Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Spectral Urbanism: Modern Ghost Cities, Rare Earths, And Political Time At The Limits Of Materialism, Linsey Ly

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Contemporary urbanization in China is marked by speed, repetition, and similitude, key features of what I call spectral urbanism that also attends to the presence or absence, to recursivity and deferral. The mass development of empty, outmoded, and seemingly abandoned modern ghost cities in China’s borderlands come to be used as evidence of an interruption or lack in the veneer of Chinese modernity. The contours and quality of stalled development are measured, read in objects of the built environment that have yet to fulfill their anticipated function: vacant buildings, quiet roads that lead no one to empty parks, homes which …

Opportunities For Youngstown In The Supply Chains Of Northeast Ohio And Pittsburgh Economies, Iryna Lendel, Iryna Demko, Georgina G. Figueroa

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

The Center for Economic Development at Cleveland State University conducted this analysis to determine opportunities for the Youngstown economy in the supply chains of Northeast Ohio and Pittsburgh economies. Youngstown can account for a greater share of input purchases from the NEO and Pittsburgh regions by focusing on Nonferrous Metal (Except Aluminum) Production and Processing, Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing, and Plastic Product Manufacturing. Youngstown can develop its economic ties with Pittsburgh’s economy in its aspirational sector – Financial Services.

Cooperatives In Ohio’S Economy: Their Contribution And The Impact Of Covid-19, Iryna Demko, Isabella L. Mcknight, Hannah Scott

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

Ohio is home to 452 cooperatives, including some of the largest agricultural co-ops in the country, and is the birthplace of rural electric cooperatives in the U.S. However, prior to this analysis there was little information about the economic impact of those cooperatives on the state’s economy. The research team used various public sources and interviews to gather data on 58 agricultural and food cooperatives and 25 rural electric cooperatives in Ohio. This study found that agriculture, food, and rural electric cooperatives supported an estimated 12,910 full-time and part-time jobs in the state, attained $875 million in labor income, and …

The Effect Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Ohio Manufacturing, Iryna Lendel, Merissa Piazza, Madeline Frantz

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

The manufacturing sector is integral to Ohio’s economy, as it employed about 698,000 workers and produced an estimated $106.9 billion in output in 2019, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This report examines the subsequent effects of the pandemic on Ohio’s manufacturing industry by analyzing changes in its workforce and productivity between 2019 and 2020, as well as the strategies used by manufacturing companies to adapt to pandemic circumstances. We found that Ohio manufacturing employment decreased by 6.7% from 2019 to 2020, contrasting with an increase in GDP and productivity over the same period. This report explores possible explanations …

Manufacturing In The 21st Century, Iryna Lendel, Mike Naso

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

The manufacturing sector faces more challenges than ever to remain a competitive force in Northeast Ohio. The evolution of manufacturing through the advent of Industry 4.0 poses the most pressing challenge, pushing manufacturers to adopt technologies that are driven by data analysis, cloud computing, and connectivity through the Industrial Internet of Things. Northeast Ohio is falling behind in the adoption of 4.0 technology, especially among small- and medium-sized companies, and some have even delayed adoption of 3.0 technologies like basic automation and the integration of computers into production processes. This research brief investigates the advantages of Industry 4.0 implementation and …

Economic Impact Of The Transportation Research Center Inc. On Central Ohio And The State Of Ohio, Iryna Lendel, Matthew B. Ellerbrock, Scott Corsi

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

A recognized leader in transportation research and innovation since 1974, the Transportation Research Center Inc. (TRC), with its 4,500-acre testing facility and expert technical team, created more than $127 million total in economic output in 2019 and supported over 670 total jobs with almost $36 million in wages and benefits throughout Ohio, the study determined. Testing and research on behalf of TRC clients, including many of the world’s leading automotive manufacturers and systems innovators, generated more than $1.3 million in taxes to local government entities, $1.3 million to the state government and $2.3 million to the federal government. An additional …

Urban Governance And Electricity Losses: An Exploration Of Spatial Unevenness In Karachi, Pakistan, Ijlal Naqvi, Ate Poorthuis, Anirudh Govind

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The inadequate supply of electricity in Pakistan disrupts everyday life and hampers industry and business; in this it is an emblematic indicator of the poor quality of urban governance pervasive in much of the Global South. We focus on the governance of Karachi’s electricity distribution system, and its spatial unevenness across this sprawling metropolis of 15 million residents which encompasses huge informal settlements alongside upscale housing and commercial plazas. Using a dataset with granular, neighborhood-level electricity data, we apply spatial and statistical modeling techniques to understand how transmission and distribution losses, i.e., the utility’s ability to bill for the electricity …

Evaluating Mobility Impacts Of Construction Work Zones On Utah Transportation System Using Machine Learning Techniques, Ali Hassandokht Mashhadi, Abbas Rashidi

