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
Aziz, Ahmed M. Abdel. (2021). The Practice of Roadway Safety Management in Public-Private Partnerships. Journal Of Construction Engineering And Management, 147(12).
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Abstract
As a matter of course, the private party in public-private partnerships (PPPs) assumes the responsibility for roadway safety management (RSM). However, because most PPPs are performance-based, public highway agencies must articulate the specifications and methods they develop to enforce RSM practices. Despite the increased interest in PPPs in recent decades, little has been published on developing and propagating the RSM practices used with this delivery system. To fill this research gap and explore RSM practices in PPPs, this work took a synthesis research approach, using content analysis to critically review and analyze 16 PPP agreements in seven states and provinces leading in PPP contracting in North America. The study discovered several methods and organized them under five mechanisms: Mechanism 1, integrating roadway safety into project performance specifications and initiating new tools such as safety compliance orders; Mechanism 2, imposing nonconformance monetary deductions based on point and classification systems; Mechanism 3, regulating safety payments on the basis of crash statistics; Mechanism 4, promoting safety initiative programs; and Mechanism 5, enforcing administrative countermeasures such as work suspension and default/termination triggers for persistent developer noncompliance. Mechanisms 1 and 5 were the default mechanisms in all toll- and availability-based projects, whereas Mechanism 2 was common in availability-only projects. The research reviewed the RSM packages in the PPP agreements, elucidating the particulars of the RSM mechanisms, highlighting RSM design considerations, presenting implementation guidelines, and articulating research needs. The research results were validated against PPP highways in five other states and provinces. This synthesis research provides highway agencies with an extensive practice review to support RSM package design for future PPP projects.
Keywords
Qualitative Research; Incentives; Public-private Partnerships (ppps); Performance Specifications; Roadway Safety; Payment Mechanisms; Availability Payment; Highways
Sohn, Dong Wook; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Lee, Jeasun. (2012). The Economic Value of Walkable Neighborhoods. Urban Design International, 17(2), 115 – 128.
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Abstract
This study investigated how the benefits of a walkable neighborhood were reflected in the American real estate market by examining the economic values of urban environmental factors supporting walking activities. Property values were used as a proxy measure for economic value and analyzed in relation to land use characteristics that have been known to correlate with walking at the neighborhood scale. Four aspects of the built environment supporting walking were included in the analyses: development density, land use mix, public open space and pedestrian infrastructure. Hedonic models were employed where the property value was regressed on the measures of the four sets of correlates of walking in a neighborhood. Models were estimated for four land use types - single-family residential, rental multi-family residential, commercial and office. The findings did not support previous arguments that increasing density weakens the quality of a neighborhood. To the contrary, the positive association of higher development density with the value of single-family residential properties detected in King County suggested that high development density might increase surrounding property values. The pedestrian infrastructure and land use mix significantly contributed to increases in rental multi-family residential property values. Higher development density with higher street and sidewalk coverage were also favored by retail service uses. In relation to land use mix, mixing retail service uses and rental multi-family residential uses helped make rental housings more attractive. URBAN DESIGN International (2012) 17, 115-128. doi:10.1057/udi.2012.1; published online 4 April 2012
Keywords
Land-use; Physical-activity; Travel Behavior; Smart Growth; Mode Choice; Urban Form; Walking; Gis; Transportation; Accessibility; Mixed Land Use; Neighborhood; Urban Design
Sun, Feiyang; Mansury, Yuri S. (2016). Economic Impact of High-Speed Rail on Household Income in China. Transportation Research Record, 2581, 71 – 78.
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Abstract
Although developed only in the past 20 years, Chinese high-speed rail (HSR) has overtaken many of its forerunners in its unprecedented scale. However, such a scale raises questions about its implications for regional economic development. Previous studies have discussed the impact of HSR at the regional and city levels, but few have addressed its impact on the individual level, which is crucial for understanding the distribution of the impact. To fill the gap, this study focused on the economic impact of recent HSR development between 2009 and 2012 on Chinese household income and discussed its significance, magnitude, and distribution. The survey data from the China Family Panel Survey were used and a difference-in-differences approach was implemented. Two key explanatory variables, weighted average travel time and probability of living proximate to HSR stations, were included in the models to examine the direct and spillover impacts of HSR. The study shows that these impacts both contribute to the HSR impact but affect urban and rural regions and production sectors differently. In particular, the spillover effect or the agglomeration effect contributes the most and favors more urbanized regions with stronger service sectors. As a consequence, although HSR plays a positive role in stimulating the regional economy, it may further widen the gap between developed regions and underdeveloped regions. From the analyses, it is concluded that HSR projects need more comprehensive studies of the full spectrum of its impact to ensure both economic growth and regional balance and coordination.
Reina, Vincent; Acolin, Arthur; Bostic, Raphael W. (2019). Section 8 Vouchers and Rent Limits: Do Small Area Fair Market Rent Limits Increase Access to Opportunity Neighborhoods? An Early Evaluation. Housing Policy Debate, 29(1), 44 – 61.
