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Urban Living

A MiddLab Project

Geographies of Access: A Spatial Analysis of Access to Public Obstetric Services for Migrant Populations in Buenos Aires

Learn more about Geography & Latin American Studies at Middlebury College.

Transformations in Argentine immigration and healthcare policy have collided to create a dynamic landscape of public health utilization in Buenos Aires. This study presents empirically grounded analysis of healthcare utilization in the wake of these policy changes by examining the spatial distribution of 841 patients receiving obstetric services at Hospital Rivadavia in 2009. Analysis carried out at both the individual level and aggregated by partido reveals patterns in both the relative utilization of public healthcare services by migrants compared to native Argentines as well as the spatial distribution of patients, and in particular, migrant patients. The results of this study suggest that utilization of public obstetric services at Hospital Rivadavia by migrants is significantly higher than that of native Argentines and finds the distribution of migrant patients to be spatially clustered. These results have important implications for future immigration policy and healthcare provision at municipal, national, and international scales.

People

Nora Hirozawa
Researcher

Peter Nelson
Sponsor & Associate Professor of Geography

Related Links

Hospital Rivadavia

Downloads

Symposium Presentation Slides

A MiddLab Project

Detroit: The Past and Present of the American City

Learn more about Sociology & Anthropology and Undergraduate Research at Middlebury College.

Known as America’s “Arsenal of Democracy,” “Most Dangerous City,” and more recently, “Laboratory for Saving the American City,” Detroit, Michigan has functioned as a model city and symbol in American popular culture since the early 20th century. This research explores the significance of Detroit’s role as a representative city through a content analysis of national news publications and other channels of media in the last century. Relying on theories of the narrative construction of social events and actors in public discourse, this case demonstrates the evolving signification of Detroit in American culture. The emergent narrative of Detroit as a model for reimagining the American city in the 21st century relies on previous labeling of Detroit as a symbol of American ascendency and decline. The story of Detroit as a laboratory for reforming America’s cities demonstrates a reclamation of Detroit as a positive American symbol and a reinvigoration of the discourse of civil society through the democratic production of knowledge about the city. Detroit offers American society a new framework through which to think of shrinkage, community, and identity rooted in place.

People

Julianna Tschirhart
Researcher

Laurie Essig
Sponsor & Assistant Professor of Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies

Detroit is America’s 2nd most segregated city with a 77% black population and 84% white suburbs.

Related Links

“Imported from Detroit”, Chrysler Advertisement

U.S. Social Forum, Detroit, MI

New York Times Interactive Census Map

Telling Our Detroit Story

Model D

Downloads

Symposium Presentation Slides

A MiddLab Project

21st-Century Global Challenges: The Promise of Social Entrepreneurship

Learn more about creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship,  MiddCORE, and Education in Action at Middlebury and MIIS.

In a January 2011 Winter Term Class, “Twenty-First Century Global Challenges,”  21 Middlebury students studied great challenges of our time – including wide-scale poverty, climate change, and the struggle for human rights. They then analyzed how social entrepreneurs – individuals and groups who are developing new ways to attack systematic problems – are taking on these challenges.  For example, Nina Cameron ’12 studied how the Global Network is trying to reduce the prevalence of neglected tropical diseases; Erin Kelly ’13 studied how the University of the Peopleis providing tuition-free higher-education throughout the developing world.  The students also spend much of the course developing a vision for a new center for social entrepreneurship based at Middlebury College.  On this MiddLab, we report the ongoing results of this work.

