SCaRP Spring Semester Highlights

As we approach the end of the semester, it's gratifying to look back on our noteworthy moments and achievements over the past few months. Throughout the semester, we've engaged in an array of events aimed at enhancing our academic journey. From career fairs to conversations around affordable housing and a widely attended open house, our students have taken the lead this semester in advancing SCaRP's important work. As we reflect on this past semester, we take pride in the collective successes of our community, including SCaRP's commendable performance in a national competition and the impactful faculty and student contributions to Sustainable Development Goals Week. As the School of City and Regional Planning transitions to the summer term, we look back fondly on a wide array of memorable experiences from this semester, including the spring studio presentations, noteworthy faculty accomplishments, guest lectures, and the numerous successes of our students. It has truly been a remarkable semester here at the School of City and Regional Planning!

SPA hosted a mixer bringing together SCaRP alumni and current students, providing a valuable platform for networking and knowledge exchange among past and present school members. Alumni shared their career trajectories since graduation, offering insights and inspiration to current students and attendees were able to engage in discussions around ongoing planning projects in Atlanta..

Georgia Tech’s Sustainable Development Goals Action and Awareness Week 2024 and the Sustainability Showcase brought a variety of sustainable development-focused activities to campus. Faculty and students delivered presentations throughout the week:

• Gulsah Akar discussed "Developing Global Leaders in Sustainable, Resilient, and Just Places."
• Arthi Rao, PhD, MS-GIST, GISP , presented "An Integrated Approach to Creating Healthy Communities."
• Jairo H. Garcia, Dr., focused on the "Georgia Tech Climate Vulnerability Assessment."
• Seumalu Elora Lee Raymond explored "Preventing Evictions After Disasters: The Role of Landlord-Tenant Law."
• Perry P Yang delved into "Carbon Neutrality Strategies Through Urban Systems Design."
• Alberto Fuentes shared insights on "Post-Disaster Recovery in Puerto Rico."
• Josh Ayers a PhD student, discussed "Electricity Access, Service Quality, And Energy Resilience in Condado, Puerto Rico."
• Seumalu Elora Lee Raymond also participated in a panel discussion that focused on collaborative approaches to environmental justice. During this discussion, she highlighted the work of the Housing Justice League and their efforts in developing data-driven tools to prevent evictions in Atlanta.
• Additionally, two undergraduate students in the Sustainable Cities minor made presentations: Perrin Brady discussed "The Connection Between Redlining and Air Quality in Atlanta," and Noemi Carrillo presented on "Building for Equity and Sustainability: WAWA Outdoor Classroom.

In April, Josh Ayers, a doctoral student in the School of City and Regional Planning, was recognized as one of the three Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistants of the Year at the Georgia Institute of Technology. 

This year, our spring studios delved into projects located in Puerto Rico and Japan. The Puerto Rico Studio dedicated its efforts to the crucial task of post-disaster recovery and reconstruction. Both undergraduate and graduate students participated, journeying to Puerto Rico during spring break. Their final projects showcased innovative approaches to reconstruction, aiming to tackle the urgent challenges faced by the region. You can see the final report here. 

In the Japan studio, students focused on revitalizing manmade islands in Tokyo Bay. The objective was to transition these areas from industrial zones to environmentally sustainable and residential spaces. Presenting their findings, students highlighted the integration of data analytics in urban design, propelling their visions toward the realization of smart city models.

SCaRP faculty are dedicated professionals, passionate about research and sharing their knowledge and experience for the greater good. They are constantly producing cutting-edge scholarship, securing competitive grants, and engaging with the media and the public. Here are a few spring semester faculty highlights:

• Dr. Seumalu Elora Lee Raymond recently chimed in on NBC with her perspective on the role of institutional landlords in the housing market. Read more here. 
   
• Dr. Gulsah Akar published an article “Exploring the influence of driver’s presence on passengers’ willingness level to take autonomous taxis – Evidence from Seattle metropolitan area” Jun Wang (Ph.D. candidate in GT School of Architecture) and Ellen Dunham Jones (Professor of Architecture). Link to the article here.
   
• Dr. Paige Clayton has recently published a new article titled "Mentored without incubation: Start-up survival, funding, and the role of entrepreneurial support organization services." Access the article here.
   
• Dr. Brian An has recently published two new articles:
  • Applying an Intersectional Understanding of Extra Work Behavior and Emotional Exhaustion in Local Public Service. Access the article here.

  • Along with SCaRP doctoral student Eunjee Son, they published a new article titled "Who Owns America? A Methodology for Identifying Landlords’ Ownership Scale and the Implications for Targeted Code Enforcement" in the Journal of the American Planning Association (JAPA). Link to the open-access article.

• Dr. Raymond and Dr. Alberto Fuentes were two of 33 faculty members at Georgia Tech who were awarded tenure this Spring.
   
• SCaRP's own Uijeong Hwang, Seung Jae Lieu, and Subhro Guhathakurta, along with their coauthors, recently published an article in the Journal of the American Planning Association. Explore the article measuring transit equity and equality of a potential On-Demand Multimodal Transit System (ODMTS). 
   
• Dr. Stone published a new book. Radical Adaptation: Transforming Cities for a Climate Changed World establishes a framework for climate change adaptation. Dr. Stone aims to understand how climate change is altering our lives in the present period and how our cities might adapt to these changes. Dr. Stone will discuss his new book at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library on May 15th. See more about the event here.
   
• Dr. Gregory Randolph, Professor Dobbins, and alumnus Ryan Gravel discuss if Metro Atlanta can handle 1.8 million more residents by 2050. Read the article here.
   
• Dr. Arthi Rao and MCRP student, Rueichen Tsai present research at XULA-COP 17th health disparities conference 2024. Their research focuses on racial disparities in job access for TANF recipients and it's implication on health outcomes. You can see their poster here. 
   
• Dr. Brian Stone was selected as Northwestern University Sustainability Fellow for May. He delivered a lecture as part of a 1-day summit at Northwestern University wherein world-renowned experts discussed “Earth-Human Interactions: Sustainability and Development.”