Idziorek, Katherine; Chalana, Manish. (2019). Managing Change: Seattle’s 21st Century Urban Renaissance. Journal Of Urbanism, 12(3), 320 – 345.
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Abstract
Evolution of the urban planning and historic preservation disciplines has resulted in an “uneasy alliance” in practice, one further complicated by the back-to-the-city movement and increased development pressure in older urban neighbourhoods. In Seattle, as in other U.S. cities, the pace, intensity and scale of redevelopment has caused dramatic spatial and social transformations. Although research has shown that older built fabric provides economic and social benefit for cities, neither regulations created by planners for guiding redevelopment nor strategies created by preservationists for retaining urban heritage have been successful in reconciling these different, yet interconnected, sets of values. We engage three Seattle neighbourhood case studies to clarify and evaluate policies, programs and strategies used by planners and preservationists for reimagining neighbourhood transformations. This work suggests a need for more creative, integrative collaboration between the two fields to simultaneously engage – and reconcile – social and economic tensions caused by urban redevelopment.
Keywords
Renaissance; Urban Planning; Biological Evolution; Historic Preservation; Seattle (wash.); Everyday Heritage; Seattle; Urban Conservation; Urban Renaissance; Redevelopment; Change Management; Neighborhoods; Regulation; Urban Renewal; Transformations; Cities; Preservation; Urban Areas; Planners; 21st Century; Cultural Heritage
Shang, Luming; Aziz, Ahmed M. Abdel. (2020). Stackelberg Game Theory-Based Optimization Model for Design of Payment Mechanism in Performance-Based PPPs. Journal Of Construction Engineering And Management, 146(4).
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Abstract
Payment mechanisms lie at the heart of public-private partnership (PPP) contracts. A good design of the payment mechanism should consider the owner's goals in the project, allocate risks appropriately to stakeholders, and assure satisfactory performance by providing reasonable compensation to the private developer. This paper proposes a Stackelberg game theory-based model to assist public agencies in designing payment mechanisms for PPP transportation projects. The interests of both public and private sectors are considered and reflected by a bilevel objective function. The model aims to search for solutions that maximize a project's overall performance for the sake of social welfare while simultaneously maximizing return for the sake of private investment. A variable elimination method and genetic algorithm are used to solve the optimization model. A case study based on a real PPP project is discussed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed model. The solutions provided by the model reveal that the optimal payment mechanism structure could be established such that it would satisfy owners' requirements for overall project performance while optimizing project total payments to contractors.
Keywords
Construction Industry; Contracts; Financial Management; Game Theory; Genetic Algorithms; Investment; Optimisation; Organisational Aspects; Project Management; Public Administration; Transportation; Public-private Partnership Contracts; Good Design; Private Developer; Stackelberg Game Theory-based Model; Ppp Transportation Projects; Public Sectors; Private Sectors; Private Investment; Ppp Project; Optimal Payment Mechanism Structure; Project Performance; Project Total Payments; Stackelberg Game Theory-based Optimization Model; Performance-based Ppps; Public-private Partnerships; Analytic Hierarchy Process; Weighted Sum Method; Multiobjective Optimization; Algorithm; Incentives; Projects; Network; Success; Branch
Acolin, Arthur; Colburn, Gregg; Walter, Rebecca J. (2022). How Do Single-Family Homeowners Value Residential and Commercial Density? It Depends. Land Use Policy, 113.
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Abstract
This paper develops estimates of the relationship between local density and single-family home values using 2017 transactions for five U.S. metropolitan regions: Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Seattle. Proposals to build new commercial and residential development projects that would increase local density commonly face opposition from local homeowners. Academic literature links the response from homeowners to concerns that higher density is associated with lower property values but there is limited empirical evidence establishing this relationship at the local level. We find a positive and significant relationship between density and house value in the core area of the five metropolitan regions we analyze. Within 7.5 miles of the center of these metropolitan regions, a 10% increase in surrounding built area density is associated with a 1.1–1.9% increase in house prices per square foot. For outlying areas, the estimates are smaller and even negative in several cases. We instrument density based on topographic and soil characteristics and find similar results. These findings point to the need for a more nuanced discussion of the relationship between local density and housing values.
Keywords
Population Density; Soil Density; Single Family Housing; Home Ownership; Housing Development; Housing Discrimination; Home Prices; Los Angeles (calif.); Density; Single-family House Value; Urban Form; Residential Development; Real Estate; Property Values; Residential Density; Development Programs; Housing; Estimates; Metropolitan Areas; Development Projects; Empirical Analysis; Families & Family Life; Soil Characteristics
Armbruster, Ginger; Endicott-Popousky, Barbara; Whittington, Jan. (2012). Are We Prepared for the Economic Risk Resulting from Telecom Hotel Disruptions? International Journal Of Critical Infrastructure Protection, 5(2), 55 – 65.
