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Now showing 1 - 10 of 84
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Strategic Planning for Kaohsiung's Free Economic Zone (FEZ) and New Asian Bay Area: A Report of Waterfront Revitalization Studio 2013

2013-12 , Aguilar, Johnny , Cadet, Sherene , Riley, Dawn , Manley, Canon , Keffer, Rebecca , Xie, LiWei , Sinharoy, Sinan , Braswell, Daniel , Pessoa, Lauren , Quan, Jige

The City of Kaohsiung has great deal of economic development and public policy potential that is addressed by the Policy Group. Most of the work in this section centers around the concept of the Kaohsiung Free Economic Demonstration Zone, which is currently being planned by both the city government and the central government of Taiwan. The policy group learned about some of the main goals and visions of the Free Economic Zones (FEZ) after meeting with local officials from the Bureaus of Urban Development and Economic Development. The primary goals outlined in a presentation about the future of FEZs in Taiwan include creating employment, attracting investment, and enhancing industrial competitiveness and efficiency. The government intends to achieve these goals by joining free trade agreements and promoting economic liberalization through a relaxation of business and trade regulations.

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Urban Design and Georgia's Medium-Sized Towns: Issues and Prospects

2013-05 , Hampton, Travis N.

There are sixteen medium-sized rural towns in Georgia that are located outside a census-designated metropolitan area. The populations of these towns vary between 10,000 and 50,000 people with the majority located in the southern regions of the state. These towns have historically been consid ered the sub-regional nexuses for agriculture, transportation, and commerce that connect directly to the Georgia’s larger cities and regions. However, in recent decades along with other smaller-sized towns, some areas are experiencing job losses, outward migrations of younger people to larger cities, a lack of funding resources for new projects, and poverty rates which are often considerably higher than more urban/suburban areas. At the same time, these areas have also grown in sprawled patterns similar to larger metropolitan suburbs. This paper investigates this sprawled growth and focuses on whether any urban design methods or regulations have influenced the current development of these towns. This research is guided by three establishing questions. The first being, what constitutes the current urban morphology of these towns? Secondly, what are the aspirations and visions set forth by each of these towns? Thirdly, how has each town’s urban form been shaped over time through their primary regulatory documents to reflect or not reflect their aspirations and visions? The first question will be answered by employing a method of analysis similar to the urban morphology framework set out in Brenda Case Scheer’s essay “Anatomy of Sprawl.” This includes the mapping of static, elastic and campus tissues as well as resilient tissues with Google Earth and ESRI ArcGIS being the primary resources. The second question will be answered by a summary analysis and comparison of each town’s comprehensive planning documents available from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and other agencies. The third question will be answered by examining the primary regulatory documents of these towns (e.g. zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, etc.) to determine how the urban form has been shaped over time legally. This will involve examining the codes of ordinances via Municode () or from an additional government resource and comparing the analysis. By comparing and contrasting each town’s existing urban form conditions, their comprehensive plans, and their regulatory frameworks, planners and urban designers can gain a better understanding as to what a medium-sized town’s strengths and weaknesses are from an urban design and planning standpoint. This can then suggest what the next steps are in reforming regulations and methods that will in turn influence development patterns for future growth and cultural vitality.

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A Food System Analysis of the City of Atlanta

2013-05 , Berry, Seanna

The study of local and regional food systems has been identified at the global and national levels as an important activity for municipalities to evaluate. Food security, or consumer access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food, is increasingly studied in public health and poverty research. Cities are utilizing urban agriculture as a tool for economic development, vacant land reuse, community building, and public health. The negative environmental and societal ramifications of the current food system necessitate a shift towards agriculture at varying scales of production. In the last five years, Atlanta public officials and food advocates have identified goals towards building a more localized and vibrant food system. This report provides further reasoning for promoting food systems planning, identifies mechanisms employed by other cities and regions to enhance the provision and consumption of locally grown food, and describes Atlanta’s current efforts in this regard. Strategic directions to guide Atlanta are recommended to help improve its efforts and overcome the identified barriers.

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The Atlanta BeltLine: The Beginning of an Integrated Bike Network

2013-05 , Cardoni, Lauren

The City of Atlanta must develop a network of safe and comfortable routes in order to support those who use alternative transportation. The Atlanta BeltLine is a project currently underway that has the potential to initiate development of this greatly needed infrastructure. However, analysis has yet to be done showing if and how this project will contribute to a larger framework of connectivity for pedestrian and cyclists. This paper aims to answer the question, "How is the BeltLine impacting bicycle and pedestrian connectivity and how can Atlanta optimize this potential?" A literature review will summarize existing research supporting similar bike network development techniques in other cities throughout North America. The approach taken to establish additional research supporting the hypothesis will described prior to the revelation of the actual data analysis. finally, the paper will conclude with policy recommendations based on the outcome of the data analysis.

