Hilary Nixon | San Jose State University (original) (raw)
Papers by Hilary Nixon
Streetcars have returned to many cities in the United States, and dozens of cities are contemplat... more Streetcars have returned to many cities in the United States, and dozens of cities are contemplating making their own streetcar investments. Yet, most streetcars carry relatively few riders per unit of service at a relatively high cost per ride. The streetcar’s poor transportation performance thus raises questions about the purpose of these investments. Using a case study of five cities, the authors seek to better understand the streetcar’s appeal in the face of its poor transportation performance. Drawing on interviews of developers, business leaders, local officials, transit planners, streetcar advocates, and other key respondents, as well as documentary sources, the authors find that private actors with business and development interests in downtowns and nearby areas are the main drivers behind the streetcar resurgence. These actors operate within growth-oriented public-private coalitions (growth-machines) and typically regard streetcars primarily as economic development, image making, and tourism promotion tools rather than transportation investments. Rent seeking behavior underlies growth-machine dynamics, and thus streetcar projects remain appealing to these actors despite their weak transportation performance. The focus on non-transportation goals as primary streetcar objectives affects local decision-making and likely leads to their underperformance as transit.
Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 2007
... households' willingness to pay advanced recycling fees. Journal of Environmental... more ... households' willingness to pay advanced recycling fees. Journal of Environmental Management , (forthcoming) [Web of Science ®] View all references) suggests this conclusion does not apply to CEDs. Ethnicity has not been widely studied in the literature on 'green' buying. ...
Environmental Modeling & Assessment, 2011
The European Union's Restriction on the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances (Directive 2002/95/EC... more The European Union's Restriction on the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances (Directive 2002/95/EC) targeted at electronic products took effect in 2006. In contrast, the USA has no comparable national policy on these products. To understand corporate responses to policy differences across jurisdictions, we conducted a structuredquestionnaire survey of individuals in 109 companies that are representative of the US electronics industry. The results reveal that 70% of these companies have already adopted lead-free solder for electronics with 49% of the total preferring the SnAgCu formulation, despite uncertainties associated with environmental impacts of this alternative alloy. We use a modified life cycle impact assessment method based on endpoint modeling approach to derive weighting factors that represent the respondents' value system for tradeoffs among environmental impacts. We use a modified fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution approach to evaluate technical criteria dominance in declared preferences. A statistical model of corporate behavior is also presented. The results provide the first systematic framework that accounts for environmental impact, technological challenge, and business strategy concurrently toward formulating a comprehensive national policy for materials selection in electronic products.
This report summarizes the results of a national random-digit-dial public opinion poll that asked... more This report summarizes the results of a national random-digit-dial public opinion poll that asked 1,519 respondents if they would support various tax options for raising federal transportation revenues, with a special focus on understanding support for increasing revenues for public transit. Eleven specific tax options tested were variations on raising the federal gas tax rate and creating a new mileage
This paper investigates the costs of controlling some of the environmental impacts of motor vehic... more This paper investigates the costs of controlling some of the environmental impacts of motor vehicle transportation on groundwater and on surface waters. We estimate that annualized costs of cleaning-up leaking underground storage tanks range from 0.8billionto0.8 billion to 0.8billionto2.1 billion per year over ten years. Annualized costs of controlling highway runoff from principal arterials in the US are much larger:
Environmental studies of motor vehicles typically focus on air pollution or noise, but ignore wat... more Environmental studies of motor vehicles typically focus on air pollution or noise, but ignore water pollution. In thi s paper, we examine some of the impacts of motor vehicle transportation on non-point source and on groundwater pollution. Our estimates of the present value of costs for cleaning up leaking underground storage tanks and for controlling highway runoff for major arterials
We examine some consequences of dumping used oil in the environment and review some policies to f... more We examine some consequences of dumping used oil in the environment and review some policies to foster used oil recycling. We then contrast policies adopted in the Canadian Prairie Provinces for managing used oil, used oil filters, and containers, with those put in place in the rest of Canada. Our analysis proposes that public-private partnerships relying on economic instruments and
Planners and policymakers in dozens of U.S. cities are considering making streetcar investments i... more Planners and policymakers in dozens of U.S. cities are considering making streetcar investments in the hope of promoting economic development, encouraging tourism, carrying transit riders, and/or achieving a host of other local objectives. Most observers look to Portland, Oregon, as a model of successful streetcar development, but this paper considers the experiences of two less successful communities, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Tampa, Florida. Using a combination of key informant interviews and local and national transit data, the authors assess the goals of streetcar implementation and the performance of the streetcars in these two cities, seeking to understand the reasons for their performance and identify lessons for other communities.
