In this study eddy covariance was used to measure sensible heat, latent heat, and carbon dioxide fluxes for the months of August, September, and October of 2009 within the roughness sublayer (RSL) of the urban center of Portland, OR. Vehicle traffic and solar radiation were also measured for the month of October. Flux measurements were compared with measurements from other urban areas as a test of reasonableness. CO₂ fluxes were nearly always positive and were strongly correlated with the weekday diurnal traffic cycle. CO₂ fluxes averaged 6.6 μmol/m^²s, which is less than other published measurements in urban areas. Sensible and latent heat fluxes followed the expected diurnal profile associated with solar radiation. Average sensible heat flux decreased as the season changed from summer to fall, moving from an average of 39 W/m^² in August to 12 W/m^² in October. A corresponding increase in latent heat flux was observed during this period, changing from an average of 10 W/m^² in August to 17 W/m^² in October. Heat flux behavior and amplitude was consistent with other urban measurements, though amplitude varies considerably from city to city. Stationarity was shown to positively influence measured CO₂ fluxes, but to have little effect on measured heat fluxes. Preliminary comparisons of October sensible heat and CO₂ fluxes to an inventory-based estimate of vehicle emissions indicate that eddy covariance measurements underestimate the true fluxes by 50%.

The Portland Japanese School (hoshuukoo) was established as a supplementary Saturday school by a Japanese business group of Portland (Shokookai). The mission of this school is to provide Japanese education to Japanese students who eventually go back to Japan and continue to study in the Japanese school system. My previous project found that Japanese parents, who are long term U.S. residents, want to send their children to the Portland hoshuukoo for the purpose of giving a heritage Japanese education. Utilizing a case study qualitative approach, the current study administered a questionnaire to heritage Japanese students and interviewed them, their parents, the school administrator, and teachers to shed light on their perceptual differences in expectations towards hoshuukoo. The data collected through the questionnaire and interview found that while the school maintains the original mission that hoshuukoo is to provide Japanese national education to those who will go back to Japan and continue to study in the Japanese schooling, the parents of heritage Japanese students expect that their children learn the Japanese language and culture and become "Japanese-like" person who acquires "Japanese-ness" from the education and experiences at the Portland hoshuukoo. It was also found that the teachers are aware of the gaps between the heritage Japanese students' needs for Japanese as a heritage language instruction and the school's mission but they have not been able to fulfill the student needs and expectations due to the absolute mission of the school and lack of time and resources. While there is the teacher's dilemma towards education to the heritage Japanese students, Portland hoshuukoo still carries a role as a place able to provide a heritage Japanese education with some conditions: which require heritage Japanese students tremendous effort and require their parents great support for their children. Considering that the heritage Japanese students at the Portland hoshuukoo may increase in future, this study suggests that now is the time to rethink or revise the school's mission to fulfill expectations and needs of students and parents at Portland hoshuukoo.

The concept of the city has come to play a central role in the practices of a new generation of artists for whom the city is their canvas. Street art is a complex social issue. For decades, its presence has fueled intense debate among residents of modern cities. Street art is considered by some to be a natural expression that exercises a collective right to the city, and by others, it is seen as a destructive attack upon an otherwise clean and orderly society. This research focuses on various forms of street art from the perspective of the urban audience. The general aim is to further an understanding of how people interact with and respond to street art. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered via direct participant observations of street art installations and 139 surveys conducted with residents in Portland, Oregon. Survey respondents distinguished between street art forms; generally preferring installations and masterpieces over tagging and stickers. More respondents considered graffiti to be a form of artistic expression, rather than an act of vandalism. Participant observations indicated that purposefully-designed street art can promote interaction between people, art, and public space. Random urban spectators became active collaborators; using art and performance to express themselves in public. These findings indicate there is a need to reconsider zero tolerance graffiti policies. Overall, these findings also contribute to a more informed discussion regarding the regulation, acceptability, and possibilities of unauthorized artistic expression in cities.