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Abstract
Large and small businesses in Seattle, Washington, as in most urban centers across the United States, increasingly rely on telecom hotels and related telecommunications centers to conduct business operations. What would be the economic impact to these businesses if a natural or man-made disaster were to make this infrastructure unavailable for a significant period of time? How long would it take for the owners of small businesses, which provide the foundation for economic recovery, to give up and move away? Are metropolitan regions prepared for this risk? This paper draws on publicly available reports of telecom hotel investments to examine the economic risks that such telecommunications hubs pose at the regional scale. New York City and Seattle are two urban areas that depend on key investments in telecom hotels. In the Pacific Northwest, these assets are located downtown, primarily in the center of the urban real estate market of Seattle. Although the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were directed at the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, collateral damage to a major telecommunications hub brought outages during and after the attacks that highlighted the serious risk posed to small- and mid-sized businesses from disruptions in telecommunications service. The Seattle case study illustrates the potential to learn from the experience in Lower Manhattan and apply this knowledge across the United States. Regional economic analysis of the benefits of and the means to protect small- and mid-sized businesses can provide the basis for strategic investments that minimize economic loss and reduce the recovery time. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Telecommunications Hubs; Telecom Hotels; Business Continuity; Risk
Choi, Kunhee; Lee, Hyun Woo; Bae, Junseo; Bilbo, David. (2016). Time-Cost Performance Effect of Change Orders from Accelerated Contract Provisions. Journal Of Construction Engineering And Management, 142(3).
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Abstract
Accelerated contract provisions (ACPs) such as cost-plus-time (A+B) and incentives/disincentives (I/D) are increasingly common, yet very little is known about their pure time-cost performance effects on change orders. To fill this large knowledge gap, a two-stage research methodology drawing on 1,372 highway improvement projects completed in California was adopted for this study. The Stage I study investigated the marginal change-order impacts of two ACPs, pure A+B and I/D combined with A+B. How ACP change orders affect projects' time-cost performance was numerically modeled and successfully validated over the Stage II study. The results clearly showed that both ACPs led to more schedule-change and cost-change orders than conventionally contracted projects, whereas I/D combined with A+B performed significantly better than pure A+B in terms of the magnitude of schedule-change orders. This conveys an important recommendation to state transportation agencies (STAs) that A+B be used with an I/D provision. The results and numerical models of this study would help STAs better assess and justify the impact of change orders on the duration and cost of projects, enabling them to more effectively use contingency amounts. Use of the models can also benefit contractors requesting a change order because the models can provide them with advanced knowledge of the probable time-cost growth rates specifically for the pursued ACP. (C) 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Keywords
Construction Industry; Contracts; Costing; Incentive Schemes; Numerical Analysis; Order Processing; Performance Evaluation; Roads; Scheduling; Time Management; Transportation; Projects Time-cost Performance Effect; Cost-change Order; Accelerated Contract Provision; Knowledge Gap; California; Acp; Schedule-change Order; State Transportation Agency; Numerical Model; Sta; Incentive; Highway Improvement Project; Labor Productivity; Construction; Impact; Model; Projects; Change Order; Highway Rehabilitation; Decision Modeling; Regression; Validation; Contracting
Lin, Xiongbin; Maclachlan, Ian; Ren, Ting; Sun, Feiyang. (2019). Quantifying Economic Effects of Transportation Investment Considering Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity in China: A Spatial Panel Data Model Perspective. The Annals Of Regional Science, 63(3), 437 – 459.
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Abstract
Transportation investment plays a significant role in promoting economic development. However, in what scenario and to what extent transportation investment can stimulate economic growth still remains debatable. For developing countries undergoing rapid urbanization, answering these questions is necessary for evaluating proposals and determining investment plans, especially considering the heterogeneity of spatiotemporal conditions. Current literature lacks systematical research to consider the impacts of panel data and spatial correlation issue in examining the economic effects of transportation investment. To fill this gap, this study collects provincial panel data in China from 1997 to 2015 to evaluate multi-level temporal and spatial effects of transportation investment on economic growth by using spatial panel data analysis. Results show that transportation investment leads to significant and positive effects on growth and spatial concentration of economic activities, but these results vary significantly depending on the temporal and spatial characteristics of each province. The economic impacts of transportation investment are quite positive even considering the time lag effects. This study suggests that both central and local governments should carefully evaluate the multifaceted economic effects of transportation investment, such as a balanced transportation investment and economic development between growing and lagging regions, and considering the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the economic environment.
Keywords
High-speed Rail; Infrastructure Investment; Causal Relationship; Empirical-analysis; Growth; Impact; Productivity; Efficiency; Spillover; Agglomeration; C33; R40; R58; Spatial Analysis; Time Lag; Urbanization; Transportation; Heterogeneity; Economic Growth; Economic Models; Economic Impact; Data Analysis; Spatial Data; Panel Data; Economic Development; Developing Countries--ldcs; Investments; Economic Analysis; Investment; Local Government; China
Acolin, Arthur; Ramiller, Alex; Walter, Rebecca J; Thompson, Samantha; Wang, Ruoniu. (2021). Transitioning to Homeownership: Asset Building for Low- and Moderate-Income Households. Housing Policy Debate, 31(6), 1032 – 1049.
