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Social and economic sustainability of urban systems: comparative analysis of metropolitan statistical areas in Ohio, USA
Citation:
Gonzalez-Mejia, A. M., T. N. Eason, H. Cabezas, AND M. T. Suidan. Social and economic sustainability of urban systems: comparative analysis of metropolitan statistical areas in Ohio, USA. Sustainability Science. Springer, New York, NY, 9(2):217 - 228, (2014).
Impact/Purpose:
The purpose of this article is to present a general and versatile methodology for assessing sustainability with Fisher Information as a function of dynamic changes in urban systems and to use the methodology to evaluate six Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in Ohio. The approach developed affords the ability to comparatively assess multiple urban systems and identify key variables linked to local and regional dynamics that are critical to understanding and managing these systems.
Description:
This article presents a general and versatile methodology for assessing sustainability with Fisher Information as a function of dynamic changes in urban systems. Using robust statistical methods, six Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in Ohio were evaluated to comparatively assess the impact of social and economic characteristics on system stability at geographic scales, which are critical to policy and management. Results from the multi-year assessment (1970-2009) indicated the Columbus MSA is the most stable of the MSAs under study followed by the Cincinnati MSA. Further, while there were unique trends in the MSAs, changes in family structure and income appeared to correspond with the patterns of change experienced, particularly near the end of the study period (2000 – 2009). This work contributes holistically to the research on evaluating complex urban systems and affords the ability to identify and distinguish local and regional drivers of change.
