Journal of Planning Education and Research, Oct 11, 2016
excellent reference work for many reasons. It is well designed and affordably priced. In the Inte... more excellent reference work for many reasons. It is well designed and affordably priced. In the Internet-based age, many tend to go to Google or Wikipedia for practically any geographic or cartographic question. I feel that this is shortsighted as there is far more detail in a standard world atlas than either a wall map or a globe, and the compact volume can easily be picked up and thumbed through at leisure.
Journal of Planning Education and Research, Jul 22, 2023
A community’s resilience is strongly influenced by the growth management guidance provided by its... more A community’s resilience is strongly influenced by the growth management guidance provided by its network of plans. Wetland loss has been shown to amplify flood damage. This study explores the relationship between plan integration and wetland alteration, comparing the findings from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and League City, Texas. Combining spatial analytics, a Plan Integration for Resilience Scorecard™ evaluation, and correlational statistics, we find that wetland loss is significantly associated with plan integration and development patterns and is less acute in League City than Fort Lauderdale. Integrating wetland protection policies throughout a network of plans helps build resilience to flood hazards.
Located in Wilmington, Delaware, along the shoreline of the Brandywine Creek in the Greater Phila... more Located in Wilmington, Delaware, along the shoreline of the Brandywine Creek in the Greater Philadelphia/Delaware River Watershed, this project responds to a specific and critical need for the site as prioritized by multiple stakeholders. The project applies an innovative approach for quantifying increased flood resilience while simultaneously reducing contamination levels through the implementation of green infrastructure. To solve joint issues related to increased flood risk concurrent with higher potential for exposure to environmental contaminants transported in flood waters from adjacent industrial sites, brownfields, and combined sewer overflows, the research team develops a phased approach to decreasing stormwater runoff and pollutant loads on a 130-acre (52.6 hm2) site along the Brandywine Creek, applying the Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L-THIA) model to quantify design impacts and performance of a master plan. Overall, the proposed master plan can reduce stormwater runoff and pollutant loads to levels significantly less than existing conditions or the current land use plan. Further, this research is unique in that it uses outputs from the L-THIA to compare existing conditions, effects of the current comprehensive plan, and impacts related to the proposed neighborhood-scaled master plan to evaluate the effectiveness between each scenario.
Environment And Planning B: Urban Analytics And City Science, Aug 23, 2021
Place-based structural inequalities can have critical implications for the health of vulnerable p... more Place-based structural inequalities can have critical implications for the health of vulnerable populations. Historical urban policies, such as redlining, have contributed to current inequalities in exposure to intra-urban heat. However, it is unknown whether these spatial inequalities are associated with disparities in heat-related health outcomes. The aim of this study is to determine the relationships between historical redlining, intra-urban heat conditions, and heat-related emergency department visits using data from eleven Texas cities. At the zip code level, the proportion of historical redlining was determined, and heat exposure was measured using daytime and nighttime land surface temperature (LST). Heat-related inpatient and outpatient rates were calculated based on emergency department visit data that included ten categories of heat-related diseases between 2016 and 2019. Regression or spatial error/lag models revealed significant associations between higher proportions of redlined areas in the neighborhood and higher LST (Coef. = 0.0122, 95% CI = 0.0039 - 0.0205). After adjusting for indicators of social vulnerability, neighborhoods with higher proportions of redlining showed significantly elevated heat-related outpatient visit rate (Coef. = 0.0036, 95% CI = 0.0007-0.0066) and inpatient admission rate (Coef. = 0.0018, 95% CI = 0.0001-0.0035). These results highlight the role of historical discriminatory policies on the disparities of heat-related illness and suggest a need for equity-based urban heat planning and management strategies.
A properly functioning local stormwater drainage system is essential for mitigating flood risks. ... more A properly functioning local stormwater drainage system is essential for mitigating flood risks. This study evaluates the quality of roadside drainage channels in three underserved communities in Texas: the Sunnyside neighborhood in Houston (Harris County), a neighborhood in the City of Rockport (Aransas County), and the Hoehn colonia (Hidalgo County). These communities have a history of flooding, are highly socially vulnerable, and rely on roadside ditches as their principal stormwater drainage system for runoff control. Mobile lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) measurements were collected for 6.09 miles of roadside channels in these communities. The raw lidar measurements were processed to evaluate drainage conditions based on the channel’s geometric properties, hydraulic capacity, and level of service. The assessment results are linked to a Geographic Information System (GIS) tool for enhanced visualization. Finally, the paper provides insights regarding the quality of stormwater infrastructure in the study communities and discusses their practical implications.
