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• 41. [Article] Microfinance: The Impacts of a Poverty Reduction Approach and Financial Systems Approach on Poor Rural Households in Vietnam

  The microfinance industry has evolved from its earliest roots as a social movement to a multifaceted financial services industry for the poor. The aim of this research is to add to the existing literature ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Microfinance: The Impacts of a Poverty Reduction Approach and Financial Systems Approach on Poor Rural Households in Vietnam Author: Le, Cardin A. Year: 2017 The microfinance industry has evolved from its earliest roots as a social movement to a multifaceted financial services industry for the poor. The aim of this research is to add to the existing literature by exploring the poverty reduction approach and financial systems approach to microfinance and its implications on poor rural households in Vietnam. It does this through analyzing three main areas: (i) a comprehensive assessment of microfinance in Vietnam; (ii) analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the poverty reduction and financial system approaches; and (iii) evaluating the impact of access to credit on household poverty reduction in rural Vietnam. It is demonstrated that a wider range of supporting services such as improvements in physical infrastructure, healthcare, education and skill training is necessary to help the poorest out of poverty. The future of microfinance in Vietnam is shifting from subsidized microcredit through large organizations and state development banks to a market-based provision of credit through independent NGOs. This research finds that the market systems approach may increase financial burdens for poor rural households in Vietnam. Pushing back against the commercialization of microfinance is “responsible finance.” The global financial crisis in 2008 emphasized the importance of accountability, security, and transparency in financial services. Innovative technologies may help reduce the risk of increasing financial burdens on clients while scaling social impact. Title: Microfinance: The Impacts of a Poverty Reduction Approach and Financial Systems Approach on Poor Rural Households in Vietnam Author: Le, Cardin A. Year: 2017 The microfinance industry has evolved from its earliest roots as a social movement to a multifaceted financial services industry for the poor. The aim of this research is to add to the existing literature by exploring the poverty reduction approach and financial systems approach to microfinance and its implications on poor rural households in Vietnam. It does this through analyzing three main areas: (i) a comprehensive assessment of microfinance in Vietnam; (ii) analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the poverty reduction and financial system approaches; and (iii) evaluating the impact of access to credit on household poverty reduction in rural Vietnam. It is demonstrated that a wider range of supporting services such as improvements in physical infrastructure, healthcare, education and skill training is necessary to help the poorest out of poverty. The future of microfinance in Vietnam is shifting from subsidized microcredit through large organizations and state development banks to a market-based provision of credit through independent NGOs. This research finds that the market systems approach may increase financial burdens for poor rural households in Vietnam. Pushing back against the commercialization of microfinance is “responsible finance.” The global financial crisis in 2008 emphasized the importance of accountability, security, and transparency in financial services. Innovative technologies may help reduce the risk of increasing financial burdens on clients while scaling social impact. Close

• 42. [Article] Cycling by Choice or Necessity? Exploring the Gender Gap in Bicycling in Oregon

  In Oregon, as elsewhere in the US, a greater percentage of men bicycle than women. This study illuminates the gender gap in bicycling by exploring differences in bicycling among women and men in Oregon. ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Cycling by Choice or Necessity? Exploring the Gender Gap in Bicycling in Oregon Author: Singleton, Patrick Allen Year: 2016 In Oregon, as elsewhere in the US, a greater percentage of men bicycle than women. This study illuminates the gender gap in bicycling by exploring differences in bicycling among women and men in Oregon. A one-day statewide travel survey of over 30,000 adults was examined. Comparisons between individual, household, and trip and activity characteristics for people grouped by gender (women vs. men) and bicycling (made a bicycle trip or normally commuted by bicycle vs. did not bicycle) were assessed using chi-squared tests of independence. Many significant differences were found. In particular, women living alone, not working, without a high-school degree, without a driver license, and living in low-income households or zero-vehicle households were less likely to bicycle than other women. Men with similar characteristics did not exhibit the same trends and sometimes were even more likely to bicycle. These findings are consistent with a perspective that women who bicycle are more likely to do so by choice, whereas women with fewer means are less likely to turn to bicycling than their male counterparts. In addition, there was partial support for the idea that women’s roles and responsibilities (for household maintenance and escorting, but not necessarily the presence of children) may contribute to this deficit. The study’s results begin to suggest a rethinking of bicycle-promoting policies and interventions to better target certain women, although further research is needed to more fully understand bicycling’s gender gap. Title: Cycling by Choice or Necessity? Exploring the Gender Gap in Bicycling in Oregon Author: Singleton, Patrick Allen Year: 2016 In Oregon, as elsewhere in the US, a greater percentage of men bicycle than women. This study illuminates the gender gap in bicycling by exploring differences in bicycling among women and men in Oregon. A one-day statewide travel survey of over 30,000 adults was examined. Comparisons between individual, household, and trip and activity characteristics for people grouped by gender (women vs. men) and bicycling (made a bicycle trip or normally commuted by bicycle vs. did not bicycle) were assessed using chi-squared tests of independence. Many significant differences were found. In particular, women living alone, not working, without a high-school degree, without a driver license, and living in low-income households or zero-vehicle households were less likely to bicycle than other women. Men with similar characteristics did not exhibit the same trends and sometimes were even more likely to bicycle. These findings are consistent with a perspective that women who bicycle are more likely to do so by choice, whereas women with fewer means are less likely to turn to bicycling than their male counterparts. In addition, there was partial support for the idea that women’s roles and responsibilities (for household maintenance and escorting, but not necessarily the presence of children) may contribute to this deficit. The study’s results begin to suggest a rethinking of bicycle-promoting policies and interventions to better target certain women, although further research is needed to more fully understand bicycling’s gender gap. Close

