Browsing by Subject "Equity"

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Addressing Accessibility and Equity Along Transitways: Toward a Mixed Methods Toolkit—Part 2
(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2021-03) Fisher, Thomas; Hang, Joseph; Ogranovich, Dan; Chao, Lynda
This report presents a mixed-methods toolkit for use in community engagement as part of transitway planning and design. Although the tools apply to any type of transit in any location, they were developed in relation to three planned transitways in the Twin Cities: the B, Rush, and Gold lines. The report looks at one or more station areas along these lines, analyzing their accessibility and equity issues and showing how the toolkit might be used to improve the experience of transit users. The report also describes each tool, gives examples of its use, and discusses how, when, and where it might best be used as well as who might use it and for what reason. The tools work independently, but they also constitute a single toolkit, complementing each other as part of community engaged transit planning. The tools also work remotely as well as for in-person settings, on digital platforms as well as in print, and asynchronously as well as synchronously. The tools have an educational component, explaining in simple language and through visual descriptions the meaning of the various terms frequently encountered in transitway planning and urban design, with the goal of equipping people with the knowledge they need to have a more informed engagement process.
Advancing Equity in Accessibility and Travel Experiences: The Role of Gender and Identity
(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2023-05) Song, Ying; Fan, Yingling; Zhang, Yaxuan; McDonnell, Ania
Gender can have a significant influence on people's behaviors and experiences. Hence, excluding gender diversity in transportation research and practices can result in biased or incomplete understandings of issues and perceptions about transportation and quality of life. This study examined whether and how gender, in a broader sense, can result in distinctly different activity-travel patterns and subjective well-being (SWB) outcomes using survey data. The study reviewed existing literature and found that gender was not binary meaning that some gender identities were not solely female or male. The literature also indicated a person's gender typically intersected with their other social identities such as race and family type and created unique needs and experiences. To address the complex nature of gender, the team collected new data using the Daynamica smartphone application and included specific questions concerning (1) participants' gender identities and attitudes toward gender roles, (2) their share of household-supporting tasks in 14-day travel diaries, and (3) their emotions during trips and activity participation. The team used 2021 Daynamica survey data and 2019 Travel Behavior Inventory data from the Metropolitan Council to extract activity-travel patterns before and after COVID-19. The team associated these patterns with participants' gender and other identities and SWB outcomes through visual explorations and statistical analysis. The findings suggested the importance of capturing the complex, intersectional nature of gender, confirmed the persistent existence of gender differences in transportation needs, experiences, and SWB outcomes in Minnesota, and supported continuous efforts and investments to advance gender equity in transportation.
Advancing Transportation Equity: Research and Practice
(Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, 2019-02) Van Dort, Leoma; Guthrie, Andrew; Fan, Yingling; Baas, Gina; yingling@umn.edu
Transportation contributes to many societal outcomes, including employment, health, and wealth. However, disparities and inequities in transportation systems, services, and decision-making processes disproportionately impact underserved and underrepresented communities. This study seeks to create a better understanding of current research and practice and recommend future research and practice that can advance transportation equity in Minnesota. To that end, the research team conducted a literature review that summarizes recent developments in the field of transportation equity, reviewed existing equity-focused programs within and beyond the transportation sector, and engaged multiple stakeholder groups, including a project advisory group with experts in addressing disparities and inequities, a group of transportation users and equity stakeholders, and community members. The study presents a working definition of transportation equity, recommends action steps for MnDOT and its partners to consider in advancing transportation equity, and identifies directions for future research and practice that can advance transportation equity in the state of Minnesota.
