Urban Planning Portfolio

EXERCISE 1 – Managing and Describing Census Data

Komal Macwan

Course - PUP 571 Planning Methods I

Professor – Deirdre Pfeiffer

DES Report on the contemplation of subsidy in Arizona(For evidence-based analysis of the relationship between low-income households and lack of access to cars.)

Introduction:

The Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) is a governmental organization whose mission is to advance the security and well-being of Arizonans. Its efforts are concentrated on supporting individuals, families, and communities at all levels of society. Recent research by Professor King of Arizona State University correlating household access to autos over the past

50 years and household income was discovered by DES authorities. The agency is interested in learning more about this connection and how it affects communities in Arizona. I reviewed American Community Survey (ACS) data from census tracts on automobile accessibility and income to see whether there was any relationship or correlation between those factors and households in the state of Arizona. More research is required to draw firmer conclusions regarding this relationship, even if there is a moderate correlation between the availability of cars and rising wealth.

Aim of the DES report and survey:

Making defensible choices about state and municipal policies requires an understanding of King's study's results and their potential effects on Arizonan communities. This study's goal is to determine whether there is a connection between lower income and a lack of access to vehicles in Arizonan areas. The findings of this study will enable DES to develop policies that encourage and facilitate low-income households' access to cars through subsidy programs in a more informed manner.

The method utilized in comprehending data:

The ACS 5-year estimates database from 2017 provided the secondary data used in this investigation. The information gathered includes household income, household access to vehicles, and median familyincome. Census tracts are the unit of analysis for the data gathered from the ACS 2017. I made a few decisions that helped the data analysis process. I started by excluding the tracts from the study for which there was no data for any of the variables. This made sure that the statistical analysis was limited to tracts with numerical variables. Additionally, I eliminated from the study the tracts where the estimates of the number of families without access to vehicles had coefficients of variation (CV) that were higher than 40. 1526 distinct tracts were included in the original data.

For the state of Arizona, the original data includes 1526 distinct tracts. There were 602 tracts left for the study after tracts lacking estimates and having a high CV were eliminated.

Findings from analysis:

Using the ACS 2017 5-year estimates, I conducted a statistical study of the relationship between the proportion of households without access to cars and the proportion of low-income households (those making less than $50,000 annually). An R-value is an outcome in Arizona census tracts is 0.60, indicating a moderately positive association between families' access to autos and their income.

Another statistical analysis I did was to see if neighborhoods with a high percentage of lowincome households (more than 75% of households in a tract were low-income) were also neighborhoods with a high percentage of households without access to vehicles (more than 10% of households in a tract lacked access). The result was that while tracts with a higher proportion of households lacking access to cars tend to also have a higher proportion of lowincome households, there is only a medium association between these two variables. This is based on Cramer’s V value. In the end, both statistical analysis of the variables gathered for this study concluded that there is a relationship between lack of access to vehicles and

household income. However, in both statistical analyses only a moderate relationship or correlation can be drawn from the numbers in the data. All the data used for the analyses; the chart developed for the correlation between households' access to vehicles and their income for census tracts in Arizona; and the calculations can be found on the accompanying Excel spreadsheet.

The statistical analysis only found moderate correlation between lack of access to vehicles and presence of low-income households. This may possibly be caused by the above mentioned limited scope of the study, since so many tracts were removed from the analyses.

Recommendations:

I divide my recommendation into two possible routes for exploration by the DES. First, study the relationship between the variables through different time periods, this will include a larger dataset that could include data for the past 50 years since that is the timeframe Professor King points out there is a relationship. Lastly, the study could focus on the effects either on rural areas, or urban/suburban areas of the states. Since these two types or built environments create different demands when it comes to transportation needs. There might be a stronger case for creating policies focused only on rural communities, or only on urban/suburban communities

EXERCISE 2 – Conducting a Demographic Analysis

Komal Macwan

Course - PUP 571 Planning Methods I

Professor – Deirdre Pfeiffer

Demographic Analysis for the City of Tempe, Arizona

(General plan update)

Step 1

Population Distribution of Tempe

As per the demographic study conducted it is observed that in the year 2021, Tempe cityinMaricopaCounty, Arizona,hadatotalpopulationof184109,with96723menand87386 women. According to Figure 1: Population Pyramid of Tempe, the pyramid is bottom-heavy with the majority of the population falling between the ages of 20 and 30. This may be due to the significant number of students attending Arizona State University who are in their 20s to early 30s. There is a significant count of the population in the age group of 30 to 45 indicating a middle-aged working force in the city of Tempe. Additionally, there is a minor increase in

the number of people in their 50s and 60s. The high percentage of seasoned experienced professors employed at ASU may be accountable for this distribution.

85 and over

80 to 84

75 to 79

70 to 74

65 and 69

60 and 64

55 to 59

Age(Years)

50 to 54

45 to 49

40 to 44

35 to 39

30 to 34

25 to 29

20 to 24

15 to 19

The number of students between the ages of 20 and 30 would significantly fall if ArizonaStateUniversityclosed.Additionally,this canhaveadetrimentalimpact onthegrowth of Tempe's economy. First off, Tempe's businesses may struggle to get young folks to work forthem. Second,the city's population offoreignstudents, whocontribute to thenation's global economy, will nearly completely disappear.

