VTechWorks Repository :: Browsing by Author "Richardson, Jesse J."

Browsing by Author "Richardson, Jesse J."

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Addressing Barriers to Brownfield Redevelopment: An Analysis of CERCLA and the Voluntary Cleanup Programs of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan
Hudak, Tracy A. (Virginia Tech, 2002-04-19)
Across America, thousands of old industrial or commercial facilities lay abandoned, idle or under-utilized due to real or perceived environmental contamination. These sites, called brownfields, present an opportunity to repair environmental damage and encourage economic development. In 1980, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) to address contaminated sites. This law enables the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to force the cleanup of contaminated sites by using the â polluter paysâ principle. In some cases, CERCLAâ s liability scheme, strict cleanup standards and the lawâ s tendency to produce long and expensive cleanups, discourage brownfield reuse. In an effort to remedy the negative consequences of CERCLA, 47 states have enacted Voluntary Cleanup Programs (VCPs). A VCP generically denotes a form of legislation enacted by a state to encourage the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields under the guidance of an authorized state agency. State VCPs utilize liability protection, streamlined cleanup procedures, and financial support to promote brownfield reuse. This paper examines the VCPs of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan to explore how these states address CERCLAâ s barriers to brownfield redevelopment. In addition, this paper offers recommendations for the development and improvement of VCPs in the future.
Advance Medical Directives
Richardson, Jesse J.; Geyer, L. Leon (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2009-05-01)
An introduction to advance medical directives, including a form based on Virginia code.
Advance medical directives
Richardson, Jesse J.; Geyer, L. Leon (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2001)
Affordable Housing Policy: Integration of Land Use Tools and the Role of State Growth Management
Morrow, Melissa Josephine (Virginia Tech, 2001-06-13)
Affordable housing is recognized as a problem in many localities throughout the United States. Local governments have the power to influence housing affordability through land use policies. Land use tools exist to address affordable housing.. However, these tools are primarily used to address other environmental, economic, and social issues. When implemented to serve other land use objectives, these tools can have a negative impact on affordable housing. This paper will describe the link between land use regulations and affordable housing, suggest the land use tools necessary to encourage affordable housing from a state growth management perspective, and examine how California, Oregon, and the Portland Metropolitan Region have utilized the tools in their affordable housing policies. Finally, this paper applies the lessons learned from the cases to recommend further action to assist in the integration of land use tools as a means of advancing affordable housing goals.
Aging America: Essays on Population Aging and the Physical and Economic Landscapes in the United States
Fisher, Mary Caperton (Virginia Tech, 2010-08-11)
Major population shifts shape both economic and physical landscapes of nations because demographic and economic drivers are inextricably linked. This study follows a three essay approach focused on the impact of population aging on two broad categories, physical and economic development in the United States. Specifically, this dissertation investigates later life entrepreneurship, elder housing choices and the impact of aging on rural prosperity. It appears that age is a factor in later life labor force participation choices, with 61 to 70 year olds and those over 70 years of age exhibiting a greater tendency toward self-employment than their 50 to 60 year old counterparts. However, individuals over age 60 are more likely to retire than transition to self-employment. Still, economic developers should consider small business development programs that include even those ahead of the baby boomer cohort. Amongst recent mover households, age influences dwelling selection. Households headed by 50 to 69 year olds are more likely to move to single family dwellings of 1,000 to just under 3,000 square feet. Conversely, households headed by individuals aged 70 years or more, are more likely to select multi-family dwellings and in particular, smaller units (under 1,000 square feet). Thus, oldest individuals are more likely to relocate to the smallest, highest density units even after controlling for increased housing costs, shocks, income and children. These results suggest that older households are not homogenous in their housing preferences. As expected, population aging impacts rural prosperity. The effect is not significant for the proportion of the population aged 70 to 79 years. However, the greater the percentage of the population that is 50 to 59 years of old or 60 to 69 years old, the less likely a rural county is to be prosperous. Contrary to this finding, the greater the proportion of the population that is 80 years of age or older, the greater the likelihood of rural prosperity. It was originally hypothesized that rural areas may fall short of prosperity because of a mismatch between an aging labor force and the prevalence of physically demanding occupations - this is likely not the case.