TREC Final Reports

Construction work zones are inevitable parts of daily operations at roadway systems. They have a significant impact on traffic conditions and the mobility of roadway systems. The traffic impacts of work zones could significantly vary due to several interacting factors such as work zone factors (work zone location and layout, length of the closure, work zone speed, intensity, and daily active hours); traffic factors (percentage of heavy vehicles, highway speed limit, capacity, mobility, flow, density, congestion, and occupancy); road factors (number of total lanes, number of open lanes, and pavement grade and condition); temporal factors (e.g., year, season, month, weekday, …

Geographic Study Of Latinx Immigrant-Owned Markets In Cobb County, Georgia, Brittney Brown

Symposium of Student Scholars

Immigrant-owned businesses allow for immigrants to establish themselves in a foreign country and can also provide a sense of community to other immigrants living in the same area. Immigrants tend to settle in areas where there are others of the same nationality and speak the same languages, because it provides immigrants with a social connection. Immigrant-owned businesses can be indicative of an ethnoburb, which is defined as a notable cluster of an ethnic minority population in a suburban context. With a focus on Latinx immigrant-owned markets in Cobb County, Georgia, this study aims to find the connection between Latinx immigrant-owned …

From Displaced To Our Place: Using An Educational Narrative To Build Community In A Displaced Community, Morgan Frederick

Symposium of Student Scholars

Thomasville heights is a displacement neighborhood for people pushed out by Atlanta’s Urban Renewal projects. Thomasville Heights remains a casualty of a system of economic segregation. Under this system of segregation these neighborhoods are left in detrimental states. It is in places like Thomasville Heights where the phrase “place matters” becomes a call to action. A town of 6000 residents and only one elementary school, Thomasville heights is bordered by multiple freight yards, a cemetery, landfills, and Atlanta’s US penitentiary, just a 5-minute walk from that one elementary school. There remains a vast difference between that of low-income urban, and …

Urban Food Policy, Planning, And Security: A Location Analysis And Potential Impacts Of Creating Community Gardens In Dekalb County, Ga, Artis Trice

Symposium of Student Scholars

As food insecurity grows in complexity, the methods used to combat it must also evolve. In the Atlanta metropolitan area, direct community engagement and partnerships have led to the creation of small community garden and urban agriculture operations on public lands. However, food insecurity continues to be a problem, particularly in low-income areas where resources are fewer, such as areas within DeKalb County, Georgia. This project seeks to understand ways in which integrating food policy and planning into existing green infrastructure can mitigate issues related to food insecurity in DeKalb County and considers the following questions: How can food policy …

From Roundabout To Roundabout: Tahrir Square (1869- 2021), Mariam Abdelazim

Dissertations

Tahrir Square not only represents a symbol of liberation but also reflects the modern history of Egypt. Its several physical changes signify the rise and fall of the monarchy, colonialism, modernism, nationalism, capitalism, echoing a constantly changing definition of the Egyptian public space. And while the surrounding façades physically define the square, either the authorities or the public control its activities.

Khedive Ismail founded the square around 1869 as a roundabout on his “Paris along the Nile” modern city. Between 1882 and 1947, the site became the barracks’ location for the British troops who colonized Egypt. In 1952, an Egyptian …

Conjugal Mayorship: The Fernandos And The Transformation Of Marikina, 1992–2010, Meynardo P. Mendoza

History Department Faculty Publications

From 1992 to 2010, during the mayoral terms of Bayani and Maria Lourdes Carlos-Fernando, Marikina underwent an extensive transformation. The husband-and-wife team transformed it from a sleepy, semi-agricultural third-class municipality into a model city and the recipient of many awards and distinctions. Aside from providing the physical infrastructure needed to lay the foundation for the city, the Fernandos also transformed the residents by promoting a culture of order and discipline, and later on introducing corporatist practices in the delivery of basic services. In the process, Marikina became sustainable from a financial and environmental standpoint. This paper argues that Marikina’s transformation …

Towards Affordable And Sustainable Housing: A Proposal To Adapt The Institutional Framework In The Transitional Phase In Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Esam Abdulwahab Haidar Arch, Mohammad Alghamdi, Ali Salem Bahammam Prof

Emirates Journal for Engineering Research

Movement towards affordable and sustainable housing must take into account the institutional framework as a main executor of transition, especially in the transitional phase from the usual (prevailing) housing development to affordable and sustainable housing. The research aims to develop an integrated view of institutional framework adaptation in the transitional phase to affordable and sustainable housing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including the roles of all actors (government, private, civil society, and scientific research).

