Recent research suggests that race and ethnicity influence post-buyout land management in Harris County, Texas, yet lacked systematic empirical evidence to fully understand the relationship between management and demographics. To address this gap, this study analyzes post-buyout land use management practices and compares them with the socio-economic characteristics of the adjacent neighborhood at the block level in Harris County, Texas, an area with a long buyout history. I first identified post-buyout land use management practices in Harris County through county records and photo documentation of approximately 2000 buyout sites through fieldwork from 2017-2022. Second, using Ode and colleagues' framework for identifying visual characteristics on the landscape, I developed an index and evaluated post-buyout land use management practices for aesthetics, utility, and function. Finally, I spatially analyzed the socio-demographic composition of buyout neighborhoods using U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year data (2017-2021) and compared it with post-buyout land use management practices in ArcGIS. From this spatial analysis, I identified differences in post-buyout land management that homeownership status, race, and ethnicity affected post-buyout land management. Most buyout properties in Harris County are managed as mowed, vacant lots regardless of socio-demographics; however, litter and debris were more prominent in predominantly Black neighborhoods. Of …

On April 16, 2014 the Sewol Ferry became one of the worst maritime disasters in South Korea with the loss of 304 passenger, the majority being high school students. South Korea is a collectivist culture, structured as a hierarchical system that teaches their students and children to always respect, listen, and trust authority figures especially in dangerous situations. This study explores how collectivist cultural elements impacted the response of the Sewol Ferry. By examining the timeline of the disaster through interviews, documentaries, news articles and media; this thesis offers insight into what happened that day by providing perspectives from the rescue crew, government officials, survivors, volunteers, and family members of those who died. The analysis showed that in collectivist culture, children and students are taught to trust and listen to authority figures when in dangerous situations, however because of the Sewol disasters, the culture of adhering to the hierarchical systems started to collapse. Students who survived stated that they no longer can trust and respect adults after the incident along with family members of the students who passed away and the public. Also, the government withheld information and failed to protect the children aboard the ferry, because they didn't want …

The thesis examines post-event displacement of households in the year following Hurricane Harvey. Using data gathered from a three-page mail survey conducted approximately 1-year after the storm, this study examines two primary research objectives. First this thesis aims to identify variables that predict displacement or non-displacement after the disaster. Second, this study explores patterns in the destination and duration of displaced households following Hurricane Harvey. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the extent to which household composition characteristics and level of damage sustained during Hurricane Harvey predicted post-disaster displacement. Next, independent sample t-tests and descriptive statistical analyses were used to identify patterns in the destination of post-event relocations. Research findings indicate in the overall binary logistic regression model that after Hurricane Harvey, being White, level of home damage, wind damage, and number of days a member of the household returned home post-Harvey increased the likelihood of a household being displaced. Analysis of the survey responses also indicated that many households made multiple moves following Hurricane Harvey and specifically, displaced households were more likely to stay with a friend or relative. Additionally, this study found that with each additional relocation, the duration of stay at each destination increased while the …