“Public participation” takes on various forms in the realm of local government planning. Many planners stand behind the ideal of involving community, but participation in practice often fails to achieve this objective. The primary vehicle for local government participation is the public hearing, which is a formalized process that often elicits one-way communication from planner to public. The nature of a hearing is to inform the public about development applications or policy changes, expose governing body decisions to the public, and elicit reactions from interested members of the public. Significant effort is taken daily by local planning departments to promote this transparent form of decision-making. The public can stay informed by reading legal ads in the newspaper, checking municipal websites, paying attention to public notice signs, attending hearings or simply receiving a hearing notice in their mailbox. However, staying informed and being involved are two completely different concepts. True involvement is two-way communication between public and planner. This study reports that the public hearing does not provide this necessary involvement. Alternative methods, such as workshops, are explored that break the formal mold of local government participation. Findings indicate that participation is more genuine in a loosely structured setting where face-to-face communication can occur between public and planner and among members of the public themselves. However, findings also suggest that genuine participation is not always appropriate given the intent of a public meeting. Many hearings are held at the end of the planning process for development applications requiring quasi-judicial decisions based on standards. The key is getting public input on earlier legislative decisions about policies that define the standards themselves. This study concludes with a toolkit of techniques practitioners can use to enhance public participation in planning, and observations about appropriate stages to implement those techniques in the planning process.

Transit agencies at all levels of government monitor trends in services, operations, and ridership using performance indicators. Federal and state agencies use these performance indicators in the appropriation of funds to transit agencies. Public transportation is subsidized through federal, state and local programs while only a portion of the operating expenses are covered through rider fares. In order to gather information on riders and travel patterns, transit agencies primarily focus on current transit riders, many of which are transit dependent populations. By definition, these populations use public transit services as the primary or only means of transportation. As a result, this offers limited opportunity for ridership growth among transit dependent populations. One segment of a population that offers high opportunity for ridership growth is commuters. A commuter is considered a worker that travels from home to work on a regular basis. However, in the case of commuter oriented transit services, it is important to survey non-riders so that any new services will have the greatest potential of increasing ridership among commuters. This report explores the potential commuter demand for additional or express bus services provided by San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority (RTA). RTA operates countywide fixed-route bus services and para-transit services for San Luis Obispo County. This report focuses on RTA’s Route 9, which operates between the North County and the Central County. In order to collect data from non-riders, electronics survey instruments were created and distributed using employer e-mail addresses. The survey instruments were sent to three major employers in San Luis Obispo County: California State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), the City of San Luis Obispo, and the County of San Luis Obispo. A link to one of the surveys instruments was also included on San Luis Obispo Council of Government’s (SLOCOG) Rideshare’s March 2013 e-newsletter as a way to reach additional non-riders. Analysis of the survey responses resulted in the recommendations to RTA. Recommendations are separated into two categories: (1) Expansion of RTA Route 9 services and (2) Future RTA non-rider outreach.

This project is an assessment of social vulnerability to sea-level rise in the unincorporated coastal area of the County of San Luis Obispo (County) using geospatial and statistical analysis. The intention of this assessment is to inform local climate adaptation efforts now required by state legislation. A social vulnerability index was generated at the Census block group level using 32 variables positively correlated with social vulnerability. The social vulnerability score for each block group is the sum of scores generated for the following principle components: (1) race/ethnicity and disability status, (2) social isolation and age, (3) income, and (4) housing quality and dependence on social services. This study uses Geographic Information Systems software to map social vulnerability scores and building footprints attributed each block group in the coastal planning area. To provide a preliminary assessment of exposure to sea-level rise hazards, social vulnerability and buildings are overlaid with existing spatial datasets for inundation, bluff erosion, dune erosion, and wetland migration induced by sea-level rise in the year 2100. Implications for existing plans and further research include the incorporation of sea-level rise vulnerability into the general plan (safety, land use, and environmental justice elements in particular), local hazard mitigation plan, and local coastal programs.

This research contributes to the field of land use planning by examining the effects of demographic trends--also known as demographic futures--on growth and development projections for seven communities in the Mojave Desert region of San Bernardino County, California. Demographic trends based on California Department of Finance projections and land development data supplied by the Southern California Association of Governments were obtained for each of the communities for the period between 1990 and 2001. By using a spatially explicit urban growth model, these trends and data were then used to allocate community-specific future growth for Adelanto, Apple Valley, Barstow, Hesperia, Twentynine Palms, Victorville, and Yucca Valley. The research compared three projected settlement densities for each community. These three densities were based on settlement trends between 1990 and 2001, on existing densities as of 2001, and on densities that had been derived from prior research in the Mojave Desert region as a whole. The overall effect of using demographic trends to estimate settlement densities results in less development of open space and undeveloped lands than under existing densities or densities derived from prior research. Indeed, using demographic trend-derived densities in place of existing densities resulted in nearly 3,900 more acres of vacant land in the seven communities remaining undeveloped by the year 2020. Similarly, using demographic trend-derived densities in place of densities developed by prior research resulted in nearly 22,000 more acres of vacant land in the seven communities remaining undeveloped by the year 2020. Differences in projected land use patterns based on demographic trends are a key point for land use planners to consider when determining future development in each of the communities. Accounting for these demographic trends provides a way of "fine tuning" projections to ensure that they are more representative of the needs and expectations of future populations.