Journal of Planning Education and Research, Oct 11, 2016
excellent reference work for many reasons. It is well designed and affordably priced. In the Inte... more excellent reference work for many reasons. It is well designed and affordably priced. In the Internet-based age, many tend to go to Google or Wikipedia for practically any geographic or cartographic question. I feel that this is shortsighted as there is far more detail in a standard world atlas than either a wall map or a globe, and the compact volume can easily be picked up and thumbed through at leisure.
Journal of Planning Education and Research, Jul 22, 2023
A community’s resilience is strongly influenced by the growth management guidance provided by its... more A community’s resilience is strongly influenced by the growth management guidance provided by its network of plans. Wetland loss has been shown to amplify flood damage. This study explores the relationship between plan integration and wetland alteration, comparing the findings from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and League City, Texas. Combining spatial analytics, a Plan Integration for Resilience Scorecard™ evaluation, and correlational statistics, we find that wetland loss is significantly associated with plan integration and development patterns and is less acute in League City than Fort Lauderdale. Integrating wetland protection policies throughout a network of plans helps build resilience to flood hazards.
Located in Wilmington, Delaware, along the shoreline of the Brandywine Creek in the Greater Phila... more Located in Wilmington, Delaware, along the shoreline of the Brandywine Creek in the Greater Philadelphia/Delaware River Watershed, this project responds to a specific and critical need for the site as prioritized by multiple stakeholders. The project applies an innovative approach for quantifying increased flood resilience while simultaneously reducing contamination levels through the implementation of green infrastructure. To solve joint issues related to increased flood risk concurrent with higher potential for exposure to environmental contaminants transported in flood waters from adjacent industrial sites, brownfields, and combined sewer overflows, the research team develops a phased approach to decreasing stormwater runoff and pollutant loads on a 130-acre (52.6 hm2) site along the Brandywine Creek, applying the Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L-THIA) model to quantify design impacts and performance of a master plan. Overall, the proposed master plan can reduce stormwater runoff and pollutant loads to levels significantly less than existing conditions or the current land use plan. Further, this research is unique in that it uses outputs from the L-THIA to compare existing conditions, effects of the current comprehensive plan, and impacts related to the proposed neighborhood-scaled master plan to evaluate the effectiveness between each scenario.
Environment And Planning B: Urban Analytics And City Science, Aug 23, 2021
Place-based structural inequalities can have critical implications for the health of vulnerable p... more Place-based structural inequalities can have critical implications for the health of vulnerable populations. Historical urban policies, such as redlining, have contributed to current inequalities in exposure to intra-urban heat. However, it is unknown whether these spatial inequalities are associated with disparities in heat-related health outcomes. The aim of this study is to determine the relationships between historical redlining, intra-urban heat conditions, and heat-related emergency department visits using data from eleven Texas cities. At the zip code level, the proportion of historical redlining was determined, and heat exposure was measured using daytime and nighttime land surface temperature (LST). Heat-related inpatient and outpatient rates were calculated based on emergency department visit data that included ten categories of heat-related diseases between 2016 and 2019. Regression or spatial error/lag models revealed significant associations between higher proportions of redlined areas in the neighborhood and higher LST (Coef. = 0.0122, 95% CI = 0.0039 - 0.0205). After adjusting for indicators of social vulnerability, neighborhoods with higher proportions of redlining showed significantly elevated heat-related outpatient visit rate (Coef. = 0.0036, 95% CI = 0.0007-0.0066) and inpatient admission rate (Coef. = 0.0018, 95% CI = 0.0001-0.0035). These results highlight the role of historical discriminatory policies on the disparities of heat-related illness and suggest a need for equity-based urban heat planning and management strategies.
