An Assessment of University Infrastructure Impact on the Safety of Individuals with Physical Disabilities at the University of Texas at Austin - Poster

Personal safety at the University of Texas is an increasingly popular topic of conversation between students, staff, faculty, and University administration. Concerns stemming from the recently passed “Campus Carry” legislation and the on-campus murder of an undergraduate student that occurred in the spring of 2016 spark debate over the utility of various safety resources currently available on-campus. However, the accessibility of said resources is hardly addressed. Per the 2010 U.S. Census, over 15% of U.S. adults identify as having any physical functioning difficulty. As the University of Texas campus hosts tens of thousands of adults each day, this thesis was conducted to address the flowing overarching question: How does the physical infrastructure of current safety resources on the University of Texas at Austin campus impact the safety of students, faculty, and staff with physical disabilities? To address this question, a survey was developed based on 2 semi-structured interviews gauging safety concerns with individuals from the disabled community, news articles documenting the use of campus safety resources, and University published documents. The survey underwent content review by 4 subject matter experts in areas such as civil engineering, campus diversity and community engagement, and the Americans with Disabilities act of 1990. Social media platforms such as Facebook and email list serves for various groups at the University of Texas were used to distribute the survey. It is expected that the results of the survey will indicate the perceptions of current and former students, faculty, and staff will underestimate the prevalence and use and overestimate the accessibility of certain safety resources mentioned in the survey. This poster is a summarized presentation of the findings from the survey.Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineerin

IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF URBAN DECLINE ON COUPLED HUMAN AND WATER SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS

Urban decline in once vibrant cities has introduced many challenges to managing civil infrastructure. The fixed infrastructure footprint does not contract with the declining population, but remains relatively stable, resulting in underfunded and underutilized infrastructure. The focus of this dissertation is on the assessment of urban decline on the coupled human and water sector infrastructures. Aspects such as the drivers of population decline and transitioning to a smaller city for the current and projected populations in shrinking cities have been well-studied by political and social scientists. However, the repercussions of urban decline on underground infrastructure systems have thus far been underappreciated. Arising from urban decline are water sector infrastructure issues such as, increased water age, operating on reduced personnel, and underutilized impervious services contributing to stormwater runoff. As cities begin to right-size, understanding the impact of the underutilization on underground infrastructures, and the technical viability of retooling alternatives to aid in right-sizing are important to ensure infrastructures continue to provide adequate services to the residents. This dissertation aims to fill the gap in the body of knowledge and the body of practice regarding the impact of urban decline (and underutilization) on the coupled human and water sector infrastructure systems, the technical viability of retooling alternatives, and the public views towards these infrastructure systems and retooling alternatives

Disaster Continuity for Businesses and Communities in Rural Texas: Investigating Infrastructure, Communication, and Planning Needs

Small businesses are particularly vulnerable to weather shocks. While there is a plethora of publicly available resources on how to prepare for natural disasters, information tailored specifically for small business owners and their business operations and assets is more limited. This project studied the most disaster-vulnerable areas in Texas, particularly the Texas Gulf Coast’s Coastal Bend and Rio Grande Valley regions, with the goal of making small businesses and communities along the coast more disaster resilient. A primary goal of this project was to develop resources for small businesses in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV). They were developed with extensive community input, and the local Chambers of Commerce and the Agrilife Extension Agents have agreed to distribute these materials.IC2 Institut

A Container Terminal at the Port of Prince Rupert: considerations from a transportation perspective

This paper discusses the transport of containers between the Port of Prince Rupert and the hinterland. The result of several data collection and analysis efforts, we present a set of findings regarding the role Prince Rupert might play in North American transportation, and the particular strengths or weaknesses of this facility. In the short term, there will be no facilities for container rehandling in Prince Rupert. This activity may take place in Prince George, or more likely these importers may continue to use the facilities surrounding Vancouver. Given the current rail network, Prince George will be required to handle as much cargo as Prince Rupert. This will have negative impacts on air quality in Prince George, yet potentially positive impacts on employment and economic activity through rehandling and transloading opportunities. Due to sizeable resources in Western Canada, this Port may offer a better ratio of exports to imports than other West Coast terminals which will attract steamship lines looking for west-bound fares. Unfortunately, on multi-stop routes, this may also mean Prince Rupert is visited after other West Coast destinations, thereby reducing the benefit of being closer to Asia. Despite these uncertainties, we conclude that, because of its unique features, this Port has strong potential to impact logistics practices in a continental transportation system

Implications of Social Distancing Policies on Water Infrastructure Systems

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A system-of-systems approach to participatory water infrastructure decisions