... Marlon G. Boarnet Department of Planning, Policy, and Design University of California, Irvine... more ... Marlon G. Boarnet Department of Planning, Policy, and Design University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA 92697-7075 mgboarne@uci.edu ... model of population and employment change as a second test (eg, Steinnes and Fisher 1974; Carlino and Mills 1987; Boarnet 1992 and ...
1Departments of Planning, Policy & Design, University of California Irvine 2Departments of Pl... more 1Departments of Planning, Policy & Design, University of California Irvine 2Departments of Planning, Policy, Design, and Economics, University of California Irvine 3Department of Environmental Health, Science and Policy, University of California Irvine 4Jet Propulsion Laboratory, ...
ABSTRACT This paper analyzes a unique dataset collected during a 2006 national survey of U.S. hou... more ABSTRACT This paper analyzes a unique dataset collected during a 2006 national survey of U.S. households to explore the effectiveness of common household recycling policies for metals, glass, and plastics: curbside recycling, drop-off recycling, deposit–refund systems (bottle bills), and marginal pricing for household waste. After estimating either generalized ordered logit or multinomial logit models, we find that the most important determinants of household recycling are people's attitudes toward recycling. Our results also suggest that omitting internal variables (perceived recycling obstacles and benefits as well as moral considerations) may bias policy coefficients. Socio-economic variables are typically not statistically significant, with the exceptions of young adults and of African Americans who tend to recycle less than others. Policies with the largest odds ratios are curbside recycling (which is further strengthened if recycling is mandatory), followed by the presence of drop-off collection centers nearby. Bottle bills are also statistically significant but their odds ratios are smaller, possibly because refunds are relatively small and typically do not change for years. Finally, marginal pricing appears to have a limited impact on recycling. These results suggest avenues for improving household recycling at a time when recycling rates appear to be plateauing.
25 26 27 28 4892 words text, including references 29 6 tables and 4 figures, 2500 word equivalent... more 25 26 27 28 4892 words text, including references 29 6 tables and 4 figures, 2500 word equivalent 30 108-word abstract 31 7500 word total 32 33 ABSTRACT 1 This paper examines the transit performance of streetcars in five U.S. cities, Little Rock, 2 Memphis, Portland, Seattle, and Tampa, to document strong and weak performing streetcars and 3 to identify the factors that might explain variation in streetcar performance. Portland emerges as 4 the highest ridership, most productive and second most cost effective streetcar city. The authors 5 attribute Portland's stronger transit performance to its local setting and planning/operating 6 decisions that emphasize the streetcar's role as both transportation investment and development 7 tool, an approach that contrasts with the other cities where development and tourism objectives 8 are the dominant factors in streetcar decision making. 9 10
This report summarizes the results of a national random-digit-dial public opinion poll that asked... more This report summarizes the results of a national random-digit-dial public opinion poll that asked 1,519 respondents if they would support various tax options for raising federal transportation revenues, with a special focus on understanding support for increasing revenues for public transit. Eleven specific tax options tested were variations on raising the federal gas tax rate and creating a new mileage
Consumer electronic devices (CEDs) contain toxic materials including heavy metals and brominated ... more Consumer electronic devices (CEDs) contain toxic materials including heavy metals and brominated flame retardants that can pose a threat to public and environmental health if improperly disposed. Recent legislation enacted in the European Union and introduced in California bans the sale of CEDs containing these toxics. As a result, manufacturers need to change the design of their products to reduce
Streetcars have returned to many cities in the United States, and dozens of cities are contemplat... more Streetcars have returned to many cities in the United States, and dozens of cities are contemplating making their own streetcar investments. Yet, most streetcars carry relatively few riders per unit of service at a relatively high cost per ride. The streetcar’s poor transportation performance thus raises questions about the purpose of these investments. Using a case study of five cities, the authors seek to better understand the streetcar’s appeal in the face of its poor transportation performance. Drawing on interviews of developers, business leaders, local officials, transit planners, streetcar advocates, and other key respondents, as well as documentary sources, the authors find that private actors with business and development interests in downtowns and nearby areas are the main drivers behind the streetcar resurgence. These actors operate within growth-oriented public-private coalitions (growth-machines) and typically regard streetcars primarily as economic development, image making, and tourism promotion tools rather than transportation investments. Rent seeking behavior underlies growth-machine dynamics, and thus streetcar projects remain appealing to these actors despite their weak transportation performance. The focus on non-transportation goals as primary streetcar objectives affects local decision-making and likely leads to their underperformance as transit.
Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 2007
... households' willingness to pay advanced recycling fees. Journal of Environmental... more ... households' willingness to pay advanced recycling fees. Journal of Environmental Management , (forthcoming) [Web of Science ®] View all references) suggests this conclusion does not apply to CEDs. Ethnicity has not been widely studied in the literature on 'green' buying. ...
Environmental Modeling & Assessment, 2011
The European Union's Restriction on the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances (Directive 2002/95/EC... more The European Union's Restriction on the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances (Directive 2002/95/EC) targeted at electronic products took effect in 2006. In contrast, the USA has no comparable national policy on these products. To understand corporate responses to policy differences across jurisdictions, we conducted a structuredquestionnaire survey of individuals in 109 companies that are representative of the US electronics industry. The results reveal that 70% of these companies have already adopted lead-free solder for electronics with 49% of the total preferring the SnAgCu formulation, despite uncertainties associated with environmental impacts of this alternative alloy. We use a modified life cycle impact assessment method based on endpoint modeling approach to derive weighting factors that represent the respondents' value system for tradeoffs among environmental impacts. We use a modified fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution approach to evaluate technical criteria dominance in declared preferences. A statistical model of corporate behavior is also presented. The results provide the first systematic framework that accounts for environmental impact, technological challenge, and business strategy concurrently toward formulating a comprehensive national policy for materials selection in electronic products.
This report summarizes the results of a national random-digit-dial public opinion poll that asked... more This report summarizes the results of a national random-digit-dial public opinion poll that asked 1,519 respondents if they would support various tax options for raising federal transportation revenues, with a special focus on understanding support for increasing revenues for public transit. Eleven specific tax options tested were variations on raising the federal gas tax rate and creating a new mileage
This paper investigates the costs of controlling some of the environmental impacts of motor vehic... more This paper investigates the costs of controlling some of the environmental impacts of motor vehicle transportation on groundwater and on surface waters. We estimate that annualized costs of cleaning-up leaking underground storage tanks range from 0.8billionto0.8 billion to 0.8billionto2.1 billion per year over ten years. Annualized costs of controlling highway runoff from principal arterials in the US are much larger:
Environmental studies of motor vehicles typically focus on air pollution or noise, but ignore wat... more Environmental studies of motor vehicles typically focus on air pollution or noise, but ignore water pollution. In thi s paper, we examine some of the impacts of motor vehicle transportation on non-point source and on groundwater pollution. Our estimates of the present value of costs for cleaning up leaking underground storage tanks and for controlling highway runoff for major arterials
We examine some consequences of dumping used oil in the environment and review some policies to f... more We examine some consequences of dumping used oil in the environment and review some policies to foster used oil recycling. We then contrast policies adopted in the Canadian Prairie Provinces for managing used oil, used oil filters, and containers, with those put in place in the rest of Canada. Our analysis proposes that public-private partnerships relying on economic instruments and
Planners and policymakers in dozens of U.S. cities are considering making streetcar investments i... more Planners and policymakers in dozens of U.S. cities are considering making streetcar investments in the hope of promoting economic development, encouraging tourism, carrying transit riders, and/or achieving a host of other local objectives. Most observers look to Portland, Oregon, as a model of successful streetcar development, but this paper considers the experiences of two less successful communities, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Tampa, Florida. Using a combination of key informant interviews and local and national transit data, the authors assess the goals of streetcar implementation and the performance of the streetcars in these two cities, seeking to understand the reasons for their performance and identify lessons for other communities.
