Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Modeling Roadside Safety Hazards To Predict Annual Crash Cost To Encroaching Vehicles In Rural Road Networks, Isidro Delgado

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Roadside crashes account for a large portion of total fatal crashes that occur annually in the United States. About 30% of those fatalities are the result of single vehicle run-off-road crashes. A large proportion of these fatal crashes occur in rural roads when vehicles depart from the travel lane and collide with trees or other roadside safety hazards. Many of these run-off-road accidents occur in local roads that carry traffic volumes between 1,000 and 20,000 vehicles per day. Many of these roads are part of the jurisdiction of county authorities faced with the dilemma of having too many "potentially dangerous" …

Environmental Migrants And The Future Of The Willamette Valley: A Preliminary Exploration, Alison Wicks

Institute of Metropolitan Studies Publications

This report reviews existing data and research on predicted impacts of climate change in the Northwestern United States, and specifically focuses on the level of preparedness to accommodate new population growth due to climate migration in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Climate change impacts in Oregon are predicted to be less severe than in other areas of the country. Generally, models project warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers in the Willamette Valley and other areas west of the Cascade Range. This will likely make the Willamette Valley a more desirable place for environmentally displaced people to locate. This report considers how …

Travel Behavior, Residential Preference, And Urban Design: A Multi-Disciplinary National Analysis, Jessica Greene, Nico Larco, Yizhao Yang, Marc Schlossberg, Daniel Rodriguez, Noreen Mcdonald, Tabitha Combs

TREC Final Reports

This report summarizes the findings of a national project to examine the travel behavior, social capital, health, and lifestyle preferences of residents of neotraditional developments (NTD) compared to more standard suburban developments. We compare survey results from residents of matched pairs of neighborhoods in seventeen U.S. cities and towns, with each pair comprised of one NTD and one typical suburban neighborhood of similar size, age, and socio-demographic composition. The study addresses salient themes in the transportation, planning and health literatures: a national study, surveying populations of diverse incomes, collecting resident information on preferences for and attitudes towards neighborhood qualities, and …

Urban League Of Central Carolinas – Civil Rights Organizations In A New Era: An Action Research Study Of One Organization’S Pursuit Of New Strategies, Harry L. Alston

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

What leadership approaches and operational strategies should traditional civil rights organizations, like the Urban League, undertake to in this post-civil rights era? Specifically at the local level, what expectations must the Urban League of Central Carolinas satisfy to reassert its leadership in Charlotte? In recent years, an increasing array of social enterprises across different sectors has emerged to address failures in civil society. Civil rights organizations have long served a niche in the battle for an equitable society. However, the role of civil rights organizations in community revitalization has been diffuse and subject to fundraising constraints. I undertook this action …

A Qualitative Approach To Spiral Of Silence Research: Self-Censorship Narratives Regarding Environmental And Social Conflict, Christopher John Ryan

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this research is to seek narratives of self-censorship from in-depth interviews of 19 participants acquired through a purposive (criterion) sampling protocol. The primary research question driving this study is “What types of sanctions contribute to people choosing to self-censor their strongly held beliefs, values, and opinions.” Previous research conducted on the topic of self-censorship (generally under the rubric of the spiral of silence theory) has been predominantly quantitative and consideration of sanctions influencing self-censorship have been limited to fear of social isolation. I suggest that ostensibly important sanction variables have not been utilized within these existing frameworks. …

The Relationship Between Residential Satisfaction, Sense Of Community, Sense Of Belonging And Sense Of Place In A Western Australian Urban Planned Community, Kylie M. Smith

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Residential satisfaction is important as it contributes to a person‟s psychological wellbeing and quality of life. Residential satisfaction develops due to physical factors such as the provision of parks and amenities within a community, social factors such as a feeling of belongingness to the community and social support within the community and personal factors such as homeownership and length of residence. Sense of community, sense of belonging and sense of place also influence residential satisfaction; however, the extent that these contribute is unclear. As a result, this study investigated the contribution of these constructs to the development of residential satisfaction …

Securing The Homeland: A Risk-Cost-Benefit Analysis Of U.S. Anti-Terrorism Expenditures, Anne-Elise Martin

CMC Senior Theses

An analysis of risk, cost and benefit associated with U.S. domestic anti-terrorism expenditures.

