PublicPolicy

In the wake of the visit of 65 mayors to the Vatican to discuss climate change, School of Public Policy Professor John Rennie Short wrote an article for The Conversation reflecting on the central role of cities in climate change discussions. “Cities house more than half the world’s population, consume 75% of its energy and emit 80% of all greenhouse gasses. But cities are not just sources of problems; they are innovative sites for policy solutions,” wrote Short, who is an expert on urban issues and environmental concerns. In his article, he wrote that many cities are on the front lines of climate change impacts,… Continue Reading John Rennie Short, School of Public Policy, Discusses Cities’ Impact on Climate Change in The Conversation

Donald Norris, professor and director of the School of Public Policy, recently shared insight into the future of eGovernment with Citizen 2015, a new blog that explores how citizens interact and engage with government. In the interview, Norris discussed how the local eGovernment revolution has yet to reach its stated claims of more open, efficient, and effective governments. According to Norris, a chief reason is limited citizen demand: “Citizen participation, under the best of circumstances, is very difficult to achieve.” [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyGX50CGcs0&w=560&h=315] Norris was also recently in the news in the Washington Post and WJZ-TV commenting on Gov. Hogan’s political strategy in… Continue Reading Donald Norris, School of Public Policy, Shares eGovernment Research with Citizen 2015

In an article published July 7 in The Conversation, School of Public Policy Professor John Rennie Short explained the value of unplugging during an age where technology is so prevalent in our daily lives. “The age of distraction is dangerous,” he wrote. “A recent report by the National Safety Council showed that walking while texting increases the risk of accidents. More than 11,000 people were injured last year while walking and talking on their phones…texting while driving resulted in 16,000 additional road fatalities from 2001 to 2007. More than 21% of vehicle accidents are now attributable to drivers talking on cellphones… Continue Reading John Rennie Short, School of Public Policy, Warns about the Dangers of Digital Distractions in The Conversation

With Puerto Rico currently $72 billion in debt, School of Public Policy Ph.D. student Justin Vélez-Hagan has been in the news recently explaining the severity of the situation and its potential impact on the world economy. Vélez-Hagan, who is executive director of the National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce, shared his views on what has contributed to the debt crisis and what can be done to help get the economy back on track. “Not being able to have autonomous control over all of its policies puts Puerto Rico at a major disadvantage over other economies that it competes with for labor, business… Continue Reading Justin Vélez-Hagan, School of Public Policy, Weighs in on Puerto Rico’s Fiscal Crisis

In the days surrounding the official launch of Martin O’Malley’s presidential campaign last month, Donald Norris, director of the School of Public Policy, was interviewed by several local and national news outlets to provide context and analysis for O’Malley’s bid for the White House. In The Guardian, Norris discussed O’Malley’s chances for capturing the Democratic nomination. “He’s very smart. He’s very hard working. And he knows how to campaign,” said Norris. “And those three characteristics can overcome a lot of deficits.” He added: “I think he thinks that there is a shot. What that shot is, he’s got to understand, is… Continue Reading Donald Norris, School of Public Policy, Analyzes Martin O’Malley’s Presidential Campaign

In a new article published in the journal Citiscope, School of Public Policy Professor John Rennie Short argued that “cities are a focal point for action on climate change — and in time, climate action will seem as compelling to urbanites as the introduction of clean water systems in the late 1800s.” The article was a combination of a recent talk Short gave at the Conference on Communities and Urban Sustainability hosted by the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. and a subsequent Citiscope interview. In the article, Short highlighted the importance of cities in an interconnected world. “Cities are points in a network. The map shows the… Continue Reading John Rennie Short, School of Public Policy, Discusses Cities’ Impact on Climate Change in Citiscope

“Now that the dust has settled and the media have moved onto the next crisis, we can ponder what the Baltimore riots tell us about broader and deeper issues in the US,” School of Public Policy Professor John Rennie Short wrote in an article published in The Conversation on May 15. In his column, using his “stress test” approach, Short examined the forces at play in Baltimore that contributed to the recent events: “Among them are decades of biased economic policies, class differences as well as racism, structural problems in metropolitan America, the consequences of aggressive policing and the geography of multiple… Continue Reading John Rennie Short, School of Public Policy, in The Conversation

The work of two researchers at UMBC was cited in the most recent issue of UN Chronicle, the magazine of the United Nations. A paper by John Rennie Short, professor, School of Public Policy, and Luis Mauricio Pinet-Peralta, associate director of the health administration and policy program, “No Accident: Traffic and Pedestrians in the Modern City,” Mobilities, vol. 5, pp. 41-59 was cited in the April 2015 issue of the Chronicle in a discussion of how cities are important for achieving sustainable development goals. Their paper examined the causes behind the increase in traffic accidents in cities in the global South and… Continue Reading John Rennie Short (School of Public Policy) and Luis Mauricio Pinet-Peralta (HAPP) Featured in UN Chronicle

With the percentage of the world’s population that lives in cities continuing to grow, School of Public Policy professor John Rennie Short published an article in The Conversation examining what cities can do to become more sustainable. In his article, Short looked at three ways to measure the environmental impact of cities: ecological, carbon, and water footprints. Short defined each measure and referenced various studies which compared data among cities. While they are an important starting point, he cautioned the three footprint measures should be analyzed in context. “These metrics are still in the early stages of development. There are lots of… Continue Reading John Rennie Short, School of Public Policy, in The Coversation, Gives Keynote Address at French Embassy