Quantifying the impacts of regulatory delay on housing affordability and quality in Austin, Texas

textRegulatory delay during site plan review of multifamily projects in Austin has three primary impacts: 1) it generates unexpected development costs which increases housing prices over-time; 2) it stifles innovation and decreases quality of development; and 3) it promotes exurban growth. These impacts reduce affordability and quality of life for all Austinites and thwart the goals of the Imagine Austin comprehensive plan. As regulatory delays have increased remarkably since 2009, strong rent growth has compensated for this growing uncertainty throughout the Austin market. If regulatory delays are eliminated and developers receive approvals for multifamily projects within the 120 day mandate instead of the 223 day average, renters could see relief of 4-5% on their rent, or an average of $60 per month or$720 annually in Central Austin. Interviews with 14 Austin-area residential developers confirm these delays, costs, and impacts on their projects. On average it takes 3.5 additional months to receive site plan approvals in Austin in addition to the code mandated four month cycle. Austin's peer cities fare differently. The average delay in Denver, Colorado is three weeks, and is just several days in Raleigh, North Carolina. Whereas land use regulations theoretically generate positive externalities, delays in administering those regulations generate no benefits to the community. During this unforeseen 3.5 months, developers accrue unexpected costs such as legal fees, and developer overhead which includes the opportunity costs of not pursuing other deals. Construction costs increase during delays, and developers must continue to pay for land options and carry costs. In the short-term, developers pay for these unexpected costs out-of-pocket, and by reducing construction costs, which can result in lower quality materials or amenities. Unexpected costs roll into the project's overall budget, resulting in more expensive development projects. More expensive projects require higher rents in order to maintain the development team's expected yield on cost. Further, interviews with urban designers and civil engineers reveal that regulatory delay stifles private sector innovation in the built environment. Developer interviews and case studies suggest that regulatory delay promotes exurban growth instead of urban infill in the Austin metropolitan area.Community and Regional Plannin

The Parthenon, January 30, 2015

The Parthenon, Marshall University’s student newspaper, is published by students Monday through Friday during the regular semester and weekly Thursday during the summer. The editorial staff is responsible for the news and the editorial content

Investigating the significance of water associated with organic matter towards atmospheric Aerosol Liquid Water Content in Florida

Aerosol liquid water content (ALWC) is ubiquitous in the atmosphere and is influenced by relative humidity, as well as inorganic and organic aerosol concentrations and their composition. However, the contribution of organic versus inorganic aerosol towards ALWC is highly uncertain at present. While some studies report the negligible contribution of organic aerosol to the concentration of ALWC, others provide evidence for a contribution of organic aerosol similar to that of inorganic aerosol. Hence, the aim of this study is to determine the contribution of organic aerosol to the concentrations of ALWC under contrasting environmental conditions in Florida across different seasons. Organic and speciated inorganic concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were provided by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and assessed through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Air Quality Database, at three sites during 2017-2022. Gaseous concentrations of ammonia and nitric acid were acquired from the EPA’s CASTNET network during the same period. Water associated with inorganic aerosol (Winorg) was calculated using the hyperdual version of ISORROPIAv2.1 aerosol thermodynamic equilibrium model. Concentrations of aerosol inorganic composition (Na+, NH4+, K+, SO42-, Mg2+, Ca2+, NO3- and Cl-), temperature, and RH as well as nitric acid and ammonia gaseous concentrations were input to calculate partitioned inorganic concentrations and ALWC as well as sensitivities of each of these concentrations to the sum of the aerosol and gaseous concentrations. The liquid water associated with organics (Worg) was calculated based on organic concentrations, meteorological data, and hygroscopicity assumptions based on the kappa-Kohler theory. The total ALWC was thus calculated as the sum of the liquid water associated with inorganic and organic aerosol constituents. These analyses will provide insight into the significance of organic matter towards ALWC in the atmosphere with implications for the accurate representation of ALWC in models

Collective Thinking for Extension Practice: A Time and Place for World Café

World café (WC) is a structured methodology that provides an opportunity for collective thinking through open dialogue. The WC concept affords the opportunity for individuals to engage in the sharing of ideas and knowledge. Participants rotate through timed discussions on different themes with different groups of individuals, providing for an intermixing of ideas. Facilitators benefit from accessing dialogue output and ideas related to chosen topics of discussion as a result of collective input. Extension professionals should consider WC for increasing communication and generating shared knowledge. Our approach to WC was implemented at the 2016 National Health Outreach Conference

The Parthenon, January 23, 2015

The Parthenon, Marshall University’s student newspaper, is published by students Monday through Friday during the regular semester and weekly Thursday during the summer. The editorial staff is responsible for the news and the editorial content

The Parthenon, February 13, 2015

The Parthenon, Marshall University’s student newspaper, is published by students Monday through Friday during the regular semester and weekly Thursday during the summer. The editorial staff is responsible for the news and the editorial content

The Parthenon, April 24, 2015

The Parthenon, Marshall University’s student newspaper, is published by students Monday through Friday during the regular semester and weekly Thursday during the summer. The editorial staff is responsible for the news and the editorial content

The Parthenon, April 17, 2015

The Parthenon, Marshall University’s student newspaper, is published by students Monday through Friday during the regular semester and weekly Thursday during the summer. The editorial staff is responsible for the news and the editorial content