Polycentric networks and resilience in urban systems: A comparison of Baltimore and Seattle

Numerous studies have demonstrated that successful resource management requires collaboration among many groups. While most research has been conducted on rural resource management, collaborative management is now recognized as an important strategy in densely settled urban areas. Cities generally consist of many fragmented land parcels under different types of use and ownership, which produces a large and diverse group of stakeholders with an interest in resource management decisions. Past research has shown that 1) natural resource stewardship organizations play an important role in both managing natural resources and building social capital; 2) successful outcomes often rely on effective collaborations through organizational networks; 3) there are different types of network structures; and 4) the effectiveness of a network can depend on its structure. However, missing from the field is empirical research analyzing how natural resource stewardship networks impact social and ecological outcomes, both spatially and temporally.

Building on pioneering work on urban environmental groups in New York City and developing efforts in Chicago, this research will assess the stewardship networks in Seattle and Baltimore. More specifically, it will examine whether the network structure affects social and ecological outcomes; and conversely, whether variation in social and ecological conditions affects the resulting social network. Through a mixed methodological approach employing interviews, organizational surveys, spatial mapping, and social network analysis, this research examines:

•	What network relationships exist between environmental stewardship groups in Baltimore? In Seattle?
•	What is the spatial structure of these stewardship networks?
•	Does network structure affect social and ecological outcomes?
•	Does variation in social and ecological conditions predict the resulting network?
•	How do the stewardship networks in Baltimore and Seattle compare?

Results from this study will contribute to the growing body of research on polycentric governance networks. The need for longitudinal and comparative studies in this area is evident, as many cities are looking to adaptive management strategies to respond to the needs of an rapidly changing population and landscape. In Baltimore, this data can be compared to organizational network data collected 10 years ago. In Seattle, the study will establish baseline network data, which provides a foundation for future studies. Similarities and differences between cities may provide implications for whether environmental stewardship programs and other sustainability initiatives can be applied from one city to another

It’s Not Easy Going Green: Obstacles to Tree-Planting Programs in East Baltimore

In 2006, government officials in Baltimore announced plans to double the city’s tree canopy over the next thirty years. While the effort has already produced positive results, many parts of the city still lack trees. In this paper we consider whether two neighborhoods in East Baltimore – Berea and Madison-Eastend – are suitable locations for tree planting. We begin by calculating how much plantable space exists in each neighborhood. We then use interview data to cast light on how residents value the urban forest and whether or not they would support efforts to increase tree canopy in East Baltimore. The selection of East Baltimore as a study area is significant because it was here that the city’s Division of Forestry encountered resistance to tree planting in the 1960s. A secondary goal of our research is to determine whether a shift in the ethnic profile of this section of the city over the past fifty years has changed the way residents perceive and value the urban forest. Our results show that while there is enough plantable space in these two neighborhoods to increase tree canopy, from approximately six percent to over 16 percent, residents are not yet ready to fully embrace an aggressive tree planting program

A Long View of Polluting Industry and Environmental Justice in Baltimore

Purpose This study examines the density of polluting industry by neighborhoods in Baltimore over the long term, from 1950 to 2010, to determine if high pollution burdens correspond spatially with expected demographic and housing variables predicted in the environmental justice literature. For 1960–1980 we use data on heavy industry from Dun and Bradstreet directories and for 1990–2010 the US EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory to calculate a Hazards Density Index. Drawing on the decennial censuses for 1960–2010, we populate census tracts from corresponding years with data on race, ethnicity, educational attainment, income, and housing tenure. Findings Density of polluting industry is positively correlated with low-income neighborhoods and renter-occupied housing in 1960 and by 2010 with white, Hispanic, and low educational attainment populations. In general, over time density of polluting facilities shifts from an association with wealth to race and ethnicity while educational attainment remains a significant variable throughout. This study confirms earlier analyses on Baltimore that white neighborhoods are more likely than African–American neighborhoods (1990–2010) to contain polluting facilities but reveals for the first time that educational attainment is also significant. The paper concludes with a discussion of the Baltimore Sustainability Plan and its weak efforts to address persistent environmental injustices

Stability of Curvature Measures

We address the problem of curvature estimation from sampled compact sets. The main contribution is a stability result: we show that the gaussian, mean or anisotropic curvature measures of the offset of a compact set K with positive $\mu$-reach can be estimated by the same curvature measures of the offset of a compact set K' close to K in the Hausdorff sense. We show how these curvature measures can be computed for finite unions of balls. The curvature measures of the offset of a compact set with positive $\mu$-reach can thus be approximated by the curvature measures of the offset of a point-cloud sample. These results can also be interpreted as a framework for an effective and robust notion of curvature