Amplifying Counternarratives: Institutionally Supported Student Voice(s) and the Impacts on E12 Practices & Policies
(2022-05) Walsh, Shaun
Over the past two decades, efforts to amplify student voice have proliferated as a project or process to increase institutional engagement with young people. Institutionally supported student voice is generally distinguished from, yet not independent of, student activism and youth activism. The designs, outcomes, and impacts of student voice efforts vary across institutions and systems. In many instances, young people are tokenized by student voice efforts that essentialize “student” as a monolithic identity, dictate adult-controlled input, and lack power-sharing. In other spaces, efforts to systematically amplify student voices actively resist essentialization and tokenization while attempting to collaboratively build inclusive institutional policy and practices. In rare moments, institutionally supported efforts to include student voice may facilitate a strategic disruption of existing power structures, whereby young people and adults co-construct meaning to dismantle systemic educational oppression. This paper assumes that the goal of institutionally supported student voice projects is not simply to increase student engagement but rather to proactively alter the logic and system of schooling. Existing literature falls short of examining the dynamics of student voice by essentializing student subjectivity and maintaining binary concepts of power.Through a unique case study of an institutionally supported student voice effort, this paper analyzes constructions, intentions and perceived impacts of publicly presented student counternarratives. This paper applies relationality, as the embedded theoretical framework to provide greater insight into the complexity of institutionally supported student voice(s) as a response to, or interruption of, schooling as a saturated site of power. This study illuminates how one counternarrative can be carried forward, re-told, amplified and re-framed to challenge multiple aspects of schooling as a saturated site of power. Further, findings from this study suggest that amplifying student voices through institutionally supported structures, coupled with adult willingness to share power, can influence change toward more equitable, inclusive and just educational institutions.
An analysis of changes to transit accessibility and equity after the opening of a bus rapid transit system in Hartford, Connecticut
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2018) Bertolaccini, Kelly
In March 2015, CTfastrak, a bus rapid transit system operating in Connecticut in the United States, opened after nearly 16 years of planning and controversy. The 15.1-km (9.4-mi) busway connects the town of New Britain to the state capital of Hartford. The analysis conducted in this paper investigates whether or not CTfastrak and the transit system restructuring that occurred between 2013 and 2016 improved overall transit accessibility in the region, and if so, whether or not the distribution of these improvements is equitable. This exploration provides strong evidence that overall transit accessibility has improved in the region. Horizontal, or spatial equity, did worsen slightly as a result of this highly localized project. However, vulnerable populations experience more improvements and fewer decreases in transit accessibility than the general population. Though these analyses seem promising, an analysis of the distribution of transit access among workers hints that while many people are experiencing increases in general accessibility, they may not have meaningful access to their place of employment.
Are School Boards Equipped to Govern Effectively in the Era of Equity (2015 to Present)?
(2022-09) Link, Holly
School boards diligently strive to demonstrate their accountability amidst continual criticism, currently at a heightened level following the COVID-19 pandemic, with ensuing drops in student achievement. The responsibilities of a school board are often misunderstood by their community, and school boards themselves are struggling in this era of equity (2015 to present) to define effective school board governance, and to equip their board members to govern effectively. This quantitative exploratory research documented current school board member socialization experiences and found that school board socialization programs are narrow in scope, not comprehensive, and inconsistently implemented, creating risk for inefficient and ineffective governance. The study revealed that current school board governance effectiveness is inconsistently evaluated. School board socialization programs are rarely, if ever, monitored through school board policy monitoring nor periodically evaluated using a valid instrument. This research used a broadened aperture to view school board member socialization, from the time period prior to a member’s board service through their exit from the board. The research found statistically significant and substantively meaningful relationships between school board socialization practices with board member reported readiness to govern, and with perceived exhibited school board effectiveness characteristics. Implications of the study results for theory, research and practice are offered, and a preliminary model for a research-based, comprehensive school board member socialization program is proposed.
Because I Write: A Teacher-Writer Teaches Writing
(2018-11) Baker, Jodi
Writing enhances learning and is recognized as being essential; however, writing is neglected in research, teacher preparation and in classrooms. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the majority of students are not proficient at writing. Teachers are often uncomfortable teaching writing because of its complexity, because they lack support or expertise, or because they are not writers themselves. Teachers who identify as writers can bring their knowledge about writing into the classroom. The focus of this study was to deeply understand the pedagogy of a 6th grade teacher-writer. Through seven weeks of daily participation and observations during writing instruction, ethnographic methods were employed to explore how an elementary teacher-writer teaches writing, how an elementary teacher’s writing identity impacts writing instruction and influences student writers, and how identifying as a writer contributes to a teacher’s ability to navigate multiple writing discourses to make informed pedagogical decisions. Prominent themes revealed that the teacher-writer’s instruction honored students’ agency and empowerment, embraced vulnerability, and incorporated reflective practice. The teacher-writer negotiated standards, district curriculum, literacy experts’ theories, students’ needs, and her own writing experiences. Based on the teacher’s dynamic pedagogy, I define a new term, “writing capital,” as the knowledge, experiences, and embodiment teacher-writers draw upon to plan and teach writing. Students identified strongly as writers and named their teacher’s writing and writing identity as influential factors. This study contributes to growing interest in how teachers’ writing identities impact writing instruction and students’ writing identities. Results suggest that teacher preparation programs and professional development should incorporate opportunities for educators to explore and develop writing identities, and writing curriculum should include opportunities for teachers to share their writing and writing lives with students.
