35 research outputs found
How do variations in Urban Heat Islands in space and time influence household water use? The case of Phoenix, Arizona
No full textabstract: This paper explores how urbanization, through its role in the evolution of Urban Heat Island (UHI), affects residential water consumption. Using longitudinal data and drawing on a mesoscale atmospheric model, we examine how variations in surface temperature at the census tract level have affected water use in single family residences in Phoenix, Arizona. Results show that each Fahrenheit rise in nighttime temperature increases water consumption by 1.4%. This temperature effect is found to vary significantly with lot size and pool size. The study provides insights into the links between urban form and water use, through the dynamics of UHI.Corresponding Author:
Rimjhim M. Aggarwal
Arizona State University
[email protected]
Assessing the Village Model and the Village To Village Network in advocating aging in place for older Americans
Get PDFThesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2012.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 58-62).Aging in Place allows seniors to remain in their choice of residence for as long as possible, using local services and conveniences to live safely and independently. The Village Model is a component of this movement, recognized as a community-based and peer-support network, which allows older Americans to age in their homes and remain active in their community. While it is generally accepted that the first Village emerged in 2001, tens of new Villages have been established over the last few years (presently over 50 are operating and 120 are in planning). When the movement gained significant momentum, the Village to Village Network (VtVN) was established in 2009 as a response to national inquiries. VtVN, which is fundamentally an online tool, connects Villages across the country and provides technical support for developing and maintaining Villages. In this thesis, I present my research work on behalf of the ICA Group, a non-profit consultancy, as I evaluate how successfully VtVN has been able to meet the needs of its constituency (the Villages). I used three methods to make this assessment: 1. completing a literature review on policies related to older Americans and the Aging in Place movement; 2. conducting research on network structures, both through a literature review and case studies of other nationwide networks; and 3. employing a survey instrument to interview the leadership of existing Villages regarding their experience with their community and the Village to Village Network. Using these analyses, I provide recommendations to the Village to Village Network on how to improve the organization for its membership (the Villages) and for advocating the Aging in Place movement.by Vasudha Gupta.M.C.P
Performance evaluation of load balancing policies across virtual machines in a data center
No full textPerformance evaluation of routing protocols for MANETs under different traffic conditions
No full textThe negation of politics in participatory development projects, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh
No full textBased on a case study of two watershed development projects in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh in India, this article argues that participatory development projects are legitimized by using formalistic compliance criteria, while removing politics as a context. It shows how key aspects of the liberal political framework have not been fully harmonized with communitarian theories; the result is an interpretation of participation as a set of practices that are far removed from politics. As a development practice, participation can turn into the itemizing of participatory objectives, which are then to be fulfilled in the same way as physical and financial targets. The practitioners see their role as merely ‘technocratic’ and the projects they implement as ‘apolitical’. The author argues that, central to these claims, is a limited definition of ‘politics’ as a one dimensional domain comprising contest and irreconcilable conflict, from which the participatory projects, based on so-called consensus, publicly expressed, are to be shielded. The article concludes that participatory projects accommodate and reflect existing relations of domination and control much more than their outward orientation would suggest
