Evaluating the Capitalization Effects of Metra Commuter Rail Transit Upon Land Values in the Suburban Chicago Municipality of Arlington Heights: A Tale of Two Stations

The following report examines the capitalization impacts of transit-oriented development of Metra commuter rail stations upon land values in the Chicago metropolitan region. Transit-oriented development (TOD)--the practice of locating a mixed-use, high-density development surrounding transit hubs--is based upon the belief that accessibility to transit and compact land development can help to encourage the viability of public transit while also improving livability. By employing a hedonic price model designed to evaluate accessibility benefits, the research determines the extent to which preferences for transit-oriented development have been capitalized into the cost of land as compared with the capitalization effects associated with proximity to rail transit involving a conventional development pattern. The analysis employs data on the sales prices of single-family homes and townhomes within a one and a half mile radius of Metra commuter rail stations. Within recent years, numerous Metra commuter rail stations have been renovated for transit-oriented development. In most cases, the municipality has worked together with the development community to invest in the renovations necessary to allow for commercial, residential and retail vendors to establish themselves in the stations, drawing primarily upon redevelopment grants. The empirical evidence of increased capitalization effects due to transit-oriented development reveals the ability of transit-oriented development to act as a tool for recapturing some of the value that transit investments create in the form of tax revenue. Whereas previous studies have focused upon the prices of single-family homes, this study examines the capitalization effects resulting from both single-family homes and townhomes. The inclusion of townhomes as units of analysis is crucial, considering that much of the new development that has emerged in close proximity to the Metra stations over the past several years has been of the townhome variety. Significant growth has been planned for the Metra commuter rail system in the coming years. Serious opposition to the extension has surfaced, focusing upon the potentially harmful impacts that commuter rail service could have upon property owners in the form of reduced land value, resulting in costly delays to plans for implementation. This study will serve to inform the debate by shedding light upon the real versus the perceived effects of commuter rail upon property values.Master of City and Regional Plannin

Transportation, Equity, and Access to Bus Transit

Introduction: The goal of public transportation agencies is to provide safe, efficient, and reliable service for passengers to reach their homes, jobs, shopping and other destinations. In order to maintain and increase ridership levels, transit agencies must strive to ensure the physical safety of their passengers. This need for safety applies for both passengers on board the vehicle, as well as when they are accessing the system at a transit stop. Transit users frequently confront a lack of sufficient infrastructure for walking and bicycling to bus transit stops. Bus stop locations are often in need of significant improvements to improve the overall safety and comfort of transit users, and inadequate street crossing infrastructure can make it difficult for a transit rider to safely reach a transit stop—this is particularly true for riders who do not own cars. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) provided funding in 2011 for the development of the Durham Pedestrian and Bicycle Access to Transit Plan, which focuses on improving the safety, access and comfort of transit users along three transit corridors in the city’s central core area. A bond referendum passed for Durham County in October 2011, made funding available to add to federal and state funding for roughly $6 million in improvements within these three transit corridors. Potential improvements include the construction of sidewalks, improvements at transit centers, and improvements at bus stops, (e.g. the provision of level landing surfaces, bus shelters, and benches, etc.) This funding opportunity prompted the City of Durham to more thoroughly examine infrastructure needs at transit centers and stops and provide funding for the plan. As the plan was not formally adopted at the time of publication of this article, the recommendations summarized in this article are general in nature.1 The following synopsis includes information about how the plan was developed, significant variables for evaluation, public involvement methods, and preliminary recommendations

Planning for Equity in a Local Context: Case Studies from the North Carolina chapter of the American Planning Association Contributors

Carolina Planning regularly publishes a feature highlighting projects from members of the North Carolina Chapter of the American Planning Association (NCAPA). This year’s submissions focus on initiatives that are addressing equity issues in North Carolina communities. From case studies discussing health impact assessments to articles highlighting the importance of using data to help inform equitable planning activities and funding, these writers provide valuable insights into the important role North Carolina planners play in shaping the futures of their communities. Includes: Acting For Equity (Introduction); Building Bridges to College and Career Success for Young Males of Color; Food Access; Transportation, Equity, and Access to Bus Transit; Health Impact Assessments and Planning: Bridging the Gap to Promote Health Equit

