Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

20th Century Bronx Childhood: Recalling The Faces And Voices, Janet Butler Munch

Publications and Research

A popular photographic exhibit on childhood, originally featured in the Lehman College Art Gallery in the Bronx, New York, was brought to life two decades later through a library digitization grant. The website Childhood in the Bronx features 61 photographs of boys and girls with family or friends, at play, on streets, and in parks, schools, shelters, hospitals, and other locales. Oral history sound excerpts about their childhood, not heard in the original exhibit, complement the 18 vintage photographs shown. The combination of images with the spoken word enhances the user's sensory experience with deeper meaning and enjoyment. This article …

Measuring The Impacts Of Social Media On Advancing Public Transit, Jenny H. Liu, Xuegang Ban, O. A. Elrahman

TREC Final Reports

This project is a collaboration between Portland State University (PSU) and the Center for Infrastructure Transportation & Environment (CITE) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute seeking to develop performance measures for assessing the impacts of social media on promoting public transit. Revolutionary changes have occurred in the communication landscape, and there has been a rapid diffusion of social media use as a means of communicating transit information to the public. Significant resources are being directed to the use of social media in communication, yet little effort exists that measures the impacts of these popular vehicles of communication. Rarely studied is the role …

Towards Systematic Prediction Of Urban Heat Islands: Grounding Measurements, Assessing Modeling Techniques, Jackson Voelkel, Vivek Shandas

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

While there exists extensive assessment of urban heat, we observe myriad methods for describing thermal distribution, factors that mediate temperatures, and potential impacts on urban populations. In addition, the limited spatial and temporal resolution of satellite-derived heat measurements may limit the capacity of decision makers to take effective actions for reducing mortalities in vulnerable populations whose locations require highly-refined measurements. Needed are high resolution spatial and temporal information for urban heat. In this study, we ask three questions: (1) how do urban heat islands vary throughout the day? (2) what statistical methods best explain the presence of temperatures at sub-meter …

Focusing On Equity In Regional Plans, Kristine M. Williams

TREC Project Briefs

Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) have long been required to consider the equity implications of their regional transportation plans and processes.

Silver Falls School District Enrollment Forecast 2017-18 To 2026-27, Portland State University. Population Research Center, Charles Rynerson, Scott Stewart, Xi Yang

School District Enrollment Forecast Reports

This report presents a series of three scenarios of district-wide enrollment forecasts by grade level for the Silver Falls School District (SFSD) for the 10-year period between 2017-18 and 2026-27. Each enrollment forecast scenario relates to population forecasts that incorporate different assumptions about growth within the District, with the primary differences being the contribution of net migration to the District’s population and age distribution. Individual school forecasts consistent with the middle series scenario are also presented for the 10-year period.

Persons With Health Insurance Before And After The Affordable Care Act, Mark J. Salling Phd, Gisp

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

Change In Persons With Health Insurance Before And After The Affordable Care Act - The National Picture, Mark J. Salling Phd, Gisp

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

Change In Persons With Health Insurance Before And After The Affordable Care Act: The State Of Ohio, Mark J. Salling Phd, Gisp

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

Change In Persons With Health Insurance Before And After The Affordable Care Act: The Akron & Cleveland-Elyria Msas, Mark J. Salling Phd, Gisp

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

Pension Fund Evictions: Lessons For Housing And Labor, Marnie F. Brady

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this dissertation I analyze an institutional investor portfolio of over-leveraged multifamily rental housing in East Palo Alto, California to demonstrate how changing forms of landlordism produce both new and familiar targets for tenants organizing against displacement and for housing security. Venture capital investors in the first decade of the 2000s exploited the Silicon Valley regional conditions of racial exclusion, uneven development, and municipal rent control. I introduce the legacy of Black political organization in East Palo Alto as a way of contextualizing the tenants’ and the city leaders’ response to the monopoly investment purchase. The structure of this rental …

