| 11.188: Urban Planning and Social Science Laboratory |
| Name | Title | Abstract | |
1:
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Rebecca Silverman |
Spatial Patterns of Endangered Species in Africa |
In recent decades, many species have become threatened, endangered, or pushed to the brink of extinction due to poaching, changing environmental conditions, and humans encroaching on their habitats. Species living in Africa are of special concern as Africa has become a hot spot for endangered and threatened animals. Hippopotamuses and elephants that once roamed all over the continent are now endangered and have extremely limited ranges. This project will look at the ranges of these species using spatial data from the IUCN Red List of threatened species. These ranges will be compared to the estimated ranges that existed before these threats existed. Then, current ranges will be compared with epicenters of imminent extinction: places where species that are highly endangered are located. This comparison will demonstrate the relationship between the ranges of these species and the location of sites that have already been identified as areas of concern for endangered species. Are hippos and elephants in areas where extinction of species is likely to occur? The data for these epicenters of imminent extinction is from the Alliance for Zero Extinction and is available from ArcGIS. Finally, this project will look at other threats to the future of hippos and elephants; specifically climate change. Spatial data on projected temperature changes will demonstrate what environmental changes these species will have to face. Using this knowledge, I will extrapolate what could happen to these species if action is not taken to protect them. |
2: |
Michael (Ben) Eck | Urban Fruit Harvesting: A Solution to Urban Food Deserts? | In recent years, various community groups have gained interest in and organized around harvesting fruit from fruit trees that would otherwise go to waste and attract unwanted pests. In addition, concern has been growing by food justice advocates over access to fresh fruits by those in low-income urban areas. The USDA defines such an area as a “food desert”, or a census tract containing a significant percentage of people that were both low income and lived more than a ½ mile from a grocery store. Though similar goals and concerns exist for both urban foragers and food justice advocates, urban harvesting mostly benefits those that already have access to fresh fruit. Using the USDA’s Food Access Research Atlas, US Census Data and the fruit tree database of the League of Urban Canners (LUrC), I will examine the spatial distribution of fruit trees in Somerville and Cambridge as it relates to food access and explore the potential for urban harvesting to relieve food deserts in the area. |
3: |
Yasmin Inam | Shifts in Emergency Response Planning Required for 100 vs. 500 yr. Massachusetts Flood Zones | With increased concerns regarding global Climate Change, areas previously categorized with low-likelihood of flooding are now more perceptible to natural disasters. In particular, increased occurrences of events such as Hurricane Sandy mean that areas previously zoned as 500yr Flood Areas may now be the new 100yr Flood Areas. This possible shift in flood zones can seriously impact state and federal officials ability to respond to high-risk locations in cases of a natural emergency. My project is to identify points of particular concern within the 500yr Flood Planes. First, I will identify priority areas by using 2005 Land Use (Residential Areas), 2010 Census (Population Density & Young Families), Concentration of Hospitals, and Concentration of Transmission Lines. By using the union and intersect tools, I will weigh each of these criteria to create a combined layer of priority sites. Then I will overlay the FEMA Flood Zones to identify which of these priority areas are at higher-risk of flooding. The second component of my project is to create an accessibility and emergency dispatch analysis by using Police Department, Fire Department, Hospital Location, and Road Proximity data. I will use buffers and intersect tools to exclude emergency resources that are within flood areas but calculate proximity of the remaining resources to the identified high-priority-high-risk sites. All this data is available directly through MassGIS. By comparing the sites and their emergency resource accessibility in the context of 100yr vs. 500yr Flood Zones, I will identify areas where zoning adjustments and modifications in emergency preparedness plans may be necessary due to climate change effects. |
4: |
