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Informal public transport is commonplace in the developing world, but the service exists in the United States as well, and is understudied. Often called "dollar vans", New York's commuter vans serve approximately 120,000 people every day (King and Goldwyn, 2014). While this is a tiny fraction of the New York

Informal public transport is commonplace in the developing world, but the service exists in the United States as well, and is understudied. Often called "dollar vans", New York's commuter vans serve approximately 120,000 people every day (King and Goldwyn, 2014). While this is a tiny fraction of the New York transit rider population, it is comparable to the total number of commuters who ride transit in smaller cities such as Minneapolis/St Paul and Phoenix. The first part of this study reports on the use of commuter vans in Eastern Queens based on a combination of surveys and a ridership tally, all conducted in summer 2016. It answers four research questions: How many people ride the vans? Who rides the commuter vans? Why do they ride commuter vans? Do commuter vans complement or compete against formal transit? Commuter van ridership in Eastern Queens was approximately 55,000 with a high percentage of female ridership. Time and cost savings were the main factors influencing commuter van ridership. Possession of a MetroCard was shown to negatively affect the frequency of commuter van ridership. The results show evidence of commuter vans playing both a competing and complementary role to MTA bus and subway transit. The second part of this study presents a SWOT analysis results of commuter vans, and the policy implications. It answers 2 research questions: What are the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of commuter vans in Eastern Queens? and How do the current policies, rules and regulations affect commuter van operation? The SWOT analysis results show that the commuter van industry is resilient, performs a necessary service, and, with small adjustments that will help reduce operating costs and loss of profits have a chance of thriving in Eastern Queens and the rest of New York City. The study also discusses the mismatch between policy and practice offering recommendations for improvement to ensure that commuter vans continue to serve residents of New York City.
ContributorsMusili, Catherine (Author) / Salon, Deborah (Thesis advisor) / King, David (Committee member) / Kelley, Jason (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
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Description
This paper explores women and bicycling, with the focus of looking at how to get more women onto the bicycle in Tempe, Arizona. The main areas of interest for this study are improvements to bicycling infrastructure and an increase in the safety and the perception of safety of women cyclists

This paper explores women and bicycling, with the focus of looking at how to get more women onto the bicycle in Tempe, Arizona. The main areas of interest for this study are improvements to bicycling infrastructure and an increase in the safety and the perception of safety of women cyclists in the Tempe area. In order to explore this topic, an online survey of 75 Arizona State students was conducted. From the results women were primarily concerned with their safety due to the condition of the overall infrastructure and the lack of bicycle related improvements. Research such as this that examines women and cycling is significant due to the current underrepresentation of women in the cycling community and has the potential to improve safety and increase bicycle ridership.
ContributorsStarr, Nicole (Author) / Kelley, Jason (Thesis director) / Golub, Aaron (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor)
Created2014-12
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Description
In this project I analyze Paolo Soleri's concept of arcology \u2014 the combination of architecture and ecology \u2014 from a theoretical, symbolic, and physical perspective. I utilize these three viewpoints to determine what aspects of his theories are most effective for urban design. While his ideas are based on building

In this project I analyze Paolo Soleri's concept of arcology \u2014 the combination of architecture and ecology \u2014 from a theoretical, symbolic, and physical perspective. I utilize these three viewpoints to determine what aspects of his theories are most effective for urban design. While his ideas are based on building "arcologies" from the ground up, I will be using the Phoenix Metropolitan area to determine how we could apply his ideas to existing cities without having to rebuild entirely. This past summer I participated in the 5-week construction workshop the Cosanti Foundation offers at the physical prototypical city of Arcosanti in Mayer, Arizona during which time I studied Soleri's work and participated in the construction of the city while also participating in the community dynamic there. I have found that while not all components of Soleri's theories translated well into Arcosanti, there are certainly some ideas that could be applied help to improve the City of Phoenix. I propose improvements to the pedestrian realm and an increase public space with an emphasis on utilizing the infrastructure and land that is already present for future development.
Created2018-05
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Description
City planners often use bicycle friendly rating schemes as tools to guide them in their efforts to establish a bicycle community. However, the criteria and methodologies used vary from program to program and often do not encapsulate all of the necessary elements that comprise true bicycle friendliness. This report documents

