Please feel free to contact those individuals listed within each document for additional information on a particular issue. For information on a topic not listed here or for general inquiries, please contact Karyn Olsen or call (848) 932-2814.
Bloustein school faculty, students, and/or programs featured in media stories can be found at the Bloustein School in the Media page.
April 2012
Rutgers Regional Report examines intersection of demography and residential housing demand
In the latest Rutgers Regional Report, “Demographics, Economics and Housing Demand,” James W. Hughes, Dean of the Bloustein School and Joseph J. Seneca, university professor and economist at the Bloustein School, discuss how the intersection of demography and the global economic realities of residential housing demand differ from the previous forecasts.Download report
NJ 'decisively' comes out of recession but still trails nation in several economic indicators
Buoyed by the prospect of adding 48,000 nonagricultural jobs in 2012, New Jersey’s economy has “decisively” come out of the recession, but a number of ongoing problems in the U.S. and global economies will keep the state’s comeback modest, Rutgers economist Nancy H. Mantell said on April 18 at the semiannual Rutgers Economic Advisory Service (R/ECON) subscriber conference.
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Gebhart awarded first place in APA-TPD Student Paper Competition
The American Planning Association’s Transportation Planning Division has announced that Bloustein Master of City and Regional Planning degree candidate Kyle Gebhart won first place among 13 entries in the 2012 APA TPD Student Paper Competition. Kyle’s paper, titled “Wasteful Parking Supply in East Harlem (An Analysis of Parking Occupancy and Mode Usage at East River Plaza in New York City),” was chosen by the review committee for its clarity, strong research, and timeliness.Read more
Bloustein graduate policy practicum class wins NJPO award
The report was authored by a group of eight graduate students as part of their coursework at the Bloustein School. Impact assessment has become a key component of planning, particularly in the field of community development, said class faculty advisor Dr. Julia Sass Rubin. Unfortunately, many community development organizations are prevented from measuring their social impact by scarce resources and limited capacity. Recognizing this, the students developed innovative yet easy-to-implement recommendations to enable their client, New Jersey Community Capital, a nonprofit community development financial institution, to put these ideas into practice with minimal effort.
The student report offers suggestions for improving the overall process of impact assessment at NJCC, and also provides specific tools for measuring how the organization’s strategic capital investments and foreclosure mitigation efforts are transforming distressed communities throughout the state of New Jersey. It combines best practices observed in case studies of other community development financial institutions and a comprehensive review of the impact assessment literature. A copy of the report may be found online at the school’s Student Projects page. The students participating on the project included Kristin Crandall, Maria DeFazio, Daniel Kravetz, Jaret Mancinelli, Cara Purcell, Caitlin Salemi, Samantha Swerdloff, and Rrezarta Veseli.
March 2012
Marla Nelson to discuss planning and policy interventions in New Orleans regarding post-Katrina vacant properties
Marla Nelson MCRP '97, PhD '03, Associate Professor in the Department of Planning and Urban Studies at the University of New Orleans speak at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, April 2 at the final Bloustein PhD Colloquium Speaker Series lecture. Her discussion will be "Recovery in a Shrinking City: Challenges to “Rightsizing” Post-Katrina New Orleans." It will be held in room 369 of the Civic Square Building, 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ.
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Preserving Route 66 is a Good Investment for the Future
$132 million spent per year in communities along Route 66A recently completed economic impact study sheds new light on the importance of heritage tourism and historic preservation along Route 66 as a contributor to local, state, and national economies. Route 66, which runs from Chicago to Santa Monica and is known as the Mother Road, is America’s most celebrated automobile highway, and a symbol of twentieth-century American culture and history.
The study was directed by professor David Listokin of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and was carried out between 2008 and 2011 in collaboration with the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program and World Monuments Fund, with the support of American Express.
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Fourth Annual Krueckeberg Doctoral Conference
On Thursday, March 8 the Bloustein School will hold the Fourth Annual Donald Krueckeberg Doctoral Conference. It will begin at 9:00 a.m. in the Special Events Forum. The conference features presentations by 18 doctoral students from the Bloustein School and Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.
Alison Isenberg, professor of history at Princeton University and President of the Society for American City and Regional Planning History, will present the lunchtime keynote address. The title of her talk is "The Land Grab: A View from Planning History." The conference includes lunch and a reception at the end of the day. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
The annual Krueckeberg Doctoral Conference is the keystone event of the Doctoral Program in Planning and Public Policy. The all-day conference commemorates Professor Don Krueckeberg's enduring contributions to the doctoral program and highlights research by current doctoral students. Born in Mishawaka, Indiana, on August 31, 1938, Professor Krueckeberg left a notable legacy in his work, service, and family. As Professor and Associate Dean for Master’s and Professional Programs at the Bloustein School, Dr. Krueckeberg edited academic journals, served as President of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and authored texts considered pathbreaking in their fields.