Water management worldwide is evolving towards integrating social, economic and environmental variables into the decision-making processes to increase the efficiency and sustainability of a decision\u27s outcomes. This study aims to develop a system-of-systems decision support framework and a methodology to aid in efficient participatory decision-making regarding water infrastructure alternatives that allows for insight into stakeholders involved in the decision-making process. Southern and Central California residents and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta served as the case study for this thesis. In order to gather data regarding stakeholder beliefs and perceptions, a web-based survey was deployed throughout Southern and Central California that included questions considering new water infrastructure projects and respondent demographics. After modeling the water system as a system-of-systems for problem delineation, a binary probit model was used to gain insight and quantify the effect of peoples’ characteristics on the likelihood that they: (1) perceive or do not perceive there to be a need for new water infrastructure, and (2) support or oppose new water infrastructure. The characteristics identified in the binary probit model were further analyzed using qualitative methods to identify project criteria that increased the likelihood of actively opposing or supporting new water infrastructure projects. Also included in the web-based survey were pair-wise comparisons of criteria that were used as input in an analytical hierarchy process. The analytical hierarchy process analysis then was used to measure the relative impact of different water infrastructure alternatives on the stakeholder groups. This approach helped to deduce which alternative, from a selection of alternatives, is ideal for each stakeholder group, and therefore the alternative that each stakeholder group is most likely to support. This insight into the stakeholders involved in the decision-making process may be used to foster conversation and further understand the various points of views of different stakeholder groups and individuals. This may expedite the decision-making process, allowing for an implementable and sustainable alternative with minimal public opposition

Energy loss modeling of water main breaks : a hybrid system dynamics-agent based modeling approach

According to the United States Government Accountability Office Energy-Water Nexus Report, the water pipeline infrastructure system is nearing the end of its service life. Up to 50 percent of water is lost, as evidenced by the 240,000 water main breaks that occur each year, estimated by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Water loss in the distribution system leads to additional expenditures for extracting water from natural resources, treatment, pumping, and transporting water into the distribution pipeline network system. Minimizing water losses has the potential to curb the increase in operating costs throughout the distribution system. This paper describes a conceptual System of Systems (SoS) framework for estimating the energy footprint resulting from water main breaks that considers the full cycle of providing drinking water to customers. The paper focuses on the interactions between the water loss in the distribution system and the energy-intensive operational components of the water infrastructure. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge and practice by developing a methodology to quantify the impact of water main breaks on energy consumption and by creating a tool that assists the water utilities as decision-makers in their assessment of the effects of water main breaks on the satisfaction of customers and the revenue loss of water utilities.Non UBCUnreviewedFacultyOthe

Statistical modeling of public attitudes towards water infrastructure retooling alternatives in shrinking cities

Many US cities, such as Gary, Indiana and Detroit, Michigan, have and continue to experience substantial population decline. The footprint of the built infrastructure in these cities does not contract with urban decline, but remains relatively unchanged, consequentially resulting in underfunded and underutilized infrastructure. Right sizing the physical footprint for the current and projected population needs has the potential to stabilize or reduce the rising per capita cost of services. While unilateral infrastructure decisions may save time and money, they pose risks, such as inefficient or unsuccessful implementation or unsustainable infrastructure projects, due to public opposition. The objective of this paper is to assess the public attitude concerning water infrastructure management alternatives. In November 2013, a voluntary survey was deployed to residents of 21 medium or large US shrinking cities. Binary probit models were estimated to determine the demographic and geographic variables influencing the support (or opposition) of five water infrastructure management alternatives. The statistical models indicated that different alternatives have different probabilities of support (or opposition) in varied geographic locations. Demographic variables, such as age, employment status, and income, have a propensity towards (or against) select management alternatives. This study demonstrates a method for understanding and incorporating public opinion into the pre-planning process for potentially reducing public opposition. Potential opposition regarding infrastructure management decisions may be alleviated through participatory processes and targeting identified demographic groups for involvement in new infrastructure projects and decisions.Non UBCUnreviewedFacultyOthe

Legitimization of the Inclusion of Cultural Practices in the Planning of Water and Sanitation Services for Displaced Persons

During large and rapid influxes of displaced persons, hosting communities may face challenges in accommodating incoming populations. This study seeks to assess the institutional response to international displacement in developed urban contexts through exploring how stakeholders (de)legitimized (i.e., either withheld or attributed legitimacy to) the inclusion of cultural practices in the planning of water and sanitation for displaced persons. This study is enabled by 28 semi-structured interviews of individuals involved in the accommodation of displaced persons in Germany conducted in 2016. The interview content was qualitatively analyzed to identify the types of decisions made, legitimacy types used to (de)legitimize those decisions, and information used to assess cultural practices. Results indicate that the institutional response to international displacement was most commonly reactive rather than proactive. However, the interviewees demonstrated a willingness to adapt, primarily using their experiences (comprehensibility legitimacy) and moral considerations (procedural legitimacy). Recommendations to stakeholders arising from this study include: (1) improve access to information about displaced persons’ practices and needs in water and sanitation, (2) collect more information by communicating with displaced persons, (3) promote collaborations between involved organizations, (4) monitor organizational changes during the response, and (5) enhance discussions about integration through the built environment