“Can I just be a human with them?" Cultivating Equity-Mindedness for the Teaching and Learning of Elementary Mathematics
(2016-07) Colum, Karen
Equity has risen to a prominent position in mathematics education with some organizations such as the NCTM positioning it first of six principles for teaching mathematics. Additionally, much work has been focused on the development of effective mathematics teaching practices (NCTM, 2014), culturally relevant practices (Gay, 2000, Leonard, 2008) and developing social justice curriculum (Gutstein, 2006). However, what is still lacking is explicit attention to equity issues within the different academic disciplines in teacher preparation programs (Banks, 1993; Ladson-Billings, 1994). Many scholars argue that mathematics education courses need to have an explicit focus on equity and mathematics instruction to prepare teacher candidates for the realties in schools (Aguirre, 2009; Gutiérrez, 2012a; Martin, 2003). Therefore, this study addresses this problem outlined by the literature as it purposefully embedded issues of equity alongside the typical content contained in a mathematics methods course. A phenomenological understanding of teacher candidates’ perceptions as they experience becoming equity-minded in a mathematics methods course holds great potential to provide new insights into integrating equity into the teaching and learning of mathematics from an authentic, learner-centered perspective. This study seeks to help teacher educators and teacher education programs understand more deeply how teacher candidates may experience cultivating an equity mindset for the teaching of elementary mathematics by addressing follow question: How might cultivating equity mindedness take shape with teacher candidates in an elementary mathematics methods course? This qualitative study utilized a post-intentional research design (Vagle, 2014) to investigate a group of teacher candidates’ lived experiences of cultivating equity-mindedness while enrolled in a face-to-face, undergraduate, mathematics methods course. For sixteen weeks following the conclusion of the course, qualitative methods were used to collect data from the teacher candidates’ accountings of their experience shared through individual interviews and written course assignments. Iterative cycles of whole-part-whole approach (Vagle, 2014) captured tentative manifestations of the phenomenon of cultivating equity-mindedness as it was experienced in the methods course. Five tentative manifestations were produced through data analysis: (1) metacognitive awareness; (2) struggles with power; (3) knowledge of students; (4) multiplicity in practice; and (5) discourse of equity. The insights gained from this study were used to make recommendations for teacher educators and teacher preparation programs for practices that help promote and foster the growth of equity-oriented mindset for the teaching and learning of mathematics.
Centering the Margins: The Transportation Experience of Underserved Communities
(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2023-08) Fan, Yingling; Greenberg, Gillian; Panchal, Niyati; Wilson, Maxwell; Luna, Christina; Amrhein, Joseph; Benda, Samuel; Song, Ying; Zeng, Xiaohuan
Transportation systems, as integral parts of human settlements, reflect the societal structures and cultural ideologies influenced predominantly by the dominant race or class. In the absence of prioritizing the transportation needs of underserved communities, transportation systems may perpetuate systematic inequities. This study aims to address the inequities present in current transportation systems by conducting a comprehensive examination of the transportation experiences of individuals belonging to ten specific underserved communities. These communities include eight within the Twin Cities metropolitan region (Latinx, African American, Hmong, people with disabilities, immigrants, people living with HIV, single mothers, and single fathers), as well as two communities in the Greater Minnesota area (transitioning home residents in Fergus Falls and tribal members of the White Earth Nation). This research adopts a mixed-method approach, incorporating both qualitative interviews and quantitative smartphone-based travel behavior surveys. The findings reveal that each community faces distinct transportation barriers, alongside shared themes in transportation inequities such as inadequate public transportation, difficulties related to car use, and the impact of transportation on significant life outcomes. Recommendations for future research and practice are provided.