The purpose of this study was to discover whether learning garden programs increase access to locally grown foods and successfully empower and include food insecure populations. This study examined the Oregon Food Bank's Seed to Supper program which situates garden-based learning in food insecure communities. Through a mixed-methods community-based research process, this study found that community building, learner empowerment and sustainability leadership in place-based learning garden programs increased access to locally grown foods for food insecure populations. When food insecure populations participated in these learning garden programs they often engaged in practices described in the literature as the "web of inclusion" (Helgesen, 1995). When food insecure populations were engaged in these practices, participation in food democracy and food justice increased. Additionally, participation in learning gardens led to sustainability leadership and increased access to food literacy, which led to greater community health and engaged, local community food systems.

This study focuses on sustainability in higher education and the competencies essential to address sustainability issues. Because sustainability issues are complex, "wicked", and dynamic, sustainability education programs need to reflect the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of the field. Graduates who are competent in sustainability research and problem solving will have the knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary to analyze a sustainability problem systemically and comprehensively, then will construct and implement interventions to reach optimal sustainability solutions. To prepare graduates, sustainability education programs should facilitate the development of key sustainability competencies (Wiek, Withycombe, & Redman, 2011). Such programs provide an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates real-world sustainability issues through a combination of formal (guided by curriculum) and informal (not guided by curriculum) learning environments. This study examines Community Environmental Services (CES), a research and service unit at Portland State University (PSU) that has been providing students informal learning opportunities connected to real-world projects. CES projects provide students opportunities to work with community partners addressing waste, recycling, and materials management issues. The intent of this research is to determine if CES provides students real-world learning opportunities not provided in traditional academic programs that facilitate the development of sustainability competencies, and positively influence students' employment opportunities post-graduation. The findings from this research suggest that CES alumni believed they were proficient in each of the key sustainability competencies, which were developed equally through their experiences working at CES and their academic program. This study also found that CES alumni felt their experiences working at CES- including the development of professional skills and building a professional network- had more of an impact on future employment and career opportunities than their academic degree or other sources. The findings and insights from this research provide a model for sustainability education that can be replicated by other universities. A combination of formal sustainability curriculum integrated across campus, and informal real-world learning opportunities help facilitate student development of key sustainability competencies.

The purpose of this study is to explore the use of integrated probe vehicle, traffic and land use data to identify and characterize fine particulate matter (PM[subscript 2.5]) hot spot locations on urban arterial corridors. In addition, a preliminary analysis is conducted to consider volatile organic compound (VOC) hot spot locations. A pollutant hot spot is defined as a location on a corridor in which the mean pollutant concentrations are consistently above the 85th percentile of pollutant concentrations when compared to all locations along the corridor. In order to collect data for this study, an electric vehicle was equipped with instruments designed to measure PM[subscript 2.5] and total VOC (TVOC) concentrations. Second-by-second measurements were performed for each pollutant from both the right and left sides of the vehicle. Detailed meteorological, traffic and land use data is also available for this research. The results of a statistical analysis, including multiple regression, are used to better understand which data sources are most valuable in estimating PM[subscript 2.5] hot spot locations consistent with empirical data; knowledge is gained as to which variables have the strongest statistical relationships with traffic emissions and pollutant levels at a corridor level. A preliminary analysis is also completed to consider which variables are statistically related to TVOC hot spot locations. This research highlights the importance of considering both consistency and magnitude of pollutant concentrations when identifying hot spot locations. An objective of this research is to develop a method to identify urban arterial hot spot locations that provides a balance of efficiency (in terms of capital expenses, time, resources, expertise requirements, etc.) and accuracy.

