood of the City of Boston that is currently undergoing rapid gentrification. At the same time, local environmental problems – such as air and noise pollution from the operation of the nearby Logan International Airport – continue to harm residents, particularly the most marginalized communities. In addition to housing pressures and the pollution from Logan Airport, technical and scientific assessments warn that a large part of the neighborhood is at risk of being severely affected by climate change impacts such as sea-level rise, storm surges, and heatwaves. City-led planning efforts and climate resilience …

Supporting Shrinkage: Planning And Decision Making For Legacy Cities, Michael P. Johnson Jr., Justin Hollander, Eliza Whiteman Kinsey, George Chichirau, Charla Burnett

Public Policy and Public Affairs Faculty Publication Series

Supporting Shrinkage describes a new approach to citizen-engaged, community-focused planning methods and technologies for cities and regions facing decline, disinvestment, shrinkage, and social and physical distress. The volume evaluates the benefits and costs of a wide range of analytic approaches for designing policy and planning interventions for shrinking cities and distressed communities. These include collaborative planning, social media, civic technology, game design, analytics, decision modeling and decision support, and spatial analysis. The authors present case studies of three US cities addressing shrinkage and decline, with a focus on issues of social justice, democratization of knowledge, and local empowerment. Proposed as …

Views That Matter: Race And Opinions On Climate Change Of Boston Area Residents, Lorena M. Estrada-Martínez, Paul Watanabe, Katsyris Rivera-Kientz

Sustainable Solutions Lab

A growing body of research finds that climate change places a disproportionate burden on communities of color in the United States. In spite of this evidence, important discussions taking place about climate change- such as how it is experienced, which policy solutions are most critical, and how we can prepare for and adapt to its impacts- often leave out the voices of the very communities most affected. In Massachusetts, for instance, numerous statewide surveys have gathered information about residents ' attitudes and beliefs about climate change, but to date, no studies have been designed to include the views of a …

Maroon Colonies And New Orleans Neutral Grounds: From A Protosuburban Past To A Postsuburban Future, Lynnell L. Thomas

American Studies Faculty Publication Series

This essay examines New Orleans maroon colonies as a precursor to the postsuburban constellations that shape the contemporary urban landscape. These communities served as the original neutral grounds where Africans, Afro-Creoles, and Native Americans created spaces beyond the purview of slave owners and government authorities. These protosuburban enclaves anticipated the vibrancy and prolificacy of the “global urban periphery” that Roger Keil describes in his research. They also inform twentieth- and twenty-first-century efforts by black New Orleanians to carve out their own urban neutral grounds: spaces resistant to the hegemonic forces of neoliberalism and neo-Bourbonism, as manifested in the traditions of …

Executive Summary_Governance For A Changing Climate: Adapting Boston’S Built Environment For Increased Flooding, Stephanie Kruel, Rebecca Herst, David Cash

Sustainable Solutions Lab

As the impacts of climate change intensify, coastal cities like Boston face increasing threats from sea level rise, extreme precipitation, and storm surges. This report, produced by the Sustainable Solutions Lab at the University of Massachusetts Boston, examines the role of governance in preparing Boston’s built environment for these evolving risks. Building upon the foundational work of the Climate Ready Boston initiative, the report outlines critical governance functions necessary for climate adaptation, including institutional coordination, regulatory reform, community engagement, and data-driven decision-making. Emphasizing a multiscalar governance approach, it analyzes the tools available at local, regional, state, and federal levels and …

Governance For A Changing Climate: Adapting Boston’S Built Environment For Increased Flooding, Stephanie Kruel, Rebecca Herst, David Cash

Sustainable Solutions Lab

As the impacts of climate change intensify, coastal cities like Boston face increasing threats from sea level rise, extreme precipitation, and storm surges. This report, produced by the Sustainable Solutions Lab at the University of Massachusetts Boston, examines the role of governance in preparing Boston’s built environment for these evolving risks. Building upon the foundational work of the Climate Ready Boston initiative, the report outlines critical governance functions necessary for climate adaptation, including institutional coordination, regulatory reform, community engagement, and data-driven decision-making. Emphasizing a multiscalar governance approach, it analyzes the tools available at local, regional, state, and federal levels and …

"The Right To Play" The Establishment Of Playgrounds In The American City, Kyle James Fritch

Graduate Masters Theses

The Right to Play is focused on the development of playgrounds in America at the end of the 19th century. This overall development is shown through a focus on Boston, the city that instituted the first playground in the country and mirrors the similar rise of playgrounds in other cities. Throughout the 1800s children in cities played in the streets or any abandoned lot they could find. However, parents wanted what they believed to be a safer and healthier environment for their children to play. Along with this, reformers believed that these mostly immigrant and poor children were in need …

