Changing Minds, Changing Modes: Optimizing Public Perception Strategies For Urban Cycling Through Behavior Change Theory,
2025
Portland State University
Changing Minds, Changing Modes: Optimizing Public Perception Strategies For Urban Cycling Through Behavior Change Theory, Brandon Barnhart
University Honors Theses
This thesis addresses the recent decline in bicycle mode share in cities like Portland, Oregon, despite decades of investment in cycling infrastructure. While the "build it, and they will come" approach succeeded through the early 2000s, it no longer meets targets for bicycle use or broader goals related to sustainability, congestion, health, and safety. A new approach is needed that effectively rebuilds the cultural and behavioral components of cycling. This research asks: What role can behavior change theory play in increasing the effectiveness of public perception campaigns to promote urban cycling? Using a qualitative methodology, this study draws on behavior …
Can Machine Learning Prevent Human Trafficking? Using Data And Technology To Tailor Policies And Programs Toward Vulnerable Populations In Your Community,
2025
Prevention Now
Can Machine Learning Prevent Human Trafficking? Using Data And Technology To Tailor Policies And Programs Toward Vulnerable Populations In Your Community, Kristen Hubbell
SMU Human Trafficking Data Conference
This presentation will investigate how to use data and technology to prevent human trafficking in communities, before it starts. It will explore the opportunity to utilize a novel machine learning approach to identify local risk factors to guide collaborative, data-oriented prevention programs. Surprising findings from a case study will be shared that challenge existing assumptions on the key drivers of human trafficking.
New Building Permits In The Mountain West, 2024,
2025
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
New Building Permits In The Mountain West, 2024, Taylor Volk, Mohit Pande, Kristian Thymianos, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.
Housing & Real Estate
This fact sheet examines data on new build permits from January 2023 to January 2024 in the five Mountain West States of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.“New Home Construction Statistics,” published by This Old House, reported percent changes on new builder permits and construction manufacturing costs and statistics across all 50 states.
Bridging The Gap: Exploring The Intersection Of Formal Mental Health Services And Informal Social Supports In Bipoc Communities,
2025
National Louis University
Bridging The Gap: Exploring The Intersection Of Formal Mental Health Services And Informal Social Supports In Bipoc Communities, Patrice D. Patton-Campbell
Dissertations
Despite growing awareness of mental health disparities, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities continue to face significant barriers in accessing culturally responsive mental health care. This dissertation explores the intersection between formal mental health services and informal social supports such as family, religious institutions, and community networks to understand which systems are more trusted, accessible, and effective for BIPOC individuals. Grounded in Urban Liberation Psychology and guided by decolonial and culturally responsive care frameworks, this qualitative study draws from focus groups and interviews with 33 participants, including both community members and service providers from the Chicagoland area and …
"Change Is All There Is": Exploring Journalistic Coverage Of Gentrification In The St. Johns Neighborhood Of Portland, Or,
2025
Portland State University
"Change Is All There Is": Exploring Journalistic Coverage Of Gentrification In The St. Johns Neighborhood Of Portland, Or, Eva Kovolitsky
University Honors Theses
Gentrification, as an increasingly significant characteristic of contemporary urban spaces, has been the subject of a vast body of literature. This has prompted further research into how gentrification is described and the implications of language used in both academic research and popular media accounts. This study explores discourse used in journalistic coverage of gentrification in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Guided by past work in discourse analysis and critical urban geography, this study attempts to understand how academic discourse on gentrification is both reflected in and divergent from neighborhood-level discourse. This study used data from the St. Johns …
Built Environment And Public Electric Vehicle Charging: An Investigation Using Poi Data And Computer Vision,
2025
Singapore Management University
Built Environment And Public Electric Vehicle Charging: An Investigation Using Poi Data And Computer Vision, Junfeng Jiao, Seung Jun Choi
Research Collection College of Integrative Studies
Public electric vehicle charging stations (EVCSs) are vital for boosting EV adoption. This study investigates Seoul’s public EV charging patterns, taking into account the surrounding urban built environment. We collected built-environment data from land-use maps, Point of Interest (POI) data, and panorama images near public EVCS. The computer-vision technique was used to extract scene features from panorama images. We conducted a spatiotemporal analysis of public EVCS usage. The built-environment factors underwent dimensionality reduction and were assessed for outliers. Descriptive analysis revealed afternoon peak charging times and variations between chargers. Additional peaks are observed in the weekday late evening for chargers …
Cuny In The News: A History Of Reporting On The Humanities At The City University Of New York,
2025
CUNY Graduate Center
Cuny In The News: A History Of Reporting On The Humanities At The City University Of New York, Jacqueline R. Cahill
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
This project compiles newspaper articles concerning humanities at the City University of New York, placing them on a timeline to establish patterns and changes within media reporting and public perception. The archival research of this project explores four distinct eras, grouped around major events in the history of the university: 1961-1971, for the founding of the university and open admissions struggle; 1980-1990, for the response to the ‘70s fiscal crisis and introduction of the Board of Trustees; 2000-2010 for the post-open admissions era and the centralization of CUNY; and 2020-present, for COVID and a new fight for racial equity. Examining …
What [Could] Happen[Ed] In Oak Cliff: Reimagining Gentrification Without Displacement,
2025
Rhode Island School of Design
What [Could] Happen[Ed] In Oak Cliff: Reimagining Gentrification Without Displacement, Samantha E. Hernandez
Masters Theses
Neighborhoods help create our world view, define our relationships and goals, and inspire local change. They can evolve naturally throughout decades, though sometimes in waves of growth and displacement. Often these disproportionately affect those of lower economic classes or underrepresented communities. This thesis provides alternative possibilities of equitable community growth. What if neighborhoods could be strengthened in the face of change? This thesis will delve into the suburb of Dallas, Texas called Oak Cliff. By studying key moments in its history from the 1980s to 2020s, such as zoning changes or implementation of urban plans, it is possible to reimagine …
Home Values Vs. Homelessness In Mountain West Metros, 2023,
2025
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Home Values Vs. Homelessness In Mountain West Metros, 2023, Maryam Raja, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.