A growing body of research emphasizes the development of an understanding of the relationship between older adults and their physical and social environments (Wahl & Weisman, 2003). Researchers, planners, policymakers, and community residents have been increasingly interested in shaping urban environments as places that foster active aging and independence among older adults. Senior centers have served a critical role in their communities as focal points for older adults, as individuals or in groups, to participate in services and activities that support their independence and encourage their involvement in and with the community (NCOA, 1979). The aging of the population and influx of baby boomers into the older demographic, along with declines in participation rates and funding, are challenging senior center staff to be innovative and adaptive in order to demonstrate senior centers’ relevance to future older adults while maintaining the programming and services for their current participants. This research is a multiple-case study of five unique senior centers located throughout the Portland metropolitan area in Oregon. Different types and models of senior centers are represented by the selected cases, as they operate under different governance structures and vary in aspects such as administration, funding, participant characteristics, community partnerships, transportation options, physical environments, and range of services and programs offered. This study aims to better understand challenges, strengths, and future directions for different types of senior centers serving a metropolitan area. Data collection at each site included interviews with staff as well as focus groups with senior center participants. Interviews with key informants enriched the findings and provided outside perspectives of senior center experiences. Data analysis revealed challenges and strengths that were common across and unique to the different senior centers in this study. This research contributes to the literature in urban studies, community development, and gerontology by exploring potential opportunities for urban senior centers to adapt and continue to serve older adults. Recommendations were developed for how senior centers might capitalize on these opportunities and for how their communities might provide mechanisms of support to facilitate the continuation and contributions of senior centers in metropolitan areas.

The purpose of this study was to identify critical childcare resources that student parents utilize that allow them to access higher education at varying levels, but also to make assumptions about parents unable to enroll due to barriers and/or lack of resources. This study sought to answer the following questions: 1) To what extent does subsidized childcare facilitate student parents' access to higher education? Is subsidized childcare a more important resource for some groups of students than for others?, and 2) Are student parents making childcare-enrollment trade-offs in order to pursue higher education? Are certain groups of students more vulnerable to making trade-offs?

News and public affairs on commercial radio dramatically changed following the 1996 Telecom Act, with rapid consolidation and economic efficiencies radically shrinking commercial radio's role in the provision of political information. By examining jobs data, public files, and the views of broadcast journalists, this project assesses the Act's impact through the lens of civic-minded Portland, Oregon. Because political information enables democracy, and because of radio's uniquely accessible qualities, this paper argues that market emphasis in media policy--especially in the Act's absolute manifestation--has diminished a significant channel of public discourse. Noticing radio's democratic potential, still relevant in the digital age, this work offers support for a revival of discursive opportunities on local commercial radio.

This thesis uses an advocacy/participatory framework and moral conflict theory to examine the opposing ideas: and interests of parties involved in the issue of prostitution on 82nd Avenue in Portland, Oregon. It locates areas of contention within the larger dominant feminist discourse, which views sex work as either a form of violence and exploitation or as a form of legitimate free-contract labor. The thesis shows how the intractable moral conflict between these differing feminist theories and values can be mediated using participatory data collection techniques. Ethnographic data was collected and analyzed from 11 women working in the sex industry in Portland, highlighting voices commonly left out of the conflict. Participants were given cameras and invited to photo-document their individual and community's needs and aspirations through the qualitative, arts-based research method, photovoice. An exhibit of these photographs was displayed as an art exhibit at several locations throughout the Portland area. Data collection methods also included a review of local media sources collected between September 2007 and April 2009, and field notes gathered from participatory and non-participatory observations at public town hall forums. Close analytic attention is given to the perspectives of those marginalized populations of sex workers excluded from the dialogue on issues that directly affect them. This thesis demonstrates ways in which community-based, participatory research, such as the use of photovoice method, can empower marginalized individuals to affect change within their community. The exhibit of photovoice data was used to enhance communication among individuals and groups involved in an intractable moral conflict about sex work in Portland. This thesis argues that photovoice method has potential for increasing the quality of public discourse to manage moral conflicts or to discover resolutions suitable to the needs and desires of multiple stakeholders.