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Qing Shen awarded funding for commute research survey

The Mobility Innovation Center announced that Qing Shen, professor of Urban Design & Planning and an expert in transportation planning and policy, has received a $100,000 award to study commuting patterns and develop a model to understand the effect of telework and flexible scheduling. The project will build off the existing Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) survey for employers who are in the CTR program as required by state law in the central city portion of Seattle. In addition, a complementary…

Dylan Stevenson

Dylan Stevenson’s (Prairie Band Potawatomi descent) research examines how culture informs planning strategies and influences land relationships. More specifically, he investigates how tribal epistemologies structure notions of Indigenous futurities by centering Indigenous cultural values at the forefront of environmental stewardship and cultural preservation. He is currently working on a project researching how governments (Federal, State, and Tribal) embed cultural values in Water Resources Planning strategies, drawing from ethnographic research he conducted in the joint territory of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians and Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. His other research interests include ecological restoration, intangible cultural heritage, and food systems planning. Previously, Dylan has worked for public and quasi-public entities dealing with the implementation and compliance of local, state, and federal legislation in California and has forthcoming work analyzing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in planning programs.

Dylan earned his Ph.D. in the Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University. He earned his master’s degree in Planning with a concentration in Preservation and Design of the Built Environment from the University of Southern California, a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics with a minor in Native American Studies from the University of California—Davis, and an associate of arts degree in Liberal Arts from De Anza College.

College of Built Environments’ Research Restart Fund Awards Four Grants in First of Two Cycles

The College of Built Environments launched a funding opportunity for those whose research has been affected by the ongoing pandemic. The Research Restart Fund, with awards up to $5,000, has awarded 4 grants in its first of two cycles. A grant was awarded to Real Estate faculty member Arthur Acolin, who is partnering with the City of Seattle’s Office of Planning and Community Development to understand barriers that homeowners, particularly those with lower incomes, face to building Accessory Dwelling Units…

Assessing Multifamily Residential Parking Demand and Transit Service

Rowe, Daniel H.; Bae, Chang-hee Christine; Shen, Qing. (2010). Assessing Multifamily Residential Parking Demand and Transit Service. Ite Journal-institute Of Transportation Engineers, 80(12), 20 – 24.

Abstract

This study examined the relationship of multifamily residential parking demand and transit level of service in Two King County, WA, USA, Urban Centers: First Hill/Capitol Hill (FHCH) and redmond. In addition, current parking policies were assessed for their ability to meet the observed parking demand, and an alternative method to collect parking demand data was explored.

Exposure of Bicyclists to Air Pollution in Seattle, Washington Hybrid Analysis Using Personal Monitoring and Land Use Regression

Hong, E-Sok Andy; Bae, Christine. (2012). Exposure of Bicyclists to Air Pollution in Seattle, Washington Hybrid Analysis Using Personal Monitoring and Land Use Regression. Transportation Research Record, 2270, 59 – 66.

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Abstract

The increase in urban bicycling facilities, raises public health concerns for potential exposure of bicyclists to traffic emissions. For an assessment of bicyclists' exposure to local traffic emissions, a hybrid approach is presented; it combines personal monitoring and a land use regression (LUR) model. Black carbon, a proxy variable for traffic-related air pollution, was measured with an Aethalometer along the predesignated bicycle route in Seattle, Washington, for 10 days, during a.m. and p.m. peak hours (20 sampling campaigns). Descriptive statistics and three-dimensional pollution maps were used to explore temporal variations and to identify pollution hot spots. The LUR model was developed to quantify the influence of spatial covariates on black carbon concentrations along the designated route. The results indicated that the black carbon concentrations fluctuated throughout the sampling periods and showed statistically significant diurnal and monthly patterns. The hot spot analysis suggests that proximity to traffic and other physical environments have important impacts on bicyclists' exposure and demand further investigation on the localized effects of traffic emissions on exposure levels. The LUR model explains 46% of the variations in black carbon concentrations, and significant relationships are found with types of bicycle route facility, wind speed, length of truck routes, and transportation and utility land uses. This research is the first application of the LUR approach in quantifying bicyclists' exposure to air pollution in transport microenvironments. This study provides a rationale for encouraging municipalities to develop effective strategies to mitigate the health risks of exposure to local traffic emissions in complex urban bicycling environments.

Keywords

Particulate Matter; Diesel Exhaust; Health; Model; Particles; Asthma; City

Does Neighborhood Walkability Moderate the Effects of Intrapersonal Characteristics on Amount of Walking in Post-Menopausal Women?

Perry, Cynthia K.; Herting, Jerald R.; Berke, Ethan M.; Nguyen, Huong Q.; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Beresford, Shirley A. A.; Ockene, Judith K.; Manson, Joann E.; Lacroix, Andrea Z. (2013). Does Neighborhood Walkability Moderate the Effects of Intrapersonal Characteristics on Amount of Walking in Post-Menopausal Women? Health & Place, 21, 39 – 45.

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Abstract

This study identifies factors associated with walking among postmenopausal women and tests whether neighborhood walkability moderates the influence of intrapersonal factors on walking. We used data from the Women's Health Initiative Seattle Center and linear regression models to estimate associations and interactions. Being white and healthy, having a high school education or beyond and greater non-walking exercise were significantly associated with more walking. Neighborhood walkability was not independently associated with greater walking, nor did it moderate influence of intrapersonal factors on walking. Specifying types of walking (e.g., for transportation) can elucidate the relationships among intrapersonal factors, the built environment, and walking. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Self-talk; Postmenopause; Walking; Women's Health; Built Environment; Social Interaction; Regression Analysis; Postmenopausal Women; Walkability; Physical-activity; Older-adults; United-states; Us Adults; Exercise; Obesity; Transportation; Association; Attributes

Rancière and Revolution.

