Browse

Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 10 of 189
  • Item
    2013 Point-in-Time Count: Identifying the Most Vulnerable Homeless in Indianapolis
    (IUPUI (Campus). Center for Urban Policy and the Environment, 2013-06) Littlepage, Laura; Rice, Jennifer
    On January 29, 2013, the Indiana University Public Policy Institute (PPI) and the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) conducted a point-in- time count of persons experiencing homelessness in Marion County. Although it is only required biennially by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), CHIP conducts this count annually. The data collected from the point-in-time counts are used by service providers, policy makers, and community funders to inform planning and program development. This issue brief discusses the details and background of the count as well as findings and thoughts for policymakers and service providers concerned with improving services for the Indianapolis community’s homeless population.
  • Item
    Report to Indiana Gaming Commission: Disparity Study of Contracting and Purchasing Practices CY 2009-2011
    (IUPUI (Campus). Center for Urban Policy and the Environment, 2012-12) Klacik, Drew
    This disparity study estimates capacity, measures utilization, and calculates disparity in the contracting and purchasing practices of 13 privately-owned, publicly-licensed riverboat casinos and racinos in Indiana. The capacity estimate is based on data from multiple sources. The utilization analysis is based on actual expenditures made by the 11 riverboat casinos and 2 racinos between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2011, which was provided to PPI by the Indiana Gaming Commission.
  • Item
    Using Data to Market Urban Neighborhoods
    (IUPUI (Campus). Center for Urban Policy and the Environment, 2012-03) Klacik, Drew
    Supported by funding from the Central Indiana Community Foundation, this report is an initial exploration of the potential uses of ESRI Tapestry data for advocates of urban neighborhoods in Marion County. Do the ESRI Tapestry data give nonprofits and public sector organizations access to the same market-driven data predominately used by for-profit firms to determine the best locations for stores, restaurants, and residential subdivisions? The analytical focus is on the households within three zip codes selected by the City Gallery: Indy's Urban Living Center in an effort to develop a market-based understanding of those who currently reside in these zip codes, as well as identifying clusters of suburban households located in surrounding counties that could be attracted to the study area. In addition, the study allows a better understanding of the data and the development of an analytical framework that can be applied to aid the marketing of any urban neighborhoods. Readers are urged to think creatively about other public and not-for-profit applications for market-driven data used by the private sector.
  • Item
    An Analysis of the Geographic, Facility, and Technological Patterns of Indianapolis Public Library Patrons
    (IUPUI (Campus). Center for Urban Policy and the Environment, 2013-04) Littlepage, Laura; Kramer, Elsa; Patten, John
    As part of a strategic planning process, the Indianapolis Public Library (IndyPL) is assessing data on current and projected library use. Because IndyPL access is evolving to accommodate new technologies, evaluation includes analysis of how the IndyPL’s services and facilities will meet the needs of all users. IndyPL asked the Indiana University Public Policy Institute (PPI) to provide assistance with this assessment. Data were collected in four ways: online surveys, in-person surveys, facility use analysis, and geographical analysis. This report presents overview maps and analysis of the surveys for the library system as a whole; it also compares survey results with national or other library survey data where questions align. Since the 1990s, surveys in all disciplines have increasingly moved from being administered face-to-face and by telephone to online surveys in an effort to improve time and cost efficiencies and reach more people. Including an in-person survey in this study’s methodology allowed PPI to identify noteworthy demographic differences between in-person library visitors and patrons surveyed online, and between Indianapolis and national survey (such as Pew) respondents. While demographic data on Indianapolis online respondents often parallel those in national library surveys conducted by phone or online, data on in-person visitors at the branches differ from both Indianapolis online and national responses. A combination of in-person and online survey methods may result in a more accurate picture of IndyPL users and point to considerations for library marketing and outreach.