Southern California Water Management: Practical Adoptions And Policy Recommendations, Blake Kos

CMC Senior Theses

Contrary to popular belief, the L.A. region is more of a desert than a tropical oasis. Little rainfall during the winter months and practically no rainfall during the summer months is characteristic of Southern California’s desert-like weather patterns. Due to these low precipitation levels, water is considered the most important commodity in the Los Angeles region. Prior to 1900, the inhabitants of this area were fully aware of the importance of water. Most settlements were established near water sources and had adopted various techniques and constructed small-scale dams to conserve and reuse rainwater. Yet these measures were not sufficient to …

Public Investment And Economic Growth In El Paso, Azucena Gonzalez Monzon

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This research focuses on the impact from public capital stock on economic growth in El Paso, Texas. A time series analysis is used to gauge the dynamic relationship between public infrastructure and the productivity of this city's economy. An Error Correction model and a Vector Error Correction model are utilized to discover short-run and long-run impacts from public capital stock on the growth of this particular economy. The Vector Autoregressive model is used to determine causality amongst the variables and to determine the structure of this economy. This research finds that public infrastructure growth actually follows economic growth and private …

Estimates Of Population Age Groups (Ages Under 18 Yrs., 18-64 Yrs., And 65 Yrs. And Over) For Oregon And Its Counties, July 1, 2010, Portland State University. Population Research Center, Risa Proehl

Oregon Population Estimates and Reports

Estimates of population age groups for Oregon and its counties.

Nhs Homeownership 2006-2010. Neighborhood Housing Services Of New Orleans: Homeownership Program Study, Michelle M. Thompson

Planning and Urban Studies Reports and Presentations

The Homeowner Impact Study was undertaken by the students of the MURP 4081/G “Information Technology for the Planning Profession” course led by Dr. Michelle Thompson in order to evaluate both the condition of houses that were purchased by Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) Homeownership program participants and the economic impact of this affordable housing within the New Orleans, LA market. The goal of the NHS program is to revive and rejuvenate the city of New Orleans by increasing homeownership and to identify vacant and substandard properties for targeted revitalization. The students of this geographic information sciences class are contributing to this …

Nhs Home Ownership, 2006-2010, Department Of Planning And Urban Studies, University Of New Orleans

Planning and Urban Studies Reports and Presentations

Supporting and developing first-time homeownership is one of the key strategies being undertaken by public and private entities to spur post-Katrina housing recovery in New Orleans, LA. Homeownership counseling and education combined with millions of dollars of subsidies, usually in the forms of down payment assistance and soft-second mortgages, have helped hundreds of families attain homeownership. While these programs are clearly making a difference to these families and positively impacting the regional economy, little research has been done into the details of these effects.

This study represents one of the first robust examinations of where and how these first-time homebuyers …

Ua3/4/2 President's Office-Downing Construction File, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records regarding the planning, construction and maintenance of buildings on the WKU campus. Downing held several positions at WKU before becoming president. Some of these records date to that earlier period.

Ua1b3/1 Campus Master Plan Committee, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Unprocessed records created by and about the Campus Master Plan Committee.

