Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1946, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2005, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

Population projections are used by various planning agencies to formulate policies and to do other projections such as transportation, economic, and school enrollment projections. There is a large body of literature available on various methods that are used by the planning agencies to project population. Projections based on the most commonly used trend extrapolation, cohort component and ratio models predict that the population of Hamilton County will decline continuously until year 2030. These projected population figures can have serious social and economic implications on the development of Hamilton County. Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission (HCRPC) has recently acquired an Economic Demographic Forecasting and Simulation Model from Regional Economic Model Inc., (commonly called the REMI-EDFS model). According to the baseline projections by REMI-EDFS model, Hamilton County's population will decline until the year 2012 and will start increasing after this point. This research is an attempt to explore the internal dynamics of this model, in order to understand the reasons for this population upturn to occur. The equations related to population changes were studied and a flowchart was constructed to depict the affects of demographic and economic variables on total population. The data from baseline projections, done by using REMI-EDFS model, were downloaded and charts were plotted against time (2001-2020). The trends were observed and it was found that economic in-migration will be the main cause for population upturn to occur in 2012 and the reason for economic in-migration will be the relatively high employment opportunity and wage rate of Hamilton County.

Committee: Rainer vom Hofe (Advisor) Subjects:

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2014, Arts and Sciences: Anthropology

Wynema (33Ha837) is a significant Late Fort Ancient, Madisonville Horizon habitation site recently discovered in a shovel testing, solid sediment coring, and geophysical survey of the floodplain of the Lower Little Miami River in Hamilton County, Ohio. Chronometrically, Wynema site dates to a period of catastrophic social and climatic change for indigenous populations in North America. The Little Ice Age (ca 1350-1850 C.E.) coincided with European conquest and colonization, which resulted in genocide, ethnocide, ecocide, and a suite of new and deadly diseases. Late Fort Ancient artifacts and features exposed in a recent excavation are used to test hypotheses derived from human evolutionary ecology and optimal foraging theory. Laboratory analysis of vertebrate and invertebrate food remains, flaked-stone artifacts, and indigenous and European trade goods provide economic information about the underlying mechanisms of how Late Fort Ancient people adapted and sustained their livelihood during a period of social and climatic stress. The inhabitants of the Wynema site maximized caloric intake and minimized caloric loss by dispatching a wide range of large and small vertebrates as well as vulnerable juvenile, aged, and sick individuals. Extensive butchering and food processing activity of both vertebrate and invertebrate species further maximized caloric intake. Caloric loss was also minimized in the primary procurement and heat-treatment of poor-quality local lithic raw material resources. Long distance trade with indigenous and European populations likely helped to reduce risk of caloric loss and increase social ties.

Committee: Kenneth Tankersley Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Vernon Scarborough Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Archaeology

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2011, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Community Planning

This thesis analyzes wage theft in Hamilton County, Ohio, through formal complaints to government agencies dedicated to enforcing labor law, including the US Department of Labor and the Ohio Department of Labor Compliance. Wage theft is the violation of labor laws, on the federal, state or local level, designed to protect the wages and earnings of workers. These laws can include minimum wage, overtime, unpaid wage and workers' compensation laws. The data set that forms the core of the analysis is formed by every state and federal wage complaint, including minimum wage, unpaid wages and overtime, in Hamilton County from 2000-2010. This work is the first large-scale and thorough analysis of wage theft in Hamilton County. The paper examines the distribution of violating firms and workers who have suffered from wage theft. It also develops a novel methodology for aggregating, comparing and analyzing wage theft data at the local/county scale. It analyzes variables that correlate with wage theft on the jurisdictional level throughout the county through regression analysis and identifies hotspots of wage theft through geospatial statistics, including the Gedis Ord statistic. Findings feature large concentrations of wage theft and victims of wage theft in downtown Cincinnati and the large suburbs along I-75, including Blue Ash, Springdale and Springfield Township. The thesis concludes by making policy recommendations for individual municipalities suffering from wage theft as well as the county as a whole, including an increase in resources for enforcement agencies and a clearinghouse for information on firms that engage in wage theft. The work also provides a framework for municipalities, regional governments and civil groups to collect and analyze their own wage theft rates.

Committee: Charles Ellison PhD (Committee Chair); Christopher Auffrey PhD (Committee Member); Colleen McTague PhD (Committee Member); Kevin Raleigh PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Urban Planning

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2009, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

Refugees come to the United States for protection from persecution and in search of freedom, peace, and opportunity for themselves and their families. The refugee resettlement program helps refugees to establish a new life that is founded on the dignity of economic self-support and encompasses full participation in opportunities which Americans enjoy. Catholic Social Services and Jewish Family Services are the local agencies in Hamilton County that facilitate the resettlement of refugees. Smooth integration for refugees includes safe and affordable housing options. However, this is not always available to them. A high number of refugees experienced problems accessing services because they are unfamiliar with the customs, cultures and language of the receiving society. Also, there is a shortage of safe, sustainable and affordable housing in Hamilton County. This thesis will explore these challenges by examining the refugee resettlement program and the housing stock in Hamilton County, the financial constraints of both refugees and refugee providers, and the steps toward successful integration for refugees. This thesis has generated a number of recommendations for addressing housing issues among refugees and the needs of service providers who work with them. The recommendations are based on level of income, language barriers and coordination of services with service providers for future research.