Closing the Divide: Exploring Meaningful Technology Use in the Technology Integration Matrix
(2024) Seylar, John
The purpose of this mixed-methods study is to investigate the suitability of Technology Integration Matrix Observations (TIM-O) extensity scores to serve as a quantitative proxy for meaningful technology use in K-12 public school settings across the United States. To do so, correlations between TIM-O extensity scores and various school-level socioeconomic indicators were explored using a Cumulative Link Mixed Model. Questions and observations gathered during the model-building process were then used to inform the development of an interview protocol, which was used to gather the experiences and perspectives of three middle school instructional coaches. My analysis uncovered evidence that TIM-O extensity scores could serve as a useful proxy for meaningful technology use, though improvements and further study will be necessary.
Confronting complexities of public school integration: School district leaders of diversity and equity navigating the professional, the personal, and the political
(2013-08) Mattheis, Allison
This dissertation is an in-depth ethnographic investigation of how local school district equity and diversity coordinators work within policy constraints and respond to particular local demands. The findings presented in this document are drawn from four years spent exploring the implementation of school integration policy in the state of Minnesota through observation of leaders' professional networks, legislative and department of education meetings and hearings, visits to three communities selected as case study sites, and a statewide survey of leaders in districts receiving integration revenue. Using a sociocultural approach to policy studies along with critical discourse analysis, this research examines community values and actions in the wider context of demographic shifts in public schools across the country, and highlights the localized nature of much educational policy. This work seeks broadly to explore practices designed to develop multicultural understanding, and examine the impact of policies that address racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic integration in public schools.
Culturally Responsive School Leadership: Educational Leaders' Reflections on Equity Behaviors in Predominantly White Schools
(2022-04) Krebs, Joshua
The purpose of this study was to explore school leaders’ perceptions regarding behaviors need to lead change for equity in predominantly White suburban schools. The study was carried out by interviewing 14 school leaders in predominantly White suburban schools with public statements in support of equity. The semi-structured interviews were created using the framework of Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CRSL) behaviors identified by Khalifa, Gooden, and Davis (2016) in their synthesis of the literature. Five themes emerged: (1) Communities Divided, (2) Inappropriate and Ineffective use of Data & Feedback, (3) Structural Barriers to Equity, (4) Staff Resistance, and (5) Whiteness Protecting the Status Quo. The author recommends that school leaders focus on three areas to lead toward a more equitable learning environment: (1) Improving community relations by embracing their role as a public intellectual (Khalifa, 2018), countering false narratives, information sharing, and understanding Whiteness, (2) Using data, community feedback, and student voice more effectively by investing in training, countering deficit ideologies with a focus on cultural strengths, taking direction on needed change from historically marginalized groups, equity audits, and tracking racial harm, and (3) Creating more inclusive policies and practices through professional development that is consistent and comprehensive, proactive messaging, CRSL teams for collaborative walkthroughs, and moving away from traditional grading practices to minimize or eliminate subjectivity.
Decentering and Dismantling white Prominence in Music Education: Portraits of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives
(2021-11) Diaz, Roque
As racial and ethnic diversity increases in a multicultural pluralistic society, professional music education institutions like orchestras and higher education institutions strive to incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives into their programming, missions, and values. However, there is a lack of systematic efforts to holistically portray these initiatives and their outcomes. The primary objective of this study was to portray cultural change as revealed through the initiatives of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) and Augsburg University (AugU), two institutions that have undertaken specific strategies to advance DEI. Utilizing portraiture methodology, I revealed both institutions' lived experiences and the essence of their practices through the concept of “goodness” (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Davis, 1997) as revealed through written portraits in the form of a screenplay composed from original interviews, material cultures, site observations, and my worldview lens as the portraitist. The findings highlighted this concept of “goodness” from the two institutions' DEI journeys, rather than criticized research failures (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Davis, 1997). The resulting analysis depicts the why and how of these DEI trajectories within each institution, including values, goals, strategies, and progress in achieving outcomes, leading to a final integrative portrait of cultural change. This study offers a conceptual framework for cross-institutional principles that may be effective in achieving enhanced DEI initiatives in institutions with differing structures, missions, and purposes. Key themes that emerged from the SPCO were defining racial and ethnic diversity as the institution’s DEI lens, including subthemes of diversifying the institution’s mission, collaborative leadership, cultivating relationships, single-loop, and double-loop learning; and controlling Whiteness. Key themes that emerged from AugU were defining equity-mindedness as the institution’s DEI lens, including subthemes collaborative leadership, establishing pipelines for historically excluded and marginalized students, inclusive communications; and amplifying lived experiences and identities. Both institutions shared a common interest and general sense of goodness through collaborative leadership and cultivating relations/establishing pipelines. Yet, both had divergent themes that illuminated imperfections. Several recommendations for future research and practice are offered, along with concluding reflections.