In addition to this, taking planning considerations into account, the areas around the university campus that include a lot of businesses, such as cafes, restaurants, stationery stores, grocery stores, and clubs, may struggle due to a drop in their young clientele. Also, as we observed in the population pyramid, there is a significant count of the workforce population between the age group of 30 to 45, which will also drastically decline as Arizona State University has evolved over the years in creating highly valued and skilled professionals who eventuallyworkin the Tempe,Arizonawork market. IfArizonaStateUniversityis closedthere will be a demographic change in the workforce population as well.

The zoning and renovation of business districts surrounding the university, which specifically support ASU, would likewise alter as a result, necessitating new tactics from

Figure 1: Population Pyramid for Tempe, AZ (2021)

Male Female

Source: 2021 U.S. Census American Community Survey, 1 Year Estimates

planners. In order to accommodate families seeking new career possibilities, planners would need to convert the rental units, which are primarily occupied by international and out-of-state students, into affordable family housing.

Step 2

Demographic Characteristics Comparison between Tempe City and Maricopa County

According to estimates from 2021, Tempe City's proportion of white residents is roughly the same as that of Maricopa County. While the minority population (other than whites) of both the city and the county is approximately a quarter of the ratio of the total population. The minority population is accounting quarter which is a significant ratio that may be due to the large Asian student population at Arizona State University, particularlythe Indian and Chinese populations. Additionally, Maricopa has a larger median household income than Tempe, with Phoenix possibly being the county's largest contributor.

It is observed that both Tempe city and Maricopa county have a high population of U.S.-born citizens over non-U.S. Born citizens. In Tempe compared to Maricopa County, there are more adults over 25 who were born in the US and abroad and have a degree that has been certified. Without a doubt, Americans who are 25 years old or older outnumber foreign-born people in size. Although Tempe's larger population could be explained by the fact that it is a university town. The other reason for foreign-born people to move to Tempe is the vast range of employment placements that ASU offers. Nearly the same number of people were born in the US in Tempe and Maricopa County. Students and workers on H1 or student visas could be non-US nationals.

Coming to the utility costs of both Maricopa county and Tempe city, it is observed that the monthly electricity costs highly range between the bill bracket of $50 - $249 accounting for 68.37% and 77.79% of people charged for electricity for Maricopa county and Tempe city respectively, also noted that the percentage is high for Tempe city than Maricopa county may be due to large infrastructural costs high electricitybills as Tempe has Arizona State University campus. Whereas the ratio of people who are not charged for electricity costs is low accounting for 4.25 % and 4.34% respectively for Maricopa county and Tempe city.

Step 3

Will Tempe become a Majority or a Minority?

According to Figure 4's linear population estimate, Tempe will reach majority status sometime in 2031. It is clear from Figure 3 that the population of persons of color in Tempe is expanding more quickly than the population of White people. Because of this, Tempe will eventually become the majority as the population variety grows. Although the population of the African American community is gradually declining, all other communities are experiencing population growth, particularly the Hispanic community, as shown in figure 3. It is clear that during the past few years, Tempe's population has gotten substantially more

Figure 2: Demographic Characteristics (2021)

Source: 2021 U.S Census American Community Survey

diverse. Additionally, this is due to the fact that students who come here to pursue their studies also start families and find employment. However, a variety of factors may have an impact on Tempe's rates of growth among people of color. For instance, if housing costs in Tempe rise steadily, it might be seen that these people of color migrate to other areas due to housing inaccessibility, slowing their pace of growth and reducing their chances of becoming a minority.

Source: 2011 & 2021 U.S American Community Survey 1 Year Estimates

Whites People of Colour

Source:2011 & 2021 U.S. Census American Community Survey, 1 Year Estimates

Figure 3: Population Change by Race/Ethnicity in Tempe (2011-2021)

Figure 4: Population Projection based on Race for Tempe, AZ (2021-2031)

Lab Assignment - Transportation Project

PUP 576: GIS Workshop

Instructor – Professor Daoqin Tong

Analysis and Summary:

As per the GIS operations performed such as the creation of buffers, intersect, clip, etc. for the vector data of Grant road street in Tucson, it was observed that the public transit accessibility for 200m,400m, and 600m buffers had a balanced distribution of bus tops with the maximum number of households being able to access it in the central region of the street. It was observed that the central part of the given region in the maps above does not lack bus stop availability to the households.

However, there is a remarkable trend of low accessibility in the left and right regions of the maps of 200m, 400m, and 600m. All three buffer zones indicate a significantly low number of households that can access public bus stops. Hence additional bus stops in these zones can create a better transportation network along Grant Road in Tucson.

Figure 1- Left Region of the Grant Road Street in Tucson Map

Region on the Map

Figure 2- Table showing accessibility in 200,400 and 600m buffer zones (left region)

 Block Group 1, Census Tract 12 in Pima County, Arizona has 476 total households out of which only 178 households fall under the 600 m buffer,117 households fall under the 400 m buffer, and 46 households fall under the 200 m buffer for bus stop access.