• 43. [Article] Study of Prestige and Resource Control Using Fish Remains from Cathlapotle, a Plankhouse Village on the Lower Columbia River

  Social inequality is a trademark of Northwest Coast native societies, and the relationship between social prestige and resource control, particularly resource ownership, is an important research issue ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Study of Prestige and Resource Control Using Fish Remains from Cathlapotle, a Plankhouse Village on the Lower Columbia River Author: Rosenberg, J. Shoshana Year: 2015 Social inequality is a trademark of Northwest Coast native societies, and the relationship between social prestige and resource control, particularly resource ownership, is an important research issue on the Northwest Coast. Faunal remains are one potential but as yet underutilized path for examining this relationship. My thesis work takes on this approach through the analysis of fish remains from the Cathlapotle archaeological site (45CL1). Cathlapotle is a large Chinookan village site located on the Lower Columbia River that was extensively excavated in the 1990s. Previous work has established prestige distinctions between houses and house compartments, making it possible to examine the relationship between prestige and the spatial distribution of fish remains. In this study, I examine whether having high prestige afforded its bearers greater access to preferred fish, utilizing comparisons of fish remains at two different levels of social organization, between and within households, to determine which social mechanisms could account for potential differences in access to fish resources. Differential access to these resources within the village could have occurred through household-level ownership of harvesting sites or control over the post-harvesting distribution of food by certain individuals. Previous work in this region on the relationship between faunal remains and prestige has relied heavily on ethnohistoric sources to determine the relative value of taxa. These sources do not provide adequate data to make detailed comparisons between all of the taxa encountered at archaeological sites, so in this study I utilize optimal foraging theory as an alternative means of determining which fish taxa were preferred. Optimal foraging theory provides a universal, quantitative analytical rule for ranking fish that I was able to apply to all of the taxa encountered at Cathlapotle. Given these rankings, which are based primarily on size, I examine the degree to which relative prestige designations of two households (Houses 1 and 4) and compartments within one of those households (House 1) are reflected in the spatial distribution of fish remains. I also offer a new method for quantifying sturgeon that utilizes specimen weight to account for differential fragmentation rates while still allowing for sturgeon abundance to be compared to the abundances of other taxa that have been quantified by number of identified specimens (NISP). Based on remains recovered from 1/4" mesh screens, comparisons between compartments within House 1 indicate that the chief and possibly other elite members of House 1 likely had some control over the distribution of fish resources within their household, taking more of the preferred sturgeon and salmon, particularly more chinook salmon, for themselves. Comparisons between households provide little evidence to support household-based ownership of fishing sites. A greater abundance of chinook salmon in the higher prestige House 1 may indicate ownership of fishing platforms at major chinook fisheries such as Willamette Falls or Cascades Rapids, but other explanations for this difference between households are possible. Analyses of a limited number of bulk samples, which were included in the study in order to examine utilization of very small fishes, provided insufficient data to allow for meaningful intrasite comparisons. These data indicate that the inhabitants of Cathlapotle were exploiting a broad fish subsistence base that included large numbers of eulachon and stickleback in addition to the larger fishes. This study provides a promising approach for examining prestige on the Northwest Coast and expanding our understanding of the dynamics between social inequality and resource access and control. Title: Study of Prestige and Resource Control Using Fish Remains from Cathlapotle, a Plankhouse Village on the Lower Columbia River Author: Rosenberg, J. Shoshana Year: 2015 Social inequality is a trademark of Northwest Coast native societies, and the relationship between social prestige and resource control, particularly resource ownership, is an important research issue on the Northwest Coast. Faunal remains are one potential but as yet underutilized path for examining this relationship. My thesis work takes on this approach through the analysis of fish remains from the Cathlapotle archaeological site (45CL1). Cathlapotle is a large Chinookan village site located on the Lower Columbia River that was extensively excavated in the 1990s. Previous work has established prestige distinctions between houses and house compartments, making it possible to examine the relationship between prestige and the spatial distribution of fish remains. In this study, I examine whether having high prestige afforded its bearers greater access to preferred fish, utilizing comparisons of fish remains at two different levels of social organization, between and within households, to determine which social mechanisms could account for potential differences in access to fish resources. Differential access to these resources within the village could have occurred through household-level ownership of harvesting sites or control over the post-harvesting distribution of food by certain individuals. Previous work in this region on the relationship between faunal remains and prestige has relied heavily on ethnohistoric sources to determine the relative value of taxa. These sources do not provide adequate data to make detailed comparisons between all of the taxa encountered at archaeological sites, so in this study I utilize optimal foraging theory as an alternative means of determining which fish taxa were preferred. Optimal foraging theory provides a universal, quantitative analytical rule for ranking fish that I was able to apply to all of the taxa encountered at Cathlapotle. Given these rankings, which are based primarily on size, I examine the degree to which relative prestige designations of two households (Houses 1 and 4) and compartments within one of those households (House 1) are reflected in the spatial distribution of fish remains. I also offer a new method for quantifying sturgeon that utilizes specimen weight to account for differential fragmentation rates while still allowing for sturgeon abundance to be compared to the abundances of other taxa that have been quantified by number of identified specimens (NISP). Based on remains recovered from 1/4" mesh screens, comparisons between compartments within House 1 indicate that the chief and possibly other elite members of House 1 likely had some control over the distribution of fish resources within their household, taking more of the preferred sturgeon and salmon, particularly more chinook salmon, for themselves. Comparisons between households provide little evidence to support household-based ownership of fishing sites. A greater abundance of chinook salmon in the higher prestige House 1 may indicate ownership of fishing platforms at major chinook fisheries such as Willamette Falls or Cascades Rapids, but other explanations for this difference between households are possible. Analyses of a limited number of bulk samples, which were included in the study in order to examine utilization of very small fishes, provided insufficient data to allow for meaningful intrasite comparisons. These data indicate that the inhabitants of Cathlapotle were exploiting a broad fish subsistence base that included large numbers of eulachon and stickleback in addition to the larger fishes. This study provides a promising approach for examining prestige on the Northwest Coast and expanding our understanding of the dynamics between social inequality and resource access and control. Close