The Distribution of Access: Evaluating Justice in Transport
(2018-12) Palmateer, Chelsey
In academics, transport planning, and transport project implementation there is growing interest in better understanding the justice associated with transport systems and projects. Considerable effort has been expended on understanding the negative unintended side-effects of transport systems and their disparate impacts on minority and low income populations since the establishment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and implementation of Executive Order (EO) 12898. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 established discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion and/or national origin as illegal in public accommodations. This bill was intended to provide against discrimination in public settings such as shops, schools and theaters, as well as to protect the right to vote. In addition Title VI of the bill outlawed discrimination by government agencies receiving federal funds, indicating that agencies found in violation could lose said funding. Despite the advances of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, instances of widespread and institutional discrimination continue to be observed. In the 1980s a study performed by the United States Government Accountability Office found that minority and low-income neighborhoods were the sites of a disproportionately high number of toxic waste facilities throughout the South. As a result of the study, President Clinton signed EO 12898 which requires all federally funded agencies to identify and mitigate adverse health and environmental impacts of their programs, particularly as those impacts pertain to target protected groups. In practice the following groups are targeted in investigations of equity: African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, Native Hawaiians, Other Pacific Islanders, low-income populations, the elderly, the disabled, and children. In the 1990s the Los Angeles MTA began to prioritize the implementation of rail projects to the benefit of mostly white suburban commuters at the expense of the bus system which serviced the mostly black inner-city poor. This prioritization led to significant cuts to funding for bus programs resulting in proposals for a decrease in both the frequency and quality of service available via the bus network. In addition the MTA sought to increase fares to cover the gap in bus funding and as part of the fare increase to eliminate the bus pass, which provided for use of the buses at a reduced rate for regular bus riders. As part of a federally mandated process, the MTA held a public hearing on its proposals for making up for the shortfall in bus funds. The bus rider community came to the meeting en masse and provided insight into the hardship that the service cuts and fare increases would generate within the community. Despite the turnout at the meeting, the MTA board voted to raise fares, eliminate passes, and cut service as planned in order to meet budget shortfalls, and a week later approved a plan which provided funds nearly matching the bus system funding deficit to a single light rail project. In the end the bus riders unionized and successfully settled a class action lawsuit against the MTA on the grounds of intentional racism, but the enforcement of the settlement continues into this century. The experience of the Los Angeles Bus Riders Union demonstrates the prevalence of justice issues in a modern context and a need for a better understanding of justice and a means by which to systematically evaluate justice in the accrual of negative impacts, costs, and benefits of government projects among the populous. However the effort focusing on the distribution of the benefits of transport systems has not been as extensively addressed as the focus on the negative impacts of transport systems. Further the research that has been performed to date is varied in nature with little agreement about what the theoretical justice foundation is or much attempt to define it outside of the mention of a few leading economic theories, primarily Rawls' Theory of Justice. In addition, there is little agreement on what the operationalization of these concepts of distributive justice should be. Further, of the measures currently in use few are capable of addressing non-segregated populations, with much existing analysis being dependent on arbitrarily chosen concentrations of target populations as representative of the experience of all members of those populations. These issues make it difficult to understand the implications of transport policies on the distributive justice of transport networks. This thesis systematically reviews justice as a standalone concept separate from law that guides the actions of individuals and states in the division of goods and labor as well as towards individuals and populations. In this dissertation philosophical literature dating back to the times of Confucius and Plato is discussed and reviewed and followed through history to further the understanding of justice throughout human history and how it relates to various government structures. Within the context of a western government structure justice is then discussed as an economic concept specifically relating to the distribution of resources. Finally the chapter concludes with a review of the literature relating to justice in transport noting the tendency to utilize accessibility, which accounts for both land uses and transport networks, as a measure of the transport good. This thesis further utilizes accessibility and four theoretical concepts of justice from economics to operationalize measures of justice which are based on the distribution of access. The four concepts of justice utilized are absolute need, equality of opportunity, maxi-min justice, and relative need. There is also a discussion of the meaning and measurement of