Michigan School Siting Guidelines: Taking the Environment into Account

Michigan currently does not have a statewide approach to school siting that takes into account environmental quality. In 2011, the United States Environmental Protection Agency released national voluntary School Siting Guidelines, calling on states to develop and implement their own school siting and environmental cleanup standards. A number of states have done so, and, with support from the Kresge Foundation, the Michigan School Siting Task Force — a group of scholars, policy professionals, Michigan legislators, and members of non-governmental organizations and Michigan’s school communities — has worked to identify tools and best practices that could facilitate healthy school siting decisions in Michigan. The purpose of this report is to explain the need for a school siting policy in Michigan, document the work of the School Siting Task Force, evaluate the resources available for developing a school siting policy, and provide recommendations for a school siting policy for the State of Michigan. This report documents that our work is intended to stimulate policy debate and timely concrete action among Michigan legislators, policy advocates, and school communities. Its ultimate goal is to galvanize state lawmakers to develop a statewide school siting policy in Michigan that safeguards students’ health and well-being.The Kresge Foundationhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156009/1/Michigan School Siting Guidelines - July 3 2020.pdfDescription of Michigan School Siting Guidelines - July 3 2020.pdf : Repor

May 10-11, 2013 Conference Proceedings: Developing Policy on Environmental Quality, Schools, and Health

Members of Michigan’s government, academic, and community stakeholders convened for the Developing Policy on Environmental Quality, Schools, and Health Conference on May 10-11, 2013 at the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment in Ann Arbor. With support from the Kresge Foundation, the conference worked to bring together over 35 scientists, academics, community organizers, government officials, state and local school board members, teachers’ union officials, parent-teacher organizers, and policy analysts to discuss a statewide school siting policy in Michigan that takes into account environmental quality factors. The lack of such policies leaves students vulnerable to the harmful effects of polluted environments in urban, suburban, and rural settings. In contrast to Michigan, 26 states in the U.S. currently have such policies, although these vary greatly in extent and comprehensiveness. Many of these policies were discussed at the conference. The products of the conference will be utilized as instrumental first steps in the process of developing a statewide school siting policy for Michigan.The Kresge Foundationhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154572/1/2013 Michigan School Siting Conf Proceedings.pdfDescription of 2013 Michigan School Siting Conf Proceedings.pdf : Conference Proceeding

Transportation + Street Trees:: Effect of the Urban Design Industry's Roadside Landscape Improvement Standards on Driver and Pedestrian Performance

The purpose of the research is to examine the effect of industry standard urban design treatments for streetscaping of Main Streets on traffic accident rates and the pedestrian's perception of accessibility and safety. Existing research (Rosenblatt, Bahar) has indicated that the use of roadside landscaping is reducing vehicular traffic accident rates both in terms of frequency and severity. This paper identifies the next research steps being developed at Texas A&M University which will create better understanding of the impact of specific streetscape design treatment on pedestrian safety and accessibility. These standards will be evaluated for the effect on bicycle, pedestrian and wheelchair performance within the treated corridors

Nature and Older Adults: Green Common Spaces, Social Integration, and Important Aspects of Older Adults' Well-Being in the Inner-City

132 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1998.This study investigates how the presence of trees and grass in outdoor common spaces, and exposure to these natural elements enhance inner-city older adults' social integration and important aspects of their well-being. The specific areas of well-being included fear of crime, mental fatigue, physical health, activity participation, and morale. Results of interviews with 91 older adults (age 64 to 91) from Robert Taylor Homes in Chicago show that use of green outdoor common spaces predicted both the strength of neighborhood social ties and sense of community. Specifically, older adults who had greater exposure to green outdoor common spaces experienced greater involvement in neighborly activities, reported stronger social relationships with friends and neighbors, and reported a stronger sense of community than those who had less exposure to green outdoor common spaces. Results also show a possible curvilinear relationship between the amount of vegetation in outdoor common spaces and older residents' fear of crime. That is, older adults experienced higher levels of fear when there was very little trees and grass, or a great deal of trees and grass compared to when there was a medium amount of trees and grass in the outdoor common spaces near their apartments. While the data suggest a number of important new relationships may exist between nearby nature and social integration and fear of crime, we were challenged by a lack of findings between contact with nature and the other dependent variables (i.e., mental fatigue, physical health, activity participation, and morale). Potential explanations for the lack of significant findings with these variables are discussed. Results of this study have implications for designers, managers, and residents of housing developments.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD

Nature and Older Adults: Green Common Spaces, Social Integration, and Important Aspects of Older Adults' Well-Being in the Inner-City

