Although a city's current development is apparent to anyone who visits it, the policies that guide a city's future development are not so obvious. The Smart Growth Scorecard provides the first view into these policies and the first comparison among them.

The Smart Growth Scorecard evaluated 101 cities in seven policy areas:
preventing sprawl; making sure parks are nearby; creating homes people can afford; encouraging a mix of uses; encouraging density in the right places; requiring less land for parking; defining standards for good development. On average, Bay Area cities scored 34% (of a possible 100%), meaning cities are doing only a third of what they could be to achieve smart growth.

The Smart Growth Scorecard evaluated eight counties (San Francisco is treated as a city) in five policy areas:
managing growth; permanently protecting open space; preserving agricultural land; conserving natural resources; and offering transportation choices. On average, Bay Area counties scored 51%.

The scores are low overall. But in every policy area, at least one city or county is doing well, whether it is a city that is encouraging walkable neighborhoods, or a county that is preserving its agricultural land.

The Association of Bay Area Governments estimates that Ba...]]>http://issuelab.org/research/bay_area_smart_growth_scorecardhttp://issuelab.org/research/bay_area_smart_growth_scorecardMon, 11 Aug 2008 19:59:01 -0400http://issuelab.org/research/addressing_the_needs_of_female_professional_and_amatuer_athleteshttp://issuelab.org/research/addressing_the_needs_of_female_professional_and_amatuer_athletesFri, 08 Aug 2008 19:59:01 -0400http://issuelab.org/research/what_gets_measured_gets_done_a_toolkit_on_performance_measurement_for_ending_homelessnesshttp://issuelab.org/research/what_gets_measured_gets_done_a_toolkit_on_performance_measurement_for_ending_homelessnessFri, 08 Aug 2008 19:59:01 -0400This paper describes the scope of foreclosures in one North Carolina county (Durham). It breaks down the impact on neighborhoods, on different racial groups, and on older people.

The study uses data on foreclosure starts for the first 10 months of 2007 in Durham County. Records of foreclosure events (which include not only foreclosures but also bank owned properties as well as notice of defaults registered at the county courthouse) come from RealtyTrac. The data is integrated with voting data to show the race and age of voters living in the households were foreclosures took place. Because of limitations to data, the paper cannot assert the specific relationship between borrower race and loan performance.

The report includes maps, photographs, and interviews with local residents.

It finishes with a set of policy options that leaders at municipal, state, and federal levels of government can consider to address the foreclosure issue. This paper was introduced in the North Carolina General Assembly in Feb. 2008.

The amount and quality of this research are uneven and varied. For example, a good deal of research examines the associations between physical activity and risk for coronary heart disease, but studies that focus on risk for Alzheimer's disease are just beginning to issue.

Researchers have verified links between high school athletic participation and teen pregnancy prevention, although more longitudinal research is needed to thoroughly confirm the connections.

Overall, however, this report shows that the current state of knowledge on the relationship of physical activity to the health and social needs of American girls warrants the serious attention of public health officials, educators and sport leaders.

The 2006 Paralympic Winter Games statistics are a good illustration of this discrepancy; while there are nearly an equal number of events open to female athletes, the total number of female Paralympic athletes was 99 of 474 or 20.9%. And, while women's participation has attempted to "catch up" with small increases in participation numbers, men's events and participation opportunities have continued to increase, thereby perpetuating and increasing the participation gap. For instance, there were 1,006 women (38.3%) and 1,627 men (61.7%) in the 2006 Olympic Winter Games compared to 886 women (36.9%) and 1,513 men (63.1%) in 2002. Interestingly, the same continued growth of men's sport and, as a result, the perpetuation of the gender gap has occurred in U.S. high school and college sport in the wake of Title IX's push for gender equity (BFHSA, 2006; NCAA, 2006).

Some countries claim that the lack of women in their delegation is a result of lack of funding. The majority of these countries cite other reasons for the exclusion ...]]>http://issuelab.org/research/women_in_the_2006_olympic_and_paralympic_winter_games_an_analysis_of_participation_leadership_and_media_coveragehttp://issuelab.org/research/women_in_the_2006_olympic_and_paralympic_winter_games_an_analysis_of_participation_leadership_and_media_coverageFri, 25 Jul 2008 19:59:01 -0400
Alan Greer, co-author of the study, says the economic benefits of hosting the Games are limited. "Job creation estimates have been wildly exaggerated. Realistic employment estimates range from 1,500 to 5,600 jobs created over the seven years the Games are estimated to have an impact. Based on a net cost of $1.2 billion to host the Games, that's a public subsidy of $220,000 to $820,000 per job."

The Olympics also carry significant environmental and social risks. "There are some innovative ideas in the Bid Book for mitigating social and environmental costs, but many of them haven't been budgeted and, if implemented, will likely mean increases to the overall cost of the Games." says Celine Mauboules, co-author of the study.