Coordinating Code In Virginia’S Historic Districts, Drew Gruber

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the evolution and limitations of regulatory and historic district overlay zones and the inherent conflicts between the two as applied in Virginia. Historic district overlay zoning and the establishment of local historic districts and design review boards has developed in response to the failures of traditional zoning techniques to adequately protect the architectural character of Virginia’s historic urban landscapes. After almost fifty years of practice and improvement in the fields of urban planning and historic preservation, synchronizing regulatory and historic district overlay zones still presents difficulties for municipal administrators. Several Virginia jurisdictions are highlighted in the thesis …

Administration Without Borders, Jonathan G.S. Koppell

Publications from President Jonathan G.S. Koppell

To thrive in 2020, we must conceive of the field of public administration in the broadest possible terms. Phenomena that typically have been treated peripherally in our literature are emerging center stage in recent years, confirming that the “old” boundaries of our discipline do not reflect contemporary reality. After reviewing three key developments—the rise of mixed and nongovernmental institutions in public policy, the increasing importance of market mechanisms, and the assertion of meaningful global regulation—an argument is made for a broader reconception of “publicness” that goes hand in hand with the embrace of governance in lieu of administration.

Estimates For Population Ages 4-20 Years For Oregon And Its Counties, Portland State University. Population Research Center, Risa Proehl

Oregon Population Estimates and Reports

Estimates for population ages 4-20 years for Oregon and its counties.

Performance Enhancement Of Bridge Bracing Under Service And Extreme Loads, Peter Dusicka, Max Taylor Stephens, Kate Fox-Lent

TREC Final Reports

As truck loads continue to get bigger, the demand on many aging bridges increases. Slender steel structural elements widely used in bridge superstructures and braced substructures to resist these loads are built primarily for tension, however, and can buckle under compressive loads. Portland State University associate professor Peter Dusicka set out to develop and demonstrate the concept of retrofitting bridge brace elements with fiber reinforced composites in order to provide restraint against buckling. The advanced materials consisted of a combination of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite pultruded sections and wet lay-up wraps intended to be applied in the field. This …

Impacts Of Low-Speed Vehicles On Transportation Infrastructure And Safety, Katharine M. Hunter-Zaworski, Linda Cornell

TREC Final Reports

There are increasing numbers of low-speed electric vehicles (LSVs) on public roadways. These vehicles are designed to be used within protected environments and on roadways with a maximum posted speed of 25 mph. Currently these vehicles are not subject to the same federal requirements for occupant protection as passenger cars. This research project investigated safety standards, operating regulations, and LSV manufacturer materials from sources around the world. The purpose of the research was to determine positive and negative impacts that LSVs, including Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) and Medium Speed Electric Vehicles (MSEVs), are likely to have for the Oregon Department …

New Census Data Show Portland’S High-Poverty Pockets, Michael Burnham

Publications, Reports and Presentations

Brief article that reports on poverty within the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area, based on information gleaned from the American Community Survey and census data.

Cultivating The Commons An Assessment Of The Potential For Urban Agriculture On Oakland’S Public Land, Nathan Mcclintock, Jenny Cooper

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This is an inventory of open space with potential for agricultural production on land both owned by public agencies and within the city limits of Oakland, California. The inventory was conducted between the summer of 2008 and spring of 2009 and is part of an ongoing movement to develop a more resilient, sustainable, and just food system in Oakland. This project aims to locate Oakland’s "commons"—land that is owned by public agencies and therefore a public resource—and assess the potential for urban agriculture (UA) on this land. We hope that this assessment can be used 1) to inform policy decisions …

Ibpi: Bicycle And Pedestrian Education Program, Jennifer Dill, Lynn Weigand, Karen Dixon

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since the 1990s, the amount of attention and funding for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure has increased significantly. This, combined with the role of transportation in public health and environmental concerns, has raised expectations for engineering and planning practitioners to possess more knowledge and skills related to pedestrian and bicycle planning and design. This demand requires more education around these topics but university curriculum doesn?t reflect these important shifts in the field. This project was intended to begin addressing the need for more bicycle and pedestrian curriculum in two ways: (1) Determine the existence of and need for courses and curriculum …

Tigard-Tualatin School District Enrollment Forecast Update, 2011-12 To 2020-21, Portland State University. Population Research Center, Charles Rynerson, David West, Vivian Siu