This study passed through three basic stages; in the first stage, on a literature review to define the roles of housing actors and ways of …

Conditions For Competition: Assessing The Competitive Dynamics Of Us Counties, Josh Mitchell, Lashonda Stewart, John Hamman, Steve Modlin

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

Research in public policy examines specific theories that drive policy adoption among jurisdictions. One of these theories, referred to in the economics literature as economic competition (or strategic competition), posits that local governments may engage in competition with one another because of the potential interjurisdictional economic spillover effects of certain fiscal policies. In this article, sales tax rates, a common, yet overlooked, policy instrument in the policy literature is examined to determine if sales tax rates drive competition among counties. Testing several hypotheses, this study finds that sales tax rate increases can exacerbate competition among counties. However, this relationship is …

Marginalized: The Missing Public Management Research On Homelessness, Richard F. Callahan

Journal of Public Management & Social Policy

Abstract

Homelessness is long-standing issue in American cities, with significant human consequences. However, current public management research does not typically include research on public agencies responding to the needs of the homeless.

This paper uses a case study to explore the disconnect between public management research and those living on the margins of society as homeless. The case study illustrates the potential for multiple streams of research in public management to effectively research the complexities of homelessness. This paper makes the case for that public agency responses to the varied dimensions of homelessness align with public management research, with the …

Migration Is Economic Development, Richey Piiparinen, Josh Valdez, Jim Russell

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

The sponsor of this analysis, Global Cleveland, is an organization, but global Cleveland is also a reality. Elaborating, when it comes to the task of economic and community development, think of a city as a feather in the wind, or a stick in a rapid of water. Global forces push and pull at places, affecting a city’s relevance, or it’s standard of living. Yet some indicators are better measures of where a city fits into the global order of things than others. This analysis shows that standard measures of “success”, like population size, are relics of a bygone era where …

No. 01: South-South Migration, Food Insecurity And The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jonathan Crush, Diana Thomaz, Sujata Ramachandran

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

The implementation of global migration governance processes such as the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the Global Compact for Migration has been stalled by the COVID-19 crisis as flows of and opportunities for international migrants shrink through the containment strategies adopted by most governments in response to the pandemic. Migrants have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and the policies taken in response to the pandemic, with higher risk of exposure to the virus, greater likelihood of working in sectors that have experienced major economic downturn, lower rates of access to social support mechanisms and health care, and increased vulnerability to …

No. 02: Food Remittances, Migration And Rural-Urban Linkages In Kenya, Elizabeth Opiyo Onyango, Jonathan Crush, Samuel Owuor

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

Rural-urban migrants in Sub-Saharan Africa do not generally cut their links with rural homes and much has been written about the character, types and implications of connections between rural areas and rapidly growing cities. The persistence of circular migration and the perpetuation of rural-urban connectivity is a distinctive feature of Kenyan urbanization. Informal non-market food remitting from rural to urban areas has received little attention in comparison with cash remitting from city to countryside. This paper presents new evidence from a household survey in Nairobi on the extent, frequency and nature of informal food remitting from rural areas to migrants …

Factors Associated With Voluntary Refusal Of Emergency Medical System Transport For Emergency Care In Detroit During The Early Phase Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Nicholas E. Harrison, Robert R. Ehrman, Andrea Curtin, Damon Gorelick, Alex B. Hill, Erin Brennan, Robert Dunne

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Research Publications

Importance
Emergency department (ED) and emergency medical services (EMS) volumes decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the amount attributable to voluntary refusal vs effects of the pandemic and public health restrictions is unknown.

Objective
To examine the factors associated with EMS refusal in relation to COVID-19 cases, public health interventions, EMS responses, and prehospital deaths.

Design, Setting, and Participants
A retrospective cohort study was conducted in Detroit, Michigan, from March 1 to June 30, 2020. Emergency medical services responses geocoded to Census tracts were analyzed by individuals’ age, sex, date, and community resilience using the Centers for Disease Control and …

Adoption And Use Of E-Grocery Shopping In The Context Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: Implications For Transport Systems And Beyond, Gabriella Abou-Zeid

Dissertations and Theses

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic drastically impacted travel for in-person shopping, commute trips, global supply chains, and food business operations. Previously mundane tasks, like shopping for food and household items, became markedly different as new social distancing and mask guidelines were put in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Concurrently, e-commerce sales in the U.S. skyrocketed. E-grocery pickup and delivery services saw unprecedented expansions. The adoption and use of e-grocery services have implications for equity and mobility, although the nature of the relationship of e-grocery to the latter is still unclear. Enhancing our understanding of the drivers of (and …

Towards Creating Smart Cities In Nepal, Ambika P. Adhikari, Keshav Bhattarai

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

Many urban centers in the world are seeking to become smart cities. Nepali city leaders are also aspiring to make their cities smart. A smart city basically has clever improvements made in three sectors of its operations: technological, human, and institutional. Globally, many cities have recently made impressive enhancements in at least one or more of these areas. Nepal’s National Planning Commission (NPC) in 2016 had released a concept paper on smart cities for Nepal, defining smart cities as sustainable, information and technology-based, with high quality services and replicable (NPC 2016). As most Nepali cities still operate with limited infrastructure, …

