Master's Theses 2021 to 2024
2024 Master's Theses
Thesis: Temporally Mapping Ease of Walkability in Boston Chinatown
Topic: Transportation Policy and Planning
Author: Tony Duong
Thesis: Traffic-Related Air Pollution and “Bikeability”: Quantifying Air Pollution Exposure Along Bike Routes in Boston Area
Topic: Transportation Policy and Planning
Author: Hongkun Huang
2023 Master's Theses
Thesis: &nBuilding on Shifting Sands: Shoreline Stabilization in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Justine Rooney
Thesis: External Market Disruptions and Carbon Pricing: How the Russian gas ban tested the resilience of the European Emissions Trading System
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Eliandro Tavares
Thesis: Planning for Climate Change on Cape Cod: An Analysis of Coastal Resiliency Strategies for Sea Level Rise
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Jasmine Olins
Thesis: Priorities in Climate Change Adaptation: An Analysis of Four Tribal and Non-Tribal Plans
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Alexandra Duprey
Thesis: Conserving the Asian Elephant in Xishuangbanna, China: A Spatial Analysis to Re-Evaluate Asian Elephant Conservation Using Remote Sensing and GIS
Topic: Natural Resources Policy & Management
Author: Ziyi Wang
Thesis: Social-Ecological Interactions on the Coast: Cumulative Pressures on Working Waterfronts in Harpswell, Maine
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Stephanie Sun
Thesis: Pedals in Parks: Promoting Conservation and Accessibility in the National Parks via E-Bikeshare Programs
Topic: Transportation Policy and Planning
Author: Alison Christensen
Thesis: Navigating Working Waterfront Preservation & Redevelopment: The Case of New Bedford, Massachusetts
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Nathaniel King
Thesis: Building Power: Tenant Organizing, Community Land Trusts, and the Right to the City
Topic: Housing Policy
Author: Josh McLinden
Thesis: Planning for and Development of Electrical Transmission Lines: A Discussion of Best Practices
Topic: Energy Policy & Planning
Author: Kelan Koncewicz
Thesis: Climate Action at U.S. Higher Education Institutions: State Climate Policy, Climate Action Plans, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Margaret Pendleton
Thesis: Fluid Conversations: Equity Considerations in a Managed Retreat Context
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Sonya Sternlieb
Thesis: Community-Based Adaptation Approaches to Climate Change: Social and Equitable Resilience in East Boston
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Robyn Lee
Thesis: Parking Lot Cities: Examining the Impacts of Parking Policy Reform on Autocentric Development Patterns in Buffalo, New York, and Hartford, Connecticut
Topic: Transportation Policy and Planning
Author: Brenna Trollinger
Thesis: The Resource Tradeoffs of Green Space and Water Conservation in Los Angeles: A Spatial Analysis of Vegetated Cooling and Water Use
Topic: Urban Planning & Design
Author: Emily Wood
Thesis: Restaurants and Food Justice in Boston: A Case Study of Mei Mei
Topic: Agriculture and Food Systems Policy & Planning
Author: Valeria Menendez
Thesis: Cultivating Community: Examining Climate Resilience in Medford’s Community Gardens
Topic: Urban Planning & Design
Author: Ryn Piasecki
Thesis: Building Power Through Knowledge: Designing Boston’s Participatory Budgeting Process as a Popular Education Tool
Topic: Solidarity Economy Policy
Author: Johnny Shively
Thesis: Making Sense of Place: An Ethnography of Toxicant Encounters in South Portland, Maine
Topic: Community Resilience and Urban Planning
Author: Lucy Perkins
Thesis: Urbanization of Metropolitan Houston, Texas (2015-2022): How Has the City Been Developed After Hurricane Harvey?