City planners often use bicycle friendly rating schemes as tools to guide them in their efforts to establish a bicycle community. However, the criteria and methodologies used vary from program to program and often do not encapsulate all of the necessary elements that comprise true bicycle friendliness. This report documents the important elements, strategies, and best practices that well-established Dutch, Danish, and German bike friendly cities exhibit to create a baseline standard for bicycle friendliness. Not all rating programs' criteria and methodologies align perfectly within this understanding of bicycle friendliness. City planners should use these programs as tools while keeping their limitations in consideration. The City of Tempe currently uses the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly Community program and BikeScore.com. By understanding the limitations associated with these programs, Tempe should move forward in their pursuit of bicycle friendliness by using multiple rating programs simultaneously and by looking at top-rated cities' strategies to enhance their infrastructure, network, urban form, and biking culture.
ContributorsTrombino, Frank Michael (Author) / Golub, Aaron (Thesis director) / Kelley, Jason (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor)
Created2014-05
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Description
Over the course of this paper, the overall role and effect street art has on a city and its development will be discussed. It will touch generally on the topic of street art history and how it stems from graffiti practices. While also mentioning two well known street artists that

Over the course of this paper, the overall role and effect street art has on a city and its development will be discussed. It will touch generally on the topic of street art history and how it stems from graffiti practices. While also mentioning two well known street artists that changed how the form can be perceived and applied to the streets, ultimately being a factor in growing city environments. The difference in definitions of street art and graffiti will also be discussed with reference to its overall subjectiveness, followed by street arts interconnectedness with the law. This will lead up to street art and whether it is a factor in gentrification and how this plays a part in the creative city. It will discuss later if keeping street art out is the response to stop gentrification, while also adding to the idea that street art is selling a false sense of city beautification and used as a ploy marketing tool. Several options of art-led gentrification will be analyzed, as well as its varying effects on the planning of a city. Eventually, this will all lead to an analysis of Roosevelt Row and how the presence of street art within the arts district will cause the district to grow and develop in the future, as it becomes a prime location in the contexts of the revitalizing downtown area.
ContributorsRichards, Sarah Renae (Author) / Kelley, Jason (Thesis director) / Dove-Viebahn, Aviva (Committee member) / Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description

In 1974, with a relatively young and fast-growing city in front of them, the City Council of Phoenix, Arizona charged the Phoenix Planning Commission with studying potential plans for urban form. Through the help of over 200 citizens over the next eight months, the village concept was born. Characterized by

In 1974, with a relatively young and fast-growing city in front of them, the City Council of Phoenix, Arizona charged the Phoenix Planning Commission with studying potential plans for urban form. Through the help of over 200 citizens over the next eight months, the village concept was born. Characterized by an emphasis on community-level planning, unique neighborhood character, and citizen input, the village concept plan provides an compelling lens into decentralized planning. In 1979, the Village Concept, as part of the “Phoenix Concept Plan 2000,” was officially adopted by the Phoenix City Council and has remained a component of the city’s long-range planning ever since. Each village features a core of dense commercial and residential activity, with a surrounding periphery featuring varied densities and land usage. There were nine original villages outlined in 1979. As of today, there are 15 villages. Each village has a Village Planning Committee (VPC) made up of 15 to 21 citizens, each being appointed to the committee by the Phoenix Mayor and City Council. This exploratory study was born out of an interest in the Village Planning Committees and a desire to understand their function as a mechanism for citizen participation in urban planning and urban governance. Similarly, with the rapid onset of the automobile and freeway expansion in the decades after WWII, once-insolated communities in the Valley have become connected to each other in a way that raises questions about how to maintain neighborhood’s unique character while promoting sustainable growth and expansion of the city. Phoenix’s Urban Village Model attempts to answer those questions. The efficacy of the model can be considered from two perspectives––how does it aid in making land use decisions, and how does it promote citizen participation? While there is an extensive body of literature on neighborhood councils in the United States and plentiful analysis of the merits of such models as participatory mechanisms and devices of urban planning, there is a lack of discussion of Phoenix’s Urban Village Model. This thesis aims to include Phoenix in this growing body of work.