People

Jonathan Isham, Jr.
Professor of Economics

Wahid Ahmed
Catherine Brown
Nina Cameron
Brian Clow
Thomas Crocker
Matthew Engel
Stuart Fram
Allison Grant
Mark Hannah
Paul Hildebrand
Aaron Kelly
Claire McIlvennie
Olivia Noble
Bradley Osborn
Devin Perkins
Hilary Platt
Jeronimo Riefkohl
Martin Sweeney
Rhidaya Trivedi
Kenneth Williams
Nicole Williams

The Ripple Effect in India

Related Links

Social Entrepreneurship in the Liberal Arts – Jonathan Isham (The Middlebury Campus, January 20, 2011)

The Development Project Management Institute (DPMI) at MIIS

Careers in the Common Good

Old Stone Mill

The Alliance for Civic Engagement

Fred Kropp’s course on social entrepreneurship at MIIS

Downloads

Reducing the prevalence of neglected tropical diseases – Nina Cameron ’12

Increasing access to tertiary education in the developing world – Aaron Kelly ’13

A vision for the Hassenfeld Center at Middlebury College – the students of ES380

A 2007 paper on social entrepreneurship at Middlebury – David Hopkins ’06.5

Social Entrepreneurship Collaboratories – Gordon Bloom (Harvard ’82)

A recent talk from Bill Gates on Education for the Real World

A MiddLab Project

Fall 2010 Student Symposium: American Poverty in Context

October 21st- 29th will be the Fall Student Symposium, “American Poverty in Context.” We aim to build awareness and encourage discussion of poverty-related issues on the local and national level. The symposium will tackle issues such as hunger and local foods, social determinants of health, labor legislation, community action, and homelessness. In addition to inspiring intellectual discourse on poverty, we hope to motivate more students to participate in volunteer activities and to consider pursuing careers in non-profits.

Please click on the posters below in the downloads section for more detailed information about each event!

People

Joel Berg

Executive Director of the New York Coalition Against Hunger

Harlan Beckley

Director of the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability at Washington and Lee University

Robert Prasch

Middlebury College Professor of Economics

Samantha Marder

Project Manager, Project Health  Providence

Hannah Nichols

Talent and Technology Coordinator, Project Health National Offices

Hal Colston

Founder and Director of Good News Garage and Neighborskeepers

Doug Sinclair

Co-Founder of Middlebury Community Care Coalition

Ingrid Pixley

Property Manager for Addison County Community Trust

Jeanne Montross

Executive Director of HOPE (Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects)

Yuan Lim

Student Organizer

Veronica Muoio

Student Organizer

Dan Murphy

Student Organizer

Related Links

To Learn More and Take Action, check out these links

First Stop:

Alliance for Civic Engagement (ACE) !

Hunger and Food Justice Issues:

VT FoodBank

Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger

New York City Coalition Against Hunger

Health Equity:

Project Health

Unnatural Causes: Documentary on Poverty and Poor Health

Housing Issues:

National Coalition for the Homeless

Vermont Committee for Temporary Shelter (COTS)

Middlebury Community Care Coalition (MCCC)

Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects (HOPE)

Feel Free to Post your own links below as well.

Downloads

Full Symposium Schedule

Information about Individual Events:

Harlan Beckley

Joel Berg

Hal Colston

Ingrid Pixley and Doug Sinclair

Professor Robert Prasch

Samantha Marder and Hannah Nichols

A MiddLab Project

Mapping Trees: A Horticulture Study

Learn more about Biology, Geography, and Facilities at Middlebury College.

Tim Parsons, the College’s Horticulturalist developed an interactive map of all the trees on campus. In Tim’s Urban Forest class, his students took the tree population and ran it through modeling software called iTree to look at carbon sequestration, pollution abatement, etc. Students in other classes have used the map for tree identification. For example, a student recently contacted Tim because she was looking for Cherry trees to evaluate for a plant community ecology class.

People

Tim Parsons
College Horticulturalist and Project Lead

Bill Hegman
GIS Specialist

Katie Clagett and Chris Rodgers
LIS GIS Interns

trees

Related Links

Downloads

A MiddLab Project

Hidden Cities: Locating Slums on the Globalized Map

Learn more about Geography at Middlebury College.

From the Spring 2010 issue of the student-published Middlebury Geographic magazine, Andrea Jones examines the economic and geographic conditions that lead to the creation of slums and shantytowns across three continents.

People

Andrea Jones
Author

Emily Allison
Photographer

hidden_cities

Related Links

Middlebury Geographic Spring 2010

Middlebury Geographic Spring 2009

Downloads
Sites DOT Middlebury: the Middlebury site network.