TY - JOUR
T1 - Housing location in a Philadelphia metro watershed
T2 - Can profitable be green?
AU - Sorrentino, John A.
AU - Meenar, Mahbubur R.
AU - Lambert, Alice J.
AU - Wargo, Donald T.
N1 - Funding Information:
ATUC After-Tax User Cost BOD Biochemical Oxygen Demand CLR Common Level Ratio DO Dissolved Oxygen DVRPC Delaware Regional Planning Commission ECON-MUNI Economically Suitable Scenario with Municipal Zoning ECON-UNI Economically Suitable Scenario with Unified Zoning ENVI-MUNI Environmentally Suitable Scenario with Municipal Zoning ENVI-UNI Environmentally Suitable Scenario with Unified Zoning ESRI Environmental Science and Research Institute GIS Geographic Information Systems GREET Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation IBI Index of Biological Integrity NGO Non-Government Organization PA DEP Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection PA SMA Pennsylvania Stormwater Management Act PCW Pennypack Creek Watershed pH Potential Hydrogen PWD Philadelphia Water Department SLDI Sustainable Land Development Initiative SMP Stormwater Management Plan US United States US EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency USGS US Geological Survey VKT Vehicle Kilometers Traveled WIBI Weighted Water Quality Index WPSM Weighted Profit per Square Meter WQI Water Quality Index WWQI Weighted Water Quality Index John A. Sorrentino received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Purdue University. He has applied micro-economic theory to aircraft noise abatement and waste oil recycling among other environmental issues. After taking courses in Geographic Information Systems and working on a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency, he is continuing work on sustainable housing location in the major Philadelphia metro watersheds. Other research in his portfolio includes hunger-relief and “just sustainabilities.” Dr. Sorrentino has taught courses from principles of economics to Ph.D. mathematical economics in-class and online, and currently teaches Energy, Ecology and Economy. Mahbubur Meenar received a Ph.D. in Geography and Urban Studies from Temple University and a Master's in Urban and Regional Planning from the State University of New York at Buffalo. His research interests include: Food Justice and Food Systems Planning; Urban Watershed Planning and Stormwater Green Infrastructure; GIS, Mixed-Methods, Visualization, and Environmental Modeling; E-Engagement, Digital Social Network, and Organizational Network, and Sustainable Community Planning and Design. Dr. Meenar is an Assistant Director at the Center for Sustainable Communities, and he teaches several courses in Community and Regional Planning at Temple University. Ms. Alice J. Lambert received an M.S. degree in Community and Regional Planning at Temple University. Upon graduation, she took a position as environmental planner for the Bucks County Planning Commission. Her areas of concern were watershed and stormwater planning and regulation. Ms. Lambert has changed geographic location and is no longer employed by the Commission. Dr. Donald Wargo received a Ph.D. in economics from Temple University after an extended career in commercial real estate. Though he teaches a variety of economics courses in-class and online at Temple University, he has a strong interest in teaching and research in the sub-discipline of behavioral economics. He is also very active with the undergraduate economics student organization.
PY - 2014/5
Y1 - 2014/5
N2 - The objective of this paper was to examine the profit levels, energy use and environmental impacts of two residential development scenarios in a watershed in the Philadelphia region under two zoning assumptions. The two scenarios were based on economic suitability and environmental suitability. A key question was whether these occurred together in the Pennypack Creek Watershed. Suitability analyses in ArcGIS using criteria for profit and for local sustainability parsed out two sets of developable areas. Buildouts to satisfy 2035 population projections in these areas using CommunityViz software were based on actual municipal zoning ordinances. In a unified zoning scheme created by the authors, a density-adjusted number of housing units are placed watershed-wide without municipal restrictions. Profit data for buildings in each zip code were used to compute a Weighted Profit per Square Meter. Household units were associated with a particular type of automobile and average Vehicle Kilometers Traveled in the relevant census tracts. The GREET program was used to compute energy use, air pollution emissions and greenhouse gas emissions. A Weighted Water Quality Index and Index of Biological Integrity were used to assess water-related impacts based on recent monitoring data supplied by the Philadelphia Water Department. It was no surprise that ECON-UNI and ECON-MUNI generated higher profit than ENV-MUNI and ENV-UNI. ENV-UNI had lower energy use and environmental impacts than all others. That ECON-MUNI had the second lowest energy use and environmental impacts, and the highest water quality, was unexpected. Some policy proposals and conclusions end the paper.
AB - The objective of this paper was to examine the profit levels, energy use and environmental impacts of two residential development scenarios in a watershed in the Philadelphia region under two zoning assumptions. The two scenarios were based on economic suitability and environmental suitability. A key question was whether these occurred together in the Pennypack Creek Watershed. Suitability analyses in ArcGIS using criteria for profit and for local sustainability parsed out two sets of developable areas. Buildouts to satisfy 2035 population projections in these areas using CommunityViz software were based on actual municipal zoning ordinances. In a unified zoning scheme created by the authors, a density-adjusted number of housing units are placed watershed-wide without municipal restrictions. Profit data for buildings in each zip code were used to compute a Weighted Profit per Square Meter. Household units were associated with a particular type of automobile and average Vehicle Kilometers Traveled in the relevant census tracts. The GREET program was used to compute energy use, air pollution emissions and greenhouse gas emissions. A Weighted Water Quality Index and Index of Biological Integrity were used to assess water-related impacts based on recent monitoring data supplied by the Philadelphia Water Department. It was no surprise that ECON-UNI and ECON-MUNI generated higher profit than ENV-MUNI and ENV-UNI. ENV-UNI had lower energy use and environmental impacts than all others. That ECON-MUNI had the second lowest energy use and environmental impacts, and the highest water quality, was unexpected. Some policy proposals and conclusions end the paper.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.02.005
DO - 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.02.005
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84898917458
SN - 0169-2046
VL - 125
SP - 188
EP - 206
JO - Landscape and Urban Planning
JF - Landscape and Urban Planning
ER -