 Block Group 2, Census Tract 44.12 in Pima County, Arizona has 903 total households out of which only 104 households fall under the 600 m buffer,42 households fall under the 400 m buffer, and 7 households fall under the 200 m buffer for bus stop access.

 Block Group 4, Census Tract 45.04 in Pima County, Arizona has 981 total households out of which only 235 households fall under the 600 m buffer,148 households fall under the 400 m buffer, and 61 households fall under the 200 m buffer for bus stop access.

 Block Group 2, Census Tract 12 in Pima County, Arizona has 706 total households out of which only 325 households fall under the 600 m buffer,211 households fall under the 400 m buffer, and 102 households fall under the 200 m buffer for bus stop access.

 Block Group 1, Census Tract 44.14 in Pima County, Arizona has 1211 total households out of which only 229 households fall under the 600 m buffer,96 households fall under the 400 m buffer, and 21 households fall under the 200 m buffer for bus stop access.

From table 2 above, it is clearly indicated that the 200 m and the 400 m buffer have less accessibilityalthough 600 m has little better access zones to the public bus stops, hence high focus should be given by Sun Tran’s Route Planning Department to create more bus stop infrastructure facilities in 200 and 400m buffer zones.

Figure 1-Right region of the Grant Road street in Tucson Map

 Block Group 1, Census Tract 40.30 in Pima County, Arizona has 381 total households out of which only 27 households fall under the 600 m buffer for bus stop access, 9 household fall under the 400 m buffer,200 m buffer zone is not included for this block group and tract.

 Block Group 1, Census Tract 40.67 in Pima County, Arizona has 1127 total households out of which only 339 households fall under the 600 m buffer,155 households fall under the 400 m buffer, and 34 households fall under the 200 m buffer for bus stop access.

 Block Group 1, Census Tract 40.32 in Pima County, Arizona has 383 total households out of which only 33 households fall under the 600 m buffer, 10 households fall under the 400 m buffer, and 0 households fall under the 200 m buffer for bus stop access.

From table 4 above, it is clearly indicated that all three buffer zones of 200 m,400 m, and 600m have less to public bus stops, hence high focus should be given by Sun Tran’s Route Planning Department to create more bus stop infrastructure facilities in this region overall in all buffer zones to enhance public transit accessibility

Figure 2- Table showing accessibility in 200,400 and 600m buffer zones ( right region)

Comprehensive plan sustainability evaluation:

One NYC 2050 – Building a Strong and Fair City

By Komal Macwan

PUP 542: Environmental Planning

Instructor – Dr. Sara Meerow

Local comprehensive plans are essential for directing and controlling urban development. They must demonstrate the greatest level of thinking and practice if they are to be successful. As per the article ‘Berke Godschalk’s 2009 Plan Quality’, a thorough assessment is necessary to determine a plan’s strengths and weaknesses, determine whether its general quality is excellent, and provide a foundation for confirming that it meets a desired level. For this assignment, I have chosen the city of New York for analyzing its comprehensive plan sustainability.

New York City's Comprehensive plan aims to build a strong and fair city by considering all aspects of urban development. APA's Sustaining Places: Best Practices for Comprehensive Planning is used byme in this evaluation assignment to evaluate the plan's comprehensiveness and quality.

The evaluation process:

The APA released Sustaining Places: Best Practices for Comprehensive Planning in 2015, outlining the Plan Standards Working Group's efforts and providing an updated version of the standards and a scoring matrix. Communities can use the standards as a guide for their own comprehensive planning initiatives.

Methodology –

The scoring matrix has three main areas of focus for assessing plans, and for each of those areas, there are certain principles that must be evaluated along with requirements that fall into several categories for each of the principles. The total score for each principle is calculated by adding the individual scores for all of the various categories. The scores of all the principles are summed to

determine the plan's overall score. If all best practices are followed, a perfect score of 249 points can be acquired; if not, a percentage of the desired score should be determined. The result for the level of achievement is classified as designated (70%), silver (80%), and gold (90%).

Analysis of the process performed -

One NYC 2050 comprehensive plan’s strengths and weaknesses and quality evaluation -

This scoring matrix has three main categories under which all the criteria are divided:

 Best practices for plan principles –

1. Liveable built environment: The One NYC 2050 plan demonstrated a strong focus on a liveable built environment ensuring that all aspects of the built environment including land use, transportation, housing, energy, and infrastructure cooperate to create liveable, environmentally friendly communities that offer high standards of living. Although it scored high achievement in almost all of the sub-categories it scored low achievement for 1.6 – plan for infill development as the pan had verylow specificityand emphasis on infills and their redevelopment. Also, it highly lacked in discouraging development in hazard zones as the plan had no specific section demarcated for hazard zones.

2. Harmony with nature: This criterion is one of One NYC 2050’s highest achievement principles and also all of the sub-categorized principles have a high emphasis in the plan, especially about enacting policies to reduce carbon footprint, complying with state and local air quality standard, waste reduction, protecting natural habitats and sensitives lands has specified examples too, planning for green infrastructure, it just had moderate achievement in development pertaining to natural topography as I found very less information about it in the plan.