Agenda
February 2012
Mineta National Transit Research Consortium Now Operating Under $3.49 Million Grant from US Department of Transportation
The Mineta Transportation Institute and eight other leading university transportation centers—including the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at the Bloustein School— functioning together as the Mineta National Transit Research Consortium (MNTRC), have now begun operating under a $3.49 million grant from the US Department of Transportation (DOT). The funds, which will be used for research, education, and other projects that help improve public transit, are provided by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and distributed through DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA). The federal grant will be matched with funds from local departments of transportation and other sources.Read more
Annual Bike/Ped Summit to be held at Bloustein School, February 25
The Third Annual Bike/Ped Summit, presented by the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition (NJBWC) and the Bloustein School's Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center, will be held on Saturday, February 25 at the Bloustein School's Special Events Forum, 33 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, NJ, on the campus of Rutgers University. Organized by the NJBWC, the annual Bike/Ped Summit brings together legislators, advocates, planners, businesses, students, bike clubs and shops, and interested citizens for a day of panels, workshops, discussions and most importantly, networking with others who share an interest in a more sustainable lifestyle in New Jersey for all citizens.Read more
Bloustein School shares a passion for public service with students
Nakeefa Bernard is a 2010 graduate of the Master in Public Policy program at Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. She currently serves as the Development and Communications Associate at New Jersey Community Development Corporation (NJCDC).
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January 2012
Bloustein School to present faculty research discussions as part of 20th anniversary year celebration
As part of the year-long celebration of the 20th anniversary, the Bloustein School is hosting faculty research presentations all year long. On Thursday, February 2, Professor Carl Van Horn, director of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, and Professor William M. Rodgers III, the Center’s chief economist, will discuss the impact of recent research on national economic policy.Read more
Susan Fainstein to present Robert A. Catlin Memorial Lecture
Dr. Susan Fainstein, a professor of urban planning in the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, will present the Bloustein School's annual Robert A. Catlin Memorial Lecture on Tuesday, February 21. The lecture will begin at 5:30 pm in the Special Events Forum, Civic Square Building, on the New Brunswick campus of Rutgers University.Read more
Vazquez is recipient of American Planning Association 2012 National Planning Leadership Award
Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP, director of the Arts Build Communities initiative at the Bloustein School, has been awarded a top honor in the urban planning field for his work in building more equitable and sustainable communities. Vazquez is the recipient of the 2012 National Planning Leadership Award in Advancing Diversity and Social Change in Honor of Paul Davidoff. The award is given annually by the American Planning Association, the nation's largest organization focused on urban planning.Read more
Briavel Holcomb Awarded AAG Distinguished Teaching Honors
Briavel Holcomb, a professor of geography and planning at the Bloustein School, is the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Honors award from the Association of American Geographers for 2012.
AAG Honors are the highest awards offered by the Association of American Geographers. They are offered annually to recognize outstanding accomplishments by members in research & scholarship, teaching, education, service to the discipline, public service outside academe and for lifetime achievement.
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December 2011
Rutgers Faculty Tour of New Brunswick Sheds New Light on Host City
Kathe Newman had been working for nearly a decade analyzing foreclosure data for research centered in Essex, Union and Hudson counties. She hadn’t taken an extensive look at New Brunswick, partly because she didn’t know of any local organizations that were working on foreclosures and could help her ask the right questions.Read more at Rutgers Today
App maps out campus danger zones
Participants in the crime prevention event “R U Safe?” created a map of the College Avenue campus last night, highlighting areas most prone to crime using a smartphone application called “Mobile Mappler.” Designed by Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy lecturer Wansoo Im, the app allows users to select areas where they feel vulnerable to crime, said Jerilyn Krakower, coordinator of “R U Safe?”Read more at the Daily Targum
November 2011
Workshop Highlights Need to Prepare for Climate Change Impacts in New Jersey
On Tuesday, November 29 a workshop at Rutgers University responded to a clear and compelling need to bring together public and private sector leaders to assess and discuss the most significant effects of climate change in New Jersey and to begin preparedness planning to minimize economic impacts.Read more
Rutgers project is recipient of $5M HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant
The North Jersey Sustainable Communities Consortium, a project administered by the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is the recipient of a $5 million U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant award.
