Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

No. 02: The Urban Food System Of Maputo, Mozambique, Abel Chikanda, Inês Raimundo

Hungry Cities Partnership

The city of Maputo, with a population of around 1.3 million, has been at the forefront of urbanization in Mozambique. While the Southern African country has posted impressive macro-economic growth rates in the last two decades, there has been only limited formal sector employment generation. Most of its working population is absorbed in informal employment and self-employment. The informal food economy is easily the most important source of food in Maputo. Almost all households regularly obtain food from informal sellers; over 90% at least once a week and many on a daily basis. For many households, daily purchasing is necessitated …

The Return Of Food: Poverty And Urban Food Security In Zimbabwe After The Crisis, Godfrey Tawodzera, Liam Riley, Jonathan Crush

Hungry Cities Partnership

The nadir of Zimbabwe’s political and economic crisis in 2008 coincided with the implementation of a baseline household food security survey in Harare by AFSUN. This survey found that households in lowincome urban areas in Zimbabwe’s capital were far worse off in terms of all the food insecurity and poverty indicators than households in the other 10 Southern African cities surveyed by AFSUN. The central question addressed in this report is whether food security in Zimbabwe’s urban centres has improved. AFSUN conducted a follow-up survey in 2012 that allows for direct longitudinal comparisons of continuity and change. The status of …

Migration And Food Security: Zimbabwean Migrants In Urban South Africa, Godfrey Tawodzera, Jonathan Crush

Hungry Cities Partnership

This report examines the food security status of Zimbabwean migrant households in the poorer areas of two major South African cities, Johannesburg and Cape Town. The vast majority were food insecure in terms of the amount of food to which they had access and the quality and diversity of their diet. What seems clear is that Zimbabwean migrants are significantly more food insecure than other low-income households. The primary reason for this appears to lie in pressures that include remittances of cash and goods back to family in Zimbabwe. The small literature on the impact of migrant remittances on food …

No. 01: The Urban Food System Of Nanjing, China, Zhenzhong Si, Jonathan Crush, Steffanie Scott, Taiyang Zhong

Hungry Cities Partnership

With a population of 8.2 million people, Nanjing is the 14th largest city in China. China became a predominantly urban nation in 2011, when its urban population surpassed its rural population for the first time. The declining farming population and area of farmland along with the increased food consumption of urban residents have had significant implications for China’s food security, including in cities such as Nanjing. As with many other Chinese cities, Nanjing’s informal economy has become an important source of income for the poor, including migrant workers. Since the beginning of economic reform in 1978, street vendors have become …

Food Remittances: Migration And Food Security In Africa, Jonathan Crush, Mary Caesar

Hungry Cities Partnership

By drawing attention to the importance of food remittances for urban and rural food security and identifying the current knowledge gaps, this report contributes to the study of the relationship between migration and food security and creates a platform for the design of a new research agenda. Across Africa, there is considerable evidence of a massive informal trade in food, including staples, fresh and processed products. While most cross-border trade in foodstuffs is a result of commercial transactions by small-scale traders who buy in one country and sell in another, an unknown proportion is actually food remittances on their way …

No. 23: The Food Insecurities Of Zimbabwean Migrants In Urban South Africa, Jonathan Crush, Godfrey Tawodzera

African Food Security Urban Network

This report examines the food security status of Zimbabwean migrant households in the poorer areas of two major South African cities, Johannesburg and Cape Town. The vast majority were food insecure in terms of the amount of food to which they had access and the quality and diversity of their diet. What seems clear is that Zimbabwean migrants are significantly more food insecure than other low-income households. The primary reason for this appears to lie in pressures that include remittances of cash and goods back to family in Zimbabwe. The small literature on the impact of migrant remittances on food …

6 Reasons To Relax About Portland's Recent Sell-Offs, Thomas Kerr

Metroscape

Are you feeling nostalgic for Oregon-born companies like Dave's Killer Bread, Little Big Burger, and Precision Castparts? Thomas Kerr asserts that we need not fear the recent rash of acquisitions. New owners often bring fresh ideas and capital to the table while maintaining the characteristics we've come to love about our locally owned companies.

Boom Town: Prioritizing Preservation Under Pressure, Linn Davis

Metroscape

A demolition epidemic? Linn Davis explores the history of architectural preservation in the region, how it intersects with other development issues, and how we might strengthen our ability to protect architecturally important buildings amid Portland's rush to build sufficient housing and commercial space to accommodate our growing needs.

Neighborhood Revitalization And Historic Preservation In U.S. Legacy Cities, Kelly L. Kinahan

ETD Archive

Legacy cities – also known as shrinking, rust belt, and post-industrial cities – are places facing persistent population decline, disinvestment, and structural economic challenges. Scholars and practitioners argue that historic buildings are among the key assets for neighborhood stabilization and revitalization, yet demolition of existing buildings is a dominant public policy approach in legacy cities. Using a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods, this three-essay dissertation (1) develops a typology of legacy city neighborhoods across five cities (Baltimore, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Richmond, & St. Louis) and five census decades (1970-2010), (2) identifies patterns of federal historic rehabilitation tax credit (RTC) activity …

From Planning To Action: An Evaluation Of State Level Climate Action Plans, Serena E. Alexander

ETD Archive

Climate change is one of the most daunting problems of our time requiring innovative responses to its causes and consequences. In the United States, the long absence of strong federal leadership along with growing public awareness of the problem created a fertile ground for state-level climate action planning. To date, 34 states have adopted Climate Action Plans (CAPs). The question that this study addresses is: Does state-level climate action have the potential to reduce carbon emissions significantly? This question was examined by assessing the relationships between CAPs, emissions reduction targets, plan implementation and emissions mitigation. My hypothesis was that CAPs …

