Ruoniu (Vince) Wang is an Assistant Professor in the Runstad Department of Real Estate in the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington. He studies spatial justice and inclusive communities, including their impacts reflected in the built environment, human behaviors, and policy interventions. Vince joined the University of Washington after serving six years as the research manager and director in a national non-profit organization Grounded Solutions Network. He has designed and conducted a U.S. Census of inclusionary housing policies, a U.S. census of community land trusts, and a national performance evaluation of shared equity homeownership programs. His research expands to policy evaluation for the two largest federal assisted housing rental programs in the U.S.: the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program and the Housing Choice Voucher program. Vince grounds his research with applied tools to democratize data for low-income communities.
Research Theme: Equity & Justice
Includes methodologies as well as topics related to addressing bias, representation, access, and other aspects of equity and justice in the built environment
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.
For Democracy: Planning and Publics Without the State
Purcell, Mark. (2016). For Democracy: Planning and Publics Without the State. Planning Theory, 15(4), 386 – 401.
Abstract
This article argues that planning should develop a robust conception of publics without the State. We should do so because the State is a necessarily oligarchical arrangement that prevents us from achieving real democracy. We should explore publics without the State in both theory and practice.
Keywords
Participation; Democracy; Hobbes; Locke; Publics; State
Paratransit Services For People With Disabilities In The Seattle Region During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Lessons For Recovery Planning
Abu Ashour, Lamis; Dannenberg, Andrew L.; Shen, Qing; Fang, Xun; Wang, Yiyuan. (2021). Paratransit Services For People With Disabilities In The Seattle Region During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Lessons For Recovery Planning. Journal Of Transport & Health, 22.
Abstract
Introduction: Along with all public transit services, paratransit services for people with disabilities experienced substantially reduced demand and an increased need to provide equitable services while protecting their clients and staff's safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Paratransit services provide a lifeline for their clients' essential mobility needs, including access to medical appointments and grocery stores. In the absence of pre-existing pandemic response plans, examining transit agencies' responses to provide paratransit services during the pandemic can help inform planning for post-pandemic recovery and future disruptive events. Methods: In September 2020, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 decision-makers, planners, and drivers working for the primary transit agency in the Seattle region - King County Metro - and its paratransit contractors. Interview questions were designed to identify current services, policy gaps, and critical challenges for recovery planning and post-pandemic paratransit services. Interview transcripts were analyzed using NVivo software to obtain essential themes. Results: The interviewees provided insights about (1) paratransit service changes in response to the pandemic, (2) anticipated impacts of a returning demand on paratransit service efficiency, equity, and quality during the recovery period, and (3) innovative approaches for maintaining post-pandemic equitable paratransit services while balancing safety measures with available resources. Conclusions: Study findings suggest that paratransit service providers should consider (1) developing guidelines for future disruptive events, (2) examining alternative methods for food delivery to clients, (3) planning scenarios for delivering equitable services in the post-pandemic recovery period, and (4) increasing resilience possibly by establishing partnerships with transportation network companies.
Keywords
Paratransit; Mobility; Equity; Covid19 Pandemic; Scenario Planning; Recovery
Utilitarian and Recreational Walking Among Spanish- and English-Speaking Latino Adults in Micropolitan US Towns
Doescher, Mark P.; Lee, Chanam; Saelens, Brian E.; Lee, Chunkuen; Berke, Ethan M.; Adachi-mejia, Anna M.; Patterson, Davis G.; Moudon, Anne Vernez. (2017). Utilitarian and Recreational Walking Among Spanish- and English-Speaking Latino Adults in Micropolitan US Towns. Journal Of Immigrant & Minority Health, 19(2), 237 – 245.
Abstract
Walking among Latinos in US Micropolitan towns may vary by language spoken. In 2011-2012, we collected telephone survey and built environment (BE) data from adults in six towns located within micropolitan counties from two states with sizable Latino populations. We performed mixed-effects logistic regression modeling to examine relationships between ethnicity-language group [Spanish-speaking Latinos (SSLs); English-speaking Latinos (ESLs); and English-speaking non-Latinos (ENLs)] and utilitarian walking and recreational walking, accounting for socio-demographic, lifestyle and BE characteristics. Low-income SSLs reported higher amounts of utilitarian walking than ENLs (p = 0.007), but utilitarian walking in this group decreased as income increased. SSLs reported lower amounts of recreational walking than ENLs (p = 0.004). ESL-ENL differences were not significant. We identified no statistically significant interactions between ethnicity-language group and BE characteristics. Approaches to increase walking in micropolitan towns with sizable SSL populations may need to account for this group's differences in walking behaviors.
Keywords
Walking; Confidence Intervals; Ecology; Ethnic Groups; Hispanic Americans; Income; Language & Languages; Metropolitan Areas; Population; Public Health; Recreation; Rural Conditions; White People; Logistic Regression Analysis; Socioeconomic Factors; Social Context; Body Mass Index; Acquisition Of Data; Physical Activity; Data Analysis Software; Odds Ratio; United States; Environment Design; Ethnicity; Rural Populations; Physical-activity; Built Environment; United-states; Postmenopausal Women; Acculturation; Risk; Transportation; Mortality; Health; Associations; Studies; Demographic Aspects; Telephone Surveys; Minority & Ethnic Groups; Physical Fitness; Low Income Groups; Urban Environments; Demographics; Language; Accounting; Statistical Analysis; Urban Areas; Towns; Populations; Adults; Lifestyles; Latin American Cultural Groups; Sociodemographics; Landscape Architecture; Population Growth; Pediatrics; Leisure; Health Care; Noncitizens; Preventive Medicine; United States--us
Transitioning to Homeownership: Asset Building for Low- and Moderate-Income Households
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.