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New Advance & Rutgers Report: Jobs by Sector, Housing Production, Homeownership Require Further Rebalancing for Economic Recovery
The painfully slow economic recovery since the end of the Great Recession has been marked by imbalances in several key sectors of the nation’s economy, according the new Advance & Rutgers Report, “A Tripartite Post-Recession Rebalancing.” Sponsored by real estate owner and developer Advance Realty, authors James W. Hughes, dean of Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, and Joseph J. Seneca, university professor and an economist at the Bloustein School, discuss how the rebalancing process is affecting the strength and timing of the economic recovery.Read more
Bloustein graduate policy practicum class, research associate receive awards at 2011 APA-NJ planning conference
Earlier this month a graduate policy practicum class from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and Bloustein School research associate Dr. Judy Shaw were presented awards by the American Planning Association – New Jersey chapter. Each year APA-NJ recognizes planning initiatives, built projects, individuals and organizations that are at the forefront of planning and design.Read more
Bloustein Public Service Association aims to network, improve community ties
The Bloustein Public Service Association (BPSA) was established in the fall of 2006 to honor former Rutgers University President, scholar, and active citizen Edward J. Bloustein. The organization seeks to provide a network for students interested in public service initiatives and career networking opportunities. It is open to all undergraduate students on the Rutgers-New Brunswick campus, and is committed to actively supporting their interests through networking opportunities, career development and service.
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PhD Colloquium series to begin Monday, November 7
The Bloustein PhD Colloquium Speaker Series will begin on Monday, November 7 with Tom Angotti, a professor in the Hunter College Department of Urban Affairs and Planning speaking on Cities and Global Climate Change in the 21st Century: Enclaves and Urban Orientalism.Read more
October 2011
Dwight Merriam, attorney, to present annual Isadore Candeub Memorial Lecture in Planning
Dwight Merriam, a partner with Robinson & Cole, Attorneys at Law, will present the Bloustein School's annual Isadore Candeub Memorial Lecture in Planning on Wednesday, November 9 at 5:00 p.m.. This year's lecture will be "What We Must Never Forget:
The Social Equity Obligations of Planners
and Planning Officials."
This event has been approved for 1.5 AICP Certification Maintenance credits (credits for attending live event only).
Read more | Read Dwight Merriam's remarks | View podcast
Fall 2011 R/ECON Conference: Brakes on Weak New Jersey Economic Recovery
Citing both new and ongoing national and international crises as contributing factors, Rutgers economist Nancy H. Mantell today said New Jersey’s economy has weakened over the past year, even since the last Rutgers Economic Advisory Service (R/ECON) forecast in July.
Mantell, addressing R/ECON’s semiannual subscriber conference, said despite the largely dismal global economic climate, there was some modest good news in New Jersey: Employment is higher than last year, output is up, and inflation and interest rates remain low. “The forecast remains positive, although the pace of the recovery is not as rapid as we would like,” Mantell acknowledged.
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Bloustein School to present faculty research discussions as part of 20th anniversary year celebration
On October 27 assistant professor Stephanie Curenton will discuss how early education policies promote school readiness in Introducing the Ecology of School Readiness: From Preschoolers’ Stories to their Pre-K Attendance. She will examine research examples that span the multiple ecological levels in which children learn, starting first with research on parent-child story interactions, and then move into a discussion on early childhood educator workforce issues including the design of a professional development training designed to enhance teachers' classroom conversations. The final research segment will talk about how participation in early education programs impacts children's 5th grade literacy skills.
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Bloustein School presents 2011 Jerome Rose Excellence in Teaching Awards
On October 12 the Bloustein School presented the Jerome Rose Excellence in Teaching Awards in a special lunchtime ceremony. The Rose Awards are presented to a full-time faculty member, an adjunct faculty member, and a teaching assistant each year. The recipients are nominated by graduate students from the Urban Planning and Public Policy Masters programs at the Bloustein School. This year's recipients were professor Gabriella Carolini, part-time lecturer Andrew Zitcer, and teaching assistant Haiyan Zhang.