• 44. [Article] When Cities Shrink, Affordability Does Too

  To better understand the real costs of housing and transportation in a declining urban context, NITC researchers implemented a household survey to determine whether the assumptions made in existing research ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: When Cities Shrink, Affordability Does Too Author: Ganning, Joanna, Tighe, Jenna Rosie Year: 2017 To better understand the real costs of housing and transportation in a declining urban context, NITC researchers implemented a household survey to determine whether the assumptions made in existing research literature and in the LAI regarding household expenditures and transportation accessibility hold true when analyzing shrinking cities—generally, cities characterized by a long-term loss in occupied housing units. The project was led by Joanna Ganning of Cleveland State University, who has conducted previous research into shrinking cities with the support of the NITC program. Title: When Cities Shrink, Affordability Does Too Author: Ganning, Joanna, Tighe, Jenna Rosie Year: 2017 To better understand the real costs of housing and transportation in a declining urban context, NITC researchers implemented a household survey to determine whether the assumptions made in existing research literature and in the LAI regarding household expenditures and transportation accessibility hold true when analyzing shrinking cities—generally, cities characterized by a long-term loss in occupied housing units. The project was led by Joanna Ganning of Cleveland State University, who has conducted previous research into shrinking cities with the support of the NITC program. Close

• 45. [Article] What Do We Know About Location Affordability in U.S. Shrinking Cities?

