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End date: 2018 × Start date: 2018 × search.filters.applied.f.resourcesubtype: Applied Research Paper ×

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 27
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Information Theory as a Measure of Sociodemographic Change

2018-08 , Lancaster, Zachary

The current discourse around gentrification has been primarily focused on an economic understanding of gentrification. That is, that the gentrification can be primarily viewed through changes in housing prices in an area. That this increase is the sole and primary cause of displacement. While this economic explanation is an important component, it is not the only cause. The image, or perception of, a neighborhood changes as its socio-demographic and socio-economic circumstances change. As these circumstances change a process of replacement occurs and the social ecosystem begins to shift. This leads to the experiential phenomenon of gentrification, where the richness of social life declines as differing views and experiences are removed. This paper proposes a methodology for using metadata, specifically data concerning the entropy, or level of uncertainty or disorder, in demographic data to try to detect these changes and then applies this method to the City of Atlanta, in particular the areas around the Atlanta Beltline Eastside Trail.

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Atlanta's Urban Ecosystem Services: A Neighborhood Comparison Analysis

2018-05 , Morrison, Marc

The aim of this work is to perform a literature review exploring methods of quantifying ecosystem services and then apply a methodology to identify and map regulating ecosystem service provision in the City of Atlanta. Specifically, this will focus on services related to surface runoff mitigation and air purification. The main research question to be answered: Which neighborhoods in my study area are the most productive in terms of regulating ecosystem service provision? How can local decision frameworks regarding land use and development leverage these areas in coming decades?

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The Great Retail Metamorphosis: How Americans Shop is How Americans Live (Metro Atlanta Case Study)

2018-05 , Sepkowitz, Isabel

This paper will address factors to guide decision makers in anticipating future retail space demand and how this shift will affect the networks of cities and their associated suburbs. By focusing on Metro Atlanta and examining retail through a social, business, economic development lens, a literature review of retail location theory will be discussed. Then, a brief history of malls in the United States will and e-commerce behavior be overviewed. After that, the paper will then focus on Metro Atlanta to understand the current supply and market trends of malls and changing retail market, in terms of e-commerce businesses growth in Metro Atlanta. From there, the current supply and market and consumer data sources, specifically sales volume and employment data from 2012-2017, will be analyzed and applied to metro Atlanta to understand the health of regional malls and shopping centers. Lastly, the data limitations and implications for further research will be highlighted

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Paticipatory Solid Waster Management A Proposal for Jamaica's Informal Settlements

2018-05 , Duncan, Dorraine

On March 11, 2015, the Riverton City Dump, the largest dump in Jamaica started to burn; by March 16th the Kingston Fire Brigade said that the entire 31.25-hectare facility was ablaze. During the estimated 2 weeks that the dump burned the Ministry of Health stated that over 800 people across three different parishes visited hospitals for respiratory-related complications and schools and business in the area were forced to close. The landfill receives over 60% of the nationally collected solid waste, on a site without an impermeable-lined base layer, without surface covering and without frequent compaction of waste. Since 2007, an estimated 2406.4 tonnes of unmonitored waste was added to the dump daily. Sporadic burning of wastes from spontaneous combustion has not been uncommon. The historic March incident brought national attention to the woefully inadequate management of the landfill and the unpreparedness of government agencies to handle environmental and health crises, and started a public discourse on the future of the landfill. Concern about Riverton was intensified because of the landfill's proximity to densely populated urban areas, industry, and commerce. Despite this, however, the issues and concerns are not unique to Riverton but prevalent throughout all the dumps and landfills across the island. What was missing from the public discourse was a comprehensive examination of the national solid waste management strategy, particularly waste generation, disposal patterns and trends within the context of a developing country confined by its small island boundaries. Consequently, this applied research project seeks to provide a critical analysis of the solid waste management sector in Jamaica and the environmental and socioeconomic implications, and to propose a series of decentralized recommendations for communities that are chronically underserved by municipal solid waste management providers. While the discipline of solid waste management seeks to address all possible sources of solid waste generation, disposal and all the processes that occur between; this paper focuses on the management of waste prior to landfill disposal. It is important to note that the state of landfills is only symptomatic of the larger solid waste context, hence the scope of the analysis will encompass processes that occur prior to landfilling, such as waste collection, separation, and reuse.

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Extending homeownership opportunities to prospective borrowers burdened by student loan debt

2018-07 , Agnew, Darian T.

