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Description
The aims of the study are to investigate the relationship between density and social equity. Social equity is an important social goal with regard to urban development, especially smart growth and sustainable development; however, a definition of the concept of social equity from an urban planning perspective was still lacking. In response to these deficiencies, the study used quantitative and qualitative methods and synthesized multiple social and spatial perspectives to provide guidance for density and social equity planning, community design, and public policy. This study used data for the area of King County, Washington to explore the empirical relationship between density and social equity at the neighborhood level. In examining access to several facilities, this study found that distances to parks and grocery stores were shorter than those to other facilities, such as the library, hospital, police station, and fire station. In terms of the relationship between density and accessibility, the results show that higher density is associated with better accessibility in neighborhoods. Density is also positively associated with both income diversity and affordable housing for low-income families. In terms of the relationship between density and crime, density is positively associated with violent crime, while density is negatively associated with property crime. The findings of this study can aid in the development and evaluation of urban policy and density planning aimed at promoting social benefits in urban space. Therefore, this study is useful to a range of stakeholders, including urban planners, policy makers, residents, and social science researchers across different disciplines.
ContributorsMin, Bogyeong (Author) / Talen, Emily (Thesis advisor) / Harlan, Sharon (Committee member) / Phillips, Rhonda (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
This research addresses the ability for neighborhoods to assess resiliency as it applies to their respective local areas. Two demographically and economically contrasting neighborhoods in Glendale, Arizona were studied to understand what residents' value and how those values link to key principles of resiliency. Through this exploratory research, a community-focused process was created to use these values in order to link them to key principles of resiliency and potential measureable indicators. A literature review was conducted to first assess definitions and key principles of resiliency. Second, it explored cases of neighborhoods or communities that faced a pressure or disaster and responded resiliently based on these general principles. Each case study demonstrated that resiliency at the neighborhood level was important to its ability to survive its respective pressure and emerge stronger. The Heart of Glendale and Thunderbird Palms were the two neighborhoods chosen to test the ability to operationalize neighborhood resiliency in the form of indicators. First, an in-depth interview was conducted with a neighborhood expert to understand each area's strengths and weaknesses and get a context for the neighborhood and how it has developed. Second, a visioning session was conducted with each neighborhood consisting of seven participants to discuss its values and how they relate to key principles of resiliency. The values were analyzed and used to shape locally relevant indicators. The results of this study found that the process of identifying participants' values and linking them to key principles of resiliency is a viable methodology for measuring neighborhood resiliency. It also found that indicators and values differed between the Heart of Glendale, a more economically vulnerable yet ethnically diverse area, than Thunderbird Palms, a more racially homogenous, middle income neighborhood. The Heart of Glendale valued the development of social capital more than Thunderbird Palms which placed a higher value on the condition of the built environment as a vehicle for stimulating vibrancy and resiliency in the neighborhood. However, both neighborhoods highly valued public education and providing opportunities for children to be future leaders in their local communities.
ContributorsAcevedo, Shannon (Author) / Pijawka, K. David (Thesis advisor) / Phillips, Rhonda (Committee member) / Lara-Valencia, Francisco (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
After a relative period of growth (2000-06), the U.S. economy experienced a sharp decline (2007-09) from which it is yet to recover. One of the primary factors that contributed to this decline was the sub-prime mortgage crisis, which triggered a significant increase in residential foreclosures and a slump in housing values nationwide. Most studies examining this crisis have explained the high rate of foreclosures by associating it with socio-economic characteristics of the people affected and their financial decisions with respect to home mortgages. Though these studies were successful in identifying the section of the population facing foreclosures, they were mostly silent about region-wide factors that contributed to the crisis. This resulted in the absence of studies that could identify indicators of resiliency and robustness in urban areas that are affected by economic perturbations but had different outcomes. This study addresses this shortcoming by incorporating three concepts. First, it situates the foreclosure crisis in the broader regional economy by considering the concept of regional economic resiliency. Second, it includes the concept of housing submarkets, capturing the role of housing market dynamics in contributing to market performance. Third, the notion of urban growth pattern is included in an urban sprawl index to examine whether factors related to sprawl could partly explain the variation in foreclosures. These, along with other important socio-economic and housing characteristics, are used in this study to better understand the variation in impacts of the current foreclosure crisis. This study is carried out for all urban counties in the U.S. between 2000 and 2009. The associations between foreclosure rates and different variables are established using spatial regression models. Based on these models, this dissertation argues that counties with higher degree of employment diversity, encouragement for small business enterprises, and with less dependence on housing related industries, experienced fewer foreclosures. In addition, this thesis concludes that the spatial location of foreclosed properties is a function of location of origination of sub-prime mortgages and not the spatial location of the properties per se. Also importantly, the study found that the counties with high number of dissimilar housing submarkets experienced more foreclosures.
ContributorsRay, Indro (Author) / Guhathakurta, Subhrajit (Thesis advisor) / Rey, Sergio (Committee member) / Phillips, Rhonda (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012