Housing & Real Estate
This fact sheet presents data from Home Values vs. Homelessness in the U.S.: A Concerning Connection (2023 Data), a report by Home Bay. The data includes information on both home values and homelessness rates while also providing national rankings for rent price and homeless rate, which are used here to compare the following Mountain West metros: Las Vegas, NV; Denver, CO; Salt Lake City, UT; and Phoenix, AZ.
Bridging The Divide: Gaps In Mental Health Resources For K-12 Students In Nevada,
2025
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Bridging The Divide: Gaps In Mental Health Resources For K-12 Students In Nevada, Nicole Diaz Del Valle
Student Research
Since 2014, Nevada has consistently ranked among the bottom five states, if not last, in the nation for youth mental health, with more than 34,000 youth reporting experiencing thoughts of suicide in 2025 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2023). The state’s student-to-counselor ratio stands at 456 to 1, nearly double the recommended 250 to 1 (American School Counselor Association, 2024). In Southern Nevada, these challenges are compounded with persistent provider shortages, chronic underfunding, and a fragmented system of care. This policy brief focuses on the barriers preventing students from receiving timely, effective mental health support in school settings …
A Tent Census: How Counting Tents Informs An Understanding Of Unsheltered Homelessness In Seattle,
2025
Chapman University
A Tent Census: How Counting Tents Informs An Understanding Of Unsheltered Homelessness In Seattle, Karen A. Snedker, Jennifer Mckinney, Charles C. Lanfear
Sociology Faculty Articles and Research
Tents are a familiar sight across many U.S. cities, especially West Coast cities. In Seattle, given the high visibility of tents, public perceptions of a widespread problem, the uncertainty surrounding the city’s number of tents, and national data showing a rise in unsheltered homelessness, the authors decided to count tents. They conducted a tent census to obtain a full count of the number of tents in the city of Seattle as well as two resamples of highly populated areas of tents. In the tent census, and in the two resamples, the authors find support for three general expectations: the census …
Reassessing Policy Responses To Irregular Migration In Receiving Democracies: A Process-Tracing Analysis Of Transactional Migration Governance,
2025
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Reassessing Policy Responses To Irregular Migration In Receiving Democracies: A Process-Tracing Analysis Of Transactional Migration Governance, Otoniel Ramos
Student Research
This policy brief analyzes the growing use of transactional migration agreements (TMAs) by receiving democracies—bilateral arrangements that exchange financial or diplomatic concessions for the external enforcement of migration control. While politically expedient, TMAs often generate long-term strategic liabilities: they reduce state control over enforcement outcomes, expose receiving states to coercive leverage by partner states, and weaken normative commitments to transparency and rights protection. Using analytic process tracing and formal modeling, this paper identifies four recurring mechanisms by which TMAs evolve into systems of asymmetric dependence. It then evaluates three alternative policy frameworks—Exit Doctrine, Legal Category Reform, and a Structured Conditionality …
Ai Governance In The Gaming Industry: A Proposal For A Use Case Registry,
2025
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Ai Governance In The Gaming Industry: A Proposal For A Use Case Registry, Cesar D. Lozoya Martinez
Student Research
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into everyday life. From customer service chatbots and marketing strategies to player protection tools and surveillance systems, casino operations are embracing the trend. However, without a systematic framework to track the current and emerging use cases across the industry, concerns about transparency, ethical use, and potential consumer harm continue to grow. Rather than aiming to establish binding regulatory practices for an industry and technology that are both quickly evolving, this policy brief advocates for the creation of an AI-use case registry. The registry would comprehensively track gaming companies that are using AI. The growing …
Legislative Transparency And Self-Government: Nevada And First Amendment Application,
2025
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Legislative Transparency And Self-Government: Nevada And First Amendment Application, Allister Dias
Student Research
With the rise in political tension in the United States, the call for transparency from elected officials has reached an all-time high. While the role of American democracy is to promote a sense of participation from constituents, the lack of information regarding policy decisions has exempted the public from the halls of the legislature. This policy brief examines legislative transparency in Nevada through the concept of self-government theory. Despite a 1994 constitutional amendment to require publicly accessible legislative committee meetings, exemptions from Open Meeting Law and statutory exemptions continue to limit public access and further the divide between the government …