MSc(Eng), Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, 2010

This study looks at the demographic, urban form and transit service characteristics that influence ridership in a college community. It acknowledges both the internal (those that a transit operator has control over) and external (variables that the transit operator cannot control) factors that influence ridership. A literature review shows that income, unemployment levels, densities, age, urban form, headway and coverage correlated to ridership. The study area used is the Five-College community that is serviced by UMass Transit, the dominant operator in the area. To perform analysis census data is collated at the block and block group levels regarding income, unemployment, vehicle ownership, population, density, college age population and housing age. Additional data about urban form and transit service characteristics is obtained. Exploratory data for all variables support the literatures finding except unemployment and land use diversity. Modeling is done in three stages using different scales of census data. A final model, combining scales is created. The highest indicators of ridership are found to be direction of travel, level of service, the percent of college age students and population density.

No description available.

As energy cost and climate change become increasingly prevalent concerns in the planning world, more and more jurisdictions are creating energy efficiency and climate action plans. As of 2011, over 120 cities and counties around the United States had already completed climate action plans (Boswell, Greve, & Seale, 2012, p. 24). A major factor in reducing energy use, and subsequently greenhouse gas emissions, is in making buildings more energy efficient. According to the EPA, buildings account for 36 percent of overall energy use in the United States (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2013). Although many of these plans set target energy reduction levels for buildings, the process for actually meeting these goal levels is often disorganized, cost-prohibited, and behind schedule. In order to meet energy reduction goals, a jurisdiction must first establish a system for tracking and monitoring energy use, pinpointing areas in needs of improvements, and sharing this information with decision makers. Energy Star’s Portfolio Manager benchmarking system provides a tool for public workers and building managers to meet these needs. The County of San Luis Obispo’s climate action and energy reduction plan, titled the EnergyWise Plan (2011), sets a goal for the County’s municipal buildings to reduce their energy use by 20 percent from 2006 levels by the year 2020 (pg. 171). This report uses the Portfolio Manager Tool to analyze the current energy use of the County’s municipal buildings, pinpointing the areas most in need of further examination in order to meet the EnergyWise Plan’s goal. The report concludes with an audit and retrofit implementation plan for the County’s top energy users, as well as a set of recommendations to improve the County’s overall energy use which include: 1. Organization and collaboration between departments should be encouraged, in order to more efficiently share data. 2. Yearly reports should be produced as a measure of progress towards meeting 2020 reduction levels. 3. Efforts should be focused on audits and retrofits of the twelve selected buildings first, followed by analysis and audits in the remaining County buildings. 4. The Public Protection Department’s energy use levels should be monitored and improved when feasible. 5. Those buildings that are Energy Star qualified should apply for certification. 6. The County should continue to seek funding sources for implementing audits and retrofits.

Although tabernacles do not hold the sacred meaning of Mormon temples, they are symbolic landmarks of the culture of the early Mormon Saints. Tabernacles were once an integral part of each community in which they were located. They were often the main buildings in the community, reflecting the coherent, orderly nature of a Mormon town. Today, many of the original tabernacles have been torn down and others are under the threat of destruction.The first tabernacles built in the Mormon Culture Region were constructed in the 1850s. They were large meetinghouses built for the purpose of holding large general meetings. They were preacher centered houses of worship with few classrooms or recreational facilities. Over time the tabernacles became larger and often more ornate. Because of the growth of the Church, change in Church programs and technological advancement tabernacles are no longer built. Those remaining are threatened with destruction because of high maintenance costs, and low practicality.

This Master’s Project is separated into two parts: the introduction and background informing an affordable senior housing market study, and a market study prepared for People’s Self Help Housing (PSHH). The introduction begins by providing current and future trends for seniors at the national and state levels. This includes discussion of the “Baby Boomer” age cohort and their rapid growth and potential impact to the housing market. The introduction then describes challenges facing developers of affordable senior housing. These challenges include the type, location, and funding sources for future senior housing projects. All federal funding sources for affordable senior housing projects are then briefly presented and their applicability to the proposed project is explained. The introduction sets the stage for a market study created to determine the feasibility of an affordable senior housing project in the Santa Maria/Orcutt market area.