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A Case Study on Street Design

2013-12 , Fambro, Sonya

This paper will look at several contemporary theories of street design in order to get a better understanding of how streets in Atlanta could be redesigned and repur¬posed with the understanding of streets as being “sym¬bolic, ceremonial, social, and political places [Jacobs 5].” I will begin first by analyzing the history of the street as it was established throughout ancient Rome, 15th century Renaissance, the Medieval era, Baroque, New York in the 1900s, and modern day suburbia in order to give context to the theoretical ideas that are currently being applied. Then I will look at some of the issues in the design of streets, in order to understand why streets are so difficult to design. Finally, I will analyze each theory through the use of case studies in order to understand how they dealt with and overcame the issues of street design and how these theories might be applicable to Atlanta.

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Innovations in Sustainable Airport Planning Efforts: A Case Study of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

2013-05 , Kalinke, Lydia

This report explores the best airport facility design strategies that address environmental concerns of the future. Instead of focusing on facility expansion, airport facilities should learn to adapt - whether through progressive facility design standards or adding additional green space to the surrounding community. Specifically, the research focuses on the most sustainable practices in airport master planning that are oriented towards pleasing businesses, passengers, and the community. Airport area development has been considered until now only a "minor strand of urban transportation planning;" however, the subject is "slowly gaining prominence in the planning, urban geography, and economic development literature" and should therefore be increasingly research (Freestone and Baker, 2011, p. 263). Thoroughly researched practices will enable development guidelines to direct practices that ensure successful development.

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Contextual Approaches in Food Access Measurement

2013-05 , Lee, Susannah

This study presents a set of geospatial methods to assessing food access that is sensitive to varying contexts across urban environments. This new methodology employs 1) a variable distance threshold for physical access, 2) transportation accessibility measurement for resource-based access, and 3) segmented analysis of food destination types. It is applied to the City of Atlanta, showing that good food access is driven primarily by large grocery retailers, but small scale food destinations contribute to food security in the neighborhoods experiencing the lowest levels of food access. This new approach advances the means for planning practitioners to accurately assess complex food landscape characteristics to better target food systems planning.

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The Economic Impact of Sea Level Rise on Port of Savannah's Garden City Terminal & City of Darien

2013-12 , Coburn, Carolyn , Cornwell, Andrew , Glostner, Joshua , Hylton, Peter , Risher, John , Skinner, Jill , Wilson, Richard

The Garden City Terminal at the Port of Savannah is one of the largest and fastest growing container ports in the country, making it an economic engine locally and nationally. The Terminal is an integral economic component on several scales: locally, it supports many households in and around Chatham County; regionally, the port supports wider distribution networks and regional agriculture and manufacturing; and nationally, the port serves as a gateway to access markets across the globe. Therefore rising sea levels projected over the next 100 years make port disruptions an important economic threat on a variety of scales. This report describes the economic threat that sea level rise poses to port and port-related operations through permanent inundation, worsening storm surge, and other environmental changes at local, regional and statewide scales. The team drew on research by Keating and Habeeb (2012) and created new tools for assessing the potential impacts on jobs, property, transportation links, and other businesses. The intent is to provide actionable projections for business leaders, policy makers, and individuals in areas that may eventually have to respond to the effects of sea level rise.

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Engaging Vulnerable Populations in Health Impact Assessment

2013-05 , Harkness, Anna Rose

This paper addresses the challenge of community engagement with vulnerable populations in the HIA process by considering two questions: 1. Which populations may be overlooked by common methods of community engagement? 2. What novel strategies can practitioners use to increase participation from vulnerable groups, particularly given the constraints of deadlines and tight budgets? The second section of the paper reviews existing literature on challenges in community engagement, working with vulnerable populations, and incorporating these elements into HIA. The third and fourth sections comprise two phases of original research. First, the third section reviews a selection of completed HIAs from eleven states to evaluate the current standard of community engagement with vulnerable populations. Then, in the fourth section, I report the results of interviews with selected HIA practitioners and policy experts on the role of community engagement in HIA and the challenges of working with vulnerable populations. The fifth section establishes a framework for practitioners for engaging vulnerable populations in HIA. The sixth section concludes.

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Planning the Undocumented City: Unauthorized Immigrants and Planners in the 21st Century

2013-05 , Levin, Josh M.

A demographic hallmark of the 21st century has been the increasing dispersion of foreign-born populations from traditionally multicultural “gateway cities” like Los Angeles, New York, and Miami to a wide diversity of US communities, whether urban, suburban, or rural. Approximately one third of these foreign-born individuals are estimated to be unauthorized, or undocumented, immigrants. They represent not only an undeniable presence but also, in many communities, a key component of the local economy. Undocumented immigrants remain, however, an extremely vulnerable population; not only are the majority low-income, have low educational attainment, and frequently confront a significant language barrier, they also face additional challenges specifically related to their precarious legal situation. Given the responsibility of planners to “seek social justice by working to expand choice and opportunity for all persons”, as mandated by the American Institute of Certified Planners’ Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, what is our role in incorporating and addressing the needs of this controversial and vastly under-served population? How have planners conceived of this issue, and how have practitioners addressed or ignored undocumented immigrant communities in their actual, produced plans? The present report seeks to explore these questions.

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