  In late 2013, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) launched the Location Affordability Index (LAI) portal. Their dataset uses models to estimate typical amount households spend on housing ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: What Do We Know About Location Affordability in U.S. Shrinking Cities? Author: Ganning, Joanna, Tighe, Jenna Rosie Year: 2017 In late 2013, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) launched the Location Affordability Index (LAI) portal. Their dataset uses models to estimate typical amount households spend on housing and transportation at the block group level, and calculates “H + T Affordability,” the percent of household income spent on these items. In our previous research, we analyzed 81 shrinking cities to determine how location affordability differs across various neighborhoods. Our results suggest that households in declining neighborhoods, as compared to stable or redeveloping neighborhoods, face the greatest H + T affordability challenges in shrinking cities. Furthermore, in declining neighborhoods, virtually all of the additional affordability challenges encountered can be accounted for by differences in transportation affordability rather than housing. Since there is virtually no research to either validate or suggest bias in the LAI data, and a declining neighborhood in a shrinking city presents both a relatively common yet entirely dissimilar context to the norm, we feel that this data should be carefully calibrated to, and tested for, this setting to ensure that appropriate and efficient policy follow. In this report, we present the results of two research phases: a strictly quantitative first stage in which the LAI is disassembled and reassembled, taking stock of assumptions, methods, and accuracy. This work finds that the LAI generally over-estimates housing costs, but more for renters and more in metropolitan areas. Estimations of transportation cost burdens are built largely from unreliable data and using models which cannot be replicated, leading us to conclude that these cost burden estimates may not be reliable. In the second research phase, which is survey-based, we gather household-level data from 12 Census tracts in Cleveland, Ohio, to estimate household housing and transportation costs and cost burdens and gain a clearer sense of budget trade-offs where costs are unaffordable. The survey results support the first research stage. The LAI over-estimates housing costs for these neighborhoods by approximately 17% and transportation costs by approximately 126%, meaning the LAI estimates for transportation are not reliable. By and large, households trade essentials, investing, and paying bills (at all or in full) to cover their costs in housing and transportation. Title: What Do We Know About Location Affordability in U.S. Shrinking Cities? Author: Ganning, Joanna, Tighe, Jenna Rosie Year: 2017 In late 2013, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) launched the Location Affordability Index (LAI) portal. Their dataset uses models to estimate typical amount households spend on housing and transportation at the block group level, and calculates “H + T Affordability,” the percent of household income spent on these items. In our previous research, we analyzed 81 shrinking cities to determine how location affordability differs across various neighborhoods. Our results suggest that households in declining neighborhoods, as compared to stable or redeveloping neighborhoods, face the greatest H + T affordability challenges in shrinking cities. Furthermore, in declining neighborhoods, virtually all of the additional affordability challenges encountered can be accounted for by differences in transportation affordability rather than housing. Since there is virtually no research to either validate or suggest bias in the LAI data, and a declining neighborhood in a shrinking city presents both a relatively common yet entirely dissimilar context to the norm, we feel that this data should be carefully calibrated to, and tested for, this setting to ensure that appropriate and efficient policy follow. In this report, we present the results of two research phases: a strictly quantitative first stage in which the LAI is disassembled and reassembled, taking stock of assumptions, methods, and accuracy. This work finds that the LAI generally over-estimates housing costs, but more for renters and more in metropolitan areas. Estimations of transportation cost burdens are built largely from unreliable data and using models which cannot be replicated, leading us to conclude that these cost burden estimates may not be reliable. In the second research phase, which is survey-based, we gather household-level data from 12 Census tracts in Cleveland, Ohio, to estimate household housing and transportation costs and cost burdens and gain a clearer sense of budget trade-offs where costs are unaffordable. The survey results support the first research stage. The LAI over-estimates housing costs for these neighborhoods by approximately 17% and transportation costs by approximately 126%, meaning the LAI estimates for transportation are not reliable. By and large, households trade essentials, investing, and paying bills (at all or in full) to cover their costs in housing and transportation. Close

• 46. [Article] Explaining Unequal Transportation Outcomes in a Gentrifying City: The Example of Portland, Oregon