ContributorsCorridan, Sophia (Author) / Lewis, Paul (Thesis director) / Kelley, Jason (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description

Much of modern urban planning in the United States is concerned with making cities more walkable. However, this is occurring as the urban landscape of the U.S. is altered radically by changes in crime patterns after the summer of 2020. This paper seeks to find out what the relationship is

Much of modern urban planning in the United States is concerned with making cities more walkable. However, this is occurring as the urban landscape of the U.S. is altered radically by changes in crime patterns after the summer of 2020. This paper seeks to find out what the relationship is between walkability and crime in major U.S. cities after 2020. Using multiple linear regressions at the city and neighborhood scale, walkability is found to be a significant, positive predictor of 2019 violent crime rate, 2020 violent crime rate, 2020 property crime rate, and 2020 total crime rate at the city level. It was found to be a positive, but not significant predictor at the neighborhood level. Walkability has no protective influence against crime/rising crime, and it appears that as crime gets worse it tends to get worse in the cities that are more walkable, but other variables such as African American population are better determinants of crime. Urban planners should seek to increase walkability while also finding a way to mitigate potential exposure to crime.

ContributorsWeisman, Holden (Author) / Kelley, Jason (Thesis director) / Salon, Deborah (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor)
Created2023-05
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Description
Throughout the history of urban planning, different visionaries have attempted to promote their own utopian visions of cities, thus transforming urban planning thought regarding cities of tomorrow. By researching the utopian planned visions of Paolo Soleri, Ebenezer Howard, Le Corbusier, and Frank Lloyd Wright, different lessons can be taken from

Throughout the history of urban planning, different visionaries have attempted to promote their own utopian visions of cities, thus transforming urban planning thought regarding cities of tomorrow. By researching the utopian planned visions of Paolo Soleri, Ebenezer Howard, Le Corbusier, and Frank Lloyd Wright, different lessons can be taken from and instilled in a future city plan in the making, Telosa. Marc Lore and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) have plans to start construction of this utopian desert city by 2030. Examining past utopian city visions can shed light on planning principles and forms of governance, as well as social, political, and economic processes that go together with this style of planning. Arcosanti, The Garden Cities, Letchworth, The Contemporary City, The Radiant City, Brasilia, Broadacre City and Levittown are all case studies examined to determine the value of utopian urban planning, in light of the plan of Telosa. By understanding the value of utopianism, and the inherent challenges faced, visionaries like Lore and BIG have a higher probability of bringing Telosa to fruition.
ContributorsMerhi, Christopher (Author) / Kelley, Jason (Thesis director) / King, David (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor)
Created2022-05
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Description
Public transportation is considered a solution to congestion and a tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is becoming popular even in cities with the harshest climate conditions as these cities grow rapidly and are trying to provide sustainable alternatives for their vehicle-oriented communities. A lot must be taken into

Public transportation is considered a solution to congestion and a tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is becoming popular even in cities with the harshest climate conditions as these cities grow rapidly and are trying to provide sustainable alternatives for their vehicle-oriented communities. A lot must be taken into consideration whendesigning transit systems to reduce riders' vulnerability to heat in cities with high temperatures averaging 40°C during the summer and humidity levels reaching 90 percent. Using transit systems in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Phoenix Metropolitan, United States, as case studies, this paper focuses on both qualitative and quantitative research methods to observe the built environment around public transit stations and measure the temperatures and humidity levels to compare with the experienced temperatures and the built environment observations. The results show that the design of transit stations and the public realm significantly impacts a rider's experience. The findings show that passive cooling, shading, and vegetation as the best practices in the two case studies. Both transit systems have certain elements that work efficiently and other elements that need improvement to provide a better rider experience. Identifying these best practices helps develop recommendations for the future of designing transit systems in desert cities worldwide.
ContributorsAlbastaki, Mohamed (Author) / King, David (Thesis advisor) / Salon, Deborah (Committee member) / Kelley, Jason (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
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Description
In urban planning and design, creating emotional bonds, known as place identity, between people and their surroundings is paramount to improving the well-being of those who reside there. However, determining how to alter the built environment in order to increase place identity is a difficult task to achieve. Walkability is

In urban planning and design, creating emotional bonds, known as place identity, between people and their surroundings is paramount to improving the well-being of those who reside there. However, determining how to alter the built environment in order to increase place identity is a difficult task to achieve. Walkability is a good mechanistic link between the built environment and place identity. Walkability is comprised of a suite of factors that take into consideration both the natural and built environment. This thesis aims to determine if walkability is positively correlated with place identity in an extreme climate such as Phoenix. To test this, ecosystem services and disservices are used as factors to measure overall walkability. We found that access to recreational opportunities, aesthetic features of the pathway, and safety were all significant predictors of place identity. This has positive implications for walkable infrastructure to be strengthened in desert cities.
ContributorsSiefert, Janelle (Author) / Larson, Kelli (Thesis director) / Kelley, Jason (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor)
Created2022-05