Browsing by Author "Lang, Robert E."

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Alternative Fuels: Incompletely Addressing the Problems of the Automobile
    Shasby, Benjamin Matthew (Virginia Tech, 2004-05-25)
    The inordinate reliance of the United States on the automobile for transportation causes a number of problems for the nation. Finite supplies of petroleum imported from volatile parts of the world place the economy at risk from price spikes and eventual depletion. Pollution from motor vehicle exhaust has public health and environmental consequences. Many politicians, automotive interest groups, and others advocate for the use of alternative fuels to replace fossil fuels. This paper investigates the advantages and disadvantages of the following: Natural Gas, Ethanol, Biodiesel, Hydrogen Fuel Cells, and Hybrid Gasoline Electric Systems. The paper concludes with a discussion of the problems associated with the automobile that will not be addressed through a movement towards alternative fuels: urban sprawl, transportation equity, environmental degradation, and public health.
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    Considerations Concering the Transfer of Urban Environmental and Planning Policies From Germany to the United States
    Medearis, Dale Garner (Virginia Tech, 2007-04-02)
    This paper addresses an apparent knowledge vacuum in the U.S. in the area of international urban environmental planning and the transfer of urban environmental planning practices. This gap is characterized by a dearth of understanding about the process of transfer and adaptation of environmental and urban planning policies into the U.S. from overseas in general, and from Germany in particular. Little is available or has been articulated about the conditions that support or inhibit the voluntary transfer of urban environmental policies into the U.S. and the outcomes. Improving understanding of cross-national transfer of urban environmental policies from countries such as Germany may strengthen the testing and application of appropriate and beneficial programs to heal urban environments in the U.S. This dissertation concerns itself with governmental urban environmental policies, ideas and lessons which have evolved in Germany and are candidates for potential voluntary transfer into the U.S. The intention of this dissertation is to shed light on the process of voluntary policy transfer of urban environmental and planning policies from Germany to the United States. The specific research questions addressed in this dissertation include: 1) In the context of the voluntary transfer, is the acquisition and use of imported information a more rational or more an anarchic process?; 2) What factors enhance or limit the voluntary transfer of urban environmental planning policies from Germany to the United States?; 3) Are there identifiable effects of voluntary transfer of urban environmental planning policies from Germany to the United States? This dissertation concludes that voluntary transfer of German urban environmental and planning policies is a relatively anarchic process. The search and testing of policies from Germany to the U.S. is not often conducted in purpose-driven or goal-oriented contexts. This dissertation also posits that voluntary transfer of German urban environmental and planning policies relies on determined policy entrepreneurs with cosmopolite qualities who bridge environmental and planning communities in both countries. It also suggests that the predominant outcomes of harvesting urban environmental and planning policies are soft transfers of ideas and concepts rather than hard transfers of laws and regulations. Finally, it is suggested that cross-national policy transfer is a “knowledge trail” comprised of unstructured acquisition of information and intuitive learning characteristics, followed by almost parallel implementation, confirmation and decision processes.
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    Country Ain't Country No More: A Typology of the Nation's Fast-Growing Peripheral Counties
    Gough, Meghan Zimmerman (Virginia Tech, 2003-06-30)
    This study uses data on the fast-growing peripheral counties located in the 50 largest metropolitan areas to test the null hypothesis that counties located on the metropolitan fringe are demographically homogenous. Using multivariate analysis, the analysis statistically identifies distinct groups of counties in the metropolitan fringe. In contrast to much of the standard literature, the research rejects the null hypothesis and suggests that more than one exurbia exists. This study also explores the varying pressures and demands faced by the different exurban county types in response to massive and compounding growth stresses, recognizing the complexity of managing growth in the fringe and the implications for planners. It is expected that counties identified as "similar" will experience common-responses to different programs and policies addressing growth pressures. Similar counties should therefore use these results to facilitate information exchange concerning successful or unsuccessful strategies.
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    Locational Distribution of Global Advanced Producer Service Firms in the Polycentric US Metropolis
    Oner, Asli Ceylan (Virginia Tech, 2008-01-30)
    This study is generally concerned with the assumption that the contemporary global flows of people, capital, and commodities, which accelerated dramatically in the age of globalization, have significant impacts on the land use patterns of global cities. With this assumption, the study further questions in the context of polycentric US metropolis, whether or not the distribution of transnational advanced producer service firms define a new form of centrality, in which the traditional central business districts and suburban centers differ from each other in terms of spatial clustering patterns and sectoral distributions of transnational advanced producer service firms. Spatial clustering patterns of advanced producer service firms are evaluated according to high-rise and high-density criteria. In ten selected cities, clusters of advanced producer service firms and high-rise office buildings are identified through the Nearest Neighbor Hierarchical Clustering Method in CrimeStat. To define the polycentric US metropolis, the research employs Lang et al's (2006) classification of metropolitan office space. The results show significant differences between former manufacturing belt cities and Sunbelt cities.
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    More Than Artifacts: The Surprising Importance of Census Designated Places
    Dhavale, Dawn Maya (Virginia Tech, 2004-08-10)
    CDPs are an overlooked component of the metropolitan region, and add to the understanding of the region as a whole. Large CDPs that remain unincorporated have other forms of governance, either public or private. CDPs are equivalent to incorporated places in many ways, but have distinctive differences based on state and region. Large CDPs have reasons for not incorporating. A subset of these CDPs that are similar to Boomburbs are examined. Implications for planners regarding CDP existence are discussed.
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    Understanding Urban, Metropolitan and Megaregion Development to Improve Transportation Governance
    Guthrie, Dwayne Pierce (Virginia Tech, 2007-11-30)
    Since the 1950s, myriad forces have expanded America's urban, metropolitan and megaregion development forms. Using a net worker exchange model, the geographic extent of commuter sheds is documented for 22 metropolitan areas within the continental United States. In addition to commuting patterns, county-to-county migration data provide collaborating evidence for the extent of metropolitan commuter sheds. Actual commuter sheds are significantly larger than the boundaries of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, created by the federal government to review and approve transportation investments in metropolitan areas. For contiguous metropolitan areas, criteria are suggested for recognizing Transportation Megaregions based on their role as global gateways and their potential for high-speed rail service. By gaining a better understanding of development patterns at urban, metropolitan and megaregion scales, the dissertation addresses ways to improve transportation governance. The focus of this study is not on the civil engineering aspects of transportation planning. Rather, the dissertation sets forth a new paradigm for transportation governance that includes scale-dependent decision-making and funding strategies.