  • Item
    Estimating the Annual Economic Contributions of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
    (IUPUI (Campus). Center for Urban Policy and the Environment, 2013-02) Klacik, Drew
  • Item
    40 Years of Local Income Taxes in Indiana: Trends, Challenges, and Implications for the Future
    (IUPUI (Campus). Center for Urban Policy and the Environment, 2012-11) Nagle, Matthew
    The Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute and the Indiana University Public Policy Institute share an important mission: to produce unbiased and evidence-based research to inform the public policymaking process. With this report on local option income taxes in Indiana, the IFPI and PPI collaborate to further that shared mission. The combined knowledge, expertise and diversity in perspectives from these organizations provide insightful analysis on complex issues. This document is a resource for a long-term discussion on local income taxation in the state and the IFPI and PPI intend to continue to analyze important topics in public finance for Indiana.
  • Item
    Indianapolis Cultural Trail Sees Thousands of Users during Super Bowl
    (IUPUI (Campus). Center for Urban Policy and the Environment, 2012-07) Coffing, Brad; Burow, Sue
    The Indianapolis Cultural Trail was designed to be an urban trail that could connect residents and visitors to the downtown cultural districts while providing a network that could encourage healthy activity, public engagement, and promote the walkability of the city. To evaluate the usage and understand the trail’s potential capability, counting devices were placed at two locations along the trail, at Alabama Street and on the Glick Peace Walk, for a three-week observation period during the Super Bowl. During the three-week observation period, the Alabama Street location recorded over 11,600 usage counts while the Glick Peace Walk location recorded nearly 4,000. The data indicate that large downtown events can boost trail usage. Super Bowl weekend (Friday, February 3 through Sunday, February 5) resulted in increased trail usage at both locations. At the Alabama Street location, of the 11,649 total user counts, nearly one-third (30 percent) occurred during Super Bowl weekend. Equally impressive, the Super Bowl weekend counts at the Peace Walk accounted for nearly one-fourth (24 percent) of the total 3,870 user counts.
  • Item
    Number of Homeless Veterans Increases in 2012
    (IUPUI (Campus). Center for Urban Policy and the Environment, 2012-06) Rexroat, Markie; Littlepage, Laura
    Each year since 2007, the Indiana University Policy Public Institute (PPI) has worked with the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) to conduct the Point-in-Time Homeless Count in Marion County. This issue brief serves to outline the details of the count conducted on January 25, 2012, the findings, and considerations for policymakers.
  • Item
    Service Learning from the Supply Side-Community Capacity to Engage Students
    (IUPUI (Campus). Center for Urban Policy and the Environment, 2012) Littlepage, Laura; Gazley, Beth; Bennett, Teresa
    This paper reports on a study of nearly 2,000 nonprofit agencies in two Indiana cities, involving multiple college campuses. We use a comparative, multidisciplinary theoretical framework to understand how nonprofit agencies involve various kinds of college student volunteers as interns, course-based service-learners and general volunteers. The community impact of service-learning has been given limited attention in educational or public affairs research. Drawing on the service-learning research and on national studies of volunteer management capacity, we address the way that community agencies use volunteer management tools to support students and how they discern between the various forms of student involvement. This generalizable study follows extensive field and qualitative research. The results can help build an understanding of the community capacity to involve more college students, which has become a policy question with increasing public value.
  • Item
    What About the Host Agency? Nonprofit Perspectives on Community-Based Student Learning and Volunteering
    (IUPUI (Campus). Center for Urban Policy and the Environment, 2012-04-03) Littlepage, Laura; Gazley, Beth; Bennett, Teresa
    College student volunteerism and interest in community-based learning are on the rise. Are communities ready for them? This article examines the “supply side” of student engagement: nonprofit capacity to accommodate students. Our analysis of a large random sample of nonprofit managers in two contrasting communities finds that many of the volunteer management (VM) functions assumed to be important in any volunteer context also are important to student engagement. We also find role differentiation between interns, service learners, and general volunteers in the VM tools used to engage these students and the outcomes that can be expected. Despite variation in reported outcomes, nonprofit managers consider some aspects of VM to be essential to all campus–community partnerships. We find that each type of student involvement contributes to organizational capacity in specific ways and that student engagement depends on adequate VM capacity (VMC). Our conclusion discusses how the findings challenge service learning as presently formulated.
This material may be protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code), which governs reproduction, distribution, display, and certain other uses of protected works. The user of this material is responsible for compliance with the law