Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Toward A Local Governance Model For Green Building Regulation: Lessons From A Philippine City, Mikaela Amihan S. Arrosa, Aileen V. Lapitan

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

The study analyzed local governance in implementing green building regulations in a city in Metro Manila, Philippines, through a case study. Compliance rates were calculated by comparing projects with Green Building Compliance Certification to those with Green Building Pre-Compliance Certification issued by the city. The Delphi method explored environmental sustainability implications of compliance, while key informant interviews and policy landscape analysis identified the factors affecting Green Building Code management. Fewer than half of the pre-compliance and construction permit holders also received occupancy certificates. Three rounds of the Delphi method were conducted, resulting in consensus on recommendations to enhance governance mechanisms …

Socially Constructing ‘Climate Change’ In Fishing Communities Of Sarangani, Philippines, Samantha Geraldine G. De Los Santos, Ma. Larissa Lelu P. Gata

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

The intensifying impacts of climate change have become more evident in recent years. While policies and programs have been implemented in the Philippines for decades, questions remain about how climate change is understood and experienced by fishing communities, the country’s poorest sector. By applying the Ecological-Symbolic Approach, this paper inquired into the fisherfolk’s social definition of climate change. A Qualitatively Driven Sequential Explanatory (QualDSE) mixed-methods design guided the study in developing an informed, substantiated, and context-based definition of climate change. This definition was also analyzed vis-a-vis the widely held definitions in national climate policy.

The terminology “climate change” remains unknown …

Does What Happens In Vegas Increase Pedestrian Safety? A Longitudinal Study On The Effectiveness Of Pedestrian Bridges, Jalen Paulos, Jalen Paulos, Joaquin Del Mundo, Brock Wentz

School of Medicine Research Poster Showcase

Urban populations continue to rise and the frequency that pedestrians are exposed to vehicular traffic continues to increase. The result is an increase in automobile versus pedestrian collisions. This study aims to determine the efficacy of pedestrian bridges in reducing the rates of automobile-pedestrian collisions. Data for all automobile versus pedestrian collisions and injuries from July of 1997 through December of 2023 at four distinct intersections along Las Vegas Boulevard were retrieved from the Nevada Department of Transportation. These sites were chosen because of their historically high rates of automobile versus pedestrian incidents and the construction of pedestrian bridges at …

An Equity Analysis Of Battery Electric Vehicles During Evacuation Considering Social And Financial Disadvantage, Divyamitra Mishra

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The increasing share of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in the transportation system is introducing new challenges to the emergency evacuation planning and management. During Hurricane Milton (2024), incidents involving BEVs, including battery fires, attributed to saltwater exposure risk, and advisories recommending relocation to higher ground, highlighted operational vulnerabilities unique to this technology. These emerging risks are likely to be experienced heterogeneously, as access to charging infrastructure, available resources, and evacuation flexibility varies across the population. This raises critical questions about how BEV-specific constraints interact with existing inequalities during evacuation. Motivated by this context, the dissertation investigated inequity in BEV evacuation …

Medication Nonadherence And Social Participation For African American Adults With Low Vision, Shakeda Mcghee, Mary Jan Greer Phd, Otr, Jaimee Fielder

Spring 2026 OTD Capstone Symposium

The concept of this capstone is to analyze how quality of life (social participation, health management) is affected in adults ages 18-55 with low vision/blindness with conditions to include diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts.

Mission And Editorial Policy

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Call For Papers: 97th Annual Conference Of The Indiana Academy Of The Social Sciences

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Volume 28, Issue 2 Full Contents

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

The Courts Closest To The People: The Battle Between Populism And Democracy In The U.S. District Courts, Shruti Rana

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

The U.S. district courts have emerged as a critical site of contested terrain amid the chaos and controversies consuming American law and politics since the start of the second Trump administration. This article examines these frontline courts through the theoretical lens of populism, arguing that they have become a critical institutional flashpoint in the populist assault on constitutional democracy in the United States. As the courts closest to the people, the district courts occupy a unique structural position: They are the fact-finding courts, the most geographically dispersed and professionally diverse tier of the federal judiciary, and often the first institutional …

Editor-In-Chief's Note, Surekha Rao

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Reviewers And Referees

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Rising Numbers, Rising Risks: Population, Growth, And Natural Disasters, Sophia Becker-Toro, Yu Ouyang

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

How does population size and growth affect the risk of natural disasters? On October 7, 2024, before Hurricane Milton makes landfall in the Tampa Bay area, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issues a dire warning to affected citizens: “I can say without any dramatization whatsoever. If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die.” While there is an extensive literature which focuses on the impact of climate change and/or natural disasters, there is a dearth of works on how population affects the risks of natural disasters. As both the frequency and severity of storms and …

Why Publish With Mssj?

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Editorial History

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

George C. Roberts Award Recipients

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Author Biographical Notes

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Submission Guidelines

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Statement From The Indiana Academy Of The Social Sciences And Board Of Directors

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

The Unsovereign Citizen: The Reconfiguration Of Rights And Belonging In Fascist Italy, Roberta Pergher

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Modern political thought tends to associate citizenship with democracy, equality, and political participation. This article demonstrates that citizenship can be profoundly important also for authoritarian rule. In Fascist Italy, citizenship remained central to political life, not as a vehicle of democratic participation, to be sure, but as a category through which the regime redefined belonging, hierarchy, and sovereignty. Drawing on citizenship legislation, imperial ordinances, racial laws, police reports, and ministerial commentary between 1912 and 1943, this article shows how the dictatorship hollowed out liberal citizenship within the peninsula, stratified it across imperial territories, consolidated it across diasporic populations, and ultimately …

Does What Happens In Vegas Increase Pedestrian Safety? A Longitudinal Study On The Effectiveness Of Pedestrian Bridges, Jalen Paulos, Joaquin Miguel Del Mundo, Brock Wentz, Janel Pietryga

Department of Orthopaedics Faculty Research

Urban populations continue to rise and the frequency that pedestrians are exposed to vehicular traffic continues to increase. The result is an increase in automobile versus pedestrian collisions. This study aims to determine the efficacy of pedestrian bridges in reducing the rates of automobile‒pedestrian collisions. Data for all automobile versus pedestrian collisions and injuries from July 1997 through December 2023 at four distinct intersections along Las Vegas Boulevard were retrieved from the Nevada Department of Transportation. These sites were chosen because of their historically high rates of automobile versus pedestrian incidents and the construction of pedestrian bridges at three of …