Master of Regional Planning (MRP) Theses and Exit Projects
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This is a collection of Master in Regional Planning (MRP) Theses and Exit Projects for the Department of City and Regional Planning.
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Item OPTIMIZING COMMUNITY PLANNING IN TROY, NY: THE ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION MODELOertel, Lauren (2024-05-20)Community Development Corporations have been a critical asset to disinvested communities nationwide since the 1960’s. Among many American rustbelt cities, Troy, New York residents face socioeconomic injustices because of the urban renewal regime and continued deteriorating infrastructure. For the Troy community to combat these inequities, it is critical to identify existing services, initiatives, and needs of residents and visitors. This study assesses how an adopted community development corporation model could effectively translate and address these needs. Exploring this topic requires a comprehensive examination of the challenges and opportunities that an organization may encounter, particularly in terms of organizational capacity and financial and political relationships.Item CRITICALLY ASSESSING SENIOR HOUSING PROGRAMS IN NYC & RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE STRATEGIESHanfei Sun (2024-05-20)The senior housing shortage is an urgent problem not only in New York City but also across the United States. In New York City, there are nearly 200,000 seniors on the waiting list for a senior housing incentive and have been waiting an average of seven years (Hosey, 2021). This paper critically examines New York City’s various policies, organizations, programs, and initiatives that aim to alleviate the housing shortage for seniors in order to 1) understand New York City’s efforts, 2) to assess the failures and successes of those efforts, and 3) to propose new possible ways forward in the next decade. Using the SWOG analysis method (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Gap), the paper analyzes and studies a variety of ongoing initiatives and identifies several recurring challenges and issues: the scarcity of land resources, the complexity and burdensomeness of government processes, the efficiency of the government departments and organizations, income and rent issues for seniors, and issues of controversy and balancing. This paper then concludes with recommendations and strategies that attempt to alleviate the senior housing crisis in New York City using six key “strategy shifts” as a reference point.Item UNDERSTANDING SUSTAINABILITY IN CLONE TOWN BRITAINComrie, Lancelot (2024-05-18)In 2003, the British government initiated the Sustainable Communities Act to regenerate town centers across the United Kingdom. To investigate this policy’s impact, the New Economics Foundation (NEF) conducted a survey in 2004, dividing towns into 'home towns' and 'clone towns'. These categories were based on their clone town score, the ratio of independent businesses to chain stores in town centers. Home towns were towns with a high ratio of traditional stores to chain stores, while clone towns had a high ratio of chain stores to traditional stores. The NEF hypothesized that home towns would be more sustainable than clone towns. This study investigated this hypothesis by analyzing economic, social, and environmental sustainability in six towns across London. The study’s findings indicated that a town’s clone town score has little impact on its social sustainability and environmental sustainability but was far more impactful on its economic sustainability.Item Rethinking Vacancy: Exploring a Temporary Use Model for Vacant Land in ChicagoEpps, Andrew (2024-05)Urban vacant land is a pervasive feature in many U.S. cities. Following the 2008 foreclosure crisis, local governments sought to reduce the high concentration of municipal-owned vacant land through initiatives that transferred lots to private ownership. This approach provided short-lived financial benefits but left large amounts of vacant land without plans for reutilization. This research explores how municipal strategies can adopt a temporary use model that allows for incremental, short-term interventions on vacant land. Focusing on Chicago, this paper compares the city’s former Large Lots Program with three case studies in the Washington Park neighborhood to illustrate different approaches to vacant land reutilization. Using a descriptive evaluative framework, this paper argues that embracing a temporary use model promotes socio-ecological benefits that can mitigate the adverse impacts resulting from high concentrations of vacant land and support community-led transformation.Item Reimagining Privately Owned Public Spaces in NYC vs AucklandZheng, Katie (2024-05-17)This paper explores and investigates the mechanisms behind the creation of privately owned spaces(POPS), specifically examining the regulations and review policies governing POPS in New York City and Auckland, New Zealand. Although the design review process and regulations have gone through reiterations and improvements, they are still largely being studied to improve the quality of POP spaces. The paper compares United States' incentive zoning review processes, the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) and the certification process, with Auckland's resource consent process, to highlight and specify main disparities and parallels between these processes. The paper analyzes important elements of successful review and regulation processes, including community engagement, the balance between discretionary vs administrative process, and the appropriate and ideal level of detail. Finally, concrete recommendations aimed at refining Auckland’s Resource Consent framework through analyzing New York Cities’ approach to POPs will be provided.Item Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Index: Identifying New Jersey’s TOD PotentialParihar, Aditi (2024-05-17)Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) integrates land use and transport