Committee: Johanna Looye PhD (Committee Chair); David Edelman PhD (Other); Rod Huber (Other) Subjects:

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

Green building is a term used to define smart building techniques that when applied in a holistic approach conserves natural resources, uses energy wisely, improves indoor air quality and human health through the use of smarter building materials, reduces the impact of the built environment on the natural environment, and increases opportunities available for future generations. The green building movement has arisen out of the realization that as a global society we need to rethink the way we build our cities, towns and houses. This thesis documents constraints facing green building in Hamilton County's housing market. The research study sets out to establish the constraints through interviews with participants from four key building industry stakeholder groups. The four groups include: financial lenders, city/county officials, developers/home builders, and professionals (architects). As part of this analysis these constraints are also compared to green building industry challenges on a national level.

Committee: Carla Chifos (Advisor) Subjects: Architecture

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

In late 2005, owners of Rumpke, Inc. decided to “expand” their Colerain Township landfill. This report analyzes the zone amendment process for Ohio townships. Case: ZA2006-04 is studied to determine how closely this process is followed. The “expansion” or siting of a landfill is a scenario which will continue to play-out in municipalities across America. For planners, understanding as much as possible about the zone change process necessary for development of a landfill, or other LULUs, enables us to approach these situations strategically. For everyday citizens, educating themselves on statutes which shape their world empowers them to live a more meaningful life, and helps them feel included in decisions their elected officials are making. Findings show there is not much room for deviation from O.R.C. requirements. An analysis of interviewees' opinions revealed a consensus that the NIMBY factor is to blame for why zone amendment decisions are challenged in court.

Committee: Christopher Auffrey (Advisor) Subjects:

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2007, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

Due to the fragmented structure of Hamilton County, attempts at county-wide efforts have not been viable, despite professional studies that have recommended regionalism for the county. The Community Building Institute has launched the Community Cluster Project (CCP), an initiative that divided the county into eleven meaningful clusters of communities that have shared assets, issues, and interests. The goal is to create collaborative planning among jurisdictions on the cluster and eventually, the county-wide level. This study concluded that the CCP is an effective means to initiating cluster-wide collaboration. The project is successful in persuading jurisdictions that they are an interdependent part of the cluster. Stakeholders felt they would benefit from the collaboration and that it would be more beneficial than individual or larger scale efforts. Most identified with the assets and issues of the cluster, though some were challenged to understand how any one would be common to the entire cluster.

Committee: Dr. David Edelman (Advisor) Subjects: Urban and Regional Planning

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2005, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

Based on the new standards set by a directive issued by EPA, related to fine particulate matter and Ozone, Hamilton County and surrounding counties in Ohio and Kentucky, fall in the non-attainment category. The new RVP gasoline program is one of the programs proposed by the Clean Air Consortium of Southwest Ohio that reduce pollutant levels responsible for high Ozone concentrations. Even though the introduction of this gasoline will increase the price of gasoline, affecting consumers in terms of increased expenditure and producers in terms of higher cost of doing business in the region, it will also result in a cleaner and healthier environment to live in. An economic impact analysis using an Economic forecasting model developed by Regional Economic Model Inc. (REMI) Policy Insight after assessing the costs and benefits of the program was done to evaluate the program.

Committee: Rainer vom Hofe (Advisor) Subjects: Urban and Regional Planning

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2004, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

Through a synthesis of primary source records, this study explores the origin of the Bond Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, and the motivation of its developers in the Reconstruction Era (1865-1880). The suburban history reveals the role of teetotalers, cooperatives, building associations, railroads, and radical utopians in the founding of a commuter suburb on unincorporated land at the junction of several important transportation routes. The role of the cooperative founder, Henry Watkin, is especially documented. In less detail, this thesis provides a complete survey of the history of the Bond Hill area, from the post-Colonial period, through annexation in 1903, and till the late 1980s. Recommendations for the currently operating Bond Hill Community Council are included in the conclusions. (This study was presented as a thesis in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Community Planning (MCP) at the School of Planning, College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), University of Cincinnati, June 11, 2004).

Committee: David Edelman (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Environmental Science, Miami University, 2005, Environmental Sciences

From February 2002 to the first of November 2002, I worked at Hamilton County Solid Waste Management District as a student intern in order to fulfill the requirements of my Master's degree. I assisted the manager of the district, Jeffrey Aluotto, on numerous projects related to solid waste and the various areas of recycling. The larger projects I either managed or worked on were two Household Hazardous Materials projects (cost/benefit analysis and funding), a solid waste facilities map, and a regional planning report. Along with those, I assisted on several smaller projects: presentation, environmentally preferable purchasing, attainment goals, legislation summaries, and greenhouse gas reductions from recycling. I was also fortunate to be able to participate in several extracurricular activities. I attended seminars, expos, and conferences, and worked a computer collection event sponsored by the District.

Committee: Gene Willeke (Advisor) Subjects: Environmental Sciences