Projects for 2003 - 2004
Note: click here for more information for the faculty listed below, as well as UAC's on-going services. You can also view UAC's research publications.
The Urban Affairs Center is one of UT's major vehicles for establishing strong and effective linkages between our community, its urban region, and the University. We look to the Center for leadership in helping the University of Toledo fulfill its mission as a premier metropolitan university. For Toledo and Northwest Ohio to be successful in their efforts to promote economic development and improve the quality of life, it must have a strong, engaged university. The Urban Affairs Center is playing an important role in ensuring that UT is a strong engaged university.
Dr. Daniel Johnson, President, University of Toledo
The UAC will promote, support, and/or facilitate locally relevant and nationally recognized scholarly and applied research in the following areas: Community Preservation and Enhancement, Urban and Regional Planning, Economic Development, and Urban Education"
(From the UAC Mission Statement, 04/02).
Program Area - Community Development
Predatory Lending Study - Dr.'s Baker, Jenkins (Criminal Justice), Jennings, and Pasupuleti (Social Work) will complete their analysis and present it in a report form.
City Government Re-Organization Activities - UAC Research Associate Sue Wuest will assist with efforts to re-organization of the structure of the City of Toledo.
Re-organizing City Dept. of Housing and Economic Development - UAC Research Associate Sue Wuest will submit her report on the operations, responsibilities, and goals of Toledo's Dept. of Neighborhoods.
New Schools, New Communities - UAC Research Associate Sue Wuest will help convene this group to promote a wise and coordinated use of the state and local funded Toledo Public School Construction process, with local community development, infrastructure, and neighborhood economic development activities.
Expected Impacts of Changes in Welfare Policy and Expenditures - Supported by Lucas County Jobs and Family Service Evaluation Committee, Dr. Lynn Bachelor (Political Science) surveyed and will report the views of 700 Lucas County social service directors regarding the impacts of welfare reform.
Chronicling Domestic Violence - Professor Gabrielle Davis (Law) and Dr. Lois Ventura (Social Work), with support from the UT College of Law, collected and analyzed data on court cases involving domestic violence issues to identify the attributes and patterns prevalent in NW Ohio and recommend policy changes to reduce domestic violence.
Comparing Municipal Court Fines - UAC Research Associate Sue Wuest and UAC Graduate Assistant Steve Revard, will ascertain the levels of fines for comparable offenses in the jurisdictions of Northwest Ohio.
Access to Recourse - UAC Faculty Research Associates Christine Fox (Education) and Gabriel Davis (Law) and UAC Director Dr. Patrick McGuire will complete their analysis of the survey and issue a report with the Ohio State Bar Foundation regarding attitudes of Lucas County residents toward legal issues and access to the local courts.
CATNeT (Coalition to Access Technology and NETworking) - CATNeT is a coalition of community technology centers providing access for individuals who lack access in their home and/or work place. The UAC builds, houses, and mentors the coalition; maintains the technology in the labs; disseminates information on instruction; solicits and secures the donation of computers; and works with them on grants to strengthen and expand the group. CATNeT will expand their VIRT programming, and again increase the number of participating centers. CATNeT Coordinator Anne Robinson will also write grants with agencies, foundations, and corporations, solicit funds, develop fundraisers, coordinate meetings, promote the coalition, and seek to increase its profile in the community.
CATNeT Computer Support - CATNeT Technical Assistant Nathan Sloan will help to maintain the computers in the CATNeT Centers, prepare and upgrade donated computers, and conduct training classes and seminars for student volunteers and CATNET center personnel to teach them to help maintain and upgrade computers in their centers.
Toledo Metronet - CATNET Technical Assistant Nathan Sloan now maintains this website and server. All community non-profit groups can have their website posted for free on this network.
Downtown Toledo Walking Tours - UAC Secretary Barbara Burmeister convened this group that conducts weekly tours of the architecture and history of downtown areas throughout the summer. They will raise funds, edit and print a new brochure and train new tour guides
Reminiscence Theory and Senior Health - With support from the HHS College, UAC Faculty Research Associates Dr. Thomas Tatchell and Dr. Tim Jordan (Public Health) will analyze the effects of reminiscence and positive valuing of experience as a factor in the attitude and well-being of selected senior citizens.
UAC Community Press - The UAC will create a permanent organizational structure, development plan, and create an advisory board to maintain and make financially self-sufficient the UAC Press. Dr. Tom Barden will act as a publisher and editor of this series of popular monographs that celebrate the peoples and communities of the Toledo area.