Purcell, Mark. (2014). Rancière and Revolution. Space & Polity, 18(2), 168 – 181.

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Abstract

This paper explores what role Rancière's work can play in the struggle for a more democratic world. It highlights the strength of Rancière's conception of democracy, which clearly identifies democracy as a popular disruption of the prevailing police order. This order claims to have assigned a proper role to all parts of society. Democracy for Rancière is when an element emerges that has not been taken account of and demonstrates the police order's claim to be false. Among the many benefits of this way of understanding democracy, it upsets any easy association between hegemony and democracy - as in Laclau & Mouffe - and it refuses utterly the ideological fiising of democracy, capitalism, and the state offered by the liberaldemocratic- capitalist consensus. However, Rancière's approach also introduces significant limits on democracy because it denies that democracy can ever do more than disrupt the prevailing order. It does not allow for the possibility that democracy can grow and spread to the point that it becomes pervasive in the polity. This paper uses the case of the Egyptian uprising to show how this limitation closes off important political possibilities. The paper argues that Deleuze & Guattari's theorisation of revolution, when used carefully, is a necessary corrective to Rancière's too-restricted concept of democracy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of Space & Polity is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Keywords

Political Philosophy; Democracy; Hegemony; Capitalism; Egyptian Revolution, Egypt, 2011-; Deleuze; Guattari; Ranciere; Revolution; Ranciere, Jacques, 1940-

Exposure Path Perceptions and Protective Actions in Biological Water Contamination Emergencies

Lindell, Michael K.; Mumpower, Jeryl L.; Huang, Shih-kai; Wu, Hao-che; Samuelson, Charles D. (2015). Exposure Path Perceptions and Protective Actions in Biological Water Contamination Emergencies. Environmental Health Insights, 9, 13 – 21.

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Abstract

This study extends the Protective Action Decision Model, developed to address disaster warning responses in the context of natural hazards, to boil water advisories. The study examined 110 Boston residents' and 203 Texas students' expectations of getting sick through different exposure paths for contact with contaminated water. In addition, the study assessed respondents' actual implementation (for residents) or behavioral expectations (for students) of three different protective actions - bottled water, boiled water, and personally chlorinated water - as well as their demographic characteristics and previous experience with water contamination. The results indicate that people distinguish among the exposure paths, but the differences are small (one-third to one-half of the response scale). Nonetheless, the perceived risk from the exposure paths helps to explain why people are expected to consume (or actually consumed) bottled water rather than boiled or personally chlorinated water. Overall, these results indicate that local authorities should take care to communicate the relative risks of different exposure paths and should expect that people will respond to a boil water order primarily by consuming bottled water. Thus, they should make special efforts to increase supplies of bottled water in their communities during water contamination emergencies.

Keywords

Water Contamination; Exposure Paths; Risk Perception; Protective Action

County Planners’ Perceptions of Land-Use Planning Tools for Environmental Hazard Mitigation: A Survey in the US Pacific States

Ge, Yue ‘gurt’; Lindell, Michael K. (2016). County Planners’ Perceptions of Land-Use Planning Tools for Environmental Hazard Mitigation: A Survey in the US Pacific States. Environment And Planning B-planning & Design, 43(4), 716 – 736.

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Abstract

Land-use planning tools have been extensively applied in the U.S. to achieve environmental sustainability and disaster resiliency for local communities. An important issue related to land-use planning tools is planners' beliefs about the ways in which these tools differ from each other and, thus, how planners choose among these tools for environmental hazard mitigation. A web-based survey collected data from planners in counties (or boroughs) in the five U.S. Pacific states (where county land-use planning is limited to unincorporated areas). The results indicate that planners substantially, but not completely, agreed in their perceptions of planning tools, that planners' perceptions of planning tools are minimally related to their personal characteristics and those of their jurisdictions, and that planners' perceptions of planning tools are significantly correlated with the capacity of their planning agencies. Planners viewed effectiveness (a desirable attribute) as positively correlated with economic costs and other impediments (which are undesirable attributes) so they must make trade-offs among these attributes and choose the most appropriate tool when formulating a growth management strategy.

Keywords

Interrater Reliability; Local Commitment; Management; Agreement; Index; Planners' Perceptions; Plan-making Processes; Land-use Planning Tools; Environmental Hazard Mitigation; Us Pacific States

The Association between Park Visitation and Physical Activity Measured with Accelerometer, GPS, and Travel Diary

Stewart, Orion T.; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Fesinmeyer, Megan D.; Zhou, Chuan; Saelens, Brian E. (2016). The Association between Park Visitation and Physical Activity Measured with Accelerometer, GPS, and Travel Diary. Health & Place, 38, 82 – 88.

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Abstract

Public parks are promoted as places that support physical activity (PA), but evidence of how park visitation contributes to overall PA is limited. This study observed adults living in the Seattle metropolitan area (n=671) for one week using accelerometer, GPS, and travel diary. Park visits, measured both objectively (GPS) and subjectively (travel diary), were temporally linked to accelerometer-measured PA. Park visits occurred at 1.4 per person-week. Participants who visited parks at least once (n=308) had an adjusted average of 14.3 (95% Cl: 8.9, 19.6) min more daily PA than participants who did not visit a park. Even when park-related activity was excluded, park visitors still obtained more minutes of daily PA than non-visitors. Park visitation contributes to a more active lifestyle, but is not solely responsible for it. Parks may best serve to complement broader public health efforts to encourage PA. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Physical Activity; Accelerometers; Geographic Information Systems; Park Use; Public Health; Built Environment; Gis; Leisure; Recreation; Substitution; Sedentary Behavior; Public-health; Accessibility; Prevention