3. Resilient economy: Resilient economyprinciple also has high achievement as per the One NYC 2050plan andestablishes sustainableurban development and redevelopmentpolicies that encourage the establishment of green businesses and increase dependence on local resources, ensuring the community is ready to deal with both good and negative changes in its economic health. The plan has focused on planning for transportation access to employment centers and promoting green businesses and jobs and also land use mix for fiscal sustainability but has a moderated achievement in post-disaster economic recovery.

4. Interwoven Equity: The principle of interwoven equity is focused on promoting justice and equity in meeting the requirements of all residents and groups in terms of housing, services, health, safety, and subsistence which is well observed in New York city’s comprehensive plan having a mix of high, moderate and low achievement sub-categorized criteria. It was poorly scored in planning for workforce diversity and development and protecting the vulnerable population from natural hazards as it had generalized hazard protection strategies. There was no identification for upgrading infrastructure and facilities in older and substandard areas. It also had a moderate achievement for disadvantaged and distressed neighborhoods as they are not clearly identified in the plan.

5. Healthy Community: With provisions for wholesome meals, physical exercise, access to leisure activities, health care, environmental justice, and secure communities acknowledged and addressed, the healthy community principle had almost all of the conditions satisfied and was heavily stressed in the plan. It simply lacked in the mitigation and regeneration of brownfields for profitable applications since the plan made no mention of it.

6. Responsible regionalism: One NYC 2020 plan showed good achievement in responsible regionalism with high achievement in regional and local cooperation in transportation investments, housing goals, green infrastructure planning, and sharing resources, but had low achievement in including regional development visions in local planning scenarios, encouraging consistency between local capital improvement programs and had moderate achievement in co-ordinating population and economic projections. It has zero achievements in delineating designated growth areas served by transit as these areas are not identified in the plan although transportation is well emphasized in the plan.

Harmonywithnature,aResilienteconomy,and HealthyCommunitywere high-achievement principles of the One NYC 2050 plan.

 Best practices for plan processes –

7. Authentic participation: As per my analysis I presumed that the NYC plan has great authentic participation because there are various sections talking about it but still it lacked some of the categorized principles such as developing alternative scenarios of the future, providing ongoing and understandable information for all participants as non-English

speaker are not considered. It had moderate achievement in using a variety of communication channels and engaging the public after the comprehensive plan is adopted.

8. Accountable implementation: New York City has great strategies created by One NYC 2050 for accountable implementation by being sure that the plan has accountability for executing the strategy clearly defined and includes metrics for tracking advancement toward the anticipated results. It has moderate achievement in one of its criteria of establishing interagency and organizational cooperation whereas all other standards are highly achieved.

Accountable implementation was a little better observed than authentic participation in the One NYC 2050 plan.

 Best practices for plan attributes –

9. Consistent content: The principle of consistent content only lacked a bit in specificity about SWOT analysis as the NYC plan has no designated section for it although the plan talks a lot about the city’s weaknesses and how to overcome these through goals as well as it identifies the opportunity areas and threat zones of the city. All other parameters of plan attributes are highly achieved in this section.

10. Coordinated characteristics: One NYC 2050 action plan ensures that the plan incorporates original ideas and tactics and that it coordinates these with other parts of the plan as well as with federal, state, and neighboring jurisdictions' plans both vertically and horizontally it just had a moderate emphasis on complying with applicable laws and mandates while the other standards were highly achieved.

Both the plan attributes were equally attained in the One NYC 2050 plan.

Conclusion –

The One NYC 2050 plan is inferred to be within the silver category for the degree of accomplishment after followingthemethod anddeterminingtheplan's percentageof achievement. The fact that so manyinterconnected evaluation criteria overlapped in the principles, as Ialso saw, demonstrated the comprehensive approach of the plan.

Comprehensive plan sustainability evaluation

References:

Godschalk, David R. and David C. Rouse. 2015. PAS Report 578: Sustaining Places: Best Practices for Comprehensive Plans.

Berke Godschalk 2009 Plan Quality

OneNYC-2050-Full-Report-1.3

product_EIP_E_IP35 - Sustaining Places Practices for Comprehensive Planning

Appendix

Excel sheet pdf of APA sustaining places scoring matrix.

Tempe General Plan 2040: Review

By Komal Macwan

PUP 544: Urban Land Use Planning Instructor: Dr David King

The Tempe General Plan 2040 is a forward-looking document and a comprehensive guide that outlines the city's vision for development over the next two decades. One of the key focus areas of the plan is land use, with a strong emphasis on creating liveable, sustainable communities that promote economic growth and social equity.

In terms of land use, the plan highly showcases a mixed-use approach that integrates the majority of residential zones along with commercial and industrial development. The plan identifies several key principles for land use, including the promotion of compact, mixed-use development that reduces traffic congestion and promotes walking, biking, and public transportation. The plan also aims to create vibrant, connected neighborhoods that offer a variety of housing options, including affordable housing.