planning to promote sustainable urban living. This project aims to develop a comprehensive TOD index for New Jersey, addressing the lack of spatially explicit measurement tools. The project evaluates potential TOD sites (including light rail stations, bus stations, and park-and-ride facilities) based on indicators such as land use, economy, sustainability, engagement, investment, and equity using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The methodology includes a thorough literature review, justification for selecting New Jersey, and spatial analysis using ArcGIS Pro. Findings highlight key areas suitable for TOD along with patterns offering a practical tool for planning agencies and stakeholders to prioritize and implement successful TOD initiatives, thereby enhancing access to public transportation, reducing vehicular pollution, and promoting healthier lifestyles.Item Framework For Resilience: Assessing communities' flood resilience in the upper HudsonRenders, Rachel (2024-05-17)The Hudson River Valley in New York State is predicted to experience a wetter climate and at minimum, around a foot of sea level rise in the next century. This study aims to understand how different regional contexts along the Hudson River lead to more or less successful flood mitigation efforts through land use. Using a Flood Ordinance Review Scorecard, I examined what land use strategies 11 randomly selected municipalities are and are not implementing in their local ordinances to make their communities more flood resilient. I also interviewed planning practitioners and government staff from the communities selected to verify and add to the scorecard results. While flood mitigation actions are implemented at the local level, higher levels of governance were found to have substantial influence over what policies communities adopt. This emphasizes how important state support of resilience work is, even if it still falls to local governments to make the change.Item Examining Urban Governance of Shrinking Cities at the National, State, and Local Level: A Comparative Case Study of Three Shrinking Cities in South KoreaJo, Su Jeong (2024-05-17)Depopulation is intensifying in non-metropolitan areas in South Korea with the nation recording a remarkably low fertility rate of 0.78 in 2022 (National Assembly Budget Office, 2023) and a significant migration trend towards metropolitan areas, especially Seoul. This migration, largely attributed to socioeconomic incentives in Seoul, has led to a situation where many describe the nation as the “Republic of Seoul” (SKKUP, 2021). Strikingly, population outflow tends to affect depopulation in non-metropolitan areas more than the birth rate decline (KRIHS, 2022). Since 2020, the population of the metropolitan areas, where it only occupies 11.8% of the total land area, has exceeded the population of the non-metropolitan areas, evidenced by an increase from 48.8% in 2000 to 50.4% in 2021 for metropolitan areas and a decrease from 51.2% in 2000 to 49.6 in 2021 for non-metropolitan areas (KRIHS 2022; KRIHS 2021). As a result, while over half of the country’s population and GDP is housed in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, 49.6% of local municipalities (113 out of 228) are facing drastic population decline (KEIS, 2022). Despite governmental interventions, regional disparities persist. This research seeks to explore sustainable strategies for the shrinking cities in South Korea by delving into three case studies with qualitative analysis of interviews with stakeholders from each municipality.Item Balancing Affordability, Sustainability, and Equity: Lessons from the Electrification Landscape in New YorkMaduakolam, Divine (2024-05-17)This research examines New York State's electrification initiatives, focusing on the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier regions, particularly investigating the implementation and impact of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for renewable energy procurement. Groton Village, New York, serves as a primary case study, with an analysis of municipally owned electric distribution utility compared to Owego Village’s investor owned and managed utility system. Owego’s investor- owned utility is the New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) which is highlighted as a key player, and empirical insights from NYSEG data inform the examination of PPAs' effects on electricity bills and overall affordability. Comparative analysis between Groton and Owego Villages provides insights into PPAs' impacts on household budgets and energy expenditure patterns. Exploration of building energy mixes and implications of electric vehicle (EV) adoption enriches understanding of the energy transition's dynamics. The study aims to provide actionable recommendations for stakeholders navigating energy transition complexities while ensuring equitable access to affordable, sustainable energy solutions.Item An Untraditional Approach to Traditional Fire Management: A Case Study of Australia's Arnhem Land Fire Abatement Northern Territory OrganizationBlood, Eliza (City and Regional Planning Department, Cornell University, 2024-05-17)Wildfire is central to Australia’s natural landscape and history. The organization, Arnhem Land Fire Abatement Northern Territory (ALFA NT), combines traditional fire knowledge with scientific fire knowledge to create a system that challenges conventional wildfire management. My research explores three major questions: how are traditional fire knowledge and scientific fire knowledge being combined in this organization? What impact does knowledge combining have on the environment? What impacts does knowledge combining have on Indigenous communities? ALFA NT combines Indigenous fire wisdom with science in governance and burning methods. Knowledge combining improves environmental outcomes, but also raises concerns about its effect on traditional practices and Indigenous culture. ALFA NT is revolutionary in its approach to fire management, setting the tone for the future of wildfire management across the world.