132 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1998.This study investigates how the presence of trees and grass in outdoor common spaces, and exposure to these natural elements enhance inner-city older adults' social integration and important aspects of their well-being. The specific areas of well-being included fear of crime, mental fatigue, physical health, activity participation, and morale. Results of interviews with 91 older adults (age 64 to 91) from Robert Taylor Homes in Chicago show that use of green outdoor common spaces predicted both the strength of neighborhood social ties and sense of community. Specifically, older adults who had greater exposure to green outdoor common spaces experienced greater involvement in neighborly activities, reported stronger social relationships with friends and neighbors, and reported a stronger sense of community than those who had less exposure to green outdoor common spaces. Results also show a possible curvilinear relationship between the amount of vegetation in outdoor common spaces and older residents' fear of crime. That is, older adults experienced higher levels of fear when there was very little trees and grass, or a great deal of trees and grass compared to when there was a medium amount of trees and grass in the outdoor common spaces near their apartments. While the data suggest a number of important new relationships may exist between nearby nature and social integration and fear of crime, we were challenged by a lack of findings between contact with nature and the other dependent variables (i.e., mental fatigue, physical health, activity participation, and morale). Potential explanations for the lack of significant findings with these variables are discussed. Results of this study have implications for designers, managers, and residents of housing developments.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD

Greater Baybrook Green Network Plan: A community vision plan for increasing connectivity and enhancing green assets

The Green Network Plan was designed by determining ongoing investment strategies in the neighborhood, evaluating opportunities and constraints, and analyzing demographics, park equity, environmental justice, and other current site conditions. This green network plan can be used as a guide for creating community priorities for short-term and long-term development related to economic and environmental sustainability. The goal of this Green Network Plan is to enhance and strengthen the community of the Greater Baybrook by connecting the area’s green infrastructure into a unified network of safe and vibrant neighborhoods. It is a Vision Plan for how the neighborhood can enhance its existing natural resources and grow its infrastructure to improve the health and well-being of residents. It has been widely researched that communities with green infrastructure have increased economic, environmental, and social benefits (EPA, 2014). This increased exposure to the natural environment promotes physical health (McCurdy, 2010), mental well-being (Kaplan, 1995), and social connectivity (Jennings, 2019).Prince George's County Planning Departmen

School Walk Zone: Identifying Environments That Foster Walking and Biking to School

Today, few children walk or bike to school. According to the National Household Travel Survey, only 11% of children walk or bike to school. In 1969, almost 50% of children walked or biked to school in the US. Although our understanding is limited, previous research has shown that physical environments can influence non-automobile mode choices for travel to school. For example, landscape buffers and trees affect parents’ perceptions of their children’s safety and increase their willingness to let their children walk to school. We investigated how a number of physical attributes in the pedestrian environment influence children’s commutes to school. A total of 186 parents from four school walk zones in College Station, TX, participated in this study. We found that children walked more in neighborhoods with mature trees. Moreover, the mean walking and biking distances differed from each other, and both were influenced by the location of the school within the walk zones. Concerns about traffic safety and convenience were negatively related to walking and biking. The findings here suggest ways to shape better school walk zone guidelines that include neighborhood design, planning, and engagement in support of active and healthy children

Assessing the Social Value of Ecosystem Services for Resilient Riparian Greenway Planning and Management in an Urban Community

Ecosystem services depend on the interrelation between people and the environment, and people are increasingly recognizing the social value of ecosystem services. Based on humans needs related to the values of ecosystem services, riparian greenways, properly planned and managed for resiliency, could provide great opportunities for social ecological change and transformation toward sustainability. We focus on the ecosystem service values of such greenways based on resilience in urban communities. The purpose of this study is to assess the social value of ecosystem services for resilient riparian greenway planning and management based on a survey of residents living near the Yangjaecheon riparian greenway in Gwacheon, South Korea. First, cluster analysis was performed with data from 485 completed surveys to identify different groups of respondents. Importance-performance analysis (IPA) was then applied to develop planning and management guidance for the riparian greenway based on group characteristics. Two distinct groups were identified: the Strong Social Value of Ecosystem Services group and the Neutral Social Value of Ecosystem Services group. Different distributions were found between the two groups based on gender and residency period, and significant differences were also found for age and familiarity with the riparian greenway. The results show what each group perceived to be important and how well the riparian greenway met their expectations regarding ecosystem services. These results indicate the perceived value of ecosystem services on the basis of the group characteristics, helping establish the direction for resilient riparian greenway planning and management approaches