accessibility as applied in this dissertation. The result is a series of multiple potential operationalized measures of justice. This thesis applies the measures of distributive justice developed to the Sioux Falls Network, a commonly used toy network in transport research, as a demonstration of the measures. This thesis also indicates other information, namely levels of segregation, that is useful to consider in conjunction with the accessibility data and distributive justice measures. The measures are then applied to a case study. The case study is laid out as a before and after analysis of the Harris County Re-Imagined Bus Network, which was fundamentally a rescheduling of the entire bus network for the Houston metropolitan area which occurred shortly after the opening of two new light rail services. The thesis details the phases of the project itself, discusses the measurement of accessibility for the various phases of the project, applies the accessibility based distributive justice measures, and discusses the implications of each. The distributive justice measures are used to compare 48 of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the United States by population. This provides a description of the metropolitan areas and the accessibility in those areas. The distributive justice measures are calculated based on the access data, and predictive curves are developed for the measures to account for the impacts of some land use factors on the measurements. The results provide a basis for comparing the strengths and weaknesses of each of the measures as well as providing information on which metropolitan areas under/over perform relative to prediction in distributive justice. It is interesting to note that this varies depending on the distributive justice measurement applied. Finally regression analysis is performed using network characteristics and land uses on distributive justice at the sub-county level. The thesis reviews graph theory and its implications for network analysis, particularly in its ability to simplify the inherently complex nature of transport networks. Further the thesis includes preliminary analysis of the various network characteristics, land use measures, and distributive justice measures developing a series of hypothesis for how the network characteristics might theoretically impact distributive justice. Applying these measures in a regression analysis with land use and network characteristic measures led to the preliminary conclusion that in order to improve justice without decreasing access and opportunities across the board policy should focus on increasing worker residential density, decreasing average circuity, reducing average edge length (the distance along a road between nodes), increase the number of edges in a network, decreasing average closeness centrality, and reducing the radius of networks. However in order to validate that the trends noted here are causal rather than merely correlated it will be necessary to perform a time series regression, which will require more data than is currently available.
Dueling discourses: an examination of administrator, teacher, and parent talk about English language learners
(2015-01) Vecchio-Smith, Margaret Joanna
The purpose of this critical theory study is to examine the perceptions of English language learners and their families at "Patna Elementary" through the talk of native English speakers and native speakers of other languages. Emergent themes for native English speakers are organized by level of equity awareness, and emergent themes for native speakers of other languages include the impact of cultural capital. This study uses critical discourse analysis (CDA) to examine the discoursal patterns of native English speakers. The study found, among other things, that educators who were highly focused on equity were aware of the diversity of lived experiences of EL families, were metacognitive about equity, and used significance-building techniques to describe their work; educators who were highly focused on equity increased the level of equity at Patna Elementary.
Educational Equity Self-Assessment
(University of Minnesota Extension Center for Youth Development, 2017) Cooper, Daniel
This instrument draws upon evidence-based principles for building youth educational equity and can help you to assess how your program goals and implementation align with educational equity best practices. The goal of this tool is to stimulate ideas for adopting a more systemic approach to positive youth development programming that caters to the needs of all youth.
The effects of pedestrian and bicycle exposure on crash risk in Minneapolis
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2021) Tao, Tao; Lindsey, Greg; Cao, Jason; Wang, Jueyu
Exposure to risk is a theoretically important correlate of crash risk, but many safety performance functions (SPFs) for pedestrian and bicycle traffic have yet to include the mode-specific measures of exposure. When SPFs are used in the systematic approach to assess network-wide crash risk, the omission of the exposure potentially could affect the identification of high-risk locations. Using crash data from Minneapolis, this study constructs and compares two sets of SPFs, one with pedestrian and bicycle exposure variables and the other without, for network-wide intersection and mid-block crash models. Inclusion of mode-specific exposure variables improves model validity and measures of goodness-of-fit and increases accuracy of predictions of pedestrian and bicycle crash risk. Including these exposure variables in the SPFs changes the distribution of high-risk locations, including the proportion of high-risk locations in low-income and racially concentrated areas. These results confirm the importance of incorporating exposure measures within SPFs and the need for pedestrian and bicycle monitoring programs to generate exposure data.
