Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Growing The Urban Ecosystem In Detroit, Michigan, Sean Basalyga

Social Sciences

Many views of the future are seen as bleak and devoid of the life where once stood beauty and abundance. However, the Living Cities Design Competition challenges these views and calls for a vision of the future that inspires hope, biodiversity, and a healthy interaction between human and natural systems. We chose to redesign the city of Detroit, Michigan to be a living city by the year 2035. As the earth scientist on an interdisciplinary team, I acted as an ecological consultant. By developing the urban ecosystem of Detroit, a number of social, economical, and environmental problems can be solved. …

Preserving Louisiana’S Investments In Affordable Housing: Housing Project Profiles And Policy Recommendations, Department Of Planning And Urban Studies, University Of New Orleans

Planning and Urban Studies Reports and Presentations

This report analyzes current data on Louisiana LIHTC projects as well a as national preservation practices to attempt to provide a basis for advancing preservation policies in Louisiana.

Greater New Orleans' Small Business Lending Landscape: Recommendations For Seedco Financial-Louisiana, Department Of Planning And Urban Studies, University Of New Orleans

Planning and Urban Studies Reports and Presentations

Small businesses play a vital role in stimulating the economy, bringing investment into disadvantaged communities, and helping women and minority business owners to become financially independent. While access to capital is a long‐standing problem, due to the recent recession there have been tighter restrictions nationally on lending criteria, reducing the access small businesses have to capital and services. Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), as mission‐oriented organizations, help to fill these gaps and increase access to capital. In the six years, Southeast Louisiana has endured destructive hurricanes, a national economic downturn and the largest oil spill in US history. These community‐altering …

The Life, Death And Rebirth Of University Avenue: Exploring The Relationship Among Transportation, Urban Form And Neighborhood Characteristics, Jillian G. Goforth

Geography Honors Projects

The impending light rail transit development along University Avenue in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota has led to local curiosity about both the past activities and the future possibilities for this urban street. Part I of this paper explores the social, economic and physical evolution of University Avenue and its relationship to transportation eras. Part II argues that there is a connection between the urban form of each transportation epoch and the rate of crime along University Avenue. The study concludes with the prediction that safety will improve following construction of the Central Corridor Light Rail line.

Concentrated Poverty And Community Development: A Look At How Upstate South Carolina Municipalities Address Issues Of Distressed Neighborhoods, Anna Brown

All Theses

America is known to be a place where there are opportunities to move in and out of social and economic classes. What about people that live in an area of concentrated poverty? Typically, residents of a neighborhood where 20 to 40 percent of the population lives at or below poverty face extreme barriers to these opportunities for a better life. Historically, government at the local, state and federal level have attempted to solve or at least assist these issues of distressed neighborhoods, particularly through what is known as community development. By having more local knowledge, municipal governments have first hand …

Urban Design And Stormwater Management: An Integrated Approach To Public Hardscape Design, Jared Draper

All Theses

Among the hierarchy of motivations, Maslow identifies the social as one of the levels that generates drive in individuals (Maslow, 1970). The urban environment is a place that has great opportunity for social interaction with design and planning of public spaces. Public spaces serve an important function in society and the design of these spaces can attract or repel a population. As specific elements are incorporated in public space and especially public hardscape design, designers should not neglect the issue of sustainability. According to the Brundtland Commission, sustainability includes the 'policies and strategies that meet society's present needs without compromising …

How Do Planners Participate In Formulating Viable Green Infrastructure Plans?, Kaylen Francis

All Theses

The planning field is increasingly involved in balancing biodiversity with the expansion of urban areas to meet changing societal demands. Regions, states and cities have begun trying to mitigate the negative effects of sprawl by creating green infrastructure plans to conserve open space. However, little is known about planners' roles in facilitating and/or implementing these visions in cities with a population of over one million people in the core and hinterlands. The goal of this project was to study the Chicago Wilderness Green Infrastructure Vision to determine if planners played a role in its formulation and/or implementation, and if so, …

Acclerated Vehicle Retirement: Toward A Conceptualized Framework For Design And Implementation, Nathan Woods

All Theses

ABSTRACT
In the past Accelerated Vehicle Retirement (AVR) programs have been implemented to combat the economic and environmental costs of automobile dependent societies. Seventy-five such programs have been implemented worldwide since 1990. This thesis examines correlations among factors affecting program performance, the relationship of articulated program objectives to program performance, and how factors affecting program performance influence environmental concerns. Employing a mixed methodology, this analysis answers how an accelerated vehicle retirement program can be designed to maximize desired outcomes and minimize undesirable outcomes. The results of this analysis demonstrate that the order and type of objective stipulated by a program …

The Practical Pev: Removing Barriers To Plug-In Electric Vehicle Charging And Ownership, Stephen Parry

Pomona Senior Theses

The paradigm of personal transportation is changing. Electric vehicles are here. The arrival of the Tesla Roadster, Nissan Leaf, and Chevy Volt has changed the way in which we have to think about the energy that fuels our transportation needs. As PEVs find their way into garages this year and especially in the coming years, the neighborhood, city, state, and regional electric infrastructure will take on a new importance for many people as their interactions with it become significantly more complex and intimate as a result of regular electric vehicle charging.