Executive Summary_Feasibility Of Harbor-Wide Barrier Systems: Preliminary Analysis For Boston Harbor, Paul Kirshen

Sustainable Solutions Lab

This report presents a preliminary feasibility assessment of harbor-wide barrier systems designed to protect Boston Harbor from coastal flooding caused by sea level rise (SLR) and storm surges. Conducted by the Sustainable Solutions Lab at the University of Massachusetts Boston and supported by the Boston Green Ribbon Commission, the study evaluates two primary configurations: an Outer Harbor Barrier (OHB) and an Inner Harbor Barrier (IHB). Using hydrodynamic modeling, economic cost-benefit analysis, and social vulnerability assessments, the study finds that while both barrier systems may reduce risk from extreme storm events, they do not mitigate regular tidal flooding without frequent gate …

Feasibility Of Harbor-Wide Barrier Systems: Preliminary Analysis For Boston Harbor, Paul Kirshen

Sustainable Solutions Lab

This report presents a preliminary feasibility assessment of harbor-wide barrier systems designed to protect Boston Harbor from coastal flooding caused by sea level rise (SLR) and storm surges. Conducted by the Sustainable Solutions Lab at the University of Massachusetts Boston and supported by the Boston Green Ribbon Commission, the study evaluates two primary configurations: an Outer Harbor Barrier (OHB) and an Inner Harbor Barrier (IHB). Using hydrodynamic modeling, economic cost-benefit analysis, and social vulnerability assessments, the study finds that while both barrier systems may reduce risk from extreme storm events, they do not mitigate regular tidal flooding without frequent gate …

Executive Summary_Financing Climate Resilience: Mobilizing Resources And Incentives To Protect Boston From Climate Risks, David L. Levy, Rebecca Herst

Sustainable Solutions Lab

This report explores the challenges of financing climate-resilience investments in the Boston region. As risks from storm surge, sea level rise, and extreme weather increase, there is growing urgency for pre-disaster investments to reduce physical risk, reduce social vulnerability, and increase capacity for emergency response and disaster recovery. However, these investments face significant barriers, including market failures, capital budget constraints, and misaligned incentives. The report identifies a range of funding mechanisms appropriate at different scales, including general obligation bonds, resilience fees, property tax surcharges, stormwater fees, tax increment financing, business improvement districts, and insurance-based funding. It evaluates these mechanisms using …

Financing Climate Resilience: Mobilizing Resources And Incentives To Protect Boston From Climate Risks, David L. Levy, Rebecca Herst

Sustainable Solutions Lab

This report explores the challenges of financing climate-resilience investments in the Boston region. As risks from storm surge, sea level rise, and extreme weather increase, there is growing urgency for pre-disaster investments to reduce physical risk, reduce social vulnerability, and increase capacity for emergency response and disaster recovery. However, these investments face significant barriers, including market failures, capital budget constraints, and misaligned incentives. The report identifies a range of funding mechanisms appropriate at different scales, including general obligation bonds, resilience fees, property tax surcharges, stormwater fees, tax increment financing, business improvement districts, and insurance-based funding. It evaluates these mechanisms using …

Imagining Boston: The City As Image And Experience (1986), Shaun O’Connell

New England Journal of Public Policy

I want to discuss community and imagery, social division and literary unity, Boston poetry and prose. In most issues of NEJPP I will focus upon those recent books that fire our imaginations and help us shape our sense of local and regional place. In this issue, however, I want to look back at the tradition of imagery that resonates in Boston's history. Old ideas of Boston are quickly being buried under layers of architectural and cultural renewal. While the suburbs become more urbanized and the commuter roads more clogged, downtown Boston is in the midst of the greatest building boom …

Urban Inspiration Can Come From Unlikely Sources: What Boston Can Learn From Cities In Transition Around The World, Andrew Tarsy

New England Journal of Public Policy

Boston is a city in transition, with power passing to a new mayor for the first time in a generation. The capital of New England should consider the examples of cities around the world in defining its next agenda. The urban centers that make up the Forum for Cities in Transition have all endured years of conflict and yet each continues to plan for a better future. Belfast, Nicosia, and Kaduna might not be role models for Boston; but three consensus points came out of the group’s recent summit: (1) it is hard to move forward without confronting the past; …

Uplifting: Improvements In Boston Area Client Well-Being, Ryan Kling, Lisa Kalimon, Tanya Stepasiuk, Bukola Usidame, Ryan Mclane, Ryan Whalen, Ana Maria Sanchez, Michael P. Johnson Jr.