Staging Cleveland: A Theater Industry Study, Iryna Lendel, Candi Clouse, Merissa Piazza, Ellen Cyran, Simon Husted, Nichole Laird, Luke Seaberg, Jinhee Yun

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

The impact of theater is traditionally discussed in the emotion someone feels from seeing a live show on stage or the nostalgia of remembering the experience of seeing one’s favorite movie come to life for the first time. Theaters are one of a city’s most beautiful treasures, often constructed with high levels of architectural appeal which can take audiences out of their normal life and lead them into the world of the performance. However, besides beautiful buildings and fond memories, what is the impact of the theater sector on a region?

This study uses a quantitative framework to examine the …

The Nasa Glenn Research Center: An Economic Impact Study Fiscal Year 2016, Iryna Lendel, Nathaniel Hoover, Luke Seaberg

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

This report presents an analysis of the economic impact of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s John H. Glenn Research Center (NASA Glenn) during its fiscal year (FY) 2016. It uses an input-output model, which reflects the buy-sell relationships among industries, the household sector, and the government sector in a region, to estimate the effect of NASA Glenn’s spending on the economies of both Northeast Ohio and the state of Ohio.

This model assesses economic impact in terms of growth in total output (sales); value added (output less intermediary goods); household earnings, number of new and supported jobs, and taxes. …

A Geospatial Assessment Of Social Vulnerability To Sea-Level Rise In Coastal San Luis Obispo, Jesse A. Carpentier

Master's Theses

This project is an assessment of social vulnerability to sea-level rise in the unincorporated coastal area of the County of San Luis Obispo (County) using geospatial and statistical analysis. The intention of this assessment is to inform local climate adaptation efforts now required by state legislation. A social vulnerability index was generated at the Census block group level using 32 variables positively correlated with social vulnerability. The social vulnerability score for each block group is the sum of scores generated for the following principle components: (1) race/ethnicity and disability status, (2) social isolation and age, (3) income, and (4) housing …

An Evaluation Of U.S. National Wildlife Refuge Planning For Off-Road Vehicle Use, Robert L. Fischman, Vicky J. Meretsky, Katie Freeman, Alexi Lamm, Leah Missik, Scott Salmon

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Off-road vehicles (hereafter, ORVs) rank high among public-land management challenges because they are popular, often impair environmental conditions, and may cause conflicts with other recreational users. Unit-level planning for federal lands increasingly translates broad, system-wide objectives, such as maintenance of ecological integrity, into place-based limitations on ORV use to minimize and mitigate adverse impacts on wildlife. We reviewed 176 planning documents covering 313 National Wildlife Refuges (hereafter, Refuges) to understand how planning supports or undermines ORV recreation management. These plans offer an important perspective on ORV management because the Refuges are a large, diverse system of conservation lands where recreation …

Breaking Barriers To Bike Share: Insights From Residents Of Traditionally Underserved Neighborhoods, Nathan Mcneil, Jennifer Dill, John Macarthur, Joseph Broach, Steven Howland

TREC Final Reports

Evidence has shown that higher income and white populations are overrepresented in both access to and use of bike share. Efforts to overcome underserved communities’ barriers to access and use of bike share have been initiated in a number of cities, including those working with the Better Bike Share Partnership (BBSP) to launch and test potentially replicable approaches to improve the equity outcomes. This report describes findings from a survey of residents living near bike share stations placed in underserved communities of select BBSP cities: Philadelphia, Chicago, and Brooklyn. These were neighborhoods targeted for focused outreach related to BBSP programs, …

Land Use And Active Travel: A Complex Relationship, Steven R. Gehrke

TREC Project Briefs

While it’s accepted that mixed-use development promotes active travel, researchers don’t have a consensus on exactly how land use determines people’s travel patterns.

