Effectiveness of Parallel Noise Barriers - An Iowa Study, HR-540, 1987

Traffic noise monitoring using FHWA's Demonstration Projects Division Mobile Noise Laboratory at free field, single wall and parallel barrier site on I-380 in Evansdale, Iowa is described. Access to I-380 prior to its being open to traffic afforded a controlled pass-by monitoring phase involving different vehicle types. A subsequent second phase entailed identical measurement methodology to monitor "real world" I-380 traffic noise. Phase I data indicated increases in noise were significant under the parallel barrier conditions for light duty vehicles operating in the far lane. Phase II results showed that the actual I-380 traffic mix largely offset the earlier observed effect, but minor increases in traffic noise under the parallel system were noted. These differences in noise barrier system effectiveness are judged to be insignificant at this particular study location.

Urban Regeneration. A challenge for Public Art [1999]. Edition 2005

Urban Regeneration. A challenge for Public Art, supposed the start of a trend of critical thought related to the topics of Public Art, Urban Regeneration and Urban Design. This trend agglutinated around the Public Art Observatory that, still today, develops its activities.The book gathers a series of critical proposals organized in the chapters " Art and Design in/for Public Space ", " Forms and Representations of Public Art/Public Space. The Producer/User Dilemma " and " Public Art / Cities in Competition: Strategies, Bridges and Gateways ", with the participation of, among others, Sergi Valera, Ray Smith, Martí Peran, Ian Rawlinson, Chaké Matosian, Enric Pol, J. Hyatt, J. Gingell or T. Bovaird.

Iowa's Barriers to Prenatal Care Project, August 2013

The findings in this summary are based on the Iowa Barriers to Prenatal Care project. Ongoing since 1991, the purpose of this project is to obtain brief, accurate information about women delivering babies in Iowa hospitals. Specifically, the project seeks to learn about women’s experiences getting prenatal or delivery care during their current pregnancy. Other information is included which may be pertinent to health planners or those concerned with the systematic development of health care services. This project is a cooperative venture of all of Iowa’s maternity hospitals, the University of Northern Iowa Center for Social and Behavioral Research, and the Iowa Department of Public Health. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded the first three years of this project. The current funding is provided by the Iowa Department of Public Health. The Director is Dr. Mary Losch, University of Northern Iowa Center for Social and Behavioral Research. The Coordinator for the project is Rodney Muilenburg. The questionnaire is distributed to nearly ninety maternity hospitals across the state of Iowa. Nursing staff or those responsible for obtaining birth certificate information in the obstetrics unit are responsible for approaching all birth mothers prior to dismissal and requesting their participation in the study. The questionnaire takes approximately ten minutes to complete. Completed questionnaires are returned to the University of Northern Iowa Center for Social and Behavioral Research for data entry and analysis. Returns are made monthly, weekly, or biweekly depending on the number of births per week in a given hospital. Except in the case of a mother who is too ill to complete the questionnaire, all mothers are eligible to be recruited for participation. The present yearly report includes an analysis of large Iowa cities, African American mothers, and a trend analysis of the last ten years. Also presented in this report is a frequency analysis of all variables included in the 2012 questionnaire. Unless otherwise noted, all entries reflect percentages. Please note that because percentages were rounded, total values may not equal 100%. Data presented are based upon 2012 questionnaires received to date (n = 23,674). All analyses reflect unweighted percentages of those responding.

Urban Governance und nachhaltige Quartiere: Ein Beitrag zur Förderung einer dauerhaft nachhaltigen Stadtentwicklung