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APA-NJ Conference to be held at New Brunswick Hyatt, November 3-4
This year’s conference theme, Reach Them to Teach Them, sets its sights on providing an opportunity to share ideas about how we can collectively work together to reeducate the public and local leadership about the importance of planning – which to a great extent has been highly undervalued.Read more
September 2011
Leah Apgar MPP '07 Receives "Young Community Development Professional of the Year" Award for Outstanding Achievements in Community Development
Leah Apgar MPP '07, lending officer at New Jersey Community Capital, recently received the notable "Young Community Development Professional of the Year" award at the Governor's annual Conference on Housing and Economic Development in Atlantic City. Leah was selected for this prestigious recognition out of a large pool of qualified young candidates by the Young Community Development Professionals Association (YCDPA). Nominees for the award had to be under the age of 40 with a proven record of success in the community development field. Leah's pioneering work in neighborhood stabilization and other related community development efforts allowed her to stand out among her peers, making Leah an ideal choice for the award.
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Center for Energy, Economic & Environmental Policy to host events on nuclear power, shale natural gas in October
The Bloustein School's Center for Energy, Economic & Environmental Policy will be hosting two events in October, a discussion on the future of nuclear power and a presentation on the implications of shale natural gas.
On Wednesday, October 12, PSEG Power President and CEO William Levis will discuss "The Future of Nuclear Power." On Thursday, October 20 Melanie A. Kenderdine, Executive Director of MIT Energy Initiative, will give a presentation on "Natural Gas in New Jersey: An Analysis of Future Opportunities."
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Paul Goldberger to present Steinman/Bloustein Memorial Lecture on September 12
Paul Goldberger, Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic and writer for The New Yorker magazine, will present the Ruth Ellen Steinman and Edward J. Bloustein Memorial Lecture “Ground Zero Ten Years Later: What Have We Wrought?” on Monday, September 12, 2011. Angus K. Gillespie, Professor of American Studies at Rutgers University and author of Twin Towers: The Life of New York City’s Trade Center, will provide an introduction of Mr. Goldberger.Read more | View podcast of lecture
Heldrich Center Presents "Facing Down the Great Recession: How to Create the Next Generation of New Jobs"
October 11 at The Heldrich Hotel, 10 Livingston Avenue, Marchant Amphitheater, 2nd Floor, New Brunswick, NJ, 4:00 p.m.
No state has experienced the harsh impact of the Great Recession more than the state of Michigan: 49 consecutive months with the nation's highest unemployment rate – a rate that at times rose above 14%. Faced with this immense economic disaster, the state's Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth responded with No Worker Left Behind, a revolutionary program that emphasized the importance of retraining for all job seekers.
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| Register for event
Team New Jersey's ENJOY! House on public display at U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon
ENJOY houseTeam New Jersey, a collaboration of students, faculty, and staff from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and the New Jersey Institute of Technology, is competing in the 2011 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.
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Rutgers Regional Report examines employment performance of the 50 states during Great Recession and Recovery
In the latest Rutgers Regional Report, “Employment Recession and Recovery in the 50 States,” Joseph J. Seneca, university professor and economist at the Bloustein School and Will Irving, research associate, provide an account of record of the private–sector employment performance of the 50 states during the Great Recession and the ensuing recovery. The analysis reveals how the severity of the job losses varied significantly across the 50 states during the recession and also how variable the job recovery has been among the states.
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Bloustein School to present faculty research discussions as part of 20th anniversary year celebration
As part of the year-long celebration of the 20th anniversary, the Bloustein School will be hosting several faculty research presentations as well as the annual Bloustein PhD Colloquium Speaker Series. The faculty research presentations will highlight the research of several members of the Bloustein faculty, while the PhD Colloquium speaker series features Bloustein PhD alumni who have gone on to teach in faculty positions at the collegiate level and have come back to share their expertise. In addition, the school will feature several alumni panel discussion events each semester on various topics.Read more
Nationwide Work Trends Survey Explores the Misery and Bleak Expectations of Unemployed U.S. Workers
A new nationwide survey by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, conducted in August 2011, finds that 41% of Americans who lost a job before being first surveyed two years ago are either unemployed (33%) or employed part time but looking for full-time jobs (8%). The number employed either full or part time now stands at 43%, while the remaining 17% are not in the labor force. Just one-quarter of those over age 50 first surveyed in 2009 now have a full-time job. “Out of Work and Losing Hope: The Misery and Bleak Expectations of American Workers” provides an in-depth portrait of the victims of the Great Recession, many of whom have been actively seeking work since the summer of 2009.
Three-quarters of the currently unemployed have been out of work for more than six months and fully half have been out of work for more than two years. Three-quarters of these long-term unemployed say the recession has had a major impact on their families; 60% say they have borrowed money from family or friends to make ends meet. The same number report cutting back on food and health care to the extent that it has made a difference in their daily lives.