Since 2006, Student loan debt has ranked second in national consumer debt, falling second only behind household debt and exceeding debt from auto loans and credit cards (Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 2018). While there are many negative and significant outcomes related to exorbitant student loan debt that are of concern to policy makers and other stakeholders, the focus of this applied research is on access to homeownership. Few policies and programs exist which directly address this seemingly causal link between student loan debt burden and homeownership. On the federal level, a recent initiative has been implemented by Fannie Mae, one of the major insurers of conventional loans and available in every state and most localities nationwide, to directly address this issue. The Student Loan Solutions Program seeks to address barriers to mortgage loan application approval for those with significant student loan debt burden. This applied research study seeks to explore the effectiveness of this policy, providing an assessment of its capacity to meet the needs of the target population. This study seeks to explore and describe the suitability of current policy and programming in increasing access to homeownership for prospective borrowers burdened by student loan debt. Specifically, this study will explore how well current policy and programming mitigate barriers faced by prospective borrowers burdened by student loan debt in obtaining debt financing toward the purchase of a primary residential property. The results highlight salient themes related to this broad area. From the literature review and data analysis, it follows that generational effects, racial equity, credit history, and debt-to-income ratio calculations stand out most.

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Classification of Informal Settlements Based on their Susceptibility to Climate Change: Case study of Ahmedabad, India

2018-05 , Veriah, Revathi Roopini

The aim of this study is to assess susceptibility of slum communities to four key climate stressors: 1) heat wave, 2) flooding and inundation, 3) water scarcity and 4) vector borne deceases. The study explores the context of each of these factors through a review of existing literature and assessed risk at the city and community level by measuring the relative vulnerability through a combination of remote sensing and GIS application. Typologies of settlements are identified on aerial imagery through their location and distinct urban footprint.

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An Academic Addendum for the Sandy Springs Wayfinding System: An Option Paper Report

2018-05 , Waidhas, Kelsey

As the City of Sandy Springs develops and grows into its own identity by developing its first downtown district, the need for efficient navigation and city branding became a priority for Assistant City Manager Jim Tolbert. I undertook the project of writing a city-wide wayfinding plan and was guided by a committee of city officials, local plans, and existing literature over the course of my year-long internship. The process included extensive research into current and future state transportation projects, principles of wayfinding systems, city official priorities and goals, and the relationship between branding and placemaking. The end product included a plan document and accompanying maps that laid out a wayfinding system that was uniquely Sandy Springs in order to encourage efficient routing for pedestrians and vehicles to and from commercial corridors.

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Growth versus Development: The case of China Pakistan Economic Corridor

2018-05 , Ijaz, Mishele

There is a growing need to examine the relationship between ‘Growth’ and ‘Development’, and the issues that surface when both these terms, in the context of developing countries, are used synonymously. Growth is assessed by measuring market production through indicators such as the GDP and GNI, whereas Development is contingent on a larger set of variables including health, education, and quality of life. By drawing a clear distinction between the two, I intend to understand how planning is done when the aim is growth, versus how it is done when the aim is development.

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Resilient Black Neighborhoods in Urban Environments Through Effective Community Planning

2018-05 , Woods, Gloria

This report is broken into two areas: a discussion of the neglect and needs of Black neighborhoods;; and propose ways to improve and revitalize Black neighborhoods through an Atlanta case study, Bankhead. The term resilient, in Creating Resilient Black Neighborhoods in Urban Environments, relates to having the ability to spring back from difficult conditions. Many Black neighborhoods in America are not resilient due the historical racism and inequality. These neighborhoods have been disenfranchised and neglected by American society throughout history due to racial covenants like urban renewal and segregation. A general problem with this study is the information is not new, but many people choose to ignore it. My report breaks down the racism into planning areas where ideas and solutions can be created. And the end of the report will bring together the planning strategies and best practices for more resilient Black neighborhoods in a redevelopment case study for Bankhead. In this case study, I will discuss the weaknesses, strengthens, and opportunities within Bankhead and provide recommendations for future conservation and economic development.

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Homeownership and Racial Wealth Disparity in the Southeast: Factor Ratio Reweighting Analysis of Homeownership in Six Southeast States and the Importance of Race-Conscious Housing Policies

2018-05 , Hirt, Mary

Recent studies have revealed that the racial wealth gap between Black and white households is ever growing, and will take significant changes to decrease. Wealth is an important measure in terms of economic mobility by providing new opportunity to future generations. Black households have historically been denied access to many of the key wealth building opportunities such as college education, homeownership, and investment. Perhaps the most notorious form of wealth creation is by homeownership, an institution that has continuously locked out many households of color, leading to a large disparity in homeownership rates between Black and white households. This analysis will look specifically at the use of homeownership as a wealth building tool, and how equalizing homeownership rates through factor ratio reweighting analysis would affect the racial wealth gap in six Southeast states. After determining the resulting decrease in the racial wealth gap, this paper seeks to explore possibilities in policy, practice, and future research to determine the best methods to decrease wealth disparity and the need for race-conscious policies.

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