Seit den 1990er Jahren werden zunehmend nachhaltige Quartiere realisiert. Dabei besteht häufig eine beachtliche Diskrepanz zwischen den Zielen, die von den beteiligten Akteuren angestrebt werden, deren Umsetzung (Realisierungsphase) und deren Erhalt auf Dauer (Nutzungsphase). Es stellt sich folglich die Frage, auf welche Weise die Projektqualität im Sinne einer nachhaltigen Quartiersentwicklung verbessert werden kann. Diese Projekte sind jedoch enorm komplex aufgrund der großen Interdisziplinarität und Interdependenz ihrer Ziele sowie der vielschichtigen Akteursstrukturen. Sie stellen daher be-sonders hohe Anforderungen an die Projektsteuerung. Das konkrete Ziel dieser Arbeit besteht darin, die Bedeutung einer Prozesssteuerung im Sinne von Urban Governance zur Realisierung und zum Erhalt nachhaltiger Quartiere zu untersuchen. Damit soll einen Beitrag zur Förderung einer nachhalti-gen Stadtentwicklung geleistet werden. Die Arbeit stützt sich auf ein umfassendes theoretisches Fundament zum Thema Governance, wobei die relevanten Elemente für den Kontext nachhaltiger Quartiere herausgearbeitet werden. Die Hypothesen prüfen die Bedeutung der Schlüsselcharakteristika von Urban Governance (Kooperation, Partizipation, Verhandlungen) für die Projektqualität während der Realisierungs- und Nutzungsphase. Eine erste empirische Untersuchung wurde an zwanzig europäischen nachhaltigen Modellquartieren vorgenommen. Stärken und Schwächen aus der Perspektive der Nachhaltigkeit werden analysiert, deren Ursachen identifiziert und Handlungsoptio-nen aufgezeigt. Die Erkenntnisse zeigen die Notwendigkeit einer Verbesserung der Projektsteuerung während der Realisierungs- und der Nutzungsphase. Auf der Grundlage dieser Erkenntnisse wird ein umfassender Ansatz zur empirischen Untersuchung von Urban Governance im Kontext nachhaltiger Quartiere entwickelt. Dieser beruht auf dem akteurzentrierten Institutionalismus und den Merkmalen der Urban Governance. Anhand dieses Ansatzes wird mithilfe von Experteninterviews der Realisierungsprozess des nach-haltigen Quartiers Kronsberg (Hannover) analysiert. Betrachtet werden dabei die beteiligten Akteure und ihre Handlungso-rientierungen, die verwendeten Schlüsselinstrumente sowie aufgetretene Divergenzen zwischen Akteuren und deren Auswirkungen auf die Projekt- und Prozessqualität. Eine Vertiefung relevanter Themenfelder wird anhand der Fallstudie Neu-Oerlikon (Zürich) vorgenommen. Diese empirische Arbeit zeigt, dass eine Prozesssteuerung im Sinne von Urban Governance im Vergleich zu einer klassis-chen hierarchischen Steuerung eine notwendige aber nicht hinreichende Bedingung zur Verbesserung der Projektqualität nachhaltiger Quartiere darstellt. An konkreten Beispielen wird herausgearbeitet, dass der Mehrwert einer solchen Steuerung nur unter bestimmten Voraussetzungen erzielt werden kann: In manchen Situationen ist die Steuerungsform Kooperation und die Interaktionsform Verhandlung in ihrer Wirksamkeit zur Sicherung der Projektqualität begrenzt und hierarchische Interventionen sind notwendig. Nicht ein bestimmtes Steuerungsmodell per se ist geeignet, sondern es kommt auf den Ein-zelfall an: auf die Akteursstruktur, die individuellen und institutionellen Handlungsorientierungen der Akteure und deren Ver-haltensweisen, die Rahmenbedingungen und die Ausgestaltung des Urban Governance-Prozesses. Wenn die Spielregeln dieses Prozesses von den Akteuren nicht wirklich angenommen und gelebt werden, dominieren individuelle und institutio-nelle Akteursinteressen zu Lasten der Projektqualität. Ferner zeigen die Untersuchungen, dass die Partizipation der zukünftigen Quartiersnutzer in der Praxis häufig unzureichend ist. Dies führt zu Einbußen in der Projektqualität. Entscheidend ist auf jeden Fall, dass mindestens ein Akteur, in der Regel die öffentliche Hand, präsent ist, der die Definition anspruchsvoller Nachhaltigkeitsstandards, deren Umsetzung und deren Erhalt sichert sowie die notwendigen Rahmenbedingungen dafür schafft. Diese Arbeit belegt darüber hinaus, dass der Erhalt der Projektqualität während der Nutzungsphase (Faktor Zeit) bisher un-zureichend beachtet und in die Projektplanung einbezogen wird. Gerade dieser Aspekt bestimmt aber, ob das Quartier auch auf Dauer dem Nachhaltigkeitsanspruch gerecht werden kann! Tatsächlich handelt es sich um einen fortlaufenden Prozess, der nicht mit der Einweihung des Quartiers abgeschlossen ist. Vor diesem Hintergrund werden relevante Handlungsfelder beschrieben und die Notwendigkeit der langfristigen Fortsetzung einer Steuerung im Sinne von Urban Governance bzw. der Herausbildung einer Urban Governance-Kultur aufgezeigt. Aus den empirischen Erhebungen werden Erfolgs- und Risikofaktoren für Urban Governance-Prozesse während der Realisierungs- und der Nutzungsphase abgeleitet. Ferner werden bisher vernachlässigte Handlungsfelder (langfristiges Umwelt-management, ökologische Finanzierungsformen, urbane Landwirtschaft, Umweltkommunikation, etc.) eruiert. Die Berücksichtigung dieser