  This dissertation examines unequal outcomes of urban transportation policies in the neoliberal era. It focuses on inequalities in the Portland, Oregon metro area between 1994 and 2011 as measured in three ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Explaining Unequal Transportation Outcomes in a Gentrifying City: The Example of Portland, Oregon Author: Arriaga Cordero, Eugenio Year: 2017 This dissertation examines unequal outcomes of urban transportation policies in the neoliberal era. It focuses on inequalities in the Portland, Oregon metro area between 1994 and 2011 as measured in three key areas: 1) access to public transit; 2) the journey-to-work; and 3) "household-serving" trips. Growing concern over the harmful impacts from an increasing dependence on cars has led planners in the U.S. to encourage a modal shift from private car to public transit, bicycling, and walking. The required policies to make this modal shift possible, however, might inadvertently be benefiting "choice" riders at the cost of transport disadvantaged groups. Other contributing factors to this unequal benefit appear to be the suburbanization of poverty, an ongoing gentrification of central areas, and market forces that make it difficult for low income groups to afford housing in transit-rich neighborhoods. The Oregon Household Activity and Travel surveys are used to answer the three major research questions in this dissertation: what has been the effect of neoliberalism on access to public transit?, how do gender, race/ethnicity, and income inequality affect the journey-to-work in Portland?, and how do household-serving trips vary by gender in Portland? . Six hypothesis are tested in answering these questions. Those related to access to transit draw on Fred Block's theory of the capitalist state and the "urban growth machine" concept, both of which predict spatially unequal outcomes from neoliberal ideology. Hypotheses about the journey to work draw on a rich body of literature around social relations in the household and the job market, as well as residential location. The final question, about household-serving trips, draws on theories of gender socialization. Findings showed that: (i) individuals in the Portland metro area had less access overall to bus public transit in 2011 than in 1994; (ii) impoverished dependent riders have lost access to transit service over time, whereas choice dependent riders increased their access to public transit; (iii) low income groups have been "forced" into greater car-ownership, in part due to the lower access to public transit; (iv) women in Portland have shorter journey-to-work trips than men; (v) Blacks have longer journey-to-work trips than Whites and Latinos; (vi) low-income individuals have shorter journey-to-work trips than higher income individuals; and (vii) women with children make more household-serving trips than men in similar family structures. Title: Explaining Unequal Transportation Outcomes in a Gentrifying City: The Example of Portland, Oregon Author: Arriaga Cordero, Eugenio Year: 2017 This dissertation examines unequal outcomes of urban transportation policies in the neoliberal era. It focuses on inequalities in the Portland, Oregon metro area between 1994 and 2011 as measured in three key areas: 1) access to public transit; 2) the journey-to-work; and 3) "household-serving" trips. Growing concern over the harmful impacts from an increasing dependence on cars has led planners in the U.S. to encourage a modal shift from private car to public transit, bicycling, and walking. The required policies to make this modal shift possible, however, might inadvertently be benefiting "choice" riders at the cost of transport disadvantaged groups. Other contributing factors to this unequal benefit appear to be the suburbanization of poverty, an ongoing gentrification of central areas, and market forces that make it difficult for low income groups to afford housing in transit-rich neighborhoods. The Oregon Household Activity and Travel surveys are used to answer the three major research questions in this dissertation: what has been the effect of neoliberalism on access to public transit?, how do gender, race/ethnicity, and income inequality affect the journey-to-work in Portland?, and how do household-serving trips vary by gender in Portland? . Six hypothesis are tested in answering these questions. Those related to access to transit draw on Fred Block's theory of the capitalist state and the "urban growth machine" concept, both of which predict spatially unequal outcomes from neoliberal ideology. Hypotheses about the journey to work draw on a rich body of literature around social relations in the household and the job market, as well as residential location. The final question, about household-serving trips, draws on theories of gender socialization. Findings showed that: (i) individuals in the Portland metro area had less access overall to bus public transit in 2011 than in 1994; (ii) impoverished dependent riders have lost access to transit service over time, whereas choice dependent riders increased their access to public transit; (iii) low income groups have been "forced" into greater car-ownership, in part due to the lower access to public transit; (iv) women in Portland have shorter journey-to-work trips than men; (v) Blacks have longer journey-to-work trips than Whites and Latinos; (vi) low-income individuals have shorter journey-to-work trips than higher income individuals; and (vii) women with children make more household-serving trips than men in similar family structures. Close

• 47. [Article] Wider Dissemination of Household Travel Survey Data Using Geographical Perturbation Methods