"That's not to say the Olympics don't have benefits," says Mauboules. "The positive impacts for British Columbians include the pride and enjoyment from hosting the Games, the opportunity to attend events, a...]]>http://issuelab.org/research/2010_olympic_costs_and_benefitshttp://issuelab.org/research/2010_olympic_costs_and_benefitsFri, 25 Jul 2008 19:59:01 -0400
In this report, Human Rights Watch/Asia calls on the Chinese government to ban all further use of prisoners' organs for transplant operations, provide precise statistical data on capital punishment and executions and comply with the United Nations' "Principles of Medical Ethics" relevant to the role of the medical profession in protecting prisoners against torture and other ill-treatment. It also calls on foreign governments, especially in the Asian region, to discourage or bar their citizens from obtaining organ transplants in China and on foreign funding agencies to adopt a policy of non-participation in all Chinese government-sponsored organ transplant-related resear...]]>http://issuelab.org/research/china_organ_procurement_and_judicial_execution_in_chinahttp://issuelab.org/research/china_organ_procurement_and_judicial_execution_in_chinaFri, 25 Jul 2008 19:59:01 -0400http://issuelab.org/research/community_integration_report_supporting_children_and_youth_with_disabilities_in_integrated_recreation_and_leisure_activitieshttp://issuelab.org/research/community_integration_report_supporting_children_and_youth_with_disabilities_in_integrated_recreation_and_leisure_activitiesFri, 25 Jul 2008 19:59:01 -0400http://issuelab.org/research/trafficking_and_human_rights_in_nepal_community_perceptions_and_policy_and_program_responseshttp://issuelab.org/research/trafficking_and_human_rights_in_nepal_community_perceptions_and_policy_and_program_responsesThu, 24 Jul 2008 19:59:01 -0400
The research shows that there is an overwhelming consensus among Special Olympics athletes, coaches and family members that there is significant improvement in athletes' sense of self, social skills and social interactions due to their participation in Special Olympics.

In addition, parents also see health benefits that are critical, given the unmet health needs of people with intellectual disabilities.

The evidence from these studies clearly illustrates that Special Olympics enables people with intellectual disabilities to demonstrate and experience sports competence and suggests that gains in self-confidence, self-esteem, employment and socialization can carry beyond Special Olympics.

For example, more than half (52 percent) of adult Special Olympics athletes have jobs. While reliable data about the employment status of the general population of adults with intellectual disabilities are hard to come by, values as low as 10 percent have been cited. This suggests a strong relationship between Special Olympics participation and the ability to be employed.

The new research also shows that Special Olympics a...]]>http://issuelab.org/research/changing_lives_through_sport_a_report_card_on_the_impact_of_special_olympicshttp://issuelab.org/research/changing_lives_through_sport_a_report_card_on_the_impact_of_special_olympicsThu, 24 Jul 2008 19:59:01 -0400
There is growing support in European societies for the total inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in all aspects of the community. Sport provides a means for supporting this integration process.

Unified Sports is one mechanism for promoting social inclusion through sport. Unified Sports is a Special Olympics initiative that provides opportunities for sportsmen with and without intellectual disabilities to play on integrated sport teams. This experience allows athletes and partners to develop sport skills, have meaningful competition experiences, and create long lasting friendships.

In 2005, Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia developed a school-based pilot project that merged the Special Olympics school curriculum SO Get Into It with Special Olympics Unified Football. The goals of this pilot project were to improve the sport skills, social skills, and self-esteem of students with and without intellectual disabilities. In addition, the project aimed to improve the understanding and acceptance of students without disabilities towards people with intellectual disabilities.

Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia and Special Olympics, Inc., commissioned the Special Olympics Global Collaborating Center (GCC) at the University of Massachusetts Boston to implement a comprehensive evaluation of this pilot project.

The f...]]>http://issuelab.org/research/evaluation_of_a_unified_sports_football_pilot_projecthttp://issuelab.org/research/evaluation_of_a_unified_sports_football_pilot_projectThu, 24 Jul 2008 19:59:01 -0400
Research Methodology: Special Olympics recently commissioned two research studies related to the health and health care of individuals with intellectual disabilities....]]>http://issuelab.org/research/health_and_health_care_of_people_with_intellectual_disabilitieshttp://issuelab.org/research/health_and_health_care_of_people_with_intellectual_disabilitiesThu, 24 Jul 2008 19:59:01 -0400http://issuelab.org/research/faq_reporting_during_the_olympicshttp://issuelab.org/research/faq_reporting_during_the_olympicsThu, 24 Jul 2008 19:59:01 -0400For holiday shoppers, the "Made in China" label has taken on new meaning this year. Reports of lead-coated toys, poisoned toothpaste, and tainted seafood imported from China remain fresh on the minds of consumers everywhere. Chinese authorities are determined to restore consumer confidence in Chinese manufactured goods, but in fact may find this easier than expected: despite the uproar over dangerous toys and products, Chinese exports continue to expand.

In short, the price is right: consumers' demand for low prices at their local big-box retailer and increasing global competition continue to drivemanufacturing to China, in spite of the social costs. This IR2008 update focuses on the labor rights violations and regulatory failures that are at the root of recent recalls of Chinese-manufactured goods -- and that are relevant concerns for the massive Olympics merchandise market. This update also identifies actions different actors can take to expand protections for workers and consumers, in China and abroad, in the run up to theOlympics and beyond.

In China, the Internet has become an increasingly important tool for empowering Chinese activists, journalists, rights defenders, intellectuals and grassroots groups by providing increased access to information as well as a virtual commons for the exchange of ideas between groups and individuals.

However, technology and control of the Internet have also been utilized by the Chinese government to implement censorship, surveillance and social and political control.

In the last several months, as foreign IT companies have come under media and U.S. government scrutiny, HRIC has been actively monitoring the human rights impact of their activities and developing suggestions for implementing the human rights responsibilities of foreign-based IT companies operating in China.