Erkenntnisse ist unerlässlich für eine Verbesserung der Projektqualität nachhaltiger Quartiere. ---------------------------------------------- Gouvernance urbaine et quartiers durables: Entre intensions et mise en oeuvre --- Résumé --- Depuis les années 90, la thématique des quartiers durables a gagné en importance, même si leur développement s'est avéré difficile. Le décalage entre les objectifs, leur mise en oeuvre et le projet tel qu'il est vécu par ses habitants est souvent important et nécessite d'être réduit. Un quartier durable est par nature un projet complexe, aux objectifs ambitieux situé à la croisée de multiples champs disciplinaires, mobilisant de nombreux acteurs aux intérêts divergents. De plus, chaque projet, du fait des ses spécificités, requiert un pilotage adapté. L'objectif principal de la recherche vise à analyser la nature du pilotage du processus de conception, de réalisation et d'exploitation des quartiers durables. Ses résultats ont pour ambition de contribuer à optimiser et promouvoir le développement urbain durable. Le fondement théorique de la recherche se base sur le concept de gouvernance urbaine, adapté au contexte particulier de la gouvernance des quartiers durables. La gouvernance urbaine, au sens où nous l'entendons, est un mode de pilotage basé sur la coopération entre les acteurs publics et privés. Les hypothèses centrales du travail testent la portée et les limites des caractéristiques-clefs de la gouvernance urbaine (coopération, participation, négociation), ainsi que l'importance de la notion de pérennité pour la qualité du projet. Dans un premier temps, nous avons analysé vingt quartiers durables modèles européens et identifié leurs atouts et leurs faiblesses en termes de durabilité, ainsi que leurs divers modes de pilotage. Les enseignements tirés de ces exemples révèlent la nécessité d'améliorer le pilotage des projets. Dans un deuxième temps, nous avons élaboré une grille d'analyse fine fondée sur l'approche institutionnelle des acteurs et les caractéristiques-clefs de la gouvernance urbaine. En nous appuyant sur cette grille, nous avons analysé le processus de conception et de réalisation du quartier durable de « Kronsberg » (Hanovre) à l'aide des éléments suivants : les acteurs (avec leurs intérêts et objectifs propres), les instruments d'aménagement du territoire, les modes de pilotage, les zones de divergence et de convergence entre les acteurs, ainsi que leurs impacts sur le processus et le projet. Dans un troisième temps, les hypothèses centrales ont été testées sur le quartier de « Neu-Oerlikon » (Zurich) afin d'approfondir et d'élargir les enseignements tirés de celui de « Kronsberg ». Les résultats des analyses mettent en évidence le fait qu'un pilotage de projet selon le modèle de la gouvernance urbaine est certes une condition nécessaire mais non suffisante pour améliorer la qualité du projet. De plus, la valeur ajoutée de la gouvernance urbaine n'est valable qu'à certaines conditions. En effet, la coopération et la négociation peuvent même, dans certaines situations, réduire la qualité du projet ! Le principal enseignement de la recherche révèle qu'il n'y a pas de mode de pilotage idéal, mais que la qualité d'un projet dépend d'une multitude de facteurs, tels que les constellations d'acteurs, leurs intérêts personnels et institutionnels, les conditions cadres et les « règles du jeu » de la gouvernance urbaine. Si les « règles du jeu » en particulier ne sont pas réellement appropriées par l'ensemble des acteurs, les intérêts et les comportements personnels ou institutionnels prédominent au détriment de la qualité du projet. De même, si la participation des futurs usagers à l'élaboration du projet de quartier durable n'est pas assurée, tant la qualité du projet que sa pérennité en pâtissent. Nous avons également constaté que la présence d'un acteur (en règle générale les autorités publiques) qui veille à la définition d'objectifs ambitieux en matière de développement durable et à leur application constitue un apport essentiel à la qualité du projet. En outre, la recherche met en évidence les carences dans le suivi et le maintien à long terme des qualités de durabilité de la phase d'exploitation des projets de quartiers durables analysés. Dans la phase d'exploitation, le degré de coopération diminue généralement et les modes de fonctionnement et de pilotage sectoriels se mettent en place au détriment de la qualité du projet. Cela confirme la nécessité de poursuivre le processus de pilotage selon le modèle de la gouvernance urbaine au-delà de la phase de réalisation des projets. La recherche précise les enjeux des champs d'action de la phase d'exploitation (domaine encore peu étudié) et démontre la pertinence du mode de pilotage préconisé. Enfin, les analyses permettent d'identifier des facteurs de réussite et de risque susceptibles d'influencer les systèmes de gouvernance urbaine, ainsi que les enjeux des domaines de la durabilité encore négligés (agriculture urbaine, gestion environnementale