Scholarly discussions of accessibility and spatial mismatch largely ignore transit's role in linking vulnerable populations to opportunity. Yet as the nation's low‐income population has become more suburban in recent decades, transit access may become an increasingly valuable, yet scarcer link to opportunity for those with the fewest resources and housing options. This study explores differences in transit access for neighborhoods with high concentrations of heavy transit users. Using data from the 2000 Census and the 5‐year 2005–2009 ACS, it compares changes in transit access levels across neighborhoods with high concentrations of blacks, Latinos, and the poor in Portland, OR. Results show that Portland's neighborhoods of Latino concentration had the poorest relative access to transit. Further, levels of transit access declined for neighborhoods of black and Latino concentration during the study period.
We investigate the difference that immigrant enclaves make for the residential contexts of Latino families in the U.S. We argue that enclaves may no longer function simply as temporary way stations, the classic depiction of them, because of the compromised legal status of many Latinos. We examine this role with an innovative method that uses publicly available census tabulations (from the 2000 Census in our case) to develop HLM models, in which race/ethnicity and income are controlled at the family level, along with neighbourhood context and metropolitan characteristics. Comparing Latino residential patterns to those of whites and blacks reveals the large neighbourhood disadvantages of Latinos, which except for greater exposure to whites are on the order of those suffered by African Americans. We find that Hispanic families improve their residential situations as their incomes go up and usually also when they live in suburbs. But residence outside of immigrant enclaves produces the largest positive changes. The enclaves are a fundamentally different kind of residential space, in which the potential for neighbourhood improvement is modest.
What is already known on this topic? Active commuting to work is one way people can be physically active and is influenced by state-level initiatives. Active commuting by walking, bicycling, or using public transit is rare in the United States and varies by state. What is added by this report? Active commuting to work (combined and individual modes) remained rare in most states; changes in active commuting have been inconsistent across states. Many significant changes were of small magnitude. What are the implications for public health practice? The American Community Survey is useful for monitoring and evaluating state-level active commuting to work. When using ACS, careful consideration of included constructs, change measures, time period, and geographic levels is needed.
Many students entering Mechanical or Mechatronics Engineering (MME) at the University of Waterloo (UWaterloo) have limited hands-on skills and lack practical technical knowledge. Student surveys cite a desire for increased practical experience within the curriculum. This paper presents an initiative to address this issue. A keychain project was designed to involve all first year MME students in a practical (hands-on) activity that would foster competence with machinery. This objective proved difficult to implement due to large student enrollment, where scheduling, supervision, and resources were all significant challenges. However, as a result of this experience, over 400 engineering students were provided early exposure to the Student Machine Shop, creating a desire and confidence to pursue additional experience. This program is expected to continue at UWaterloo and become a component of a wider engineering clinic initiative. The methodology and key takeaways will be discussed herein.
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