The Tempe General Plan 2040 has employed the idea of "Hubs" as the foundation for Tempe to become a city that can be accessed in 20 minutes. Develop the city such that you can get whatever you need in 20 minutes on foot or on a bicycle. The Plan encourages mixed-income housing possibilities and vertical mixed-use development in hubs, which serve as high-density activity centers, and include urban parks and open space in urban development. Establish a hierarchy of densities that will provide neighborhoods with a clear direction for urbanization and facilitate seamless transitions from suburban to urban core residential areas. Create a city that provides fair access to resources that support healthier lifestyles, such as wholesome meals, physical activity, medical care, and other services. supporting varied and active neighborhoods, as well as initiatives for historic preservation and regeneration that give neighborhoods their unique identity.

The General Plan designates specific areas for different types of land use, such as urban villages, activity centres, and innovation districts. Urban villages are small, mixed-use neighborhoods that provide a variety of housing options, while activity centres are larger areas focused on commercial and entertainment activities. Innovation districts are intended to support economic growth and job creation by providing a hub for high-tech industries.

The plan also recognizes the importance of protecting natural resources and promoting sustainable practices. It promotes green building standards, reducing energy consumption, and preserving open space. The plan emphasizes the need to protect the city's natural resources, including the Salt River, Tempe Town Lake, and other significant environmental features.

The General Plan also includes policies to support economic development and job creation in the city. The plan identifies key economic sectors, such as technology, health care, and education, and promotes the growth of these industries through incentives and other programs. The plan also

recognizes the importance of small businesses and start-ups and seeks to support entrepreneurship through targeted initiatives.

In addition to land use and economic development, the Tempe General Plan 2040 includes policies related to transportation, sustainability, social equity, and community engagement. The plan aims to reduce traffic congestion and improve mobilitythrough investments in public transit, bike lanes, and other alternative modes of transportation. It also seeks to promote sustainability by reducing energy consumption, promoting water conservation, and increasing recycling rates.

The plan recognizes the importance of social equity and seeks to address issues such as affordable housing, access to education and job training, and increasing access to parks, open space, and recreational opportunities. The plan emphasizes the importance of community engagement and encourages residents to participate in the decision-making process through public meetings, surveys, and other outreach efforts.

Overall, the Tempe General Plan 2040 seeks to create a more sustainable, equitable, and liveable city that reflects the values and aspirations of the community. The plan recognizes the importance of balancing economic growth with social and environmental responsibility and seeks to promote a healthy, prosperous, and inclusive community for all residents. By prioritizing land use, the plan aims to create vibrant, connected neighborhoods that provide a high quality of life for residents while supporting a strong economy.

In alignment with the values that I highly resonate with being an urban land use planner is a city being sustainable, liveable, and accessible within a short amount of time having multiple ways to commute, which is highly the underlying aim of Tempe’s General Plan.

References:

 Tempe General Plan 2040 (n.d.). City of Tempe, AZ.

https://www.tempe.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/86155/637395866769170000

EXERCISE 1 – Analyzing Public Comment

Komal Macwan

Course - PUP 579 Planning Methods II

Professor –

Deirdre Pfeiffer

Analyzing the public comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway Project to contemplate Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)

Introduction -

On South Mountain in Phoenix, construction workers set off a controlled explosion. Over the course of the next several days and weeks, they ripped a 200-foot-wide path through three ridgelines on the mountain's southwest slope. A passage for a new road was all that was left. Traffic controllers predicted that the motorway will create a new link for a developing urban region. The destruction of 33 acres of a desert mountain, however, meant the loss of a longstanding relationship and the profanation of a site that the O'odham and Pee Posh peoples considered holy to them.

Loop202SouthMountainFreeway,whichlinksthe10Freewayin westPhoenix-to-Ahwatukee was initially given the green light in 1985, but due in part to vocal public resistance, work did not start until 2016. The public was given access to the project's Draft Environment Impact Statement (DEIS) in 2013. Between April and July of that year, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) received more than 8,000 comments.

Aim of the research and leading a focus group -

The organization, CommunitySolutions of which I am a part, has been entrusted by the ADOT with finding trends in the sample of public comments on the DEIS and suggesting viable mitigation techniques based on these patterns, which might be integrated into the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). This report aims to analyze the public comment and identify relevant themes and sub-themes for further analysis useful for FEIS.

Methodology for Analysis -

Qualitative analysis is the primary focus of this research and mainly analyzing the public comments. Developing themes and sub-themes from the analyzed comments to find an inference on this issue. With the combinatory deductive and inductive methods and latent analysis, themes are synthesized related to the research along with categorized sub-themes falling under each theme. Internal consistency and mutual exclusivityof the responses are also rechecked to get better reliabilityof the research. The findings of the analysis are examined for providing interventions and recommendations.

Findings from the analysis -

The overall synthesis of the public comment on the DEIS of the South Mountain Freeway project highlights that more than 50 % of the public comments were against the construction of the freeway. However, there were also many unanimous responses in favor of the project, emphasizing several advantages it would provide to the locals. By diving deeper into these public comments, some themes were prominentlyoutlined, leading to further investigation into themes, and sub-themes within them were classified to synthesize an in-depth inference.