Regulating The Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Interdependencies, Transaction Costs And Procedural Justice, Shaun Larcom, Terry Van Gevelt

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

There have been calls for an overhaul of regulatory and governance frameworks to incorporate the implications of the water-energy-food nexus. We map one small component of the regulatory space of the nexus and highlight its immense complexity. We draw on insights from the economics and socio-legal literatures to show that a decentralised approach to regulation based upon procedural justice can enable the trade-offs of the nexus to be considered and addressed. We use a nexus case study of micro hydro-electricity generation in Dartmoor National Park in England to show that when we take into account interactions between state and non-state …

Annual Metro Regional Trail Count And Why Local Extrapolation Factors Matter, Geoff Gibson

PSU Transportation Seminars

Metro, Portland's regional governing agency, conducts annual two-hour counts along its regional trail every September. This upcoming fall (2017) will be the 10th year that the counts have been held, which means we at Metro can finally start seeing noticeable, long-lasting trends in the regional trail network. Perhaps more importantly, we are seeing how these data have directly impacted investments in future trail, bicycle, and pedestrian projects.

This seminar will cover the history of the program, details of how it's conducted and why it's conducted that way, how data are used (including an inside look at future iterations of Metro's …

Webinar: Developing Practical Dynamic Evaluation Methods For Transportation Structures, Charles Riley

TREC Webinar Series

Deteriorating transportation infrastructure is constantly in the news. Government agencies at all levels are pursuing methods to monitor structural health, so that they can prioritize repairs. In Oregon, the Cascadia Subduction Zone megathrust earthquake looms as a significant natural hazard for which our transportation network is ill-prepared. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) estimates that it will take around $2.6 billion over seven years to repair or replace many of the existing bridges in the state’s network to maintain lifeline routes after a Cascadia event. Funding for the scenarios envisioned by ODOT is not forthcoming, and the project …

Responding To Foreclosures In Cuyahoga County 2016 Update: Tenth Annual Report January 1 - December 31, 2016, Kathryn W. Hexter, Molly Schnoke

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

The Levin College of Urban Affairs has been the evaluation and research partner for the Cuyahoga County Foreclosure Prevention Program (CCFPP) since the program was adopted in 2006. This report is an update to the County for 2016. The evaluation tracks progress and provides feedback about the program that can be used to improve and adapt it to meet the rapidly changing state and national context surrounding foreclosures.

Since the program began in 2006, the Cuyahoga County foreclosure prevention program has served a total of 29,135 homeowners at the five participating counseling agencies. In 2016 alone, 901 households were counseled. …

Inequities In Urban Mobility In Portland: Understanding Community Vulnerability And Prospects For Livable Neighborhoods, Amy Lubitow

PSU Transportation Seminars

Gentrification and development are changing the face of many Portland neighborhoods. This talk will draw on data from focus groups and participatory mapping research with residents in SE and North Portland neighborhoods. The presentation will share findings on the patterns of movement reported by residents in gentrifying neighborhoods and will offer ideas and perspectives on how to plan for a sustainable future for all Portlanders.

A Case Study Of A Six-Time Convicted Serial Rapist: The Search For Explanation, Ricardo E. Fernandez

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This case study discusses rape theories by performing a case study of a convicted serial rapist, hereafter referred to as “Carl Criminal.” This pseudonym has been used throughout this research effort in order to avoid the additional contributing to the celebrity status of the true rapist who has committed these vicious sexual assaults. Locations have also been changed in order to prevent contribution of further clues that may help identify the rapist and avoid embarrassment, humiliation, and further mental anguish for the rape victims.