Holly Josephs | Feeding Kenya's Growing Population | It is expected that Kenya's population will increase from its current 41 million to over 65 million by 2030. Already, the average calorie intake in Kenya is 15th lowest in the world at 2060 calories per person. 2500 calories per day is the recommended daily intake for humans worldwide. Already, Kenya relies heavily on food imports. To feed the growing population, either food imports will need to increase or production will need to increase significantly. This project is an analysis of the available land in Kenya for expanding agriculture. Considering criteria such as annual precipitation, slope of the land, urban areas, protected areas, elevation of the land, etc, the land most likely to be available land for expanding agriculture in Kenya has been identified. All of this land was then considered under three scenarios: Three yield scenarios are considered: (a) yields consistant with current Kenyan rain-fed, non-fertilized yields, (b) yields consistant with Kenya irrigated yields, and (c) yields consistant with fertilized yields. Finally, preliminary conclusions have been drawn on whether Kenya will be able to provide at least 2060 calories per person by 2030 given current food import levels, population projections, and one agriculutural production scenario identified from the analysis. |
5:
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Natasha Balwit | Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environmental Justice in the Tribal Lands and Pueblos of Northern new Mexico | Five counties in central/northern New Mexico contain vast swaths of national forest, a significant stretch of the Rio Grande River, and several distinct mountain ranges and geological features. This region also contains a high acreage of federally recognized tribal land, including Indian reservations, pueblos, and allocated land. I plan to examine the distribution of natural resources (water, rangeland, forests, subsurface minerals, and wildlife) and land use/ownership to examine the strength of a case for increased legal representation of the people who live in the pueblos, colonias, and reservations of New Mexico. I will focus on the counties of Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance, Los Alamos, and Santa Fe. |
6:
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Kwesi Phillips | Californian Danger Zones: Examining Natural Disaster Risk for Expanding Los Angeles & Orange Counties | California’s fast growing Los Angeles and Orange Counties are in areas with enhanced risk for natural disasters. By researching and mining data gathered from California's state GIS systems we can examine the frequency of disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and forest and brush fires, the cost of damage they have historically tallied, and the demographics of the major areas of Southern California which prove to have the highest risk of damage from these disasters. After the recent fires in San Bernardino and Rancho Cucamonga, this issue becomes more and more pertinent for the growing popularity of the west coast, especially for young people and families rushing to the west coast with entrepreneurial promise. I will focus on the Southern California region from Santa Barbara down towards San Diego, and as far east as Bakersfield and San Bernardino. The maps use census data and basemaps to documente the rising population in these specific districts over the course of several decadess, and compare the risk for these geological dangers in the region with those places where the populations are growing. |
7:
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Abir Liben | Site Suitability Research - Urban Agriculture in Austin, Texas | Urban Agriculture differs from its rural counterpart in its susceptibility to environmental pollution and the scarcity of suitable vacant land within urban environments. Many Urban Farms are formed by community members who want to turn unsightly undeveloped land that has remained vacant for large swaths of time into a community resource. Such farms are haphazardly created without consideration of the environmental impact a polluted city environment may have on the agricultural product. This project will focus on determining suitable locations for urban agriculture within Northern Austin. These sites will need to be large enough to grow a variety of crops, have fertile soil, and be located in areas low in water, soil, and air pollutants. Austin is a relatively environmentally conscious city, and there are currently an array of urban gardens within the city. Thus, this project will study the demographics of the current users and take the data derived into account when determining which areas are closest to the target demographic for Austin urban farmers. To find such sites I will be using the Texas Natural Sources Information System which has data on geology, hydrology, precipitation, and soil types throughout the state of Texas. Furthermore, Texas A&M has a large demographic database which will be used to understand the current locations of urban farms. |
8: |
Koharu Usui | Hubway Cyclists in Boston and Cambridge: an Analysis of Biking Patterns | Last summer, I worked for Boston Bikes, which piqued my interest in the cycling culture in this area. I often get a “But it’s so dangerous!” reaction whenever I mention that I bike, and it seems true that the majority of the cyclists are the same everywhere - young to middleaged males who are willing to take the risk. I would like to see if the Hubway expansion has changed this much, and whether there is a difference in cycling patterns within the Hubway ridership. This project examines the over 800,000 rides made from November 2012 to October 2013 to see different patterns, such as the most used stations, the most made routes, and differences in usage between men and women, and registered and casual (nonregistered) users. |