  Public agencies spend vast amounts of money collecting information about passenger travel in household travel surveys. These data are valuable for the rich and detailed information they provide, which ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Wider Dissemination of Household Travel Survey Data Using Geographical Perturbation Methods Author: Clifton, Kelly J., Gehrke, Steven R. Year: 2014 Public agencies spend vast amounts of money collecting information about passenger travel in household travel surveys. These data are valuable for the rich and detailed information they provide, which contribute to regional and statewide travel demand models. These data have utility beyond travel demand modeling in their application to transportation policy and travel behavior research. As the demand on these data increase, so have the quantity of information collected. Detailed geospatial referencing of the home, work and other travel destinations are common practice and permit the integration with other spatially archived data sources, such as land use characteristics, transportation system information, and other built environment, social and economic data. Other public agencies, private consultancies, non-profits and educational institutions may benefit from access to the original data with applications to areas such public health, equity, transportation safety and urban planning. Oregon Modeling Collaborative (OMC) has entered into an agreement with Oregon Modeling Steering Committee (OMSC) to host and make available Oregon Household Activity Survey (OHAS) datasets. But wide distribution of these important and expensive data is limited by the requirement to protect the confidentiality of survey participants, who are guaranteed anonymity in exchange for participation. Data are often aggregated to a geographic level such as Census tracts or transportation analysis zones (TAZs) before disseminating to the public, which limits the utility of this information. This project aims to develop a methodology to permit dissemination of these spatially-explicit data to a wider range of public constituents while at the same time, protecting the identities of study participants. Making use of these data, this project will use geographical perturbation methods to add noise to the original data to protect confidentiality while at the same time allowing the detailed geo-spatial referencing to be included in the disseminated data. The process includes: The coordinates (locations) will be geographically perturbed (masked) so that they do not reveal the identity of the traveler while at the same time retaining spatial relevance and resolution. Here the limits of the perturbation (minimum and maximum displacement) need to be determined that a) ensure confidentiality and b) minimize the errors introduced to the data. The original and perturbed (masked) data will be compared using various statistical approaches to develop a set of confidence measures for different types of transportation applications. For example, geographically perturbed (masked) may be more robust for automobile travel measures, such as vehicle miles traveled (VMT) or transit accessibility than for detailed pedestrian or bicycle trip attributes. This exercise will allow spatially-explicit OHAS data to be released to the public with some information about the confidence to which it can be applied. These data will be archived at Portland State University and made available to the public. The information and algorithms can be shared with other agencies collecting and archiving travel data, such as the National Household Travel Survey, metropolitan planning organizations and state departments of transportation, to permit wider dissemination of their data. Title: Wider Dissemination of Household Travel Survey Data Using Geographical Perturbation Methods Author: Clifton, Kelly J., Gehrke, Steven R. Year: 2014 Public agencies spend vast amounts of money collecting information about passenger travel in household travel surveys. These data are valuable for the rich and detailed information they provide, which contribute to regional and statewide travel demand models. These data have utility beyond travel demand modeling in their application to transportation policy and travel behavior research. As the demand on these data increase, so have the quantity of information collected. Detailed geospatial referencing of the home, work and other travel destinations are common practice and permit the integration with other spatially archived data sources, such as land use characteristics, transportation system information, and other built environment, social and economic data. Other public agencies, private consultancies, non-profits and educational institutions may benefit from access to the original data with applications to areas such public health, equity, transportation safety and urban planning. Oregon Modeling Collaborative (OMC) has entered into an agreement with Oregon Modeling Steering Committee (OMSC) to host and make available Oregon Household Activity Survey (OHAS) datasets. But wide distribution of these important and expensive data is limited by the requirement to protect the confidentiality of survey participants, who are guaranteed anonymity in exchange for participation. Data are often aggregated to a geographic level such as Census tracts or transportation analysis zones (TAZs) before disseminating to the public, which limits the utility of this information. This project aims to develop a methodology to permit dissemination of these spatially-explicit data to a wider range of public constituents while at the same time, protecting the identities of study participants. Making use of these data, this project will use geographical perturbation methods to add noise to the original data to protect confidentiality while at the same time allowing the detailed geo-spatial referencing to be included in the disseminated data. The process includes: The coordinates (locations) will be geographically perturbed (masked) so that they do not reveal the identity of the traveler while at the same time retaining spatial relevance and resolution. Here the limits of the perturbation (minimum and maximum displacement) need to be determined that a) ensure confidentiality and b) minimize the errors introduced to the data. The original and perturbed (masked) data will be compared using various statistical approaches to develop a set of confidence measures for different types of transportation applications. For example, geographically perturbed (masked) may be more robust for automobile travel measures, such as vehicle miles traveled (VMT) or transit accessibility than for detailed pedestrian or bicycle trip attributes. This exercise will allow spatially-explicit OHAS data to be released to the public with some information about the confidence to which it can be applied. These data will be archived at Portland State University and made available to the public. The information and algorithms can be shared with other agencies collecting and archiving travel data, such as the National Household Travel Survey, metropolitan planning organizations and state departments of transportation, to permit wider dissemination of their data. Close

• 48. [Article] Do TODs Make a Difference?