The Return Of Food: Poverty And Urban Food Security In Zimbabwe After The Crisis, Godfrey Tawodzera, Liam Riley, Jonathan Crush

Hungry Cities Partnership

The nadir of Zimbabwe’s political and economic crisis in 2008 coincided with the implementation of a baseline household food security survey in Harare by AFSUN. This survey found that households in lowincome urban areas in Zimbabwe’s capital were far worse off in terms of all the food insecurity and poverty indicators than households in the other 10 Southern African cities surveyed by AFSUN. The central question addressed in this report is whether food security in Zimbabwe’s urban centres has improved. AFSUN conducted a follow-up survey in 2012 that allows for direct longitudinal comparisons of continuity and change. The status of …

Urban Sprawl As A Risk Factor In Motor Vehicle Crashes, Reid Ewing, Shima Hamidi, James B. Grace

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

A decade ago, compactness/sprawl indices were developed for metropolitan areas and counties which have been widely used in health and other research. In this study, we first update the original county index to 2010, then develop a refined index that accounts for more relevant factors, and finally seek to test the relationship between sprawl and traffic crash rates using structural equation modelling. Controlling for covariates, we find that sprawl is associated with significantly higher direct and indirect effects on fatal crash rates. The direct effect is likely due to the higher traffic speeds in sprawling areas, and the indirect effect …

Access To Housing In Ireland, Jordan Davin, Shannon Fitzell, Andreea-Elena Ghibirgiu, Christian Jolley, Kevin Kiernan, Holly Laher, Pearse Mccloskey Kiernan, Sean Mcgill, Alison Murray, Gavin Ward

Students Learning with Communities

No abstract provided.

Why Has Plan Implementation Been Ineffective In Ghana? A Case Study Of Planning In Kwabre East District Assembly And Offinso Municipal Assembly, Gabriel Appiah

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Plan implementation is crucial to the success of any society. For a community to feel the impact of planning, planners should implement plans efficiently. In the light of the importance of plan implementation to our community, the study evaluated the various factors (institutional capacity, and citizen participation) that affected the implementation of the DMTDP (2006-2013) in Offinso Municipal Assembly (OMA) and Kwabre East District Assembly (KEDA) in Ghana. The Study used desk study and institutional survey to evaluate plan implementation in both districts. The study found that the challenges causing the poor performance in plan implementation in both District Assemblies …

Soil Health Within Indianapolis Urban Gardens, Blake Moskal

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The growing trend of healthier diets and localized food systems has led to the emergence of many urban farms throughout Indianapolis. Communities now have access to arable land where they can grow high quality produce for families and communities. However, many of the farms are built on land with past industrial or commercial legacies. These postindustrial soils could contain contaminants, like heavy metals, some of which are potentially harmful to humans. These sites also have poor soil quality, so farmers often have to import soil and use large amounts of fertilizer or compost to ensure viable growing conditions. To isolate …

Decision Making At The State And Local Level: Does Science Matter?, Susan G. Mason

Urban Studies and Community Development Faculty Publications and Presentations

Science is believed to be an important part of public policy decision making because of its inherent characteristics of measurability, rigor, objectivity, replication, and peer review. The purpose of this research was to explore the linkage of science to public policy decision making. The research explores what state and local public offi cials know about science and how much they actually use science in their decision making. Interview results with public offi cials in the State of Idaho demonstrate that policy makers ultimately see science as only one element in the mix. Findings suggest that equal attention and debate should …

Book Review: Jakarta: Drawing The City Near, Daniel N. Warshawsky

Geography Faculty Publications

In Jakarta: Drawing the City Near, AbdouMaliq Simone has produced another insightful work which highlights the innovation, ingenuity, and dynamism of people living in cities.

Slum Or Sustainable Development? A Case Study Of Sodom And Gomorrah In Accra, Ghana, Benjamin Effah Oppong

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has been successful in demolishing a few slums in the City of Accra. However, Sodom and Gomorrah, also known to be a squatter and an illegal settlement in the City of Accra continues to prosper. This study examines the benefits and shortcomings of slums with specific reference to Sodom and Gomorrah and why it has avoided all demolition attempts by AMA. It also examines whether slums can be improved to promote sustainable urban development in Ghana. The researcher explored these issues with surveys which elicited the opinions and experiences of slum dwellers in Sodom and …

Data Snapshot: Challenges To Small Business, Applied Policy Research Institute, Wright State University

Defense Policy

The percentage of contract dollars awarded to small businesses at DoD increased from just over 16% to just over 19%, but the actual dollars only changed by approximately 10%. The number of small business contract actions at DoD fell by nearly 70% yet the value of those contract actions rose by nearly 290%. As the data shows, fewer small companies are winning contracts, but the contracts won are larger in dollar amount.

Halprin Sequence Reimagined, Andrea Villarroel, Nate Miller, Kris Decker, Foster Gough, Scott Robinson

Urban Design Workshop

The Halprin Sequence is a series of underutilized green spaces in the heart of Portland, Oregon. Once a booming attraction, as time has past and the city has grown, the Halprin Sequence has been forgotten amongst the towers. With a rich history in urban development and design, the Halprin Sequence could offer much more to the people of Portland than it is currently. The surrounding street of Fourth Avenue is also underutilized. The street is primarily used by automobiles, and the sidewalks are not pleasant to walk through.

For a green space network, the Halprin Sequence is in an ideal …