America's Converging Open Space Protection Policies: Evidence from New Hampshire, Virginia and Oregon
Appler, Douglas R. (Virginia Tech, 2003-04-22)
The nature of open space protection in America is changing. All across the country, states have begun to converge on a common set of tools designed to protect the rural land within their borders from development. Ideas which are successful in one state are being borrowed and copied in others. When adopted in a new state, these tools work in conjunction with, or sometimes replace, the state's traditional methods of open space protection. The adoption of these new tools is important because it highlights the fact that traditional approaches to preserving open space may no longer be able to protect land to the degree desired by local residents. The more quickly policy makers become aware of this trend, the more quickly they can begin to search for new ideas to slow the loss of open space. This paper shows that the convergence of open space protection policies is taking place first by documenting the widespread popularity of open space protection throughout the country, and then by chronicling the relevant policy changes of three representative states: New Hampshire, Virginia, and Oregon. It closes with a discussion of the importance of this shift to the planning profession, and it identifies three future challenges for open space protection in the United States. It also includes an appendix, which gives a detailed discussion of three different approaches to defining â Open Space,â and gives examples of each approach.
A Behavioral Theory of Planning
Chance, Donald R. (Virginia Tech, 2007-08-14)
This dissertation introduces a new theory of practice for land planning in America based on behavioralism. It is called culture based incentive planning, or CBIP. The CBIP model and techniques are based on four pillars: cultural snesitivity, behavior analysis, engineered incentive regimes, and the tools of persuasion. CBIP is designed to provide an adaptable framework from which to approch regulatory reform in planning. The framework is applicable to the full range of planning implementation strategies from commond and control to market-based approaches. CBIP, as a systems model, has been engineered to create a cooperative rather than adversarial relationship between government and the regulated community by recognizing issues of cultural sensitivity, market response, and behavioral motivations. Under the model, effective implementation of planning objectives is directly tied to the role that incentives play in human behavior. Based on the foundation of incentive theory, CBIP integrates a variety of principles and techniques from applied behavior analysis and behavioral economics to align incentives that drive personal behavior with public planning objectives. CBIP utiliizes a variety of incentives in planning practice including economic, process, lifestyle, social, behavioral, and technical assistance inducements.
Bridging the Diffusion of Innovation Chasm for Green Housing
Sanderford, Andrew R. (Virginia Tech, 2013-08-28)
Limited transaction and unit attribute information curtail the diffusion potential of green homes and create significant valuation and underwriting problems for the housing debt capital markets, more specifically mortgage originators (lenders) and appraisers. Put into the context of the technology adoption life cycle this missing information prevents green homes from crossing the chasm into the mainstream market. As lenders and appraisers are the gatekeepers of the mainstream mortgage markets, they will be key stakeholders in any strategy for green homes to cross this chasm. The missing transaction and attribute data creates two opportunities for scholarship. The first opportunity is to create and provide preliminary evidence of the chasm in the green housing market place. The second opportunity is to analyze, in the context of this chasm, what information and tools appraisers are using, at present, to estimate the value of high performance homes.
A Comparative Analysis of Wellhead Protection: Virginia and Massachusetts
Raftery, Kelley Lynne (Virginia Tech, 2002-05-25)
Proactive drinking water programs assist communities in the long-term protection of their water supply. The 1986 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) seek to protect groundwater sources of public drinking water. 42 United States Code Section 300h-7 created the Wellhead Protection Program. The 1986 SDWA Amendments require all states to submit a Wellhead Protection Program for public groundwater drinking sources. The 1996 SDWA Amendments require all states to submit Source Water Assessment Plans for both groundwater and surface water sources. The 1986 and 1996 SDWA Amendments aim to protect public health by preventing contamination of drinking water sources. This paper compares and contrasts the effectiveness of groundwater Wellhead Protection Programs (WHPP) in Virginia and Massachusetts. These states take different management approaches to protect public groundwater drinking sources. Virginia encourages local governments to participate voluntarily in wellhead protection activities. Massachusetts requires all municipal and private suppliers that provide public drinking water to adopt a WHPP. The relative success achieved by Massachusetts and Virginia was evaluated with two measures: percentage of wellhead protection programs implemented and the percentage of state reported drinking water quality violations.