9: |
Philip Hu | Locally-Grown Food Accessibility in the Cambridge Area | Across the country, urban movements to pay more attention to local food are gaining popularity as more consumers are becoming more conscious about the source of their food. From rooftop produce gardens to local regional farmer’s market, the choices emphasizing local continue to grow. Yet many people live in ‘food deserts,’ places with little to no access to affordable, healthy produce. To explore these issues in the Cambridge area, this project has three primary parts: First is evaluating external factors for the placement of existing farmers markets; locating potential sites for new garden plots; and finally locating ideal sites for new farmers markets. Existing farmer market data from MassGIS is spatially analyzed with variables such as proximity to mass transportation networks, major roads, neighborhood land use characteristic, and finally neighborhood median household income. Each existing farmer’s market will be given a ‘score’ for each category, ranging from 1-4 to discover which factors seem most influential in their placement. Next, using gardenplot criteria set by a Tufts University study, ‘Urban Farming in Boston: A Survey of Opportunities’, open parcels are graded based on criteria such as size of parcel, nonimpervious, slope, and light exposure. Parcels are screened based on parcel size, landuse characteristics, and slope gradient (based on zonal averaging within a parcel) and light exposure. Finally, proposed farmer market sites are suggested based on neighborhood characteristics of existing farmer’s markets, proximity analysis buffers of proposed or existing garden plots, and considerations for solving poverty-driven ‘food desert’ problems. The results suggest which existing farmer market locations could be challenged by newcomers and whether new, ‘microlocal’ farmer markets could shift towards serving smaller areas, not only providing affordable, sustainable, and fresh produce but creating healthier and closer communities in the process. |
10: |
Kristin Au | Specializing Public Transit per Industry Type in Hong Kong | With a population of over 7.1 million and total area of about 426 square miles, Hong Kong has a highly developed transportation network to support its service oriented economy. Over 90% of day-to-day transports are made via public transportation in this metropolis that contains the world’s leading international financial centers. The citizens of Hong Kong can choose from various types of public transportation including the subway, bus, mini-bus, tram, ferry, and taxi. This project will specifically look at the following four modes of public transit: franchised bus operations by Citybus, Green minibuses, Mass Transit Rail (MTR), and electric trams as operated by Hong Kong Tramways Limited. For each of these four modes of public transit, I will use Hong Kong demographic data and basemaps to identify the industry that each mode of transportation seems to cater towards. Specialized industry per transportation type will be determined by predominant industries found in most visited stops, taking into account time of day and number of riders at the given time. Transportation and industry analysis will be limited to the Hong Kong Island. |
11: |
Dan Mascoop | Mapping Homelessness Trends in Massachusetts | Using the data on homelessness from 2007 through 2013 retrieved from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), this project aims to find trends in homelessness in Massachusetts over time. A majority of the regions in Massachusetts HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) program have collected large amounts of data concerning the types of people who are experiencing homelessness, the nature of this homelessness and the types of housing available to these people. Each CoC contains a small enough region, with those in Eastern Massachusetts including a city or a few towns each, to view regional differences within the state. By compiling the appropriate data from CoCs within Massachusetts, the project examines trends that may signal housing opportunities react to homelessness or how homelessness is affected by general economic circumstances. Since this time period precedes and includes a major economic recession and initial recovery, it is possible to correlate changes in the data over time with economic factors. |
| 12. | Anthony Thomas | The Fight for Water in California | The population of California is projected to reach 50 million by the year 2020, just 6 years from now. If nothing is done to increase the water supply in the state, many Californians risk no longer have access to water. Much work needs to be done to identify the locations of the most immediate need of water resources. This project examines some of the issues by undertaking a site analysis of locations that are the most desperate for water. Based on population (and population density), water demand, water availability and agricultural demands, I will be able to identify which locations should spring into action of the issue of water availability. |
13: |