dans la durée, comportement des usagers, financement équitable, etc.). La prise en compte de ces enseignements est essentielle à l'amélioration de la gestion de futurs projets de quartiers durables. ---------------------------------------------- Urban Governance and Sustainable Neighbourhoods: A Contribution to a Lasting Sustainable Development --- Abstract --- Since the 1990s, sustainable neighbourhoods have become an increasingly important topic. However, their development has proven to be difficult. There is an often considerable gap, which must be reduced, between the initial goals, the way they are implemented and how the project is finally inhabited. A sustainable neighbourhood is inherently a complex project, with ambitious goals that lie at the intersection of multiple disciplines, involving numerous stakeholders with diverging interests. Moreover, each project, due to its specific characteristics, requires an adapted steering. The main goal of this research is to analyse the nature of the steering process during the planning, realisation and use of sustainable neighbourhoods. The results aim to contribute to the promotion of sustainable urban development. The theoretical foundation of this research is based on the concept of urban governance, adapted to the particular context of sustainable neighbourhoods. Urban governance is understood in this work, as a mode of project steering based on the cooperation between public and private stakeholders. The central hypotheses of this work test the importance and the limits of the key characteristics of urban governance (cooperation, participation, negotiation) as well as the importance of continuity for the project quality. To begin with, we surveyed and analysed twenty exemplary European sustainable neighbourhoods and identified their strengths and weaknesses in terms of sustainability, as well as their diverse steering modes. The lessons learned from these examples reveal the need to improve the projects' steering. Secondly we elaborated a detailed framework for analysis founded on stakeholder-centred institutionalism and the key characteristics of urban governance. By systematically applying this framework, we analysed the planning and implementation process of the sustainable neighbourhood "Kronsberg" (Hannover). Our focus was on the following dimensions: the stakeholders (with their particular interests and goals), the instruments of spatial planning, the steering modes, the points of divergence and convergence amongst the stakeholders, as well as their impacts on the process and on the project. The final step was to test the core hypotheses on the neighbourhood "Neu-Oerlikon" (Zürich) in order to broaden the lessons learned from "Kronsberg". The results of the analysis highlight the fact that an urban governance type project steering is certainly a necessary but insufficient condition to improve the project quality. Moreover, the added value of urban governance is only valid under certain conditions. In fact, cooperation and negotiation can even in certain situations reduce the project's quality! The main lesson of this research is that there is not an ideal steering mode, but rather that the quality of the project depends on numerous factors, such as the stakeholder constellation, their individual and institutional interests, the general conditions and the "rules of the game" of urban governance. If these "rules of the game" are not really appropriated by all stakeholders, individual and institutional interests and behaviours predominate at the expense of the project's quality. Likewise, if the future users' participation in the project development is insufficient, both the project's quality and its continuity suffer. We have also observed that the presence of a stakeholder (in general the public authorities) who ensures the definition of ambitious goals in terms of sustainable development and their implementation is crucial for the project's quality. Furthermore, this research highlights the deficiencies in the follow-up and long-term preservation of the sustainability qualities in the neighbourhood projects which we have analysed. In the use phase, the degree of cooperation generally diminishes. Attitudes and project management become more sectorial at the expense of the project's quality. This confirms the need to continue the steering process according to the principles of urban governance beyond the project's implementation phase. This research specifies the challenges that affect the use phase (a still neglected area) and shows the relevance of the recommended steering mode. Finally, the analyses also identify the success and risk factors that may influence urban-governance systems, as well as the challenges of still neglected fields of sustainability (urban agriculture, long-term environmental management, user behaviour, fair funding, etc.). Taking into account these outcomes is essential to improve the management of future sustainable-neighbourhood projects.

