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  Perceptions of water shortages among Tucson residents

  Apanovich, Nataliya; Barajas, Marisa; College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (The University of Arizona., 2023-05)

  Arizona has been experiencing water shortages due to climate change and population growth. This has led the City of Tucson to increase water prices for the residential sector. By surveying and interviewing 14 residents of Tucson, this study looked at people’s perceptions of this new policy change to determine attitudes toward and awareness of the water crisis in Tucson. The study found that there is a relationship between the number of years people have lived in Tucson and the level of awareness of the water crisis. It also showed that people's perceptions of the impact of increased water prices are short-termed. This indicates a need for increased water awareness among the residential sector. Additionally, future studies need to look at the difference in perceptions of water crises among different age groups. This will provide a better understanding on what information should be made available to different age groups.
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  Housing, Transit, and Gentrification: What’s the Link?

  Avila, Ashley; College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture; Apanovich, Nataliya; Bernal, Sandra; Wong, Kenny (The University of Arizona., 2023-05)

  Studying the causes and effects of gentrification on communities is vital as the United States faces severe housing challenges, demographic changes, and new rural-urban-suburban dynamics. By using two surveys and American Community Survey data, this study explores gentrification risk, factors that contribute to gentrification, and possible mitigations towards gentrification in the Menlo Park neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona. In Menlo Park, 66% of surveyed residents show strong levels of concern regarding housing prices. While most residents mentioned the role of the streetcar in increasing housing prices, all residents surveyed would support similar transit implementations in other areas. Finally, 64% of respondents in Tucson who are familiar with gentrification show support towards Cottage Court housing in their neighborhoods, with similar levels of support for other middle density housing types. These findings can help inform future transit implementations in Tucson and provide support towards zoning reform, which would allow for more middle density housing to be created in Tucson. In addition, this study provides an overview of how transit implementation affected a historic barrio community in Tucson, while acknowledging possible ways to mitigate displacement threats.
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  Annotated Question Bank for Reproductive Health Needs Assessments

  Alvarez, Alexander; Turk, Rosemarie; Hall, Christine; Mintz, Gabrielle; Morales, Efreim Joseph; Marcus, Brooke; Larez, Raymond; Manjon, Iliana; Armin, Julie S.; Cramton, Rachel; et al. (2023-05)
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  How do streetcar transit users and streetcar decision-makers perceive heat risk?

  Sami, Ida; Keith, Ladd; School of Landscape Architecture and Planning (Elsevier, 2023-05)

  The thermal comfort perceptions of transit users at streetcar stops are critical to their overall ridership experience and health. Extreme heat is increasing due to climate change and the urban heat island effect, exposing transit users to greater heat stress. Through a survey of streetcar users and interviews with streetcar decision-makers, we explored the outdoor thermal comfort perceptions and transit stop design preferences of the Sun Link streetcar in Tucson, Arizona. Perceptions of heat among streetcar users varied by stop, with survey data revealing that 82.4 % of users reported feeling hot at the stops. Additionally, 56.08 % of users surveyed reported that more shade and trees would improve their thermal comfort. Heat risk is recognized by most decision-makers at Sun Link streetcar, primarily for their employees but also for users. Decision-makers reported needing additional resources to address transit user heat risk. We recommend increased awareness about extreme heat and heat resilience strategies at the stops, such as more shade and more frequent service, to help improve users’ thermal experience. Other transit systems facing increasing heat should also consider increasing heat risks and the thermal comfort perceptions of their users.
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  What the future wants: redesigning class space for changes in learning

  Apanovich, Nataliya; Phillips, Jake; College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (The University of Arizona., 2023-05)

  Educators have long struggled with keeping students in school, as traditional classrooms can be uncomfortable and disengaging. Research has shown that a better learning environment can lead to improved academic results. To address this, classroom design is crucial in prioritizing student well-being and creating a comfortable, calming, and conducive to learning environment. This study aims to assess how classroom design affects students' learning experience by analyzing survey data. A survey was conducted across three classes, with eight respondents per class, totaling 24 respondents. The results showed that most students suggested improvements to better equip the classroom for learning. The results also suggest that an ideal classroom with proper learning techniques can help students be more engaged and focused. Future studies need to be conducted to survey a larger sample of students and across different higher education institutions to better understand a relationship between student learning outcomes and classroom design.

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