Exploring How Gentrification-Related Effects Impact The Health Of Older Black Adults, Ann Wachana, Holly Hinson

McNair Symposium

Black adults living in gentrifying neighborhoods experience cultural incongruence with new, often younger, high SES and White residents. In addition, older Black adults are losing deep ties to their neighborhood. This is a major loss to their social network and their sense of belonging within their own neighborhoods. Disruption of long-standing social ties can cause changes in mental health and raises concerns about gentrification’s potentially disruptive impact on cognitive health and the brain aging process. In order to learn more about the experience of older Black adults within a rapidly changing city, focus group discussions from the Sharing History through …

Catalysts And Impediments To Tax Increment Finance In Tulsa’S Historical African American Neighborhood, Bria A. Dixon

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis assesses how Tulsa, Oklahoma grew to utilize tax increment financing (TIF) to produce economic activity in Tulsa’s historic downtown area. Specifically, how the creation, history, and maintenance of ONEOK Field, a $60 million, 6,000-seat sports venue in Tulsa’s historically African American neighborhood became the catalyst for Tulsa’s current TIF policy. In examining the fiscal outcomes of ONEOK Field, this thesis finds implications for inequitable investment in and around Tulsa’s Greenwood TIF district

Central Plaza Recommendations, Jim Speer

2021 Spring Reports (Sullivan)

The City of Sullivan intends to leverage the new Central Plaza and Civic Center as key to the city. The Quality of Life plan indicates a desire to construct appealing aspects to Central Plaza. ENVI460 students were tasked with providing recommendations for a water feature and other sustainable features like a green roofing. This report reflects students’ recommendations for a sustainable water feature at Central Plaza.

Mitigating Urban Heat Island Effect At Southern City Park, Jim Speer

2021 Spring Reports (Sullivan)

The City of Sullivan indicated the southern City Park as an area of interest for redevelopment as a neighborhood area and for sustainable features. There are existing structures and habitats that they are looking to bolster. Students in ENVI 460 identified multiple components of the city park that could be updated and upgraded to provide more sustainable infrastructure and community focus. They recommended permeable pavers in two locations in the park area, green roofing on some existing structures, and adding native habitats to the overall area.

Sullivan Sustainable Housing Unit, Riem Rostom

2021 Spring Reports (Sullivan)

Students in ENGR401 were tasked with providing recommendations for an energy efficient heating and cooling system for a housing design provided by IAD251. Students performed necessary calculations and compared information with sustainability factors. There are also further recommendations for building sustainable housing.

Mopping Up Or Turning Off The Tap? Environmental Injustice And The Ethics Of Plastic Pollution, Katharine A. Owens, Katie Conlon

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Opinion article

Decades of scientific research confirm that plastic pollution poses a threat to many species, to water resources, and to economies around the world (Laist, 1997; Barnes et al., 2009; Gregory, 2009; Teuten et al., 2009; Chen, 2015; Newman et al., 2015; Rochman, 2015). Experts demonstrate that oceanic plastic pollution is increasing at astounding rates (Eriksen et al., 2014; Geyer et al., 2017). Research indicates harmful levels of toxicity in everyday plastic items (SCP/RAC, 2020). Scientists find this issue so important that they have recommended plastics …

Marine Debris And Human Health: An Exposure Pathway Of Pops?, Katie Conlon

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although there are not any direct studies linking persistent organic pollutants (POPs) accumulated on marine debris to human health, there are numerous studies showing human health impacts from repeated and high level POP exposure, as well as studies that show POPs accumulate on plastic debris in the marine environment. With this knowledge, there is a need for greater awareness of the risks of POP exposure for those who handle marine debris regularly, especially in contexts of higher exposure such as those working in marine debris concentrated areas. Amongst the scientific community, understanding of the exposure risk might be high, but …

Spatial Configuration And Time Of Day Impact The Magnitude Of Urban Tree Canopy Cooling, Miguel Alonzo, Matthew Baker, Yuemeng Gao, Vivek Shandas

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Tree cover is generally associated with cooler air temperatures in urban environments but the roles of canopy configuration, spatial context, and time of day are not well understood. The ability to examine spatiotemporal relationships between trees and urban climate has been hindered by lack of appropriate air temperature data and, perhaps, by overreliance on a single ‘tree canopy’ class, obscuring the mechanisms by which canopy cools. Here, we use >70 000 air temperature measurements collected by car throughout Washington, DC, USA in predawn (pd), afternoon (aft), and evening (eve) campaigns on a hot summer day. We subdivided tree canopy into …