Irish Toledo - Dr. Seamus Metress (Anthropology) and Dr. Eileen Metress (Dept. of Public Health Emeritus) will complete a book on Irish in Toledo as the next UAC Press book.
Birmingham Cultural Center - The UAC will again provide the Birmingham (Hungarian) Culture Center with a small direct financial contribution and other secretarial, mailing, and program assistance to promote the community cohesion and cultural programming.
Nonprofits and the Community-Based Data Gap - Non-profit organizations are asked to provide data to get project funding and to justify expenditures. Often, they lack the research training, information management capacity, and staff time to collect such information. Dr. Randy Stoecker, Dept. of Sociology, will use a participatory action research framework to study the kinds of information nonprofits currently able to collect, unable to collect, and why.
Walk Westgate - Research Associate Sue Wuest continues to convene a coalition of neighbors, business people, politicians, real estate owners, and academics working to re-envision, re-design, and re-develop this neighborhood-shopping district in manners that promote pedestrian mobility, encourage community, and enhance the quality of life.
Urban Neighborhood Revitalization - Director Patrick McGuire and Research Associate Sue Wuest will help advance the Port Authority of Toledo’s neighborhood revitalization effort.
Survey of Metropolitan Toledo - The UAC will conduct from 1 to 4 social science surveys of the metropolitan Toledo area, querying citizens' views on important community issues.
Program Area - Urban and Regional Planning
Orfield Toledo Study - The UAC sponsored and underwrote the work of Minnesota State Senator Myron Orfield and his associates at AMERIGIS. Their study will identify resource availability and organizational capacity underlying development patterns, and propose a strategy for regional partners to more effectively address unplanned land use and sprawl.
The Metro Toledo Smart Growth Partnership - Led by UAC Research Associate Donna Hardy Johnson, the UAC works with various inner-city organizations (faith-based, CDCs, non-profits) to (1) make sure the inner-city has representation in a regional agenda; and (2) promote Toledo as the core city of Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. This group of 22 organizations is carrying forward a "post-Orfield" agenda, and working to create a "First Suburbs" organization similar to that formed in Cleveland.
Hancock County Needs Assessment - UAC Faculty Research Associates Dr. Reva Allen, Dr. Celia Williamson, and Ms. Martha Delgado (Social Work) worked with Winning Communities Inc. and four Hancock County community agencies to assess the level and form of social needs in Hancock County.
Industrial Wastewater Remediation - UAC Faculty Research Associate, Dr. Dong-Shik Kim (Chemical Engineering), will examine data on the pre-treatment of chemical waste in 5 large Toledo firms to determine whether bio-remediation might result in a second revenue stream for the firm and/or save money for the City via a reduced industrial waste stream, and serve as a basis for forming a on-going collaboration involving the City and several firms.
TMACOG Growth Strategies Council - UAC Research Associate Donna Hardy Johnston worked with TMACOG Growth Strategies Council on various land use and planning issues as well as their annual spring Growth Strategies Day.
West Lake Erie Regional Network - UAC will partner with local agencies, governments, and non-profits to form a network to address regional issues through a continuing education program. UAC Research Associate Donna Johnston will maintain their List serve and website.
Sustainability Analysis of Utility Poles in an Urban Environment - Dr. Martin Abraham (Chemical and Environmental Engineering) examined an environmental hazard that may affect the urban environment, especially low-income neighborhoods with unimproved roads.
Program Area - Economic Development
City Tax Revenue Forecast - Using the formulas developed in his 1999 report to the City Dr. Paul Kozlowski (Finance) will again work with, and produced a report for, the City Council, Auditor, and City administration projecting payroll tax revenues.
Industry Cluster Study - Dr. Neil Reid (Geography), UAC Research Associate Sue Wuest, and Dr. Michael Carroll of BGSU analyzed the current industrial landscape to ascertain the strengths and potential opportunities for focused and concerted economic development activities. This is the first of a three-part process that will build a common, empirically-based focus for coordinating economic development activities in Northwest Ohio.
Comprehensive Economic Development Study - Dr. Neil Reid (Geography) and Dr. Michael Carroll (BGSU) we will study the status of community resources, regional demographics, and information on workforce, economy, infrastructure, natural resources, economic development strategies, and economic development strategies and goals, needed to re-establish compliance with the Dept. of Agriculture's and other federal economic development funding programs.