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Abstract
This article assesses the asset building of households that take part in shared-equity homeownership (SEH) models. The contribution of this article is a comparison of outcomes for households participating in shared-equity programs with other low- and moderate-income households who rent or own properties without restrictions on appreciation. We matched participants in SEH programs to households with similar characteristics from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) over the 1997-2017 period. The findings indicate that in real terms, median SEH homeowners accumulated about $1,700 in housing wealth annually or around $10,000 during their holding period. This amount is lower than the $2,100 median annual gain in home equity experienced by similar PSID owners but statistically and economically significantly larger than the $16 in annual gain experienced by similar PSID renters. The findings provide evidence that households participating in SEH programs experienced positive, but modest, wealth gains that were slightly lower than those of homeowners in unrestricted units but substantially higher than those of renters.
Keywords
Appreciation; Households; Property; Wealth; Income; Housing; Dynamic Tests; Home Ownership; Assets; Tenants; Equity; Owners
Rehm, Colin D.; Moudon, Anne V.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Drewnowski, Adam. (2012). Residential Property Values are Associated with Obesity among Women in King County, WA, USA. Social Science & Medicine, 75(3), 491 – 495.
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Abstract
Studies of social determinants of weight and health in the US have typically relied on self-reported education and incomes as the two primary measures of socioeconomic status (SES). The assessed value of one's home, an important component of wealth, may be a better measure of the underlying SES construct and a better predictor of obesity. The Seattle Obesity Study (SOS), conducted in 2008-9, was a cross-sectional random digit dial telephone survey of 2001 adults in King County, Washington State, US. Participants' addresses were geocoded and residential property values for each tax parcel were obtained from the county tax assessor's database. Prevalence ratios of obesity by property values, education, and household income were estimated separately for women and men, after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, household size, employment status and home ownership. Among women, the inverse association between property values and obesity was very strong and independent of other SES factors. Women in the bottom quartile of property values were 3.4 times more likely to be obese than women in the top quartile. No association between property values and obesity was observed for men. The present data strengthen the evidence for a social gradient in obesity among women. Property values may represent a novel and objective measure of SES at the individual level in the US. Measures based on tax assessment data will provide a valuable resource for future health studies. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Communities; Employment; Income; Obesity; Poisson Distribution; Probability Theory; Research Funding; Self-evaluation; Sex Distribution; Social Classes; Statistics; Surveys; Data Analysis; Educational Attainment; Cross-sectional Method; Data Analysis Software; Descriptive Statistics; Washington (state); Health Status Disparities; Health Surveys; Social Class; Socioeconomic Factors; Usa; Women; Body-mass Index; Socioeconomic-status; Aged Men; Health; Weight; Disparities; Overweight; Disease; Poverty; Height
Choi, Kunhee; Lee, Hyun Woo; Mao, Zhuting; Lavy, Sarel; Ryoo, Boong Yeol. (2016). Environmental, Economic, and Social Implications of Highway Concrete Rehabilitation Alternatives. Journal Of Construction Engineering And Management, 142(2).
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Abstract
Currently, there is no comprehensive benchmark of life-cycle assessment for the rigid pavement alternatives for highway rehabilitation. To fill this gap, the major objective of this study is to investigate the environmental, economic, and social impacts of the three most widely adopted rigid pavement choices through a life-cycle assessment approach with custom-built economic input-output life-cycle assessment (EIO-LCA) models. Quantity takeoffs were performed for each alternative assuming a 1-lane-km highway rehabilitation. Subsequently, the construction costs of each alternative were computed in order to determine the present values for a life span of 50years, while at the same time accounting for a different life expectancy for each pavement rehabilitation strategy. The present values were then incorporated into a corresponding EIO-LCA model. The results clearly indicate that continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) is the most sustainable choice and much preferable to the other alternatives for minimizing negative environmental, economic and social impacts from the life-cycle perspective. This finding champions a wider adoption of CRCP for future sustainable transportation infrastructure development projects, as CRCP's relatively high initial construction cost can be recouped by long-term sustained benefits. The results and findings of this study can serve as a solid foundation for industry practitioners and decision-makers to make better-informed project decisions when choosing the most sustainable pavement alternatives from a life-cycle perspective. (C) 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Keywords
Construction Industry; Environmental Management; Life Cycle Costing; Product Life Cycle Management; Project Management; Reinforced Concrete; Road Building; Socio-economic Effects; Sustainable Development; Economic Implications; Environmental Implications; Industry Practitioners; Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure Development Projects; Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement; Crcp; Eio-lca Model; Life Span; Construction Costs; Custom-built Economic Input-output Life-cycle Assessment Models; Rigid Pavement Alternatives; Highway Concrete Rehabilitation Alternatives; Life-cycle Assessment Approach; Social Implications; Life-cycle Assessment; Pavement; Asphalt; Pavement Rehabilitation; Environmental Assessment; Economic Factors; Land Use
Moudon, Anne Vernez. (2019). Framing the Question: Is Shrinking Good or Bad? Journal Of Urban Design, 24(1), 66 – 68.
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Keywords
Urban Planning; Unemployment; Cost Of Living; Balance Of Trade; Medical Care; Economic Development; Demography; Decision Making; Framing