A Comparative Study of the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Program and Process in Virginia and Kansas: Possible Outcomes and Effects upon Stakeholders
Miller-McClellan, Jennifer Lynn (Virginia Tech, 2003-04-29)
As population increases, the number of water bodies meeting water quality standards tends to decrease. The 1972 Clean Water Act (CWA) addresses the issues of point and nonpoint source pollution by requiring states to compose lists of waters that do not meet water quality standards and develop Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) for those waters. This requirement of the CWA remained inactive until EPA and states suffered lawsuits from environmental groups and concerned citizens. The result prompted a flurry to develop TMDLs in compliance with consent decrees. A variety of methods and models serve as tools to calculate existing loads, load reductions and allocations. The purpose of this study is threefold 1) to examine two methods of TMDL development, Flow Duration (FD) used in Kansas and Hydrologic Simulation Program-Fortran (HSPF) used in Virginia; 2) to compare results of both methods in the same watershed of Virginia; and, 3) to evaluate stakeholder involvement in the TMDL process. A variety of stakeholders such as agencies, towns and industry, agribusiness, and concerned citizen/environmentalists are faced with meeting TMDL reductions and allocations. It is important that the TMDL process and implications are understood by all stakeholders.
Conducting the Liability Assessment
Richardson, Jesse J. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2018-06-15)
Discusses liability assessment and its four main components: review of current liability insurance policies, establishment of standard operating procedure in case of an accident, retaining an attorney, and inspection of physical layout of the farm.
Conservation Easements: Providing Economic Incentive for the Conservation of Open Space and Farmland in the United States
Sowers, Joseph Kurstedt (Virginia Tech, 1999-12-15)
The intensification of land uses in the United States results from population growth, rapid expansion in the service sector, and residential land use growth. These trends cause diminishment of open space and increase sprawl-type land development. So-called "livability" issues are of growing importance in many metropolitan and rural areas across the country. Exasperating this transformation of land use, current demographic trends in the U.S. imply a near-future turnover of a large percentage of farmland and open space land in the form of estate transfer. Current U.S. estate tax policy could be accelerating the transfer of open spaces to developed land uses. Local zoning ordinances, as well as state and federal infrastructure subsidies are also compounding this trend. To date, no method exists which evaluates the economic feasibility of open space preservation. This thesis proposes to establish such a method. A landholder may conserve their land parcel in a non-developed use in perpetuity by placing a Conservation Easement on the property. This land value, the development rights of the land parcel, can be donated to a non-profit organization. The landowner may then deduct the development right value from their income tax as a charitable donation. This thesis compares the economic viability of a landholder that donates a Conservation Easement and invests the tax benefits, with that of a landholder that sells their land parcel to development interests. Further, this thesis explores the demographic profile for which preserving open space may be economically beneficial for the donor of a conservation easement. This thesis is the intersection of three literatures, drawing together three separate land preservation paradigms. First, the altruistic philanthropy landowners exhibit when donating development rights without economic impetus. Second, the thesis introduces the income tax benefits, and their investment potential, available in the Internal Revenue Code for charitable donations. Third, federal land preservation mandates and subsequent funding availability is examined. These tools function together to provide implications for facilitating the deterrence of sprawl-type development. Further, these tools will be compared to the current methods of land preservation, consisting of local zoning ordinances and the purchase of development rights by governmental agencies. These current policies possess serious shortcomings in ameliorating conflict between land uses, as well as diverting sub-urban development from prime farm and open space land. Conservation Easements are shown to have applications in the protection of land subject to estate turnover, control of land uses that cause nuisance externalities, and general local land policy. A spreadsheet algorithm in Microsoft Excel Solver format is included that determines the economic feasibility of performing an easement at the individual landholder level.