Public Policy Practicum Projects

LIFT-Boston, a local non-profit organization, entered into a collaborative partnership in September 2012 with McCormack Graduate School Public Policy Ph.D. students and faculty to develop and execute a research project. The goals of this endeavor were to assist LIFT-Boston in understanding the outcomes associated with its services and enable the organization to further pursue service goals.

The primary research questions respond to the organization’s most fundamental questions. These include how the organization’s unique service model impacts clients across several objective and subjective dimensions of well-being. Secondary questions focus on how these impacts may translate into increases or decreases in student …

People And Place: Understanding The Processes, Outcomes And Impacts Of Interventions Of The Fairmount Corridor Initiative, Center For Social Policy, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Through a 5 year grant, the Center for Social Policy (CSP) serves as a strategic learning and evaluation partner to The Boston Foundation (TBF). TBF’s investment and people and place-based initiatives seek to make sustainable, positive change through community and economic development in neighborhoods along the Fairmount-Indigo transit line in Boston. From 2010-2012, the Center team worked closely with Mattapan United and Millennium 10 (in Codman Square/Four Corners) to identify community priorities for neighborhood change. From 2013-2015, the Center team is evaluating these neighborhood change efforts, as well as other initiatives aimed at increasing economic well-being for neighborhood residents. The …

Aging In Hingham: A Community Affair, Jan Mutchler, Caitlin Coyle, Hayley Gravette

Gerontology Institute Publications

The purpose of this needs assessment is to investigate the needs, interests, and opinions of mature residents of Hingham, Massachusetts, relating to their aging experiences and needs for age-related services. This assessment was undertaken by the Gerontology Institute of the McCormack Graduate School at UMass Boston on behalf of the Town of Hingham Department of Elder Services (hereinafter referred to as the Department of Elder Services). The focus of this report is on Hingham residents aged 60+ (referred to here as “Seniors”) and residents aged 45-59 (referred to here as “Boomers”). Information about these two age groups was obtained both …

Preparing For The Rising Tide, Ellen Douglas, Paul Kirshen, Vivian Li, Chris Watson, Julie Wormser

Environmental, Earth, and Ocean Sciences Faculty Publication Series

On October 29, 2012, one of the largest Atlantic basin storms in recorded history hit the East Coast. Although Superstorm Sandy centered around New Jersey and New York when it made landfall, the massive storm system spanned 1,000 miles north to south, over three times the size of a typical hurricane.

Luckily for Boston, Sandy’s storm surge hit the city near low tide, causing relatively minor coastal flooding. Had the storm hit 5½ hours earlier, 6.6 percent of the city could have been flooded, with floodwaters reaching City Hall.

Events such as Superstorm Sandy highlight the growing relevance of climate …

Town Of Cohasset Senior Center Study, Jan Mutchler, Hayley Gravette, Caitlin Coyle

Gerontology Institute Publications

The Town of Cohasset is considering the construction of a new Senior Center that will provide the opportunity for expanded programming within a dedicated building. In support of planning efforts by the Town of Cohasset, a study was conducted by the Gerontology Institute of the McCormack Graduate School at UMass Boston. The study addresses the need for, and probable utilization of, a new Senior Center, and includes consideration of the recreational, educational and health-related programs that are likely to be offered through the new Center. Results of the study presented in this report respond to three questions: First, what are …

The Residual Income Method: A New Lens On Housing Affordability And Market Behaviour, Michael E. Stone, Terry Burke, Liss Ralston

Community Studies Faculty Publication Series

This study was designed to explore the viability of an alternative method of measuring affordability (the residual income method) to that of the ubiquitous 30 per cent benchmark method and to use this alternative method for enriching understanding around a range of affordability and housing market issues. The work has been exploratory but it does reveal both the potential and the limitations of the method. Put simply, the residual income method calculates how much is left over for housing rents or mortgage after relevant expenditure items for different household types have been taken into account. If there is insufficient left …

The Residual Income Approach To Housing Affordability: The Theory And The Practice, Michael E. Stone, Terry Burke, Liss Ralston

Community Studies Faculty Publication Series

The residual income approach to housing affordability is one that looks at what different household types can afford to spend on housing after taking into account the other necessary expenditures of living. It is an alternative to benchmark measures of affordability as used in social housing rent setting in Australia (the 25% rule) or assessing the overall affordability in the wider housing market (the 30/40 rule) as commonly used by a range of housing affordability researchers in Australia. This Positioning Paper does two things. Part A provides an overview, using existing literature, of the various semantic, substantive and definitional issues …