A Literature Review of Urban Bypass Studies, 1992

Urban places attract most highway travel because more people are to be per acre in urban places than elsewhere. In the beginning of highway development the objective was to provide an all-weather road for the rural people to get to town and back to their farms, but there was no consideration of getting motor vehicles through the town to the opposite side. With the development of intercity travel, it soon became apparent that travel through the urban areas would have to be given consideration along with the travel to and from the urban areas. This consideration led to the urban bypass, a provision in highway location whereby the traveler may get to the opposite side of the urban area without going through it, or at least not through the central business district. Bypasses, although highly desired by the through travelers, were not welcomed by local business interests on the basis that the community would suffer a reduction in retail trade. Some discussion of the pros and cons of bypasses and their consequences as observed from experience will shed light upon this type of local highway. The bypass report summaries in this document were based on interviews with businessmen and community leaders of cities that have actually experienced firsthand the impacts of a highway bypass. Several of the studies were conducted by newspaper reporters, city council members and residents of Iowa cities.

Development of MASH TL-3 Transition Between Guardrail and Portable Concrete Barriers, TPF-5(081), 2014

Often, road construction causes the need to create a work zone. In these scenarios, portable concrete barriers (PCBs) are typically installed to shield workers and equipment from errant vehicles as well as prevent motorists from striking other roadside hazards. For an existing W-beam guardrail system installed adjacent to the roadway and near the work zone, guardrail sections are removed in order to place the portable concrete barrier system. The focus of this research study was to develop a proper stiffness transition between W-beam guardrail and portable concrete barrier systems. This research effort was accomplished through development and refinement of design concepts using computer simulation with LS-DYNA. Several design concepts were simulated, and design metrics were used to evaluate and refine each concept. These concepts were then analyzed and ranked based on feasibility, likelihood of success, and ease of installation. The rankings were presented to the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for selection of a preferred design alternative. Next, a Critical Impact Point (CIP) study was conducted, while additional analyses were performed to determine the critical attachment location and a reduced installation length for the portable concrete barriers. Finally, an additional simulation effort was conducted in order to evaluate the safety performance of the transition system under reverse-direction impact scenarios as well as to select the CIP. Recommendations were also provided for conducting a Phase II study and evaluating the nested Midwest Guardrail System (MGS) configuration using three Test Level 3 (TL-3) full-scale crash tests according to the criteria provided in the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware, as published by the American Association of Safety Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

An Assessment of Traffic Safety in Urban Deer Herd Management Zones in Iowa, 2010

Many states are striving to keep their deer population to a sustainable and controllable level while maximizing public safety. In Iowa, measures to control the deer population include annual deer hunts and special deer herd management plans in urban areas. While these plans may reduce the deer population, traffic safety in these areas has not been fully assessed. Using deer population data from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and data on deer-vehicle crashes and deer carcass removals from the Iowa Department of Transportation, the authors examined the relationship between deer-vehicle collisions, deer density, and land use in three urban areas in Iowa that have deer management plans in place (Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, and Iowa City) over the period 2002 to 2007. First, a comparison of deer-vehicle crash counts and deer carcass removal counts was conducted at the county level. Further, the authors estimated econometric models to investigate the factors that influence the frequency and severity of deer-vehicle crashes in these zones. Overall, the number of deer carcasses removed on the primary roads in these counties was greater than the number of reported deervehicle crashes on those roads. These differences can be attributed to a number of reasons, including variability in data reporting and data collection practices. In addition, high rates of underreporting of crashes were found on major routes that carry high volumes of traffic. This study also showed that multiple factors affect deer-vehicle crashes and corresponding injury outcomes in urban management zones. The identified roadway and non-roadway factors could be useful for identifying locations on the transportation system that significantly impact deer species and safety and for determining appropriate countermeasures for mitigation. Efforts to reduce deer density adjacent to roads and developed land and to provide wider shoulders on undivided roads are recommended. Improving the consistency and accuracy of deer carcass and deer-vehicle collision data collection methods and practices is also desirable.