Considerations, Process, and Practice for Bicycle Planning
Lohr, Amy M. (Virginia Tech, 1999-04-14)
Picture for a moment your commute to work, school, or any other destination you make on a regular basis. Chances are, you imagine automobiles moving along a highway, or you see yourself traveling to the bus or subway station to use a form of mass transit. At any rate, you are probably not picturing the use of a bicycle. Yet, in many European and Asian countries this scenario is quite common. Because of our predisposition for the car, planners in the United States continually face the problems of congestion, pollution, and energy-efficiency when examining transportation issues. In spite of this affinity for the car, bicycle use has gained momentum during the past 25 years, creating the need for more bicycle facilities. The following paper chronicles the emerging importance of bicycle planning to create multimodal and intermodal transportation systems and examines several issues that surround the implementation of effective bicycle facilities.
Designing a Sense of Community: The Use of Neo-Traditional Design Elements in Public Housing
Winter, Laura L. (Virginia Tech, 1999-04-08)
This paper will address the question of whether neo-traditional design elements can promote a sense of community in low income or public housing neighborhoods. To answer this question, I will first provide a brief history of public housing and its design, describing the main architectural styles used over the years and their relation to sense of community (or lack thereof). I will then examine the current meanings associated with community and the possible implications for using design elements to aid in fostering a sense of community for public housing residents. I will next explore the basic tenants underlying the theory of neo-traditional design elements and how these design elements can assist in the community building process. I will then apply these neo-traditional design elements to a prototype neighborhood for public and low-income housing residents in order to understand how these design elements could be implemented in order to encourage the creation of a sense of community. Finally, I will examine Diggs Town, a public housing project in Norfolk, Virginia that recently underwent renovations using neo-traditional design elements. I then draw some conclusions concerning the strengths and weaknesses of this public housing renovation effort and the possible successes associated with the use of neo-traditional design elements in low income and public housing.
Developing Guidelines for the Community Land Conservation Planning Process: With an Analysis of the West Virginia New River Parkway Project
Childers, Jonathan Aragorn (Virginia Tech, 1999-12-17)
Efforts to establish land conservation, or the prudent use of land and its protection from indiscriminate use and development, have recently been on an upswing in the United States. Effective conservation initiatives accurately address appropriate land use issues, adequately protect resources, and provide for sustainable use and return of benefits to citizens affected by the conservation. Efficient conservation programs consider multiple perspectives on conservation issues and respond to pertinent public interests, thereby securing public support for conservation efforts and facilitating implementation of conservation plans. Conventional agency-driven and citizen-driven approaches to conservation do not adequately exhibit these desired characteristics. The development of a set of professional and community involvement standards as guidelines for land conservation planning processes may help address conservation needs. A derivation of planning guidelines for community land conservation, and a subsequent evaluation of conservation planning processes associated with the New River Parkway project in West Virginia are presented in this paper. The positive and negative aspects of the New River Parkway conservation planning process, in relation to the derived planning guidelines for community land conservation, are discussed and proposals are forwarded for improvements. The discussion demonstrates substantive results of the evaluation of a community land conservation planning processes in comparison to professional and community involvement planning guidelines. The research and evaluation methods proposed in this paper appear to produce useful results. If evaluation and revision of community land conservation efforts is pursued, as in the Parkway case study, toward meeting ideal planning guidelines, undesirable conservation planning processes may be replaced by processes leading to appropriate plans for effective and efficient community land conservation.
Does New Urbanist/Neo Traditional Designs Deliver On Promises to Affect Modal Choice and Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled
McCann, Jessica Hulse (Virginia Tech, 2003-04-19)
This paper investigates Neo-Traditional Designâ s ability to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and effect modal choice by examining the aspects of the design, mixed-use, density, and accessibility. This examination uses three case studies to gain a clearer picture of mixed-use, density, and accessibilityâ s interaction with modal choice and VMT. The three case studies test the hypothesis of Neo-Traditional Designâ s ability to reduce VMT and change modal choice. Case study #1 tests the hypotheses from the perspective of mixing uses. Case study #2 tests the hypothesis from the perspective of densityâ s effect on VMT and modal choice. Case study #3 studies accessibilityâ s effect on VMT and changes in modal choice. These case studies represent a variety of localities in terms of age, size, and location. The conclusions indicate mixed uses (case study #1), density (case study #2), and accessibility (case study #3) reduce VMT and change modal choice. Comparing case studies that employ different methodologies, while arriving at similar conclusions, strengthens the legitimacy of the findings in particular and the concept of neo-traditional urban design in general. The similarity of the conclusions in all three case studies suggests that NTD will influence modal choice and reduce vehicle miles traveled. Neo-traditional designs appear to deliver on promises to reduce VMT and change modal choice by mixing uses, creating densities, and increasing accessibility to the urban form. Newer NTD communities will achieve the same results only if the level of mixed use, density, and accessibility rises to that found in the cases studied.