The Prominent themes observed were -

1) Reasons for Opposition:

It was observed that as per people’s experiences and knowledge that they have their opinions were more inclined against the construction of the freeway and had various factors for this opposition. The factors include -

a) Destruction of the natural environment/native wildlife:

The public comments highlighted that this freeway will exploit the natural vegetation and wildlife species of the area having its characteristic feature of a natural environment. This is causing various harmful impacts such as air pollution and other health impacts on the community.

b) Harming neighborhood character/culture: Many people strongly believed that constructing this freeway will completely ruin the neighborhood’s identity and character harming the cultural aspects of the community. As this locality had the densest natural vegetation and wildlife, it gets disturbed too causing a loss of characteristic features of the geographical area.

c) Health deterioration:

Traffic congestion, air pollution due to increasing traffic associated with the freeway, noise pollution as a result of more vehicular access, and loss of natural vegetation and wildlife species are the factors that account for severe impacts on the health of the community leading to overall health deterioration among the population.

d) Unproductive land use:

Many responders expressed that constructing the freeway is causing the unproductiveuse ofland. Tosolvetransportationissues; long-termsolutions should be taken rather than short-term easy options; leading to unproductive utilization of land.

e) Economic:

Many opinions were showcasing that construction of the freeway is not an appropriate economic decisionas it wouldcost a lot,and,alongwith this cost unlike conditions are invited causing harmful impacts on the community, hence it is not economically viable.

f) Other:

There were some comments that also opposed the construction of the freeway but do not fall under any of the above subthemes.

2) Reasons for Support:

The analyzed public comments showed a noticeable number of responses in favor of the construction of the freeway. These people were towards the direction of supporting the project and highlighted various advantages that this project will bring. The subthemes for supporting the project include -

a) Optimistic/Suggestive consent:

People had several optimistic and suggestive comments that showed consent for constructing the freeway.

b) Accessible transportation:

The citizens who had a need for accessibility advancement to cross the region emphasized that this freeway construction would enhance the transportation infrastructure and create easy access for people.

c) Economic development:

Some people support the freeway affirming that its construction would enhance the economy of the society leading to economic development.

3) Emotional:

There were certain citizens who were extremely sensitive about this topic and had emotional comments that highlighted their emotions rather than defining any theme pertaining to the construction of the project.

Recommendations:

Idividemyrecommendationintotwopossibleroutesforexplorationbythe ADOTand FHWA.

 First, studythe relationship between the important variables such as accessibilityissues and the need for transportation. Various methods such as census data for statistical analysis along with focus group sessions with field industry experts and common people must be used to find out whether there is a need for more accessibility and transportation infrastructure to this region.

 Second, the analyzed public comments suggest that there are many repercussions of constructing the freeway leading to the exploitation of the natural environment and wildlife, increase in air pollution, noise pollution due to traffic congestion, health deterioration, unproductive use of land, and economic burden, hence ADOT and FHWA should definitely rethink constructing the Loop 202 south mountain freeway.

The exemplary comment identified by me from the public comments highlights my analyses of evidence-based recommendations-

Name: Daniel and Jean Arlotti

Format: Email

Comment: We oppose the freeway for so many reasons, not the least of which are: 1. You are exploitingNativeAmericansandinfringingontheirsacredland.2.Theplanincludesextending Chandler Boulevard Westbound through beautiful hiking terrain on the South Mountain Preserve, where new trails were JUST CREATED, and now you will destroy them and send a whole neighborhood of traffic through the pristine area to the neighborhood at the end of Pecos

Rd. If this project goes through, you must create an exit for this neighborhood at the end of Pecos Road so that they do not go through the hiking area land. 3. You are being deceptive about the claim that pollution will be less with the new freeway. That is a farce for stupid people to believe who don't know any better. Adding highways has NEVER improved pollution. Just the name tells you this project is not right - you are destroying a sacred mountain for the sake of development when it is not absolutely necessary. We urge you to reconsider!

Issue of validity or reliability and remedy:

 Since opinions are based on perceptions of a single project (Loop 202 South mountain freeway) in a specific neighborhood, they cannot be very broadly applied to other communities or cities leading to issues of external validity to this analysis. To solve the problem, research opinions should be examined on other infrastructure projects in various kinds of urban communities.

 The random sampling method used of creating a sample from every first comment appearing on every 20th page in the citizen comments can cause reliability issues as many important comments pertaining to the research might get neglected which may have data that can change the findings of the analysis. A remedy to this is to also perform the manifest analysis while creating the sample for analysis to go through the relevant information in the comments if I had more time, this approach would be better.

References –

https://azdot.gov/projects/central-district-projects/loop-202-south-mountainfreeway/project-information/project

https://www.azcentral.com/in-depth/news/local/arizona/2021/08/19/south-mountainfreeway-cultural-sites-ruins/7903863002/?build=native-web_i_p

Volume 3: Comment Response Appendix | PRISM (asu.edu)

Appendix –

Codebook and Excel coded comments.