The Early Royal Society and Visual Culture

Recent studies have fruitfully examined the intersection between early modern science and visual culture by elucidating the functions of images in shaping and disseminating scientific knowledge. Given its rich archival sources, it is possible to extend this line of research in the case of the Royal Society to an examination of attitudes towards images as artefacts –manufactured objects worth commissioning, collecting and studying. Drawing on existing scholarship and material from the Royal Society Archives, I discuss Fellows’ interests in prints, drawings, varnishes, colorants, images made out of unusual materials, and methods of identifying the painter from a painting. Knowledge of production processes of images was important to members of the Royal Society, not only as connoisseurs and collectors, but also as those interested in a Baconian mastery of material processes, including a “history of trades”. Their antiquarian interests led to discussion of painters’ styles, and they gradually developed a visual memorial to an institution through portraits and other visual records.AH/M001938/1 (AHRC

Determination of Pt–DNA adducts and the sub-cellular distribution of Pt in human cancer cell lines and the leukocytes of cancer patients, following mono- or combination treatments, by inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry

This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in the International Journal of Mass Spectrometry. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijms.2010.11.01

Localization of type 1 diabetes susceptibility to the MHC class I genes HLA-B and HLA-A

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on chromosome 6 is associated with susceptibility to more common diseases than any other region of the human genome, including almost all disorders classified as autoimmune. In type 1 diabetes the major genetic susceptibility determinants have been mapped to the MHC class II genes HLA-DQB1 and HLA-DRB1 (refs 1-3), but these genes cannot completely explain the association between type 1 diabetes and the MHC region. Owing to the region's extreme gene density, the multiplicity of disease-associated alleles, strong associations between alleles, limited genotyping capability, and inadequate statistical approaches and sample sizes, which, and how many, loci within the MHC determine susceptibility remains unclear. Here, in several large type 1 diabetes data sets, we analyse a combined total of 1,729 polymorphisms, and apply statistical methods - recursive partitioning and regression - to pinpoint disease susceptibility to the MHC class I genes HLA-B and HLA-A (risk ratios >1.5; Pcombined = 2.01 × 10-19 and 2.35 × 10-13, respectively) in addition to the established associations of the MHC class II genes. Other loci with smaller and/or rarer effects might also be involved, but to find these, future searches must take into account both the HLA class II and class I genes and use even larger samples. Taken together with previous studies, we conclude that MHC-class-I-mediated events, principally involving HLA-B*39, contribute to the aetiology of type 1 diabetes. ©2007 Nature Publishing Group

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission: Optical Telescope Element Design, Development, and Performance

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large, infrared space telescope that has recently started its science program which will enable breakthroughs in astrophysics and planetary science. Notably, JWST will provide the very first observations of the earliest luminous objects in the Universe and start a new era of exoplanet atmospheric characterization. This transformative science is enabled by a 6.6 m telescope that is passively cooled with a 5-layer sunshield. The primary mirror is comprised of 18 controllable, low areal density hexagonal segments, that were aligned and phased relative to each other in orbit using innovative image-based wavefront sensing and control algorithms. This revolutionary telescope took more than two decades to develop with a widely distributed team across engineering disciplines. We present an overview of the telescope requirements, architecture, development, superb on-orbit performance, and lessons learned. JWST successfully demonstrates a segmented aperture space telescope and establishes a path to building even larger space telescopes.Comment: accepted by PASP for JWST Overview Special Issue; 34 pages, 25 figure

The Ethics of Engagement in an Age of Austerity: A Paradox Perspective

Our contribution in this paper is to highlight the ethical implications of workforce engagement strategies in an age of austerity. Hard or instrumentalist approaches to workforce engagement create the potential for situations where engaged employees are expected to work ever longer and harder with negative outcomes for their well-being. Our study explores these issues in an investigation of the enactment of an engagement strategy within a UK Health charity, where managers and workers face paradoxical demands to raise service quality and cut costs. We integrate insights from engagement, paradox, and ethic of care literatures, to explore these paradoxical demands—illustrating ways in which engagement experiences become infused with tensions when the workforce faces competing requirements to do 'more with less' resources. We argue that those targeted by these paradoxical engagement strategies need to be supported and cared for, embedded in an ethic of care that provides explicit workplace resources for helping workers and managers cope with and work through corresponding tensions. Our study points to the critical importance of support from senior and frontline managers for open communications and dialogue practices