Emergence of Swiss metropole and scaling properties of urban clusters

Defining the limits of an urban agglomeration is essential both for fundamental and applied studies in quantitative and theoretical geography. A simple and consistent way for defining such urban clusters is important for performing different statistical analysis and comparisons. Traditionally, agglomerations are defined using a rather qualitative approach based on various statistical measures. This definition varies generally from one country to another, and the data taken into account are different. In this paper, we explore the use of the City Clustering Algorithm (CCA) for the agglomeration definition in Switzerland. This algorithm provides a systemic and easy way to define an urban area based only on population data. The CCA allows the specification of the spatial resolution for defining the urban clusters. The results from different resolutions are compared and analysed, and the effect of filtering the data investigated. Different scales and parameters allow highlighting different phenomena. The study of Zipf's law using the visual rank-size rule shows that it is valid only for some specific urban clusters, inside a narrow range of the spatial resolution of the CCA. The scale where emergence of one main cluster occurs can also be found in the analysis using Zipf's law. The study of the urban clusters at different scales using the lacunarity measure - a complementary measure to the fractal dimension - allows to highlight the change of scale at a given range.

Education on Urban Corridor Issues Through Computer Animation, TR-419, 2003

This project was undertaken in coordination with the Environmental Assessment process on the Mt. Vernon Road Improvements project in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The goal of the research was to determine the cost effectiveness of combined photo-imaging and computer animation as a presentation tool describing public road improvements. The Public Hearing, in combination with the involvement of a Citizen's Resource Group, afforded an opportunity to have an evaluation of the processes by interested citizens who were not familiar with engineering drawings or the construction industry. After the initial viewing of a draft version of the video, the Resource Group made recommendations to the staff developing the video. Discussion of these recommendations led to the development of an animated composite section that showed a combination of situations typically encountered throughout the project corridor, as well as critical considerations. The composite section did not show specific locations and therefore, individuals were not distracted by looking for the details pertaining to their properties. Concentration on the concepts involved rather than specifics provided the opportunity for a more thorough understanding by the citizens. The development of the composite concept was the primary discovery of the research.

Development of Object-Oriented Design and Specifications for Iowa DOT and Urban Standards: Phase I, TR-487, 2004

Currently, individuals including designers, contractors, and owners learn about the project requirements by studying a combination of paper and electronic copies of the construction documents including the drawings, specifications (standard and supplemental), road and bridge standard drawings, design criteria, contracts, addenda, and change orders. This can be a tedious process since one needs to go back and forth between the various documents (paper or electronic) to obtain information about the entire project. Object-oriented computer-aided design (OO-CAD) is an innovative technology that can bring a change to this process by graphical portrayal of information. OO-CAD allows users to point and click on portions of an object-oriented drawing that are then linked to relevant databases of information (e.g., specifications, procurement status, and shop drawings). The vision of this study is to turn paper-based design standards and construction specifications into an object-oriented design and specification (OODAS) system or a visual electronic reference library (ERL). Individuals can use the system through a handheld wireless book-size laptop that includes all of the necessary software for operating in a 3D environment. All parties involved in transportation projects can access all of the standards and requirements simultaneously using a 3D graphical interface. By using this system, users will have all of the design elements and all of the specifications readily available without concerns of omissions. A prototype object-oriented model was created and demonstrated to potential users representing counties, cities, and the state. Findings suggest that a system like this could improve productivity to find information by as much as 75% and provide a greater sense of confidence that all relevant information had been identified. It was also apparent that this system would be used by more people in construction than in design. There was also concern related to the cost to develop and maintain the complete system. The future direction should focus on a project-based system that can help the contractors and DOT inspectors find information (e.g., road standards, specifications, instructional memorandums) more rapidly as it pertains to a specific project.