EXERCISE 4 - Capturing Conditions in the Field

Komal Macwan

Course - PUP 579 Planning

Methods II

Professor - Deirdre Pfeiffer

PlanningIssue- Theinfluenceofweather/seasons onpeople'sdecisionsaboutoutdoorleisure, recreation, and tourism activities on the Chicago River Walk

Description of the Planning Issue -

On the south bank of the Chicago River in the City of Chicago, Illinois, lounges the stunning urban area renowned as the Chicago River Walk. From Lake Michigan to Lake Street, the 1.25-mile Chicago River Walk offers a variety of dining options, wineries, pubs, live entertainment, public art, urban leisure opportunities, electric boats, cycle boats, kayaks, cruises, and more. In the urban canyon of famous architecture, the Chicago River is a treasured natural amenity, and the Chicago River Walk allows for proximity to the waterway.

Chicago is renowned for having brutal winters with high winds and plenty of snowfall. Sometimes residents of Chicago claim that the winter winds are so strong that there is no resistance to the winds on the streets. Due to its proximity to the relatively cooler waters of Lake Michigan, Chicago is cooler and more humid than other areas of Illinois. These effects are most noticeable in the spring and winter. Chicago receives regular inflows of significantly colder, moister air from the shoreline. In light of this, the Chicago River Walk's location experiences the windiest cooling effect, which inconveniences visitors during river walk tours and influences how they choose to use the area during the winter. This is an urban planning issue that requires careful consideration for the best possibilities of eradicating it.

Research Question - How do the weather conditions and seasons impact people to use open recreation spaces along the Chicago River Walk?

Figure 1- The Chicago River Walk Site Plan

Methodology -

This research was conducted by using the method of Non-Participant Observation of the Field Research. The initial step was an in-person windshield survey which was unknowingly conducted by me when I traveled to the City of Chicago and visited the Chicago River Walk location around December,22 in the winter season This wind-shied survey was the basis to conduct this research as it gave the first impression of the Chicago River Walk being inconvenient to access during the harsh winters of Chicago. Some portions of the River walk were taken tour by me and hence a part of this research also has in-person site reconnaissance as the method of analysis. As the time of visiting the location was around mid-afternoon to the late evening, both the dayand night duration site analysis was covered through the observation. To further advance in the research for better analysis, a virtual windshield survey, and site reconnaissance was performed by using Chicago River Walk location live webcams and also several YouTube links of Chicago River Walk webcams for different seasons mainly the summer and winter. Google Earth street views were also an additional source for collecting the photographs. The non-participant observation through webcam was done with defined criteria such as timings of observations which were day and night for about two hours each, the screenshot of photographs taken were a longshot picture giving an overall idea of the activity happing in the location, a medium shot picture giving an insight of various activity spots along theChicagoRiverWalk andhowpeople are interactingin thesespaces, a close - upshot helped inanalyzingtheprevailingissuesandinconvenienceexperiencedbythepublicthatcanvisually be observed and understood. The Chicago River Walk being renowned attracts opportunities for many events to be conducted where the event is captured by the organizers through photographs, these captured photographs of events were also utilized for advancing the analysis.

Findings of Analysis -

It is observed that during the summer months, when the weather is warm and sunny, the River Walk is bustling with activity. Visitors can be seen walking, jogging, or cycling along the path, or sitting in the sun enjoying the view. Restaurants and bars with outdoor seating areas are filled with people enjoying food and drinks with friends or family. Water activities such as kayaking or boat tours are also popular during this time. Nightlife in summer at Chicago River Walk is also active with many live art events and people were seen attending pubs and other entertainment activities.

As per the webcam observations, in the fall and spring, when the weather is cooler, the crowds are thinner but still present. People tend to engage in more relaxed activities such as walking and taking in the scenery. The fall season can also bring a burst of colorful foliage along the River Walk, making it a picturesque location for nature lovers. There were some photographs analysed from the events that took place on the Chicago River Walk, and it was seen that the bulk of the crowd was observed during this time.

During the winter months, when the weather is cold and snowy, the River Walk is quieter but still accessible.Visitorscanbeseenice-skatingor sippinghot cocoaat one ofthemanyoutdoor cafes. It was observed that people were using more indoor entertainment activities at the River

walk such as nightclubs and indoor events. However, when temperatures are much colder and the wind is too harsh, the resistance to the wind is difficult for people to survive outdoors, the use of these spaces decreased as people tend to spend more time indoors. People were observed shivering and struggling in these windy days and hardly anyone was around the river area due to the high velocity of wind. There were some people observed having difficulty walking through the accumulated snow and also a few of them were visually observed having inconvenience due to slippery floors.

As per the in-person site reconnaissance conducted by me in the month of December 2022, the Chicago River Walk is also illuminated with holidaylights and decorations, making it a festive location for holiday celebrations. Even though it was snowy and cold, people were observed in large proportions due to Christmas celebrations, and the entire streets were decorated with lights and other features making it more happening and attractive to people in such weather.

Owing to the observed activities, I conclude with the finding that the weather and seasons can have a significant impact on people's decisions about leisure, recreation, and tourism activities on the River Walk.

