This study examines the correlation between obesity rates and various other factors, utilizing two robust datasets:
the CDC’s PLACES: Census Tract Data (GIS Friendly Format), 2023 release, and the American Community Survey Data from
the US Census. The PLACES data offers a deep dive into the prevalence of obesity and other chronic conditions,
as well as lifestyle habits such as physical activity levels, sleep duration, diabetes management, and alcohol
consumption. The American Community Survey complements this with demographic and socioeconomic insights, encompassing
factors like median household income and poverty rates within census tracts.
By merging these datasets, the analysis aims to reveal the associations between obesity prevalence and a spectrum of
lifestyle choices and socioeconomic conditions at the neighborhood level. The goal is to disentangle the intricate web
of factors—from individual behaviors to community-wide economic indicators—influencing obesity and chronic disease rates.
Employing advanced statistical analysis and data visualization tools, the research intends to pinpoint critical determinants
of obesity, shedding light on the multifaceted nature of health disparities within Michigan’s diverse communities.
This term project resembles the home searching engines that users can input preference criteria
and search for their dream homes. The algorithm would direct users to the best recommendation according
to the input home features.
Performance evaluation is critical in an agency’s self-assessment and public monitoring
process. It yields evidence of a government’s effectiveness, provides direction in budgeting and
people management, and indicates public accountability. (Behn, 2003) This paper evaluates the
FY2022 performance report of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as an
example of agency performance assessment, focusing on the alignment, effectiveness, and
significance of the performance indicators as around the strategical goals.
Two strategic goals will be covered with in-depth assessment:
Strategic Goal #2: Ensure Access to and Increase the Production of Affordable Housing
Strategic Goal #2 has two objectives about housing supply and rental assistance. These two
objectives directly address the strategic goal.
1.1 Alignment of indicators with the goal and objective
All the indicators under housing supply address the numbers of housing produced, and the
programs/schemes are directly related to financial assistance. First, all the
To: Yassmin Gramian, Secretary of Transportation, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation From: Elizabeth Wang, Planning Consultant, Penn City Institute Re: Using logit models to analyze multiple car ownership in the Philadelphia Region
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Summary
The Delaware River Valley Planning Commission (DRVPC) and the Penn City Institute have been
advocating a compact city development plan in the region. A first and foremost objective is to decrease
the use private cars and promote alternative commuting modes such as mass public transit and biking.
To study the correlation of individual factors of households and their car ownership of people in the
Philadelphia Region, a study has been conducted with the Philadelphia Household Travel Survey data.
Factors that may affect multiple car ownership have been examined, including demographic features,
counties travelers are from, car parking and transit subsidies and commute mode choices. The study
reveals significant differences of multiple car ownership among different social and racial groups based
on demographic features, and household locations. The study further reveals possible solutions using
subsidies to incentivize people to prefer alternative commuting modes to owning an additional car.
To: James Kenney, Mayor of Philadelphia From: Elizabeth Wang, Planning Consultant, Penn City Institute Re: Strategies in Increasing Philadelphia’s Cycling Trips to 15% of All Trips by 2030
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Summary
Unlike many European countries where biking as a commuting mode comes from the
convention, the U.S. introduced biking as a mode for transportation and entertainments in the early
1990s (Lecture 12/3). Increase of biking as a commuting mode and a leisure activity would bring benefits
to people’s health and alleviate negative external effects to the environment. Philadelphia, as a city with
a level of complexity in transportation planning, targets to improve its biking trips to 15% of all trips by
Strategies should be proposed to eradicate risk factors regarding cycling traffic, alleviate financial
burden, formulating regulations and emphasize the spillover effects from major educational institutes so
that the public would better accept and adapt to the lifestyle on bicycles. Strategies
Setting an Overarching goal
The goal of increasing biking trips to 15% is an ambitious one, as compared to the current level
of less than 5%