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Abstract
One critique of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s Housing Choice Voucher program is that its maximum rent limit is set at the metropolitan level, making more expensive neighborhoods effectively off limits to households who receive rental assistance. As a result, the design of the program limits a voucher household's access to opportunity neighborhood. In response, HUD created the Small Area Fair Market Rent (SAFMR) demonstration program, which calculates the maximum voucher rent at the zip code level so that HUD's rent limits more closely align with local neighborhood rents. In theory, this program should improve a voucher household's choice set and location outcomes. Looking at changes in the location of beneficiaries in the six sites that participated in the SAFMR demonstration program, we find a significant amount of regional variation in the results. Specifically, introduction of the SAFMR rent calculations results in voucher households living in higher opportunity neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas, in lower opportunity neighborhoods in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and mixed effects in other areas. These mixed results highlight some of the potential incremental benefits of the program and reinforce the importance of viewing this policy over a longer period of time, and in the context of other constraints voucher households face in accessing neighborhood opportunity.
Keywords
Choice; Mobility; Families; Live; Section 8; Low-income Housing; Subsidized Housing; Vouchers; Neighborhood; Access; Markets; Mathematical Analysis; Federal Agencies; Urban Development; Housing; Households; Neighborhoods; Rents; Limitations; Beneficiaries; Housing Subsidies; United States--us; Dallas Texas; Chattanooga Tennessee
Born, Branden; Berney, Rachel; Baker, Olivia; Jones, Mark R.; King, Donald; Marcus, Dylan. (2021). Pushing Back on Displacement: Community-Based Redevelopment through Historically Black Churches. Societies, 11(1).
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Abstract
Gentrification and subsequent displacement are common problems in cities, and result in the removal of poor communities and communities of color from urban areas as they move to cheaper locations in the metropolitan region. Here we describe a community-based approach to redevelopment by historic Black churches that seeks to counter such displacement and cultural removal. We explain the history of a historically Black neighborhood in Seattle and the founding and rationale for a church-led project called the Nehemiah Initiative. Our perspective is that of participants in the work of the Nehemiah Initiative and as faculty and students from a local university partner supporting it. We conclude with policy strategies that can be used to support such redevelopment in Seattle, with understanding that some may be broadly applicable to other cities.
Keywords
Black Churches; Community Based; Displacement; Equitable Development; Faith Based; Gentrification; Housing Affordability; Redevelopment; University-community Partnership
Migliaccio, Giovanni C.; Guindani, Michele; D’Incognito, Maria; Zhang, Linlin. (2013). Empirical Assessment of Spatial Prediction Methods for Location Cost-Adjustment Factors. Journal Of Construction Engineering & Management, 139(7), 858 – 869.
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Abstract
In the feasibility stage of a project, location cost-adjustment factors (LCAFs) are commonly used to perform quick order-of-magnitude estimates. Nowadays, numerous LCAF data sets are available in North America, but they do not include all locations. Hence, LCAFs for unsampled locations need to be inferred through spatial interpolation or prediction methods. Using a commonly used set of LCAFs, this paper aims to test the accuracy of various spatial prediction methods and spatial interpolation methods in estimating LCAF values for unsampled locations. Between the two regression-based prediction models selected for the study, geographically weighted regression analysis (GWR) resulted the most appropriate way to model the city cost index as a function of multiple covariates. As a direct consequence of its spatial nonstationarity, the influence of each single covariate differed from state to state. In addition, this paper includes a first attempt to determine if the observed variability in cost index values could be at least partially explained by independent socioeconomic variables. (C) 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Keywords
Construction Industry; Interpolation; Regression Analysis; Socio-economic Effects; Spatial Prediction Methods; Location Cost-adjustment Factors; Empirical Assessment; Lcaf; Order-of-magnitude Estimates; North America; Unsampled Locations; Spatial Interpolation Methods; Geographically Weighted Regression Analysis; Gwr; Independent Socioeconomic Variables; Inflation; Indexes; Estimation; Geostatistics; Construction Costs; Planning; Budgeting
Yocom, Ken P.; Andrews, Leann; Faghin, Nicole; Dyson, Karen; Leschine, Thomas; Nam, Jungho. (2016). Revitalizing Urban Waterfronts: Identifying Indicators For Human Well-being. Aims Environmental Science, 3(3), 456 – 473.
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Abstract
Waterfront cities worldwide have begun the process of regenerating and developing their formerly industrial waterfronts into land uses that reflect a post-industrial economic vision of mixed urban uses supporting a diverse economy and wide range of infrastructure. These revitalization projects require distinct planning and management tactics to determine project-defined successes inclusive of economic, ecological, and human well-being perspectives. While empirically developed templates for economic and ecological measures exist, the multi-dimensionality and subjective nature of human well-being is more difficult to assess. Through an extensive review of indicator frameworks and expert interviews, our research proposes an organizational, yet adaptable, human well-being indicators framework for the management and development of urban waterfront revitalization projects. We analyze the framework through the lens of two waterfront projects in the Puget Sound region of the United States and identify several key factors necessary to developing project-specific human well-being indicator frameworks for urban waterfront revitalization projects. These factors include: initially specify goals and objectives of a given project, acknowledge contextual conditions including prospective land uses and projected users, identify the stage of development or management to use appropriate indicators for that stage, and develop and utilize data sources that are at a similar scale to the size of the project.
Keywords
Quality-of-life; City Waterfront; Dimensions; Framework; Science; Policy; Urban Waterfront Revitalization; Human Well-being; Indicators; Design And Management