Enhancing Managed Lanes Equity Analysis
(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2023-04) Douma, Frank; Fonseca-Sarmiento, Camila; Lari, Adeel; Murphy, Daniel; Morris, Paul; Zhao, Jerry
Planning and environmental studies involving managed lanes still have difficulty determining how to effectively evaluate project alternatives from an equity perspective. To most people, "equity" is ubiquitous with income, but this is a narrow focus that limits the scope of what can be considered equity, and indeed this can be true when it comes to managed lanes. As the Minnesota Department of Transportation analyzes the expansion of E-ZPass corridors, it is imperative it evaluates project alternatives from an equity perspective. The results of this study suggest that E-ZPass lane users are more racially diverse than users in the travelsheds. In two out of the four E-ZPass lane corridors, a higher proportion of E-ZPass lane users have household incomes below $100,000 compared to the travelsheds. Overall, there is a lower percentage of people with disabilities among E-ZPass lane users than those in the travelsheds. These results are driven by the makeup of E-ZPass lane users. In addition, this research project demonstrates the feasibility of incorporating quantitative and qualitative equity measures into the alternatives analysis process. The demonstration shows that the quantitative measures are all feasible with existing tools, provide meaningful information to the alternatives analysis process, and can be put into practice immediately.
Examining contextual and nonlinear associations between the living environment and life satisfaction
(2021-05) Wu, Xinyi
Planners have long sought to reveal how the living environment, including housing and neighborhood, influences individuals’ satisfaction with life and other domains. Despite the great contribution made by planning scholars, the literature falls short in several major topics. This dissertation addresses these issues with three empirical studies. The literature implies that the same living environment elements could have distinctive associations with different types of satisfaction outcomes (e.g., life satisfaction vs. neighborhood satisfaction). However, most studies examine the correlates of only one type of satisfaction and do not compare those of multiple types of satisfaction. Chapter 2 fills this gap and compares neighborhood associates of neighborhood satisfaction and life satisfaction. Many features show different relationships with the two types of satisfaction. Specifically, neighborhood satisfaction reacts more strongly to physical features and appearances of the neighborhood, whereas life satisfaction has stronger associations with social cohesions and leisure amenities. Moreover, the correlates of life satisfaction tend to differ across contexts, but the discussion on contexts is severely lacking in related research. Chapters 3 and 4 add to the understanding of the role contexts play. Chapter 3 compares neighborhood correlates of life satisfaction in higher-income and lower-income neighborhoods. In general, residents of lower-income neighborhoods value attributes related to basic needs (such as safety and air quality) more, whereas access to leisure and educational facilities carries more weight in higher-income neighborhoods. Chapter 4 compares the relationships of a set of living environment variables with life satisfaction in the Twin Cities, U.S. and Guangzhou, China. The findings show that the living environment has a substantially larger association with life satisfaction in Guangzhou than in the Twin Cities. Compared with Guangzhou residents, residents living in the Twin Cities associate life satisfaction more with socioeconomic status and their defining characteristics. Finally, many studies are built on the assumption that living environment attributes are linearly correlated with life satisfaction. An increasing number of empirical findings have implied that satisfaction may react to its correlates in a nonlinear manner. This nonlinearity is still in need of discussion. This dissertation tests the presence of nonlinearity and all three empirical studies show prevalent nonlinear relationships between living environment attributes and satisfaction. Based on the empirical results, this dissertation highly recommends that researchers establish a holistic conceptual framework to connect the living environment, life satisfaction, and relevant domain satisfaction, conduct mixed-method studies, and test the generalizability of specific findings in future studies. It also encourages planners to consider nonlinearity in practice and make policy decisions based on localized evidence instead of predetermined standards.
Human rights to the street: Ethical frameworks to guide planning, design, and engineering decisions toward livability, equity, and justice
(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2021) Appleyard, Bruce; Riggs, William
Recently, there has been a renewed interest in statements about people’s rights to our streets. Drawing broadly from the literature and from an examination of a comprehensive collection of these rights, this article works toward establishing a comprehensive ethical framework that can be used to guide planning, design and engineering decisions to support pedestrian rights for street and urban livability. To identify and propose these ethical principles and help achieve optimal livability for individuals, groups and society, we: (a) comprehensively examine the literature to clarify the various concepts of street livability and human rights to the street (as related to a collection of various pedestrian rights statements); (b) explore what is being said in these rights to better understand people’s needs and wants; and (c) provide a roadmap for planners, urban designers, and engineers to address these needs in practice. Building on the previous steps and incorporating business practice literature of Functional Area Ethics, relevant functional areas are identified to help professionals act in support of these pedestrian rights.

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