Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Gilchrist, Sandra

Area of Concentration

General Studies

Abstract

A Geographic Information System (GIS) is used to develop a pilot analysis for the automatable development of distance based brownfield analysis. The pilot was the Phoenix Commercial Park in Alachua County, with a seven mile radius around the brownfield. United States census data were used per census block to provide racial statistics and yearly mean income. Distance based analysis was employed to compare the census blocks based on how much they appeared to be “exposed” to the brownfield and their socioeconomic characteristics. No statistically significant relationships between the demographic characteristics and distance from brownfield. Given that these findings conflict with most existing literature, there were likely issues resulting from experimental and procedural differences. In particular, the data would have been more likely to be representative if it had been disaggregated from the census block to a smaller unit, such as a parcel. The study area may also have been selected poorly for comparison to studies in urban areas, as it consisted primarily of farmland – rather than domestic properties.

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