Pedaling Toward Justice: Exploring The Role Of Community Advocacy In Shaping Bicycle Policy In Oakland.,
2025
University of San Francisco
Pedaling Toward Justice: Exploring The Role Of Community Advocacy In Shaping Bicycle Policy In Oakland., Claire Farrell Lowe
Master's Projects and Capstones
The way people move through a city fundamentally shapes their access to jobs, essential services, and economic and social opportunities. While Oakland’s bicycle infrastructure has improved over the past decade, vehicle-centric planning has historically sidelined cycling, creating mobility inequities. This thesis examines the role of community advocacy in advancing equitable bicycle planning and prioritizing cycling infrastructure as a core element of urban development. This thesis project follows the question: what role do advocacy groups play in addressing the gaps between the Oakland Bicycle Plan and its implementation? Through policy analysis, community engagement, and interviews with key informants from Bike East …
The Politics Of Being Heard: Communication And Power Struggles In Hunters Point Naval Shipyard,
2025
University of San Francisco
The Politics Of Being Heard: Communication And Power Struggles In Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, Caroline Trejo
Master's Projects and Capstones
The environmental and public health challenges in Bayview-Hunters Point have catalyzed widespread community activism, as residents and advocates respond to the ongoing fallout from radiological contamination at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. Communication plays a vital role in bridging the gap between affected communities and government entities throughout the cleanup process. This research asks: how have the communication strategies of advocacy groups influenced government actions and policies during the Bayview-Hunters Point Shipyard cleanup? To explore this question, I conducted semi-structured interviews with three community advocates, two former members of a non-partisan civil jury, one independent researcher, and one government official. …
Having A Home To Come Home To: How Subsidized Housing Impacts Unhoused Pregnant Women,
2025
University of San Francisco
Having A Home To Come Home To: How Subsidized Housing Impacts Unhoused Pregnant Women, Stephanie O. Porvaznik
Master's Projects and Capstones
Community based organizations (CBOs) lead the charge in the fight to end housing insecurity and often must make up where local governments fall short. San Francisco is an example of a municipality that has a long history of addressing instances of housing insecurity for its residents, and where CBOs step in to provide housing support for populations with unique and special circumstances. One CBO that operates in San Francisco that I was interested in studying was the Homeless Prenatal Program (HPP), and the Jelani House, a housing subsidy that is funded and operated by the HPP for pregnant women who …
Federal And State Governments Can Help Solve The Employment Problems Of People In Distressed Places To Spur Equitable Growth,
2025
W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
Federal And State Governments Can Help Solve The Employment Problems Of People In Distressed Places To Spur Equitable Growth, Timothy J. Bartik
Upjohn Institute Policy Papers
Places in the United States differ greatly in their residents’ access to jobs, especially good jobs. Although the federal and state governments provide about $80 billion annually to create jobs through multiple programs, these job-creation initiatives are rarely targeted to economically distressed places, where the job-creation benefits for local residents are greatest. Moreover, many of these programs take the form of business tax incentives, which are less effective at job creation than customized services for businesses and workers. I argue that the prime-age employment rate of places should be used to target job-creation programs and review which such programs are …
Puerto Rico's Coast: Preservation Through Positive Obligations On Property Owners And The State In The Context Of Climate Change,
2025
University of Barcelona
Puerto Rico's Coast: Preservation Through Positive Obligations On Property Owners And The State In The Context Of Climate Change, Jaime Villeta-Garcia
Journal of Comparative Urban Law and Policy
The rise in sea level, the obvious rampant coastal erosion and the uncertain future due to climate change urge the need to rethink the coast, through property and administrative law. The security of life, property and the fair and orderly use of the ultra-valuable resources that is the coast depend on a new concept for properties in the coastal zone and its effective execution by a conscious and responsible State. Centered on the community of Ocean Park in San Juan, Puerto Rico, it’s no longer a question of whether coastal property rights can contribute to safeguarding the coast, but rather …
Introduction,
2025
Georgia State University College of Law
Introduction, Karen Johnston
Journal of Comparative Urban Law and Policy
This article provides an introduction to the Journal of Comparative Urban Law & Policy, the Study Space Program offered by Georgia State University College of Law, and the articles resulting from the Study Space Rio de Janeiro Program held in June 2024.