Bloustein School, NIEER to present Foundation for Child Development discussion series
The Bloustein School and the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University are co-sponsoring an interdisciplinary discussion series of early education policy issues funded by the Foundation for Child Development. The series, “The Role of Pre-K–3rd Systems Development in Education Reform: Unpacking the Black Boxes of Human and Social Capital,” explores the role families, educational institutions, and communities play in fostering social capital to improve education outcomes for socioeconomically disadvantaged children.
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August 2011
Bloustein School's Public Policy program receives NASPAA accreditation
The Bloustein School's Master of Public Policy program has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA).
“The Bloustein School began the rigorous process of conducting a self-study of the public policy program to begin the accreditation process about two years ago,” said Stuart Shapiro, director of the program and a professor of public policy. “In addition to adding a layer of oversight and accountability, accreditation gives prospective students the assurance that our core curriculum is consistent with national standards, that our faculty meets the highest expectations, and that we are constantly monitoring and improving the program to provide the best opportunities for learning and networking.”
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Rebound or Redux? New Advance & Rutgers Report examines mid-year hitch in economic recovery
Now two years since the official “end” of the Great Recession, another patch of economic uncertainty has arisen despite overall long-term improvements in the output and labor market conditions of the United States. In the new Advance & Rutgers Report, “Economic Soft Patch 2: A Second-Half Rebound or Redux?” sponsored by real estate owner and developer Advance Realty, authors James W. Hughes, dean of Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, and Joseph J. Seneca, university professor and an economist at the Bloustein School, discuss the recent slowdown in economic recovery as a result of a series of one-time negative events as well as potential deeper national and global structural problems.
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Green Building report shows costs and benefits of home energy efficiency
The New Jersey Association of REALTORS® (NJAR®) Governmental Research Foundation (GRF) has released a report showing the economic costs and benefits associated with “green building” practices or techniques improving the energy efficiency of a home. The study, Costs and Benefits of Residential Energy Efficiency Improvements, was conducted for NJAR® GRF by the Bloustein School's Rutgers Center for Green Building.
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July 2011
CEEEP, R/ECON complete review of standards policy for Connecticut Energy Advisory Board
The Center for Energy, Economic, and Environmental Policy (CEEEP) and Rutgers Economic Advisory Service (R/ECON) recently completed a review of Connecticut's Renewable Portfolio Standards Policy for the Connecticut Energy Advisory Board (CEAB) and have issued a final report, A Review of Connecticut's Renewable Portfolio Standards. The CEAB is responsible for assisting Connecticut policy makers in coordinating state and regional interests to address energy issues.
The project team, which included Dr. Frank Felder, director of CEEEP; Dr. Nancy Mantell, director of R/ECON, and Dr. Michael Lahr, associate research professor at the Bloustein School, conducted a comprehensive review of Connecticut's Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) and related renewable energy policies in order to ensure that they were consistent with the current objectives of the State.The review also included a stakeholder process with multiple opportunities for public comment, a review of documents relevant to the RPS in Connecticut and New England, and economic modeling of the impact of the RPS on Connecticut's economy with the R/ECON econometric model.
The review resulted in the following five recommendations:
1. Connecticut should clearly define its goals of economic development, environment/public health, and energy security, determine the relative priorities of each of them, and establish a process by which it can evaluate the extent to which current or future policies achieve those goals and evaluate associated tradeoffs.
2. Connecticut needs to study other approaches besides its RPS to determine whether those approaches can better achieve its goals, and then compare these alternative approaches explicitly to its RPS taking into account that new approaches may introduce some uncertainty into the renewawble industry.
3. Connecticut should have a formal ongoing CT RPS review and evaluation cycle that will provide a review timeline, analysis, and proposed changes to the CT RPS for consideration. This would arm policymakers and stakeholders with updated information and analysis needed to evaluate changes to its RPS and related policies.
4. The necessary foundational studies need to be conducted on a routine basis that assess the technical and economic potential of RPS eligible resources, the economic impact on Connecticut’s economy of the current CT RPS and proposed changes, their associated environment/public health impacts (including not only changes in emissions, but also on pollution levels), and their impact on energy security, so that policymakers may make informed decisions regarding the tradeoffs between goals.
5. Connecticut should undertake detailed and systematic analyses of the interactions between its RPS, policies that cap air emissions such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), and regional wholesale electricity and transmission expansion policies to understand the interactions between these various policies.
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2011 Bloustein Convocation photos available online.
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