On January 18, 1999, Carl Criminal, a 38-year-old white male Sheriff’s Deputy with a local sheriff’s …

Women In Nontraditional Occupations: A Mixed Methods Qualitative Case Study On Women In The U.S. Concrete-Construction Industry, Sefla Fuhrman

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods qualitative case study is to gain a deeper understanding about the factors that contribute to and/or hinder women’s participation in the construction industry by examining women’s experiences within one very industry-specific, male-dominated nontraditional occupation (NTO)—the concrete industry. In this study I utilized a combination of methods including interviews and survey research, as well as case analysis of an organization specifically involved with this population, the Women In Concrete Alliance (WICA). This investigation identifiesd some of the reasons why women’s participation remains low, discusses some of ways that the private, public, and educational sectors have …

The Impact Of Housing Insecurity On Community Health Outcomes: Exploring Collective Community Solutions And Housing Models In The Western Addition, Jacqueline V. Brown, Jacqueline Victoria Brown

Master's Projects and Capstones

In a city where housing is scarce and prices continue to rise, the lower income residents of the Western Addition are in panic. Historically, the Western Addition/Fillmore is ground zero for Urban Renewal. This community is still bouncing back from the negative effects of the out migration of Black residents, Japanese internment, and rapid gentrification. For twenty years, this part of the city was known as Harlem of the West due to its world-renowned Jazz and Blues composers, and is informally known as “Tha ‘Mo”. San Francisco has set the tone nationally for public, mixed income, and private housing that …

Bringing The State Home: Neoliberalism In Global Models Of Public Housing, Nicholas Alfino

Cultural Studies Capstone Papers

Global public housing authorities in state versus market capitalism take different approaches to provide housing for multicultural demographics. This capstone project looks at that of New York City and Singapore as case studies of ideologies of welfare, multicultural national identity and public policies representative of their political economies. With special attention paid the spatial relations of ethnic enclaves in both urban environments, focus is placed on a social, lived experience shaped by both 'productivist' versus 'cynical' ideology and privatization versus state authoritarianism. Each political economic system of welfare reaches from larger concepts of national and global economy to the local …

Network Congestion Effect Of E-Hailing Transportation Services, Xuegang Ban

PSU Transportation Seminars

E-hailing plays a key role in emerging transportation services such as ridesourcing, ridesharing and taxis, among others. This seminar will present a general economic model to analyze the congestion effect of e-hailing services in a transportation network.

The model can help analyze customers’ choices of different modes, based on their value of time and the charging schemes of different services, as well as the overall impact of the services to network level congestion.

The Role Of Financial Literacy Among University Transfer Students And The Impact On Perceived Social Mobility, Melissa Pyle

Student Research Symposium

This study will examine financial literacy among university transfer students at Portland State University. The main objective is to assess the financial knowledge and behaviors of transfer students and how that impacts perceived social mobility. The goal is to provide conclusions and resource implications regarding the specific needs of university transfer students through a sociological lens. In partnership with The Financial Wellness Center (FCW) at Portland State University it is hypothesized the results of this study will better equip universities and transfer students to work together to ensure both educational success, upward mobility, and fiscal responsibility.

It's No Accident: Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Vehicle Safety Inspections, Alex Hoagland, Trevor Woolley

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Traffic fatalities have fallen steadily over the past two decades, particularly those due to car failure. Many have attributed this fall to safer vehicle technology. This trend has led many states to reevaluate mandatory vehicle safety inspection programs. This study sought to answer the question, does the elimination of vehicle safety inspections have an effect on traffic fatalities?

Findings For The Placement Of Tiny Houses In New Orleans, Michelle M. Thompson Phd, Gisp, Jennie Garcia

Planning and Urban Studies Reports and Presentations

This report are the findings of research on Tiny Houses in the City of New Orleans. This project looks at the issues related to how and/or if ‘prefabricated’ housing is defined by housing type, conforms to zoning and is valued (by the assessor and private banks) in the New Orleans market. The case study will summarize existing and proposed ordinances that relate to the design and siting requirements for houses on wheels and without. The definition of tiny houses built by Preservation Tiny House Company falls into the category of ‘mobile homes’ or ‘trailers’ which many manufactured houses are considered. …

How Criminal Activity Nuisance Laws Can Hurt Victims Of Domestic Violence, Joseph Mead, Marissa Pappas, Megan Hatch, J. Rosie Tighe

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.