The Metropolitan Revolution: How Cities and Metros Are Fixing Our Broken Politics and Fragile Economy

In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession, the conventional paradigms of political leadership in the U.S. have been increasingly challenged.  America’s post-New Deal hierarchical policymaking pyramid with the Federal government at the top, followed by State governments setting the direction and leading innovation in the public and private sectors seem increasingly mired in partisan rancor and incapable of responding to new challenges

"If We Are Really Serious About Protecting Agricultural Land In North Carolina..."

The need to protect agricultural land is one of the most common themes in contemporary land use planning. Throughout the 1970s, planners, agriculturalists, and environmentalists joined together in a chorus warning of an enormous shift of farmland in the United States. The alarming estimates of farmland losses, and their consequences has prompted widespread public concern. In response, government action toward a goal of protecting prime agricultural land has been extensive. By 1978 forty-seven states and numerous local governments had adopted some type of policy aimed at protecting agricultural operations which have been under pressure for development (Conroy, 1978: 10). At the federal level, specific legislation to preserve farmland has not been passed; however, a number of agencies have adopted administrative procedures with language requiring the preservation of valuable agricultural acreage (Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, 1975; Council on Environmental Quality, 1976; U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1978; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1978

Greenway Use and Users: An Examination Of Raleigh and Charlotte Greenways

As with any public facility, the planning and development of greenways should be reflective of the needs of potential users and types of usage. Because of their relative short history, however, almost no effort has been made to follow up the expected use of greenways with empirical evidence concerning their actual usage. Intuitively, greenway planners and designers may have some notion of likely patronage, how the facility will be used, and where patrons will be coming from, but these perceptions may be inappropriate. Without actual information on greenway visitors and use, the planning process is guided by conjecture

Can Planners Raise Concern BEFORE The Flood?

To the national news media and many decision-makers, flooding events are catastrophic disasters, characterized by basin-wide flooding, the evacuation of people, and massive property losses. The planner working in urban areas, however, faces a more subtle but equally serious flood hazard, the non-catastrophic urban flood. The United States Water Resources Council has estimated that overflowing rivers and streams and related drainage problems cause significant damage and disruption in almost 3800 cities, with annual losses exceeding $2 billion. They also forecast that annual public and private flood losses will escalate to$5 billion by 1985. Within individual urban centers, increased flood hazards can be related to the widespread urbanization of flood-prone areas and the increasingly impermeable landscape created by highways, roofs, and parking lots. In many cities the results are more localized flooding, particularly in headwater settings. Older neighborhoods which previously suffered only occasionally from overflowing streams find themselves facing increasingly frequent and severe flooding events. Once treated as a nuisance, the flood becomes a threat. For persons living in these areas it is a frustrating experience leading to greater expense for protecting one's property. Moreover, decreasing property values may make it difficult to leave the neighborhood without financial loss. If planners are expected to mitigate the losses associated with localized urban flooding, it is critical that we understand public reaction and perception of the problem. Without insight into public response and adjustment to these events, it is impossible to develop technically sound and socially acceptable remedial measure

A community based participatory approach to improving health in a Hispanic population

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The Charlotte-Mecklenburg region has one of the fastest growing Hispanic communities in the country. This population has experienced disparities in health outcomes and diminished ability to access healthcare services. This city is home to an established practice-based research network (PBRN) that includes community representatives, health services researchers, and primary care providers. The aims of this project are: to use key principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR) within a practice-based research network (PBRN) to identify a single disease or condition that negatively affects the Charlotte Hispanic community; to develop a community-based intervention that positively impacts the chosen condition and improves overall community health; and to disseminate findings to all stakeholders. METHODS/DESIGN: This project is designed as CBPR. The CBPR process creates new social networks and connections between participants that can potentially alter patterns of healthcare utilization and other health-related behaviors. The first step is the development of equitable partnerships between community representatives, providers, and researchers. This process is central to the CBPR process and will occur at three levels -- community members trained as researchers and outreach workers, a community advisory board (CAB), and a community forum. Qualitative data on health issues facing the community -- and possible solutions -- will be collected at all three levels through focus groups, key informant interviews and surveys. The CAB will meet monthly to guide the project and oversee data collection, data analysis, participant recruitment, implementation of the community forum, and intervention deployment. The selection of the health condition and framework for the intervention will occur at the level of a community-wide forum. Outcomes of the study will be measured using indicators developed by the participants as well as geospatial modeling.On completion, this study will: determine the feasibility of the CBPR process to design interventions; demonstrate the feasibility of geographic models to monitor CBPR-derived interventions; and further establish mechanisms for implementation of the CBPR framework within a PBRN