GWIPP Research: Andrea Sarzynski
This page features research funded through GWIPP and performed by Andrea Sarzynski
Title: Using Market Analysis of Home Values to Measure the Economic and Fiscal Effects of Multi-Use Trails
Funding: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Researcher(s): Garry Young, Andrea Sarzynski, Joe Cordes, Hal Wolman, and Jeremy Larrieu
Start Date: January 2010
Status: Current
Category: Washington Area Studies, Housing Policy, Planning, Growth Management, and Sprawl, State and Local Fiscal Policy, Urban and Regional Policy
Summary: Multi-use trails encourage and facilitate physical activity among all age groups. Their separation from motorized traffic makes them especially attractive for families with children. One concrete way to evaluate the economic benefit of trails to a community is to measure their impact on housing values. Does the presence of a trail affect housing prices? Does ease of access to a trail affect housing prices? In this proposed study we will estimate the economic impact of trail presence and access on housing values in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, the study will use its findings to calculate the impact of property tax revenues produced by the trails and compare those values with the construction and maintenance costs of the trails borne by the Montgomery County government.
Title: Implementing Regionalism: Connecting Emerging Theory and Practice to Inform Economic Development
Funding: The SURDNA Foundation
Researcher(s): Hal Wolman, Robert Weissbord, RW Ventures, Andrea Sarzynski, Alice Levy, and Diana Hincapie
Start Date: February 2010
Status: Completed
Category: Urban and Regional Policy
Summary: The project will undertake a thorough literature and case study review on regional systems and how they interact to bring about regional economic growth, organize the theoretical, empirical and case study literature into a coherent framework, and draw out the implications for economic development practice, including the types of emerging policies and programs that show signs of effectively driving positive economic outcomes. We will then convene leading national experts to vet and expand upon this work -- identifying further principles and successful practices for applying a regional framework to economic development of all kinds -- as well as to outline an applied research and product development agenda to fill remaining gaps in our collective knowledge and practice.
Work products:
Working Paper 041 - Spatial Efficiency and Regional Prosperity: A Literature Review and Policy Discussion. Andrea Sarzynski and Alice Levy. George Washington Institute of Public Policy (GWIPP). Draft August 16, 2010.
Working Paper 042- Cluster and Cluster-Based Development: A Literature Review and Policy Discussion. Hal Wolman and Diana Hincapie. George Washington Institute of Public Policy (GWIPP). Draft December 17th, 2010.
Working Paper 044- Government, Governance, and Regional Economic Growth. Hal Wolman and Alice Levy. George Washington Institute of Public Policy (GWIPP). Draft April, 2010.
Title: The State of the Science on Urbanization and Air Quality
Funding: GW Institute for Sustainability Research, Education, and Policy
Researcher(s): Andrea Sarzynski
Start Date: July 2010
Status: Complete
Category: Environmental and Energy Policy; International and Comparative Policy
Summary: This project aims to synthesize recent research regarding urbanization, air quality, and ecosystem health. The goal of this project is to map urban ecosystem stress and response strategies with respect to global urban air pollution. The project will briefly summarize the state of the science on urbanization and air quality, with a focus on the most important factors responsible for recent change in urban air quality. The literature review will next identify urban areas already stressed by air pollution (such as from ozone or fine particulate matter), compile predictions regarding future population change and its air quality impact, and compile information regarding locally-adopted sustainability strategies to deal with coming air pollution stress. The paper will highlight response strategies that appear most promising with respect to maintaining or improving urban air quality in the face of rapid urbanization. The paper will conclude with a summary of current research gaps and an agenda for future GW research oriented towards local sustainability efforts.
Title: Assessing the Design, Adoption, and Impact of State Solar Financial Incentives
Funding: GW Institute for Analysis of Solar Energy
Start Date: October 2008
Status: Complete
Category: Environmental and Energy Policy
Summary: As the nation considers how to transition to a clean energy economy, it appears committed to utilizing financial incentives to encourage adoption of solar and other renewable technology. States have shown substantial policy leadership and innovation as they design and implement solar incentive programs.
This research has three parts. The first catalogues and assesses the design and variation of state incentives, providing a research base for further analysis. The second assesses the impact of existing state incentives, in terms of program participation and project costs. This research will allow us to identify the characteristics of incentive design and implementation that are most likely to be successful in encouraging program participation and adoption of solar technology, while keeping down costs. The third part probes the diffusion of policy incentives, offering insights for advocates seeking expansion of state programs.
See Working Paper: WP039 - Young, G. and A. Sarzynski. (2009). “The Adoption of Solar Energy Financial Incentives Across the States, 1974-2007.” Working Paper. Washington, DC: George Washington Institute of Public Policy.