  In this report, we present research that measures the outcomes of TOD areas in relation to their metropolitan area controls with respect to (1) jobs by sector; (2) housing choice for household types based ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Do TODs Make a Difference? Author: Nelson, Arthur C., Miller, Matt, Eskic, Dejan, Kim, Keuntae, Ewing, Reid, Liu, Jenny H., Berggren, Matt, Mumuni, Zakari Year: 2015 In this report, we present research that measures the outcomes of TOD areas in relation to their metropolitan area controls with respect to (1) jobs by sector; (2) housing choice for household types based on key demographic characteristics; (3) housing affordability based on transportation costs; and (4) job-worker balance as a measure of accessibility. Prior literature has not systematically evaluated TOD outcomes in these respects with respect to light rail transit (LRT), commuter rail transit (CRT), bus rapid transit (BRT), and streetcar transit (SCT) systems. Our analysis helps close some of these gaps. We apply our analysis to 23 fixed-guideway transit systems operating in 17 metropolitan areas in the South and West that have one or more of those systems. We find: (1) Most TOD areas gained jobs in the office, knowledge, education, health care and entertainment sectors, adding more than $100 billion in wages capitalized over time; (2) In assessing economic resilience associated with LRT systems, jobs continued to shift away from TOD areas before the Great Recession, the pace slowed during the recession but reversed during recovery, leading us to speculate that LRT TOD areas may have transformed metropolitan economies served by LRT systems; (3) Rents for offices, retail stores and apartments were higher when closer to SCT systems, had mixed results with respect LRT systems, but were mostly lower with respect to CRT systems (our BRT sample was too small to evaluate); (4) SCT systems performed best in terms of increasing their TOD-area shares of metropolitan population, households and householders by age, housing units, and renters with BRT systems performing less well while LRT and CRT systems experienced a much smaller shift in the share of growth; (5) Household transportation costs as a share of budgets increase with respect to distance from LRT transit stations to seven miles, suggesting the proximity to LRT stations reduces total household transportation costs; (6) Emerging trends that may favor higher-wage jobs locating in TOD areas over time than lower- or middle-wage jobs, perhaps because TOD areas attract more investment which requires more productive, higher-paid labor to justify the investment; and (7) The share of workers who commute 10 minutes or less to work increases nearly one-half of 1 percent for each half-mile their resident block group is to an LRT transit station, capping at a gain of 1.3 percent, which is not a trivial gain. Our report summarizes case studies of 23 transit systems and three journal articles based on our research. Title: Do TODs Make a Difference? Author: Nelson, Arthur C., Miller, Matt, Eskic, Dejan, Kim, Keuntae, Ewing, Reid, Liu, Jenny H., Berggren, Matt, Mumuni, Zakari Year: 2015 In this report, we present research that measures the outcomes of TOD areas in relation to their metropolitan area controls with respect to (1) jobs by sector; (2) housing choice for household types based on key demographic characteristics; (3) housing affordability based on transportation costs; and (4) job-worker balance as a measure of accessibility. Prior literature has not systematically evaluated TOD outcomes in these respects with respect to light rail transit (LRT), commuter rail transit (CRT), bus rapid transit (BRT), and streetcar transit (SCT) systems. Our analysis helps close some of these gaps. We apply our analysis to 23 fixed-guideway transit systems operating in 17 metropolitan areas in the South and West that have one or more of those systems. We find: (1) Most TOD areas gained jobs in the office, knowledge, education, health care and entertainment sectors, adding more than $100 billion in wages capitalized over time; (2) In assessing economic resilience associated with LRT systems, jobs continued to shift away from TOD areas before the Great Recession, the pace slowed during the recession but reversed during recovery, leading us to speculate that LRT TOD areas may have transformed metropolitan economies served by LRT systems; (3) Rents for offices, retail stores and apartments were higher when closer to SCT systems, had mixed results with respect LRT systems, but were mostly lower with respect to CRT systems (our BRT sample was too small to evaluate); (4) SCT systems performed best in terms of increasing their TOD-area shares of metropolitan population, households and householders by age, housing units, and renters with BRT systems performing less well while LRT and CRT systems experienced a much smaller shift in the share of growth; (5) Household transportation costs as a share of budgets increase with respect to distance from LRT transit stations to seven miles, suggesting the proximity to LRT stations reduces total household transportation costs; (6) Emerging trends that may favor higher-wage jobs locating in TOD areas over time than lower- or middle-wage jobs, perhaps because TOD areas attract more investment which requires more productive, higher-paid labor to justify the investment; and (7) The share of workers who commute 10 minutes or less to work increases nearly one-half of 1 percent for each half-mile their resident block group is to an LRT transit station, capping at a gain of 1.3 percent, which is not a trivial gain. Our report summarizes case studies of 23 transit systems and three journal articles based on our research. Close

