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: Policy & Law
Research aimed at influencing or assisting policymakers, as well as scholarship on laws and policy related to 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.
Contractual Battles for Higher Ground: Case Examples
Ottesen, Jeffery L.; Migliaccio, Giovanni C.; Wulfsberg, H. James. (2016). Contractual Battles for Higher Ground: Case Examples. Journal Of Legal Affairs And Dispute Resolution In Engineering And Construction, 8(1).
Abstract
Dispute resolution requires pursuit of mutual agreement and implies accordant resolve between the disputing parties. In truth, mutual agreement stems from acceptable risks and negotiated terms centered upon equity arguments wherein the parties assess, evaluate, negotiate, and battle for high ground. Where the parties clearly understand their respective positions relative to the applicable laws, facts outweigh emotions, and the parties are more likely to avoid disputes. This paper defines high ground based upon legal theory in quantum meruit, which means, as much as he deserves. Equity arguments can trump written contractual provisions. Owners, architects, engineers, and contractors must become wise to these arguments to protect its shareholders' interests. To promote understanding, five different case scenarios are presented using actual disputes experienced on (1) notice provisions, (2) cumulative impact claims, (3) no damages for delay clauses, (4) acceleration, and (5) owner review durations. These case scenarios demonstrate that acquiring high ground requires clear understanding and synchronization of both the contract and the applicable governing laws. Ultimately, the party possessing higher ground will find itself in a more favorable position when disputes occur. (c) 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Keywords
Legislation; Subcontracting; Disputing Parties; Equity Arguments; Legal Theory; Quantum Meruit; Contractual Provisions; Architects; Notice Provisions; Cumulative Impact Claims; Owner Review Durations; Governing Laws; Engineers; Contractors; Dispute Resolution; Contractual Battles; Project; Equity; Delay; Contractual Notice; Cumulative Impact; Total Cost Claim; No Damages For Delay; Acceleration
Section 8 Vouchers and Rent Limits: Do Small Area Fair Market Rent Limits Increase Access to Opportunity Neighborhoods? An Early Evaluation
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.
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
What County-level Factors Influence Covid-19 Incidence in the United States? Findings from the First Wave of the Pandemic
Wang, Lan; Zhang, Surong; Yang, Zilin; Zhao, Ziyu; Moudon, Anne Vernez; Feng, Huasen; Liang, Junhao; Sun, Wenyao; Cao, Buyang. (2021). What County-level Factors Influence Covid-19 Incidence in the United States? Findings from the First Wave of the Pandemic. Cities, 118.
Abstract
Effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic via appropriate management of the built environment is an urgent issue. This study develops a research framework to explore the relationship between COVID-19 incidence and influential factors related to protection of vulnerable populations, intervention in transmission pathways, and provision of healthcare resources. Relevant data for regression analysis and structural equation modeling is collected during the first wave of the pandemic in the United States, from counties with over 100 confirmed cases. In addition to confirming certain factors found in the existing literature, we uncover six new factors significantly associated with COVID-19 incidence. Furthermore, incidence during the lockdown is found to significantly affect incidence after the reopening, highlighting that timely quarantining and treating of patients is essential to avoid the snowballing transmission over time. These findings suggest ways to mitigate the negative effects of subsequent waves of the pandemic, such as special attention of infection prevention in neighborhoods with unsanitary and overcrowded housing, minimization of social activities organized by neighborhood associations, and contactless home delivery service of healthy food. Also worth noting is the need to provide support to people less capable of complying with the stay-at-home order because of their occupations or socio-economic disadvantage.
Keywords
Pandemics; Covid-19; Covid-19 Pandemic; Infection Prevention; Stay-at-home Orders; Structural Equation Modeling; United States; Communicable Disease Prevention; Influential Factors; Lockdown; Structural Equation Modeling (sem); Prevalence; Disease; Healthy Food; Social Activities; Counties; Neighborhoods; Housing; Built Environment; Prevention; Minimization; Socioeconomic Factors; Intervention; Health Care; Vulnerability; Occupations; Coronaviruses; Food Service; Disease Transmission; United States--us
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
A Comparative Study on Urban Underground Space Planning System between China and Japan
Yuan, Hong; He, Yuan; Wu, Yuanyuan. (2019). A Comparative Study on Urban Underground Space Planning System between China and Japan. Sustainable Cities And Society, 48.