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
The Residential Segregation of San Antonio, Texas in 1910: An Analysis of Ethno-racial and Occupational Spatial Patterns with the Colocation Quotient
Cordoba, Hilton A.; Walter, Rebecca J.; Foote, Nathan S. (2018). The Residential Segregation of San Antonio, Texas in 1910: An Analysis Of Ethno-racial and Occupational Spatial Patterns with the Colocation Quotient. Urban Geography, 39(7), 988 – 1017.
Abstract
The segregation of cities can be traced to a time when the compartmentalization of space and people was based on factors other than race. In segregation research, one of the limiting factors has always been the geographic scale of the data, and the limited knowledge that exists of segregation patterns when the household is the unit of analysis. Historical census data provides the opportunity to analyze the disaggregated information, and this paper does so with San Antonio during 1910. A spatial analysis of residential segregation based on race, ethnicity, and occupations is carried out with the colocation quotient to map and measure the attraction of residents. Results reveal the presence of residential segregation patterns on different sectors of the city based on households' ethno-racial and occupational attributes; therefore, providing evidence of the existence of residential segregation prior to the commonly cited determinants of segregation of the 20th century.
Keywords
Housing Tax Credit; Local Indicators; New York; Association; Indexes; Cities; Scale; City; Differentiation; Environment; Residential Segregation; Colocation Quotient; San Antonio; Spatial Analysis
Pushing Back on Displacement: Community-Based Redevelopment through Historically Black Churches
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).
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
Crime and Private Investment in Urban Neighborhoods
Lacoe, Johanna; Bostic, Raphael W.; Acolin, Arthur. (2018). Crime and Private Investment in Urban Neighborhoods. Journal Of Urban Economics, 108, 154 – 169.
Abstract
The question of how best to improve neighborhoods that lag behind has drawn considerable attention from policy-makers, practitioners, and academics, yet there remains a vigorous debate regarding the best approaches to accomplish community development. This paper investigates the role crime policy plays in shaping the trajectory of neighborhoods. Much of the existing research on neighborhood crime was conducted in rising-crime environments, and the evidence was clear: high levels of crime have adverse effects on neighborhoods and resident quality of life, This study examines how private investment in neighborhoods in two cities Chicago and Los Angeles changed as the incidence of neighborhood crime changed during the 2000s, a period when crime was declining city-wide in both places. Using detailed blockface-level data on the location of crime and private investments between 2006 and 2011, the analysis answers the question: Do changes in crime affect private development decisions? The results show that private investment, as represented by building permits, decreases on blocks where crime increases in the past year. We also find that the relationship between crime and private investment is not symmetric private investment appears to only be sensitive to crime in rising crime contexts. The result is present in both cities, and robust to multiple definitions of crime and the elimination of outliers and the main commercial district. These results suggest that crime-reduction policies can be an effective economic development tool, but only in certain neighborhoods facing specific circumstances.
Keywords
Enterprise Zones; Crime; Investment; Neighborhoods
The Use of Markets in Housing Policy: A Comparative Analysis of Housing Subsidy Programs
Colburn, Gregg. (2021). The Use of Markets in Housing Policy: A Comparative Analysis of Housing Subsidy Programs. Housing Studies, 36(1), 46 – 79.
Abstract
Many countries use demand-side housing subsidies to support low-income households. Unlike public or social housing programs, demand-side subsidies require recipients to enter the private market to use their benefits. The focus of this study is the experiences of assisted households in the private housing market and the outcomes they achieve. Given the link between policy design and program outcomes and because all housing subsidy programs are not created equal, one might expect the experiences and outcomes of recipients to also vary. To examine this relationship, using data from national housing surveys, this study analyzes cross-national variation in housing support programs and compares the housing and neighbourhood outcomes of subsidized households in the US, the UK, and the Netherlands. The findings of this study highlight that market context and policy design are associated with housing outcomes. In particular, the strong tenant supports and favourable design of housing assistance in the Netherlands is associated with favourable outcomes for subsidized households. In the US and the UK, subsidized households, in general, underperform their unsubsidized peers. This article underscores the importance of institutional context and program design when public assistance programs require recipients to enter the private market to use a benefit.
Keywords
Housing; Housing Subsidies; Comparative Studies; United States; Great Britain; Netherlands; Comparative; Outcomes; Subsidized Housing; Subsidy; Choice Vouchers; Poverty Deconcentration; United-states; Tax Credit; Income; Neighborhoods; Opportunity; Future; Britain; Comparative Analysis; Subsidies; Households; Context; Housing Policy; Design; Subsidies (financial); Housing Market; Low Income Groups; Public Housing; Assistance Programmes; United Kingdom--uk; United States--us