A properly functioning local stormwater drainage system is essential for mitigating flood risks. ... more A properly functioning local stormwater drainage system is essential for mitigating flood risks. This study evaluates the quality of roadside drainage channels in three underserved communities in Texas: the Sunnyside neighborhood in Houston (Harris County), a neighborhood in the City of Rockport (Aransas County), and the Hoehn colonia (Hidalgo County). These communities have a history of flooding, are highly socially vulnerable, and rely on roadside ditches as their principal stormwater drainage system for runoff control. Mobile lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) measurements were collected for 6.09 miles of roadside channels in these communities. The raw lidar measurements were processed to evaluate drainage conditions based on the channel’s geometric properties, hydraulic capacity, and level of service. The assessment results are linked to a Geographic Information System (GIS) tool for enhanced visualization. Finally, the paper provides insights regarding the quality of stormwater infrastructure in the study communities and discusses their practical implications.
Neighborhood decline due to abandonment and vacancies is not only a problem in depopulating legac... more Neighborhood decline due to abandonment and vacancies is not only a problem in depopulating legacy cities in the United States, it is also an important issue facing many growing urban areas experiencing amplification of sprawl toward the urban fringe. Expanding cities which show population increases tend to report higher ratios of vacant land than legacy cities (Pagano and Bowman, 2004). Fort Worth, TX, is a representative growing urban area with elastic boundaries and increased population. Spatial analyses examining vacant land patterns in Fort Worth from 1990-2010 showed that the distribution of vacant parcels has shifted from being scattered along the periphery to being concentrated in the urban core. Once vacant parcels which were converted to non-vacant uses were located on the periphery while the opposite was occurring closer to the Central Business District (CBD. In addition, the average vacant parcel size tended to significantly decreasing over time. While civic expansion can result vacant land area increases, in the case of Fort Worth, population out-migrations and rapid peripheral development converted these vacant lands to active uses. The overall amount of vacant parcels increased in the city while the actual acreage of vacant land decreased. This process has led to difficulties in regeneration of the urban core located vacant parcels based on their irregular shape, minute size, and disconnected nature. Based on these findings, this research focuses on the evaluating the factors which contribute to the conversion of a non-vacant parcel to vacant. Two sets of data were analyzed: 1) parcels converting from residential to vacant (set1) and 2) parcels converting from vacant to residential (set2). The conversion of each parcel’s land use status was assessed using variables related to physical characteristics (e.g. size of parcel, age of parcel, structure counts), spatial characteristics (e.g. distance from CBD) and economic characteristics (e.g. appraised value). Using the occurrence of vacant and abandoned properties as a measurable indicator, this research hypothesizes that the conversion of a parcel from vacant to non-vacant 1) will have a significant relationship with larger parcel size; 2) will be located at a further proximity/distance from the CBD; 3) will have a significant relationship with the younger age of parcels and number of structures; and 4) will have significant relationship with high appraised parcel value. The data for this research includes all residential parcels within the study area. Longitudinal data over a twentyyear span was collected and assessed in ten-year periods on a parcel level from 1990 to 2010. This research used a multinomial logit model due to the outcome of this research had eight different categorization of land use conversion patterns depending on the length of vacancy or activation. Results of set 1, examining parcels which converted from non-vacant to vacant, show that a statistically significant relationship with an increased number of new constructions built and distance from CBD. Results of set 2 show that a statistically significant relationship with a decreased number of constructions, a younger age of parcels, and larger size of parcel. Overall, this research shows that the parcels that become vacant tend to be new constructions with higher appraised values. Size of parcel did not prove to be significant when converting from non-vacant to vacant but had a significant relationship when converting from vacant to non-vacant.
Urban regeneration bring about long-lasting improvements in the economic, physical, social, and e... more Urban regeneration bring about long-lasting improvements in the economic, physical, social, and environmental makeup in areas subject to rapid change. Many shrinking cities in the US have faced daunting economic, social and physical challenges, suffering population and job losses, and increased poverty. As a result, vacant land accumulation in shrinking cities has attracted much attention from governmental agencies, urban development agencies and planning researchers. Inversely, growing cities feature population growth, the expansion of physical boundaries, and economic growth. Despite these positive characteristics, increasing vacant land amounts in growing cities can also be a critical issue. Bowman and Pagano (2000) suggest growing cities which are expanding in size reported larger amounts of vacant land than other cities. While vacant land inventories in urban areas are routinely calculated (especially in shrinking cities), there is has not been much research conducted on the effects of vacant land in growing cities. This study aims to investigate vacant land patterns in the growing city of Fort Worth, TX. The research assesses the relationship between vacant land distribution and annexation and hypothesizes that boundary expansion can have a pivotal effect on urban decline, despite population increase. Geographic Information Systems data was collected from the City Fort Worth and the NCTCOG from 1990-2010. Initially, a cluster-driven spatial analysis using GIS was performed to investigate vacant land configurations over time. Time-series comparisons were also conducted which examining the ratio of vacant land to civic size, proximity of vacant parcels from the CBD and correlations of vacant land accumulation and annexation amounts. Results indicate, despite population increases and overall decreases in vacant land area, the CBD in Fort Worth is still declining due to numerous small and irregular shaped vacant parcels forming in the urban core.