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Wen-Ying Wu
Thesis: Point of Interest Foot Traffic Data and Pandemic-Induced Changes in Mobility Patterns: An Exploratory Analysis of Greater Boston
Topic: Transportation Policy and Planning
Author: Zachary Gavel
Thesis: A Comparative Analysis of Wildlife Conservation in the US and India
Topic: Natural Resources Policy & Management
Author: Sara Singh
Thesis: Noise in My Backyard: What Soundscapes Can Tell Us About Gentrification
Topic: Housing Policy
Author: Marquez Monroe
Thesis: Protection for All: Examining Protected Areas’ Impact on People and Biodiversity in Muchinga Province, Zambia
Topic: Natural Resources Policy & Management
Author: Lydia Eldridge
Thesis: Open for Whom? An Equity Analysis of New York’s Open Streets Program
Topic: Transportation Policy and Planning
Author: Erwin Figueroa
Thesis: Towards Universal Rental Assistance: An Empirical Study of Housing Choice Voucher Holders’ Relocation Patterns, Neighborhood Quality, and Household Characteristics in Massachusetts
Topic: Housing Policy
Author: Mitesha Shakya
2022 Master's Theses
Thesis: Promoting Wellness in Underserved Communities: Issues, Design Guidelines, and Programming
Topic: Urban Planning & Design
Author: Brooke Siggers
Thesis: Buildout Analysis: A Study of Nantucket with Climate Change Considerations
Topic: Land Use and Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Sydnie Picard
Thesis: Food Plans as a Platform to Amplify Food Justice
Topic: Food Systems Policy & Planning
Author: Anna Bury
Thesis: Climate Change Readiness and the Informal Sector: A Spatial and Policy Analysis of Kampala, Uganda
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Srilekha Murthy
Thesis: A Geospatial Analysis of Climate Change Vulnerability in Ethiopia
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Rachel Herman
Thesis: Equitable Climate Adaptation at the Watershed Scale: Neponset River Watershed Association as a Case Study
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Kayla Patel
Thesis: Centering Equity and Justice in the Emerging Concept of Nature-Based Solutions in Massachusetts
Topic: Urban Planning & Design
Author: Perri Sheinbaum
Thesis: Exploring the Role of Land Tenure in Affecting Climate Adaptation Ability on the Caribbean Island of Barbuda
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Danielle Jameson
Thesis: Evaluating the Equity of Complete Streets in Massachusetts
Topic: Transportation Policy and Planning
Author: Kelsey Tustin
Thesis: A Massachusetts-Based Inquiry into the Opportunities and Barriers to Equitable Relocation Away from Coastal Flood Risks
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Maggie Peard
Thesis: Food, Feed, Fuel: Division of Water Quantity Impacts on Agricultural Use Allocations and Policy Options in Northeast China
Topic: Water and Agriculture Policy
Author: Allison Meyer
Thesis: Planning for a Disrupted Future: Modeling the Effects of Sea Level Rise on Endangered Shorebird Habitat on Nantucket Island
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Jarrod McCarthy
Thesis: Co-Producing Parks: How Can Communities Be Involved in Their Design, Management, and Programming?
Topic: Urban Planning & Design
Author: Madeleine Kelly
Thesis: People-Centered Development: Alternative Ways of Developing Real Estate in the United States
Topic: Housing Policy
Author: Nicole Stephens
Thesis: The Walkable Neighborhood and Public Art Testing a Method for Objectively Measuring a Perceptual Urban Design Quality
Topic: Urban Planning & Design
Author: Lindsay Naughton
Thesis: Understanding Stormwater Policy Gaps: A Case Study of Two Municipalities in Eastern Massachusetts
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Katherine Swan
Thesis: Comparing Two Metrics of Water Affordability in Eastern Massachusetts
Topic: Urban Policy & Planning
Author: Kathryn Fiducia
Thesis: The Rise of YIMBY: A Discourse Analysis of the Housing Debate on Twitter
Topic: Housing Policy
Author: Connor Ring
Thesis: Transit-Oriented Development (TOD): An approach to revitalize the Gateway City of Lowell, MA
Topic: Transportation Policy and Planning
Author: Shravanthi Gopalan Narayanan
Thesis: Circular Economy and Secondhand Clothing Businesses
Topic: Economic Development and Fiscal Policy
Author: Joann Lai
Thesis: The Resilience of Transit-Dependent Communities During COVID-19 in the Boston Metropolitan Area
Topic: Transportation Policy and Planning
Author: Yan Sun
Thesis: Equitable Planning of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Topic: Transportation Policy and Planning
Author: Yvette Niwa
Thesis: Safety and Urban Parks: A Geospatial Analysis to Examine Safety Concerns
Topic: Urban Planning & Design
Author: Brita Dawson
Thesis: Implementing Fair Housing Zoning in Boston: Re-Envisioning Structures for Community Engagement
Topic: Housing Policy
Author: Andrea Duarte
Thesis: Developing a Practitioner’s Guide to Evaluation Youth-Adult Partnership in Community Based Programs
Topic: Community Development Policy & Planning
Author: Katherine Shor