Preparation and Application of Economic and Spatial Data from Ohio DOD - Dr. James LeSage (Economics) will work with the UUP ES-202 network (OEDIN) and NODIS to clean and prepare the ES-202 data for use by various UUP centers and researchers.
Internet Business Practices and Information Technology Workforce Needs Among Northwest Ohio Corporations - Dr. Paul Fritz (Communication) will survey and analyze the nature, extent, and form of IT use by non-IT firms in the Toledo MSA.
Alternative Energy Opportunities - Dr.'s Mark Vonderembse and Subba Rao (MIME) will survey and interview firms to ascertain the ability of existing firms in NW Ohio to effectively participate in the creation of a bio-fuel "sector" and/or photovoltaic industry in the region.
Evaluating Barriers to Use of Alternative Energy - UAC Director Dr. Patrick McGuire and Graduate Assistant Steve Revard will begin to identify and analyze social and regulatory barriers to effective dissemination and adoption of alternative energy technology.
Buy Local - UAC Faculty Research Associate Dr. Olugbenga Ajilore (Economics) will calculate the economic impact of consumer’s spending with locally-owned (rather than nationally-owned chain) stores on the Toledo economy. The study will calculate a expenditure multiplier using an input-output model specific to the city of Toledo, augmented with information obtained in interviews with local business owners.
Workforce And Education - Using OBOR Data integrating EMIS, HEI, and ES-202 databases, the UAC will examine patterns of high school grades and employment activities on post-high school employment and post-secondary educational opportunities.
Program Area - Urban Education
East Toledo Gear-Up Evaluation - Dr. Christine Fox and Lynne Hamer (Social Foundations) and UAC Faculty Research Associate Dr. Svetlana Beltyukova will evaluate the impacts of BGSU’s Gear-up activities on students in East Toledo Junior and Waite Senior high schools. They will survey student, teacher, and parent perceptions, and assess the changes in pedagogy and curriculum, preparing several reports to MERC/Gearup and for public presentation.
MERC Evaluation and Promotion - UAC Faculty Research Associate Dr. Svetlana Beltyukova will assess local Gear-up programs, help MERC develop multi-site research instruments and templates, and help to coordinate assessment among the sites.
Center of Strength Initiative - UAC Director Patrick McGuire and Research Associate Donna Hardy Johnson and Mr. Michael Veh will work with BGSU's Center for Innovative and Transformative Education, to create a Center of Strength for the Toledo Public Schools. Funded by Knowledgeworks and Gates Foundations & TPS, this initiative will promote community input into curricular reform and educational enhancement by training teachers and administrators in the Scott, Libbey, and Rogers areas in processes of community engagement and communication.
Educational Attainment and Occupational Outcomes for African Americans in NW Ohio - UAC Faculty Research Associate Dr. Carter Wilson (Political Science) will analyze relationships between educational courses, content, and outcomes of African-Americans in Toledo.
The Status of Ohio's Urban Public Schools - This UUP Urban Education network project is in the second year of a three-year project. Dr. Carter Wilson is leading the network dealing with infrastructure and governance issues utilizing data from the Ohio School facility Commission and gather additional data from major urban districts. He will continue to gather the data while beginning to analyze the first year's data.
GIS Mapping of the Stranahan Arboretum - UAC Faculty Research Associate Dr. Jiquan Chen (EEES) and Ms. Sandra Stutzenstein are creating a database of the plants and flora in the Stranahan Arboretum (a UT lab) to create a website in which the flora and ecosystem of the region is systematically detailed to promote public education about the local ecosystem.
City Schools And Natural Areas: A Study Of An Urban Initiative Designed To Use Natural Areas Adjacent To School Grounds For Elementary Science Education - UAC Faculty Research Associate Dr. Charles Rop (Curriculum & Instruction) will analyze PARK-IT, a longitudinal urban land lab of the City of Toledo Parks Dept. and Toledo Public Schools. The program has undergone several changes of funding and participation in the last 5 years. He will identify those changes and their implications, and identify best practices and projects.
Developing Models Explaining Performance Differences in Toledo Public Schools - UAC Faculty Research Associates Dr.'s Sema Kalaian and Mary Ellen Edwards (Social Foundations) will analyze teacher factors, student factors, economic factors, and demographic factors to develop statistical models explaining differences in student achievement on the statewide-proficiency tests. They hope to generate statistical models that identify factors that influence differences in student achievement so that best practices can be identified and promoted.