Recommendations -

Creative Place making allows people to enjoy public spaces and lively city streets throughout the winter. Like any other time of the year, if people are out and about, others will follow suit to see what's happening. But being outside must have a purpose. Nobody will hang around outsidetoobserveadesertedplaza.Thelargestissuefacingwintercitiesisthislossofvisibility, not frigid temperatures, overcast sky, early sunsets, or heavy snow. This can be eradicated by:

 Maintenanceand Promotion:Basedonthefindings,theauthoritiescantakemeasures to maintain the River Walk and improve its infrastructure to make it more attractive during specific weather conditions such as windy weather. They can create resistant structures which create blocks to high-velocity winds and these structures should be temporary or mobile and can be changed as per seasons and weather requirements. Regular snow plowing should be undertaken for creating anti-skid and anti-slippery streets for a better user experience of streets during winter. Promotional activities can be undertaken to attract visitors during the seasons when footfall is relatively low.

 Lighting and vibrant streets – Vibrant streets with ample of lighting throughout the winter season can eliminate the dark gloomy outlook of people towards winter.

 Collaborate with local businesses: Local businesses along the River Walk can be surveyed to determine how weather and seasons impact their sales and customer traffic. This can provide insight into how weather and season influence tourism and leisure activities in the area and to improvise it more cuisine of winter should be offered with the creation of a cozy environment that suits the winter customers.

 Organize events and activities: Events and activities can be organized on the River Walk during winter seasons and unpleasant weather conditions to attract visitors and encourage them to engage in recreational and leisure activities. This can also provide an opportunity to collect data on visitor behavior and preferences during different

weather conditions. Winter carnivals that are longer durations with proper management and maintenance during such vents can promote more public activity.

Issue of Validity or reliability -

 The in-person windshield survey was in the first place not conducted while performing the research, it was a prior observed phenomenon hence the researcher (me) might not have kept the specific variables in mind to observe which can cause internal validity and reliability issues.

 The in-person site reconnaissance was also not done on purpose for this research and hencetheentirestretchof theChicagoRiverWalk wasnotobservedcompletelyleaving many unexplored spots along the river walk resulting in not being able to capture relevant information affecting the internal validity.

 The virtual windshield survey and site reconnaissance also posed internal validity and reliability issues as they were just conducted for two hours for both the day and night time leading to fewer observable factors recorded adhering to the research, maybe the variables and activities change after the observations are done.

 Also, the research is limited to the location of the Chicago River Walk recreational spaces having harsh winters which can’t be applied to other recreational spaces that do nothaveriverfrontaswellacoldclimateastheaffectingfactorcausingexternalvalidity issues (e.g.; harsh summers in Arizona cannot be related to brutal winters of Chicago, Illinois.)

Remedy for internal validity and reliability -

 To solve the issues of internal validity and reliability faced and mentioned above, I would performthe in-person windshield surveyandsite reconnaissanceonceagain, this time keeping in mind the research and its variable to be observed and also it should be performed multiple times to capture more relevant database for the research.

 The virtual windshield survey and site reconnaissance should be performed for more duration of hours and also multiple times to remedy the internal validity and reliability issues.

References -

https://camguide.net/usa/illinois/chicago/riverwalk/

https://www.cruisingearth.com/port-webcams/united-states/chicago-illinois2/

Appendix -

First Impression -

During Christmas month people were involved in various activities along the Chicago River Walk such as walking, jogging, sitting, relaxing, dining, having wineries, going to clubs, etc. The street was well-lit, illuminated, and decorated for the celebrations, although the cold weather and wind were causing a certain level of inconvenience to the people.

Measured Variables -

 Pedestrian activities - Number of people walking along the Chicago River Walk day and night time for different seasons such as summer and winter for two hours each.

 Recreational activities - A number of people observed along the Chicago River Walk having recreational activities such as dining in restaurants, sitting and relaxing in open spaces, children playing, boat riding, etc.

Field notes and Screenshot Photographs –

Figure 2-Christmas lighting in the night time, with active street

Figure 5- People clicking picture along the bridges to capture scenic beauty during Christmas winters

Figure 3-People walking on bridges in snow during Christmas in winter.

Figure 6- People sitting and relaxing along the river side in summerin daytime

Figure 7- In summer People walking on the promenade on a busy day as well enjoying the scenic beauty sitting on the stepped amphitheatre settings in day time.

Figure 8- People enjoying at restaurant dining spaces in summer day time , also the space is crowded.

Figure 9- Night time view of people relaxing on the stepped amphitheatre, some enjoying winery and some having boating experience in summer.

Figure 10-Cruise activities along the River in daytime summer.

Figure 11- Bustling activities of people in restaurants and cafe facing the river in daytime summer

Figure 12-People enjoying outdoor recreation activities such as kayak and boating in daytime summer

Figure 13-Snow accumulated after heavy snowfall in winter, very quiet, and no people were observed along the river side, Streets are skiddy and slippery.

Figure 14 - Very quiet and desolated paths with lots of snow accumulated in day time winter

Figure 15- Few people were observed with back pack , maybe returning home from work in evening time winter.

Figure 4- Frozen windy night time with no people along the amphitheatre seating near riverside.

Figure 17- Few people were out in winter on the Chicago bridges when the temperature was not too low.

Figure 5- Recreational activities were also functioning during winter with not too cold temperature, people were enjoying scenic view on the bridge

Figure 6- Events that took place had ample of people attending it

Figure 7- Due to vents happening ,other recreational spaces also had large crowd around them.

Figure 8-River front activities having lots of people enjoying them.