School District Enrollment Forecast Reports

This report presents the results of a demographic study conducted by the Portland State University Population Research Center (PRC). The study includes analysis of population, housing and enrollment trends affecting the District in recent years, estimates of the impacts of housing development on TTSD enrollment, and forecasts of districtwide and individual school enrollments for the 2011-12 to 2020-21 school years. The Tigard-Tualatin School District (TTSD) enrolled 12,393 students in Fall 2010, a decrease of 74 students (0.6 percent) from Fall 2009. The loss occurred at both the elementary and middle school levels, with decreases of 41 students (0.7 percent) in …

Building Dupont: Capitalism, Manufactures, And Place In Early America, 1800-1820, Christopher Manning

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Though there is a rich literature dealing with the DuPont Company, the historiography remains dedicated to studies of the family’s life, corporate methods, working-class culture, and technological know-how. Rarely do studies engage the company’s wider economic position or regional influence in early America. This study analyzes the way early American culture guided and influenced DuPont’s growth and success. It also examines the company’s efforts to promote manufactures, create markets, and shape its surrounding landscape. As in other parts of the world, the development of industrial capitalism, and the wider acceptance of domestic manufacturers and large-scale industry in the United States …

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Fall 2010, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge.

The senior design competition helps to focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects …

Mountain Monitor-3rd Quarter 2010, Jonathan Rothwell, Kenan Fikri

Mountain Monitor Quarterly

One year after the Mountain Monitor began tracking recession and recovery in the Intermountain West, the Southern Nevada economy has yet to turn around. The rate of slippage across a range of indicators has slowed measurably, but evidence of a nascent recovery eludes. Las Vegas' poor relative performance over the past year can be attributed not only to the legacy of a particularly devastating initial wave of economic distress, but also to a continued struggle to slow and reverse the downward trend.

The Limits Of Social Capital: An Examination Of Immigrants' Housing Challenges In Calgary, Alina Tanasescu, Alan Smart

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A common explanation of immigrants' under-representation among the homeless population in Canada is that kinship and community networks act as a buffer to absolute homelessness. There are indications that immigrant homelessness is, however, increasing, suggesting that the buffering capacity of social networks reaches a limit. Further, evidence of precarious housing situations indicates that we should approach this form of housing provision with some caution. This paper draws on a larger study of housing difficulties among immigrants in Calgary to address the ways in which social capital serves a buffering role, and under what conditions it loses its ability to prevent …

Alignment Of Community Preferences, Economic Development Goals, And Policy: Considering Economic Development Goals, Their Expression, And Their Execution In Economically Struggling Communities, Rebecca Lynn Moryl

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Across the U.S., and particularly in the Northeast, cities known as former "mill towns" have been largely unsuccessful in attempts to revive their economic vigor. States and cities invest millions each year in efforts to reinvigorate these cities through economic development policies. Debates about the effectiveness of such policies in generating economic growth outcomes are prevalent in the literature. This thesis takes a different focus by considering the alignment of economic development goals and actions among citizens and government professionals. I consider, compare, contrast, and draw lessons from three Massachusetts cities of similar government structure. Each of these cities has …

Trail Planning & Community Service Curriculum, Lynn Weigand

TREC Final Reports

The objective of this project was to develop a new trail planning curriculum and conduct a regional trail research project in the Portland metropolitan area. The curriculum was created for a community service-based, University Capstone course at Portland State University (PSU), with Metro (regional government) as the community course partner. Project goals included: Expanding opportunities for undergraduate students to study trail design and planning for transportation and recreational walking and bicycling; Providing practical application of knowledge to a trail planning project through research and data collection on trail use; Raising awareness of bicycle and pedestrian travel among students in disciplines …

Health, Transportation And Bicycling: Connecting The Dotted Lines, Jennifer Dill

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Powerpoint presentation by Jennifer Dill at the Dudley H. Davis Center, University of Vermont, on November 17, 2010. Reviews current research on the relationships beetween health, transportation policy and bicycling. Discusses the role of psychology, thoeries of planned behavior, and future developments.