Prospectus, March 27, 1973

PC TO HOST WORKSHOP; \u27Clean\u27; Be a Bridgie!; Gang Night; Here and there with Parkland volunteers; Cruisin\u27 \u2773; True happenings; Letters To The Editor; A challenge; Candidate for PC board of trustees; IRS job openings; The genuine free Prospectus gasoline anti-ripoff charts; Candidates For Day Senator; Parkland Board Summary; PC bowling team roll-off today; 383 students on winter honors list; Community service fund guidelines completed; Prof Spectus; Number, please?; PC 9th in national indoor contest; Bicycles Bicyles Bicycles; Roller skating party; Magazines As Media; Hereditary Linked To Mental Illness; New, flexible baccalaureate program; Medical fields applicationhttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1973/1009/thumbnail.jp

Applications of Urban Tree Canopy Assessment and Prioritization Tools: Supporting Collaborative Decision Making to Achieve Urban Sustainability Goals

Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) Prioritizations can be both a set of geographic analysis tools and a planning process for collaborative decision-making. In this paper, we describe how UTC Prioritizations can be used as a planning process to provide decision support to multiple government agencies, civic groups and private businesses to aid in reaching a canopy target. Linkages to broader City-scale sustainability plans are explored. This article represents an extension and update to the UTC Canopy Goal Setting Guide by Raciti et al (2006). We conclude with recommendations for a market-like analysis of neighborhoods to better match planting initiatives to particular neighborhoods’ motivations, capacities and interests in order to improve the adoption of improved urban forestry practices

Semi-rigid Shoulder Braces and Related Methods

Shoulder braces for inhibiting secondary anterior shoulder dislocations that are configured to allow for a wide range of motion for mobility and stabilization, include a brace body with a single arm portion configured to reside about a shoulder of a user and a torso portion, a plurality of shoulder straps extending over the single arm portion shoulder, a substantially rigid thermoplastic insert releasably held by the arm portion of the brace body. The insert can have a user-specific custom shape that substantially conforms to shoulder anatomy of the shoulder of the user. The brace can also include at least one adjustable length laterally extending torso strap attached to the torso portion

Prospectus, February 13, 1973

COPHER, LOOKINGBILL SARP WINNERS; New campus organization to form; Access new WPGU show; SIU rep here; \u27Tar\u27 speaker at PC; PC Vets\u27 blood drive; Engineering invite at UI; The world\u27s great religions; Debate team meets DuPage; Let it not be said…; Commentary on Johnson and Nixon; Calsonis; Movie Review: The Poseidon Adventure ; Speaking of Sports; Ag students have \u27no job hassles\u27; Black schools have great opportunity; Discovering oneself through SRLhttps://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1973/1012/thumbnail.jp

A simple proof of Perelman's collapsing theorem for 3-manifolds

We will simplify earlier proofs of Perelman's collapsing theorem for 3-manifolds given by Shioya-Yamaguchi and Morgan-Tian. Among other things, we use Perelman's critical point theory (e.g., multiple conic singularity theory and his fibration theory) for Alexandrov spaces to construct the desired local Seifert fibration structure on collapsed 3-manifolds. The verification of Perelman's collapsing theorem is the last step of Perelman's proof of Thurston's Geometrization Conjecture on the classification of 3-manifolds. Our proof of Perelman's collapsing theorem is almost self-contained, accessible to non-experts and advanced graduate students. Perelman's collapsing theorem for 3-manifolds can be viewed as an extension of implicit function theoremComment: v1: 9 Figures. In this version, we improve the exposition of our arguments in the earlier arXiv version. v2: added one more grap

Prioritizing Preferable Locations for Increasing Urban Tree Canopy in New York City

This paper presents a set of Geographic Information System (GIS) methods for identifying and prioritizing tree planting sites in urban environments. It uses an analytical approach created by a University of Vermont service-learning class called “GIS Analysis of New York City\u27s Ecology” that was designed to provide research support to the MillionTreesNYC tree planting campaign. These methods prioritize tree planting sites based on need (whether or not trees can help address specific issues in the community) and suitability (biophysical constraints and planting partners’ existing programmatic goals). Criteria for suitability and need were based on input from three New York City tree-planting organizations. Customized spatial analysis tools and maps were created to show where each organization may contribute to increasing urban tree canopy (UTC) while also achieving their own programmatic goals. These methods and associated custom tools can help decision-makers optimize urban forestry investments with respect to biophysical and socioeconomic outcomes in a clear and accountable manner. Additionally, the framework described here may be used in other cities, can track spatial characteristics of urban ecosystems over time, and may enable further tool development for collaborative decision-making in urban natural resource management