Transboundary impacts of the 2010 Haiti earthquake disaster : focus on legal dilemmas in South Florida

Catastrophic disasters affect not just the areas/regions and countries where they strike, but also have transboundary effects and repercussions on neighboring countries, which often serve as receiving areas for displaced survivors. South Florida, for example, served as a receiving area for earthquake survivors after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. To understand the transboundary sociolegal impacts on host communities, we draw theoretical insights from research on transboundary crises and interviewed key members of school districts, city and county governments, non-profit organizations, relief task forces, the Haitian-American diaspora, and local government agencies. We also looked at relevant plans/policies modified by governmental and non-governmental institutions in response to the legal issues that arose. The findings highlight the manner in which street-level workers in state and non-state organizations deal with legal complexities and ramifications, along with the role played by the Haitian-American diaspora actors and their networks. Los desastres por catástrofes no afectan solo a las áreas/regiones y países a los que golpean, sino que también tienen efectos transfronterizos y repercuten en los países vecinos, que a menudo sirven como áreas de recepción para los sobrevivientes desplazados. El sur de Florida, por ejemplo, sirvió como área de acogida para los supervivientes del terremoto de Haiti de 2010. Para entender el impacto sociojurídico a nivel transfronterizo en las comunidades de acogida, se trazan nuevas percepciones teóricas a partir de la investigación de crisis transfronterizas, y mediante entrevistas a miembros clave de distritos escolares, gobiernos de ciudades y condados, organizaciones sin ánimos de lucro, grupos de trabajo de auxilio, la diáspora haitiano-estadounidense, y agencias del gobierno local. También se estudian los planes/políticas relevantes, modificados por las instituciones gubernamentales y no gubernamentales para responder a las cuestiones jurídicas que se plantearon. Los resultados destacan cómo se enfrentan los trabajadores a nivel de calle de las organizaciones estatales y no estatales a las complejidades y consecuencias legales, junto con el papel desempeñado por los protagonistas de la diáspora haitiano-estadounidense y sus redes de contactos

Implications of Geographic Information System technology for planning education

Geographic Information System (GIS) technology is revolutionizing spatial data visualization, handling, manipulation and analysis in planning and related disciplines. The objective of this dissertation was to document the infiltration of GIS and other information technologies into planning schools; to clarify the difference between the GIS Revolution, and the Quantitative Revolution of the sixties; and to highlight and address the theoretical-technological disparities in planning school curricula. A comparison of the GIS Revolution with the Quantitative Revolution confirmed that unlike the large scale models and techniques that emerged in academia during the sixties, GIS technology is not an academic venture. It is a big business, with the software products of commercial vendors driving the teaching and research agendas at U.S. planning schools. The GIS profession has emerged, and there is a high demand for schools to turn out planners with relevant knowledge and experience. The soaring popularity of GIS courses and GIS specialties in planning schools was documented, and the implications of GIS technology for computer and human resources, and for the nature and style of instruction, assignments, studios, research projects, theses and dissertations, is discussed. It was noted that, despite the impact of GIS technology on course offerings, the planning pedagogic model has changed little. In particular, planning theory has remained a core course since its inception in the planning curriculum. A review of course outlines, course content and literature revealed that GIS and planning theory courses do not complement each other. In fact, academic criticism of GIS and related information technologies has further intensified with the barrage of post-positivist philosophies, advanced by many theorists. Given the importance of both types of courses, it was concluded that the theorist-technician dichotomy is counterproductive, and that viable methods of integration must be researched. The concept of links was introduced and exemplified to demonstrate the contexts within which planning theory topics can be integrated with GIS topics

Incremental evolution and devolution of Florida's Coastal High Hazard Area policy

Demarcation of Coastal High Hazard Areas (CHHAs) in Florida dates back to the passage of the landmark Growth Management Act (GMA) of 1985. There have been two subsequent legislative changes in 1994 and 2006. This paper draws on theories of policy implementation, policy framing and policy learning to shed light on this 'natural experiment' and to offer clues about factors that impact how and why policies evolve and devolve even after multiple revisions. Although the case study is focused on Florida, the lessons are transferable to land use and environmental policy makers seeking a balance between economic development, property rights and environmental risk.Florida's Coastal High Hazard Area, policy formulation, policy learning, incrementalism,

Closing Gaps in Local Housing Recovery Planning for Disadvantaged Displaced Households

Severe hurricane disaster events can leave the most vulnerable and disadvantaged households of a community displaced and in limbo for several years following the storm. Long-term recovery coalitions and committees with roots in voluntary nonprofit and faith-based organizations are springing up nationwide to fill unmet needs of displaced households after local, state, and federal agencies have completed their initial recovery missions. In South Florida, Broward County’s recovery experience following Category 1 Hurricane Wilma in 2005 demonstrated the valuable role that these coalitions play in reintegrating displaced households into strong, recovering communities. Scaling this success to deal with severe and damaging storms that displace far more disadvantaged households requires a coordinated predisaster recovery planning framework. Long-term recovery coalitions, as currently structured, cannot design such planning frameworks. In this article, the authors make the case for a more formal independent planning agency dedicated to integrating coordinated housing recovery scenarios and prioritie