Community Recruitment for COSMOS - The UAC will serve as a community liaison for COSMOS (Center for Excellence in Mathematics and Science education: Opportunities for Success), and will disseminate information to help attract new students to the education program.
Additional Activities
Downtown Toledo Walking Tours - UAC Secretary Barbara Burmeister will convene this group as it prepares and conducts weekly tours of the architecture and history of downtown areas throughout the summer. They will also produce a new brochure for both group and self-guided tours of the area—the first revision in almost 10 years.
Data Collection, Assembly, Management, Analysis, and Presentation - UAC Data Manager Gregg Rice will coordinate the UAC data management services, including data collection, storage, format transformation, and data resource identification.
Data Preparation - UAC Data Manager Gregg Rice will assist UAC researchers and other UT faculty and graduate students by obtaining and transforming data for their projects.
Mapping Services - UAC Research Associate Donna Hardy Johnston and UAC Data Manager Gregg Rice will continue to create and distribute maps and performing mapping services for clients.
Land-Use Planning Facilitation and Technical Assistance - UAC Research Associates Sue Wuest and Donna Hardy Johnston will facilitate and/or provide assistance to community and governmental groups engaged in Land-use planning.
Organizational Development and Strategic Planning Facilitations - UAC Research Associates Sue Wuest and Donna Hardy Johnston will assist local organizations in rationalizing their organizations and developing strategic plans to advance client’s interests.
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) - UAC Data Manager Gregg Rice will continue in his role as the official UT representative to the ICPSR.
UAC Computing Technology Support - UAC Data Manager Gregg Rice will maintain and support the Center's computers, databases, web site, and computer-related technology to provide a stable and secure operating environment for the Center's staff and researchers.
Toledo Metronet - UAC Data Manager Gregg Rice will work with CATNeT Assistant Manager Nathan Sloan to relocate the Toledo Metronet web sites (including CATNeT) to a new server maintained by CATNeT staff and dedicated solely to the Metronet web sites. This will provide better service for the Metronet web sites and will free needed resources on the UAC server.
Survey Calling Capacity - UAC Data Manager Gregg Rice will work to install and expand the use of the new UAC call-center to develop our survey research ability.
Online Survey Capacity - UAC Data Manager Gregg Rice will continue to assist UT Faculty and graduate students' in administering surveys online using the UAC web site. This programming and database construction executes surveys beneficial to the local community and increases the data holdings of the UAC.
CATNeT Technical Assistance - UAC Research Associate Donna Hardy Johnson and CATNeT Manager Anne Robinson will oversee and assist CATNeT Assistant Manager Nathan Sloan in securing, enhancing, distributing, and helping to maintain computers in the more than 35 CATNeT labs throughout Lucas, Wood, and Monroe Counties.
Electronic Publication and Inventory of UAC Research - UAC Data Manager Gregg Rice will revise and update the UAC website, posting UAC research papers and news articles, maintain the advisor and other contacts, and posting information on Center projects. Paper copies of UAC reports are also available upon request.
UUP Housing Network - Dr. Samuel Aryeetey-Attoh (Geography) will serve as UAC Representative to the UUP Housing Network.
UUP Urban Education Network - Dr. Laurie Dinnebeil and Dr. Carter Wilson (Curriculum and Political Science respectively) will serve as UAC Representatives to this UUP Network.
UUP GIS Network - Dr. Peter Lindquist (Geography) and UAC Data Manager Gregg Rice will serve as the UAC representatives to this UUP network.
UUP ES-202 Network - Dr. James LeSage (Economics) and UAC Data Manager Gregg Rice served as the UAC Representatives to this UUP network.
UUP Business Publication Group - Dr. Paul Kozlowski (Finance) and Patrick McGuire will serve as the UAC representatives to this group. Dr. McGuire will be a member of the editorial board.
UUP Smart Growth Coalition - Building on our various planning & sprawl initiatives, and the Service Delivery analysis, we will propose to the UUP that we create and lead a state-wide network on Smart Growth. UAC Research Associates Sue Wuest, Donna Hardy, and Dr. Patrick McGuire.
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| current as of apr. 2007 | email: uac@utnet.utoledo.edu | rss |
| Urban Affairs Center, Mail Stop #404, The University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio 43606 |
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