Green Leaf Environmental Planning

12/15/2021

This online summit is going on today highlighting new analysis tools by various companies for climate resilience and sustainability planning with award winners announced this afternoon. There are some really neat interactive tool releases out there for cities and municipalities to use:

December 13-15, 2021 - View event and ticket information.

12/10/2021

This was a fascinating webinar on the history of autonomous vehicles going back for decades. It was not just a history of the car but also a history of futuristic and utopian visions of cities. The speaker just published a book on the topic, "Autonorama."

December 9 Webinar Recording Posted - Autonorama Maryland Department of Planning sent this bulletin at 12/10/2021 01:47 PM EST View recordings of past webinars at SmartGrowth.org. DECEMBER 9 WEBINAR RECORDING POSTED Autonorama: The Illusory Promise of High-Tech Driving Recorded December 9, 2021 Pete...

05/06/2021

This is a really interesting planning tour of Boston by Alex Krieger at Harvard. I enjoyed the Zoom question and answer session at . https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/2020/12/land-for-a-city-on-a-hill-alex-kriegers-iconic-tour-of-boston/

  Watch as Alex Krieger, professor and former chair of the Department of Urban Planning and Design, takes viewers on his iconic tour of Boston. Stopping at locations key to the growth of the city—from East Boston, which was once five islands that were consolidated in the late 18th to 19th century...

05/05/2021

Equity is definitely a theme at this year of the American Planning Association. I attended a really interesting session today on using AI to target code enforcement while promoting equity. Parks can promote economic development but also displacement if they attract investment. TIF funds can be used for targeted projects to protect at risk communities and offset displacement.

The largest membership organization of professional planners and planning resources available. Your leading authority on making great communities happen!

12/17/2020

I thought I would post about some recent economic studies that I have written by myself or with others. I have been a graduate student in economics and I have done some urban planning-related studies recently. I also apply these skills to my urban planning projects.

First a DART study on economic impacts of DART stations:
https://www.dart.org/about/economicimpact.asp

Second, I just conducted a study on housing insecurity for renter households in the U.S. as related to Covid-19 using advanced econometrics techniques in panel data. I submitted a summary for the Denton City Council and I plan on releasing a full report soon with the assistance of others in the Economics Department at UNT.

Renter households are amassing debt to get by and about one-fourth to one-third may not be able to pay their next month's rent without renter assistance. A surprising finding is that Generation X'ers are slightly more likely to experience housing insecurity than younger age groups.

08/30/2020

Here is a recent economic impact study for DART that I helped write for transit oriented development near DART stations. I am currently in further graduate studies in economics at UNT. "The Dallas-Ft. Worth region’s economy showed considerable economic activity from 2016-2018, including strength in the construction sector. The substantial amount of development within a quarter mile of DART stations analyzed in our last report attests to the region’s economic health. The trend to develop properties near light rail stations is one that extends across the nation."
https://www.dart.org/about/economicimpact.asp

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07/13/2020

The Census Bureau conducted a Small Business Pulse Survey for 9 weeks since April 26th. The survey asked, "Overall how has this business been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic? Nationally, for the end of June, 37.7% had a large negative impact and 45% had a moderate negative impact. In DFW, 31.6% with large impact and 48.6% with moderate impact. The survey will resume in August. There is more information on their website: https://portal.census.gov/pulse/data/

07/13/2020

I've been thinking quite a bit about the impacts of Covid-19 on cities and the economy. I recently wrote an article for the American Planning Association Economic Development Division entitled "Economic Planners and the Covid-19 Economy: Brainstorming on Recent Trends." There were three main themes that emerged from 60 planners across the country: Need for Resiliency Planning, Adaptation of Business Operations, and Spatial Dispersion in Land Uses and Public Spaces. It appears that public spaces and businesses will be transformed for years to come. The article is available for APA EDD members:

05/17/2020

After 5 years of work on the side, I am excited to have my article published on the determinants of shale gas well locations in Denton and the immediate surrounding area. I worked with a wonderful team of economists and geographers.

This research aims to identify factors that contribute to gas well operator pad site location decisions in Denton, Texas. Using new production technologies, a wave of shale gas extraction between 2000 and 2014 resulted in the development of 854 gas wells on 539 pad sites within 2000 US Census block....

09/08/2019

I had a fun afternoon working on the Envision Lavon! public input meeting with Ideation Planning.