... Marlon G. Boarnet Department of Planning, Policy, and Design University of California, Irvine... more ... Marlon G. Boarnet Department of Planning, Policy, and Design University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA 92697-7075 mgboarne@uci.edu ... model of population and employment change as a second test (eg, Steinnes and Fisher 1974; Carlino and Mills 1987; Boarnet 1992 and ...
1Departments of Planning, Policy & Design, University of California Irvine 2Departments of Pl... more 1Departments of Planning, Policy & Design, University of California Irvine 2Departments of Planning, Policy, Design, and Economics, University of California Irvine 3Department of Environmental Health, Science and Policy, University of California Irvine 4Jet Propulsion Laboratory, ...
ABSTRACT This paper analyzes a unique dataset collected during a 2006 national survey of U.S. hou... more ABSTRACT This paper analyzes a unique dataset collected during a 2006 national survey of U.S. households to explore the effectiveness of common household recycling policies for metals, glass, and plastics: curbside recycling, drop-off recycling, deposit–refund systems (bottle bills), and marginal pricing for household waste. After estimating either generalized ordered logit or multinomial logit models, we find that the most important determinants of household recycling are people's attitudes toward recycling. Our results also suggest that omitting internal variables (perceived recycling obstacles and benefits as well as moral considerations) may bias policy coefficients. Socio-economic variables are typically not statistically significant, with the exceptions of young adults and of African Americans who tend to recycle less than others. Policies with the largest odds ratios are curbside recycling (which is further strengthened if recycling is mandatory), followed by the presence of drop-off collection centers nearby. Bottle bills are also statistically significant but their odds ratios are smaller, possibly because refunds are relatively small and typically do not change for years. Finally, marginal pricing appears to have a limited impact on recycling. These results suggest avenues for improving household recycling at a time when recycling rates appear to be plateauing.
25 26 27 28 4892 words text, including references 29 6 tables and 4 figures, 2500 word equivalent... more 25 26 27 28 4892 words text, including references 29 6 tables and 4 figures, 2500 word equivalent 30 108-word abstract 31 7500 word total 32 33 ABSTRACT 1 This paper examines the transit performance of streetcars in five U.S. cities, Little Rock, 2 Memphis, Portland, Seattle, and Tampa, to document strong and weak performing streetcars and 3 to identify the factors that might explain variation in streetcar performance. Portland emerges as 4 the highest ridership, most productive and second most cost effective streetcar city. The authors 5 attribute Portland's stronger transit performance to its local setting and planning/operating 6 decisions that emphasize the streetcar's role as both transportation investment and development 7 tool, an approach that contrasts with the other cities where development and tourism objectives 8 are the dominant factors in streetcar decision making. 9 10
This report summarizes the results of a national random-digit-dial public opinion poll that asked... more This report summarizes the results of a national random-digit-dial public opinion poll that asked 1,519 respondents if they would support various tax options for raising federal transportation revenues, with a special focus on understanding support for increasing revenues for public transit. Eleven specific tax options tested were variations on raising the federal gas tax rate and creating a new mileage
Consumer electronic devices (CEDs) contain toxic materials including heavy metals and brominated ... more Consumer electronic devices (CEDs) contain toxic materials including heavy metals and brominated flame retardants that can pose a threat to public and environmental health if improperly disposed. Recent legislation enacted in the European Union and introduced in California bans the sale of CEDs containing these toxics. As a result, manufacturers need to change the design of their products to reduce