Designing A School Garden Space That Emphasizes Children's Wants And Uses Permaculture Design Methods, Mikhaela Mullins

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

A case study was organized at Saratoga Elementary school in Lincoln, Nebraska to obtain data on what children desire in a garden space. To collect this data a school garden space was constructed and an after school garden club was implemented. Students who participated in the after school garden club partook in the study by drawing their ideal garden. Elements that the subjects drew were identified and categorized into ‘highly desired’ and ‘somewhat desired’.

These elements were then incorporated into a proposed garden design plan for Saratoga. The proposal plan uses Permaculture design methods to emphasize sustainability.

Taming The Waters That Taketh From The Devil’S Playground: A History Of Flood Control In Clark County, Nevada, 1955-2010, Jarvis Marlow

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Las Vegas valley is the driest metropolis in the United States, with an annual rainfall of less than five inches. A large majority of the annual precipitation occurs between May and September in the form of high intensity thunderstorms. Since the founding of Las Vegas in 1905 until the formation of the Clark County Regional Flood Control District in 1986, the five jurisdictions that make up the Las Vegas valley: Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City, and Clark County, struggled to manage stormwater. The principal defect was that they reflected the particular whims of each government entity, …

Planning For Building-Integrated Agriculture In Las Vegas, Robert Vralsted

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

High food prices, concern about food nutrition and safety, and an awareness of commercial farming's environmental impact have generated a renewed interest in sustainable urban agriculture. Advances in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) have made it possible to grow food virtually anywhere in a much more sustainable manner than traditional field-based agriculture. Locating and planning urban farms using retrofitted existing building stock to maximize food production and ease of distribution in Las Vegas requires consideration of multiple barriers related to geography, economics, and the built environment. Consideration of these factors in the planning process informs the design of a successful BIA …

Keynote Address: Community Health In Las Vegas, Camila H. Alvarez

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

New Urbanists present both a theory for strong community development and an architectural planning program for moving towards sustainable urban environments. They argue neighborhoods should be compact, pedestrian-friendly, with mixed-usage of housing and activities, and available public spaces. These design elements foster and encourage social interaction among residents which creates and enforces neighborhood community. I tested New Urbanism Theory by performing ethnographic fieldwork to assess the quality of neighborhoods in Las Vegas. Then I compared neighborhood qualities to residents’ responses to their neighborhood, neighbors, and quality of life from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area Social Survey. My results confirmed New …

Ua3/9/2 Facility Analysis / Expansion Alternatives Wku Glasgow, Wku President's Office, Hafer Associates

WKU Administration Documents

Pages 2, 3, 17, 18 and 23 of a report by Hafer Associates regarding potential expansion of the WKU Glasgow campus.

Entre Nous. A Critical Appraisal Of Science Outcomes Of Schooling For African American Children And Youth Enrolled In The Houston Independent School District, James A. Johnson Ph.D., Bernell M. Peltier-Glaze Ph.D., Danita Bailey-Perry Ph.D.

The Bridge: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Legal & Social Policy

No abstract provided.

Improving The Delivery Of Mental Health Services In Multnomah County, City Club Of Portland (Portland, Or.)

City Club of Portland

No abstract provided.

Panel Discussion Presentation: Consequences Of Global Climate Change For Water Quality And Community Sustainability Along The U.S.-Mexico Trans-Border Region, Jorge Duran Encalada

North American Energy Water Nexus Roundtable

Panel Discussion: U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Perspectives

Case Studies of Reynosa/McAllen and Laredo/Nuevo Laredo:

- Water availability and quality in Reynosa/McAllen and Laredo/Nuevo Laredo

- Water Consumption

- Socioeconomic Conditions

- Water Quality Scenarios

- Conclusions & Recommendations

Panel Discussion Presentation: The Colorado River — Operation And Current Conditions, Lorri Gray-Lee

North American Energy Water Nexus Roundtable

Panel Discussion: U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Perspectives

The Colorado River: Operation and Current Conditions

- Overview of Basin
- Overview of the Interim Guidelines
- Current and Projected System Conditions

Panel Discussion Presentation: Mexico-U.S. Transboundary Perspectives, Sally Spener

North American Energy Water Nexus Roundtable

Panel Discussion: U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Perspectives

IBWC Mission:

The International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico, is responsible for applying the boundary and water treaties between the two countries and settling differences that arise in their application.

- 1944 Water Treaty

- Colorado River Issues

- Colorado Water Minutes

Event Program, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

North American Energy Water Nexus Roundtable

The North American Energy-Water Nexus roundtable was held April 1, 2011, to promote the discussion of how energy and water issues converge in addressing international relations. The roundtable focused on water issues specific to the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders, including stakeholder-driven solutions for water policies and water technologies. The event was co-sponsored by the UNLV Urban Sustainability Initiative; Desert Research Institute; the Canadian Consulate of Los Angeles; and the government of Ontario, Canada.