In the 21th Century, vacant land has become a global indicator, both in urban and suburban areas,... more In the 21th Century, vacant land has become a global indicator, both in urban and suburban areas, of depopulation and deindustrialization. U.S. Census statistics confirm that population densities decreased by 6% between 2000 and 2010 in American cities, resulting in losses of housing units and increases in abandoned properties. Housing rates in inner cities (2.1%) are now higher than vacancy rates of suburban environments (1.7%). Abandonment and vacancies have increased in many urban areas, resulting in many negative effects such as decreases in neighborhood quality, amplification of crime rates as a public safety concern intensify, and reductions in properties values of properties tangential to vacant parcels. Urban areas undergoing large population losses over several years are experiencing rapid shrinkage and are experiencing economic transformations (Hollander, Pallagst, Schwarz, & Popper, 2009). The general distribution of vacant land changes significantly as cities undergo various incremental population changes. Vacant land can also be an important asset and an opportunity for encouraging attractive city and economic growth. Well-maintained and protected vacant lands can actually increase neighborhood quality, a method of land regulation known as “smart decline (Hollander, 2011; Popper & Popper, 2002).” Vacant land is a ubiquitous occurrence, but its accumulation, characteristics, and spatial distribution, are consistently changing, based on multiple interrelated factors. Much of the research on vacant land has concentrated on the measurement of vacant land amounts, but the effect of annexation on vacant land distribution has not yet been efficiently studied. This study focuses on evaluating the spatial impact of civic expansion on vacant land distribution using Fort Worth, TX, as a case site using a combination of longitudinal pattern analyses and GIS directional distribution analysis in an effort to answer the following research questions: 1. How have vacant land patterns changed been distributed within the urban context? 2. What is the relation between vacant land and annexation, despite overall population increase? Fort Worth is used as a representative case (of expanding cities) which typically have higher ratios of vacant land than non-expanding cities. The city has annexed over 40,000 acres from 1983 to 2012, due to large population migrations to the periphery. In the early 1990’s and mid-2000’s, substantial annexation occurred in the city, producing large amounts of vacant land in the urban area. While vacant land amount actually decreased overall from 1990 to 2012, the amount of vacant parcels significantly increased. GIS directional distribution was then used to compare the distribution of vacant land from 1990 to 2005 in five year increments. From 1990 to 2000, the distribution of vacant land shifted toward Dallas continuously, primarily to the east. However, in 2005, the distribution of vacant land direction began to shift westwardly. Comparing the land use between 1990 and 2005, most land uses changed from vacant land to residential and industrial land uses, especially in the northern portion of the city. Outside of Fort Worth, especially in the northeast area, large amounts of vacant land converted to residential land use. These results indicate that civic expansion can generate large amounts of vacant land, however, increasing population and rapid peripheral development converts these vacant lands to active uses, despite the fact that the amount of vacant parcels increased while the actual acreage of vacant land decreased continuously. As a result, many hinterland vacant parcels relocate as small fragments within the central business district, making them difficult to develop and connect to the existing urban fabric.
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the United States, it is also an important issue facing many growing urban areas experiencing amplification of
sprawl toward the urban fringe. Expanding cities which show population increases tend to report higher ratios of
vacant land than legacy cities (Pagano and Bowman, 2004). Fort Worth, TX, is a representative growing urban
area with elastic boundaries and increased population. Spatial analyses examining vacant land patterns in Fort
Worth from 1990-2010 showed that the distribution of vacant parcels has shifted from being scattered along the
periphery to being concentrated in the urban core. Once vacant parcels which were converted to non-vacant
uses were located on the periphery while the opposite was occurring closer to the Central Business District (CBD.