• 49. [Article] The Economic Impact of Veteran Status: The Effect of Veteran and Demographic Statuses on Household Income

  Determining the effects of military service on those who volunteer is of vital importance in an age when service may lead to the loss of bodily function or life. The aim of this study was to examine the ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The Economic Impact of Veteran Status: The Effect of Veteran and Demographic Statuses on Household Income Author: Standridge, Daniel Year: 2013 Determining the effects of military service on those who volunteer is of vital importance in an age when service may lead to the loss of bodily function or life. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of military service with consideration for the demographic statuses of race, gender, and educational attainment on economic outcomes. Data for this study came from the Current Population Survey July 2010 with Veterans Supplement (N=83,000). Results from this study suggest that some veterans, namely those of minority racial status and lower educational attainment benefit from their military serve by achieving increased levels of household income as compared to similar non-veterans. Conversely, non-Hispanic White veterans and those with higher levels of educational attainment suffer negative consequences to levels of household income. Furthermore, differences among veterans were assessed. These results provide further insight into the experiences of veterans in the United States. Title: The Economic Impact of Veteran Status: The Effect of Veteran and Demographic Statuses on Household Income Author: Standridge, Daniel Year: 2013 Determining the effects of military service on those who volunteer is of vital importance in an age when service may lead to the loss of bodily function or life. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of military service with consideration for the demographic statuses of race, gender, and educational attainment on economic outcomes. Data for this study came from the Current Population Survey July 2010 with Veterans Supplement (N=83,000). Results from this study suggest that some veterans, namely those of minority racial status and lower educational attainment benefit from their military serve by achieving increased levels of household income as compared to similar non-veterans. Conversely, non-Hispanic White veterans and those with higher levels of educational attainment suffer negative consequences to levels of household income. Furthermore, differences among veterans were assessed. These results provide further insight into the experiences of veterans in the United States. Close

• 50. [Article] Multiday GPS Travel Behavior Data for Travel Analysis: The Effect of Day-to-Day Travel Time Variability on Auto Travel Choices

  This project explored the potential of archived multi-day GPS data to expand the understanding of travel-time reliability. While reliability is often observed and considered at the system or segment level, ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Multiday GPS Travel Behavior Data for Travel Analysis: The Effect of Day-to-Day Travel Time Variability on Auto Travel Choices Author: Dill, Jennifer, Broach, Joseph Paul, Deutsch-Burgne, Kate, Xu, Yanzhi, Guensler, Randall, Levinson, David, Tang, Wenyun Year: 2014 This project explored the potential of archived multi-day GPS data to expand the understanding of travel-time reliability. While reliability is often observed and considered at the system or segment level, travel-time uncertainty is also experienced at the household and trip level. Any move toward incorporating reliability into regional travel models will necessitate a re-examination of travel-time variation at more disaggregate levels. The analysis uses multiday vehicle-based GPS data analyzed within the Transportation Secure Data Center (TSDC). There were three major goals for the research. The first goal was to consider the ways in which multiday GPS data could be translated into data on reliability. The second goal was to explore relationships between trip- and household-level travel-time reliability and related trip, household, network, and urban location factors. The third goal involved use of the topic of reliability as a case study to test the usefulness of the TSDC in its current form for academic research. Title: Multiday GPS Travel Behavior Data for Travel Analysis: The Effect of Day-to-Day Travel Time Variability on Auto Travel Choices Author: Dill, Jennifer, Broach, Joseph Paul, Deutsch-Burgne, Kate, Xu, Yanzhi, Guensler, Randall, Levinson, David, Tang, Wenyun Year: 2014 This project explored the potential of archived multi-day GPS data to expand the understanding of travel-time reliability. While reliability is often observed and considered at the system or segment level, travel-time uncertainty is also experienced at the household and trip level. Any move toward incorporating reliability into regional travel models will necessitate a re-examination of travel-time variation at more disaggregate levels. The analysis uses multiday vehicle-based GPS data analyzed within the Transportation Secure Data Center (TSDC). There were three major goals for the research. The first goal was to consider the ways in which multiday GPS data could be translated into data on reliability. The second goal was to explore relationships between trip- and household-level travel-time reliability and related trip, household, network, and urban location factors. The third goal involved use of the topic of reliability as a case study to test the usefulness of the TSDC in its current form for academic research. Close