The Effect of the "No Surprises" Policy on Habitat Conservation Planning and the Endangered Species Act
Slingerland, George (Virginia Tech, 1999-04-14)
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the ESA and the impact of the "No Surprises" policy on habitat conservation planning. Habitat conservation planning was initiated in 1982 in response to drawbacks of the ESA. The "No Surprises" policy was introduced in 1994 to mend shortcomings of the habitat conservation planning process. The paper presents three descriptive chapters on the ESA, habitat conservation plans (HCPs), and the "No Surprises" policy, then investigates the HCP process in two case studies.
The Effects of Conservation Easements on Land Values
Zhang, Xiaowei (Virginia Tech, 2004-05-05)
The Conservation easement has become a popular tool for land protection in the past few decades. Whether this development restriction will necessarily decrease the land value is an empirical question. This study employs a hedonic pricing approach to test empirically the effects of conservation easements on land values. The econometric results indicate that conservation easements can slightly increase the land values, but the effect is statistically insignificance. Considering the limited dataset, the interpretation of the results warrant some caution.
Endangered Species and Safe Harbor Agreements: How Should They Be Used?
Housein, John Gabriel (Virginia Tech, 2002-04-24)
In its original format, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was a classic example of the â command and controlâ model of environmental management. The â command and controlâ model creates unintended effects opposite to the stated purpose of the Endangered Species Act such as clandestine destruction of endangered species and their habitat. In order to resolve this issue the Endangered Species Act has moved away from the â command and controlâ model towards a more collaborative contractual model that allows for flexibility and creates enforceable agreements between Federal and nonfederal entities that protect the interests of all parties involved. This paper examines the most recent type of contractual agreement included in the Endangered Species Act, Safe Harbor Agreements, and how Safe Harbor Agreements should be used with respect to endangered species. The paper begins with a description of the creation of the endangered species legislation and continues by defining the steps leading to the development of Safe Harbor Agreements. The following portions of the paper include case studies and a description of weaknesses and strengths of Safe Harbor Agreements. The paper concludes with policy recommendations for utilization of Safe Harbor Agreements.
Environmentally Friendly Land Use Planning, Property Rights, and Public Participation in South Korea: A Case Study of Greenbelt Policy Reform
Park, Hyunsoo (Virginia Tech, 2001-05-07)
This paper explores the greenbelt policy reform in South Korea (Korea). In 1971, Korea's authoritarian government introduced the Restricted Development Zone (RDZ: greenbelts) policy to prevent the conurbation between cities and the disorderly development of cities. Because the policy ignored individual property rights, landowners and developers have applied political pressure against it until recently. President Kim Dae Jung promised to reform the existing greenbelt policy in the presidential election of 1997. In reforming the RDZ Policy, property rights conflicted with public interests such as environmental protection in the late 1990s. As a result, there was a need to address environment-friendly land use planning and property rights issues, and central government has initiated a collaborative process of the RDZ policy reform. This major paper investigates Korea's RDZ Policy Reform from the perspective of sustainable development, property rights, and public participation. It suggests an alternative land use planning and a new democratic relationship between the state and civil society and between private and public interests through public involvement. While the reformed RDZ Policy has been somewhat successful because it resolves the problem of the exercise of property rights, it neither resolves equity problems, nor fully considers environmental problems. In addition, the collaborative process through public participation failed to reach an agreement because central government depended on top-down solutions during the process. Therefore, it is necessary to make new norms through public participation and to pay attention to the fact that genuine democracy comes from grassroots. That is, the success of a policy depends on actual public participation and how stakeholders play a role in formulating new norms. In addition, separation of development rights from land ownership is needed to achieve the successful greenbelt policy reform. In particular, "permit zone" is a useful concept because Korean land use planning is based on the zoning system.

Browsing by Author "Richardson, Jesse J."

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