In addition, the average vacant parcel size tended to significantly decreasing over time. While civic expansion can
result vacant land area increases, in the case of Fort Worth, population out-migrations and rapid peripheral
development converted these vacant lands to active uses. The overall amount of vacant parcels increased in the
city while the actual acreage of vacant land decreased. This process has led to difficulties in regeneration of the
urban core located vacant parcels based on their irregular shape, minute size, and disconnected nature.
Based on these findings, this research focuses on the evaluating the factors which contribute to the conversion of
a non-vacant parcel to vacant. Two sets of data were analyzed: 1) parcels converting from residential to vacant
(set1) and 2) parcels converting from vacant to residential (set2). The conversion of each parcel’s land use status
was assessed using variables related to physical characteristics (e.g. size of parcel, age of parcel, structure
counts), spatial characteristics (e.g. distance from CBD) and economic characteristics (e.g. appraised value).
Using the occurrence of vacant and abandoned properties as a measurable indicator, this research hypothesizes
that the conversion of a parcel from vacant to non-vacant 1) will have a significant relationship with larger parcel
size; 2) will be located at a further proximity/distance from the CBD; 3) will have a significant relationship with
the younger age of parcels and number of structures; and 4) will have significant relationship with high appraised
parcel value.
The data for this research includes all residential parcels within the study area. Longitudinal data over a twentyyear
span was collected and assessed in ten-year periods on a parcel level from 1990 to 2010. This research used
a multinomial logit model due to the outcome of this research had eight different categorization of land use conversion patterns depending on the length of vacancy or activation. Results of set 1, examining parcels which
converted from non-vacant to vacant, show that a statistically significant relationship with an increased number
of new constructions built and distance from CBD. Results of set 2 show that a statistically significant relationship
with a decreased number of constructions, a younger age of parcels, and larger size of parcel. Overall, this
research shows that the parcels that become vacant tend to be new constructions with higher appraised values.
Size of parcel did not prove to be significant when converting from non-vacant to vacant but had a significant
relationship when converting from vacant to non-vacant.
Urban areas undergoing large population losses over several years are experiencing rapid shrinkage and are experiencing economic transformations (Hollander, Pallagst, Schwarz, & Popper, 2009). The general distribution of vacant land changes significantly as cities undergo various incremental population changes. Vacant land can also be an important asset and an opportunity for encouraging attractive city and economic growth. Well-maintained and protected vacant lands can actually increase neighborhood quality, a method of land regulation known as “smart decline (Hollander, 2011; Popper & Popper, 2002).” Vacant land is a ubiquitous occurrence, but its accumulation, characteristics, and spatial distribution, are consistently changing, based on multiple interrelated factors.
Much of the research on vacant land has concentrated on the measurement of vacant land amounts, but the effect of annexation on vacant land distribution has not yet been efficiently studied. This study focuses on evaluating the spatial impact of civic expansion on vacant land distribution using Fort Worth, TX, as a case site using a combination of longitudinal pattern analyses and GIS directional distribution analysis in an effort to answer the following research questions:
1. How have vacant land patterns changed been distributed within the urban context?
2. What is the relation between vacant land and annexation, despite overall population increase?
Fort Worth is used as a representative case (of expanding cities) which typically have higher ratios of vacant land than non-expanding cities. The city has annexed over 40,000 acres from 1983 to 2012, due to large population migrations to the periphery. In the early 1990’s and mid-2000’s, substantial annexation occurred in the city, producing large amounts of vacant land in the urban area. While vacant land amount actually decreased overall from 1990 to 2012, the amount of vacant parcels significantly increased.
GIS directional distribution was then used to compare the distribution of vacant land from 1990 to 2005 in five year increments. From 1990 to 2000, the distribution of vacant land shifted toward Dallas continuously, primarily to the east. However, in 2005, the distribution of vacant land direction began to shift westwardly. Comparing the land use between 1990 and 2005, most land uses changed from vacant land to residential and industrial land uses, especially in the northern portion of the city. Outside of Fort Worth, especially in the northeast area, large amounts of vacant land converted to residential land use. These results indicate that civic expansion can generate large amounts of vacant land, however, increasing population and rapid peripheral development converts these vacant lands to active uses, despite the fact that the amount of vacant parcels increased while the actual acreage of vacant land decreased continuously. As a result, many hinterland vacant parcels relocate as small fragments within the central business district, making them difficult to develop and connect to the existing urban fabric.