Thesis: Water and Transfer in Unofficial Interventions: A Case Study of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict in the 1990s
Topic: International Environmental Policy
Author: Franklin Crump
Thesis: Measuring Mobility Segregation with Bikeshare Data: A Tale of Four U.S. Cities
Topic: Transportation Policy and Planning
Author: Rebecca Wolfson
2021 Master's Theses
Thesis: The Spatial Variability of COVID-19 in Massachusetts: Implications for Sustainable Development
Topic: Urban Policy & Planning
Author: Peiyao Wang
Thesis: Participatory Democracy for Community Control of Development: A Case Study of the Upham’s Corner Implementation Process
Topic: Community Development Policy & Planning
Author: Luisa de Paula Santos
Thesis: Bus Transit Accessibility and Equitability for Vulnerable Populations in Metro Boston, Ma: COVID-19 Beyond
Topic: Transportation Policy and Planning
Author: Jessica Wilson
Thesis: Where to Pilot more frequent MBTA Commuter Rail Service: A Suitability Analysis based on Measures of Access
Topic: Transportation Policy and Planning
Author: Greg Hanafin
Thesis: Environmental Justice in Lowell, MA: An Exploration of Opportunities for New Green Space
Topic: Urban Planning & Design
Author: Elizabeth Rickley
Thesis: Exploring the Equity Implications of Green Stormwater Infrastructure Planning in Pittsburgh, PA
Topic: Urban Planning & Design
Author: Rachel Bowers
Thesis: Prioritizing Transportation Equity: Fare-Free Bus Programs in Lawrence and Worcester, Massachusetts
Topic: Transportation Policy and Planning
Author: Ginger Leib
Thesis: Coastal Resiliency for All: Equity and Climate Preparedness in the Lower Mystic River Watershed
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Andrew Taylor
Thesis: An Evaluation of Small At-Scale Water Safety Plan Quality in Vanuatu
Author: Annaliese Keimel
Thesis: Identifying Differences in the Household and Neighborhood Factors Associated with Formal and Informal Evictions
Topic: Housing Policy
Author: Elizabeth Lochhead
Thesis: COVID Opens the Door: Measuring Crisis-Related Residential Mobility Trends in New York City
Topic: Housing Policy
Author: Andrew Schloss
Thesis: Participation, Deliberation, and Local Government: The Connection Between Cambridge Participatory Budgeting and Civic Engagement
Topic: Alternative Methods for Community Engagement
Author: Lev McCarthy
Thesis: Changing Tides: A Review of Cape Cod’s Suburbanization and Its Suitability for MBTA Commuter Rail Service
Topic: Transportation Policy and Planning
Author: Patrick Higgins
Thesis: The Road to Racial Reconciliation: An Exploration of How the Syracuse Vineyard Church’s Northside Community Center can Advance Justice
Topic: Community Development Policy & Planning
Author: Makayla Comas
Thesis: Getting to the Grocery Store: Planning Transportation Systems for Food Access
Topic: Transportation and Food Systems Policy
Author: Allison Wainer
Thesis: Creative Community Control: A Case Study of Creative Engagements in Upham’s Corner
Topic: Community Development Policy & Planning
Author: Molly Kaviar
Thesis: Green Infrastructure for Sustainable Landscapes: Three Case Studies
Topic: Urban Planning & Design
Author: Aqsa Butt
Thesis: The Association between Environmental Justice and Tweet Sentiment: A Case Study in New York City
Topic: Urban Planning & Community Development
Author: Yi Zhong
Thesis: Identifying Priority Communities for Precision Public Health in New York City during the COVID-19 Pandemic via Subway Data
Topic: Public Health Policy & Planning
Author: Elizabeth Marsh
Thesis: Re-Establishing the South Central Farm: Community Organizing for Food Justice and Land Access in Los Angeles
Topic: Community Development and Food Systems Policy and Planning
Author: Miranda Evita Briseño
Thesis: Cada Uno ‘Pa Su Casa: An Analysis of Home as Context
Topic: Housing Policy
Author: Guadalupe Garcia Rodriguez
Thesis: Equity in Socio-Technical Transitions Comparing the Green Revolution to Low Carbon Transitions in India
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Anisha Nazareth
Thesis: An Analysis of the Influence of H+T Index on Housing Prices
Topic: Housing Policy
Author: Nilakshi Chatterji
Thesis: A “Civil Rights Amendment” to Boston’s Zoning Code: Using Fair Housing Language to Address Displacement and Exclusion
Topic: Housing Policy
Author: Bailey Hu
Thesis: When the Planner Hits the Road: A Study of Roadway Conditions from Year to Year in New York City Using Roadway Assessment Rating Data
Topic: Transportation Policy and Planning
Author: Yue Wang
Thesis: The Need for Rational Land Use Decisions in Massachusetts: Recommending Massachusetts Adopt the Rhode Island Land Use Regulatory Framework
Topic: Land Use Policy & Planning
Author: Dominic Leonardo
Thesis: Understanding the Passage and Expiration of Massachusetts’ Unprecedented Statewide Eviction Moratorium
Topic: Housing Policy
Author: Kathryn Wassam
Thesis: Defining Resiliency in Dorchester: A Climate Action Research Project to Understand Vietnamese American Residents’ Relationship with Climate Change
Topic: Climate Change Policy & Planning
Author: Hoai Thuong Tran