Think Outside the Box
Project Description: This report identifies “outside the box” solutions to reorient goods movement in the Northern California megaregion in a manner that advances health, economic, and environmental objectives. Given that many decisions related to the goods movement system are made by private actors, we identified a key area of influence for the public sector: land use. Warehousing and distribution centers (WDCs) play a crucial role in the goods movement system by providing the intermediate points through which goods flow. The location of these centers has implications for vehicle miles traveled, translating into greenhouse gas and particulate matter emissions, both of which are associated with adverse health outcomes and advancing the onset of global climate change. Moreover, a sizable portion of warehousing and distribution jobs are accessible to people without a college degree, providing a path to middle wage work under the right labor conditions. Given that WDC location choice has primarily been driven by market demand, our research led us to consider about how public actors could play a more proactive role. Specifically, this report seeks to address two questions:
1. How can warehousing and distribution centers promote environmental, health, and economic equity throughout the Northern California megaregion?
2. How can key decision-makers leverage partnerships, public assets, and policies to accomplish these goals?
My Role: I worked with a team of fellow students to produce a report on goods movement in northern California. I wrote the majority of the "Profile of Warehousing" chapter and some of the "Alternate Locations for WDCs" chapter. I also created the maps shown throughout the report and helped create the project website.
Tennyson Visual Preference Survey
Project Description: The Tennyson Corridor has been a long neglected area in the City of Hayward. The City has seen all its major investments in the Downtown region. The contrast between the two parts of the City is very stark, which lead the Hayward City Council to direct the staff to create a Vision Plan on April 11, 2017. The Vision Plan will capture existing neighborhood assets and cultures as well as community-identified aspirations for improvements to physical and civic infrastructures. Previously the City had gathered programmatic input from the community, but for the vision plan they also required physical design interventions, especially in the opportunity areas. I belonged to a team of graduate students directed to design interventions along the corridor and get community input on them for the vision plan.
My Role: I designed the visual preference survey, which solicited feedback on rendered images of my team's visions for the corridor, using a 5-point Likert scale. Each question in
the main portion of the survey asked the respondent, how did the image correspond with their vision for the corridor and gave them ability to leave open-ended feedback about the specific image. There were also demographic questions at the conclusion of the survey, to determine if survey respondents represented the demographics of the Tennyson Corridor as a whole. I also designed a "button survey" as a quick alternative to the main survey. For the button survey, participants deposited their “vote” for their top three renderings in the jar with the accompanying image. This survey allowed us to obtain feedback from children and those who did not have time to take the full survey. With the rest of my team, I administered the survey at a community outreach event that we organized.
After the event, I analyzed the survey results, wrote the data analysis section of the final report, and explained the survey results in the final presentation to the client.
Pomeroy Branch Rail-to-Trail
Project Description: For my Senior Design class, I worked with a group of other civil engineering students to develop a proposal and preliminary engineering design report for a hypothetical project. This project involved the extension of a pedestrian/bicycle trail and the development of the surrounding site.
My Role: I led the Transportation Team within the larger group. I managed the output of my team, which included the development of the trail's horizontal alignment, profile, and typical sections and the redesign of the road that the trail paralleled. I also communicated with the other team leaders (Structural, Civil, and Environmental) to make sure that we were working efficiently and completing deliverables on schedule.
From Carts to Clicks
Project Description: This study examines the sustainability impacts of e-grocery services, and the tradeoffs that individuals make when choosing how to purchase their groceries.
My Role: I was the primary writer of the online survey, created using Qualtrics. I used the data from the survey to create a discrete choice model. I wrote the Survey Data Collection section of the final report and the Discrete Choice Model Results section.
People Over Things
Project Description: This study uses primary (intercept surveys, unobtrusive observation, and expert interviews )and secondary data to understand the role of programs at the Oakland Public Library.
My Role: I was one of the primary writers of the intercept survey. I conducted unobtrusive observation and surveying sessions at the library. I also interviewed two library experts and later transcribed and coded these interviews. I cleaned and analyzed the survey data using Stata. I wrote parts of the methodology, findings, and policy recommendation sections.
Structure of Spatial Networks
Project Description: This project evaluated and visualized the Los Angeles Metro Bike Share program using spatial and network analysis. It also identified important stations based on use, bicycle flows, and centrality.
My Role: I modeled the network using Python. I analyzed the network's properties, detected communities within the network, and measured network centrality.
A Tale of Two Intersections
Project Description: This project was a theoretical redesign of two intersections on Adeline Street in Berkeley. The goal of the redesign was to improve safety for all users, increase ease of use for pedestrians and cyclists, and remove these intersections as barriers to pedestrian and cyclist travel.
My Role: I focused on the creation of a plaza where a parking lot had previously been. I researched best practices for place-making and emphasized the importance of street furniture, public art, and clearly defined edges. I also worked on how to incorporate stormwater management elements into the redesign. With support from other team members, I wrote the bulk of the final report.
Portland's Ped vs Berkeley's Bike
Project Description: This study examined Berkeley's 2017 Bicycle Plan and Portland's 1998 Pedestrian Master Plan. The two plans are contrasted against each other in order to highlight the elements that make a plan stronger and those that detract from it.
My Role: I analyzed the Portland Plan and wrote the sections of the report that deal with the Portland Plan. I collaborated with my team member to write the overall assessment and recommendation section.