Abstract
In China, urban underground space (UUS) planning is still in the exploration stage, and its development is hindered by problems related to local autonomy, systemic deficiency and poor management. This paper compared and analyzed the development status of UUS planning in China and Japan to study the differences in terms of planning objectives, planning structure, and planning content of UUS, and made suggestions for the future development of China's UUS planning system. Since there are many difficulties in underground master planning in China to predict the planning scale of UUS, planning can only serve to provide planning principles and site selections. Instead, the regulatory detailed planning has legal effect in the planning system and becomes the most direct and powerful tool for the government to control and guide the urban land use. Meanwhile, Japan's underground utilization system is guided by urban agglomeration and can provide an important reference for Chinese development in terms of refined design, human concern, regulation, legislation, and coordination. Urgently, China needs to establish a system for UUS planning and management to promote three-dimensional urban development, establish coordination mechanisms for the detailed planning of UUS, and strengthen the planning of underground transportation networks, complexes, and streets.
Keywords
Development Trends; Resources; Comparison Of Underground Space Planningsystem Between China And Japan; Land System; Uus Master Planning; Uus Regulatory Detailed Planning; Three-dimensional Intensification; Legalization; Environmental And Safety
Structural Equation Modeling for the Determinants of International Infrastructure Investment: Evidence from Chinese Contractors
Wang, Yunhong; Lee, Hyun Woo; Tang, Wenzhe; Whittington, Jan; Qiang, Maoshan. (2021). Structural Equation Modeling for the Determinants of International Infrastructure Investment: Evidence from Chinese Contractors. Journal Of Management In Engineering, 37(4).
Abstract
International infrastructure investment can effectively accelerate infrastructure development in developing countries and thus support their social and economic progress. However, little is known of the factors that may determine the flow of international infrastructure investment to those countries. This study aims to bridge that knowledge gap, first by identifying the determinants of international infrastructure investment, and then by developing a structural equation model to reveal their underlying interrelationships. The structural equation model is applied to country-level data regarding international infrastructure investment with Chinese contractors in 141 countries worldwide over the 9-year period from 2009 to 2017. The results show that three determinants, namely infrastructure quality, labor supply, and investment interdependency, have a positive relationship with a country's international infrastructure investment inflow. However, another determinant, institutional environment, has a significantly negative impact, which suggests that when making foreign infrastructure investment, Chinese contractors enter countries with a comparatively poor institutional environment with substantial political risks. The results also highlight how much a robust infrastructure development plan can help developing countries avoid the poor-infrastructure trap, a situation in which poor infrastructure quality discourages international infrastructure investment. These research findings may assist international infrastructure investment firms to make informed decisions with regard to financing and managing projects and help policymakers who focus on attracting foreign investment in infrastructure.
Keywords
Foreign Direct-investment; Public-private Partnerships; Economic-growth; Transport Infrastructure; Developing-countries; Labor Productivity; Fit Indexes; Location; Energy; Firms; Infrastructure Investment; Institutional Environment; Infrastructure Quality; Foreign Direct Investment (fdi) Interdependency; Structure Equation Modeling; Belt And Road Initiative
Regional Governance, Local Fragmentation, and Administrative Division Adjustment: Spatial Integration in Changzhou
Zhen, Feng; Shen, Qing; Jian, Boxiu; Zheng, Jun. (2010). Regional Governance, Local Fragmentation, and Administrative Division Adjustment: Spatial Integration in Changzhou. China Review-an Interdisciplinary Journal On Greater China, 10(1), 95 – 128.
Abstract
Although the current practice of administrative division adjustment in China may help to facilitate regional governance and urbanization economies, it does not effectively resolve the fundamental conflicts between the central city and surrounding county-level cities. This paper examines the impacts of administrative division adjustment on economic development in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, by focusing on the city's development zones. It identifies major problems in the development zones and explores the major institutional, policy, sociocultural, and spatial planning factors underlying these problems. It further proposes several approaches for the spatial integration of development zones, from the perspectives of institution, policy, and space, with broader implications that go well beyond the Changzhou case.
Keywords
River Delta; Transition
Revitalizing Urban Waterfronts: Identifying Indicators For Human Well-being
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.
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