Here at the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy (COSSPP), our faculty have been quite busy! Here are some of the projects that our faculty have recently published.
“Exploratory Analysis of Revealed Pedestrian Paths as Cues for Designing Pedestrian Infrastructure” by Dr. Christopher Coutts
In his recent article, Dr. Coutts examines the desired paths used by pedestrians. To do so, he conducts (1) aerial photography and spatial analysis were used to create an inventory of desired paths on the campus of Florida State University, and (2) a survey of desired path users was administered to determine the drivers of this activity. A comparison of spatial data from 2013 and 2018 demonstrates an array of desired paths on campus and, over time, campus planners have codified many of these informal paths. The results from the survey demonstrate that pedestrians use desired paths primarily for efficiency but not at the expense of nighttime safety concerns.
“Urbanization and Winter Precipitation: A Case Study Analysis of Land Surface Sensitivity” by Dr. Brad Johnson
In his recent article, Dr. Johnson examines how the influence of urbanization extends beyond traditional city limits and the surrounding rural areas and can impact regional climate in non-adjacent cities. To do so, he utilizes the weather research and forecasting model to simulate a cold-season synoptic system over the Northeastern U.S. over a variety of urban land surface scenarios. Results show a significant reduction in temperatures near the modified surface and subtle reductions over adjacent urban areas.
“Teaching Futures Studies From Disciplinary And Student Perspectives” by Dr. William Klay and Dr. Portia Campos
For their recent article, Dr. Klay and Dr. Campos created focus groups of undergraduate students who had just completed a course in futures studies, and had them report what they would emphasize if they were teaching it. They would emphasize critical thinking, individual relevance and empowerment, interrelatedness, technology as a two-sided agent of change, a risk management approach to understanding crises and opportunities, past efforts to anticipate possible futures, and especially the importance of Enlightenment values in framing preferred futures.
Wicked Problems, Wicked Solutions 