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To promote export-oriented industries, the Government of India and the state governments encourage SEZs through financial incentives and regulatory relaxations, including lax land acquisition policies. The author further argues that the market-based pricing mechanisms used to acquire land in these transportation corridor regions undermine the I raison d'être i of these corridors because these mechanisms lead to sharp land value increases that are detrimental to economic development. In this chapter, the author studies the land acquisition process of the Khed Special Economic Zone (SEZ). [Extracted from the article]

Globally, governments at all levels—national to local—are fiscally constrained, especially in the developing countries of the Global South (Africa, Latin and Central America, and the developing countries of Asia). One such country is India, which is also experiencing rapid growth in urban populations and is seeking additional revenues from public finance sources, such as development charges. In India, these charges need to meet the rational nexus principle to be legally robust. Through a review of India's state-level enabling legislation, this article seeks to identify ways in which the enabling legal framework for development charges can promote or hamper the rational nexus principle. Finally, this article provides insights that can help jurisdictions in India, and potentially in other Global South countries, craft or amend enabling legislation so that such legislation can withstand rational nexus principle–related legal challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars and practitioners in the United States have paid significant attention to the need for consistency in urban planning documents. However, consistency between general plans (GPs) and capital improvement plans (CIPs) has received little attention. Aiming to fill this research gap, this article first reviews the academic and professional literature to identify the strategies that local governments use to ensure strong consistency between GPs and CIPs. Then, it reviews the GPs and CIPs of four cities and presents a framework for evaluating whether, how, and how well local governments are implementing strategies that enhance GP–CIP consistency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a review of three public transport projects developed across the United States using tax increment financing (TIF) revenues, this article examines the robustness of state- and local-level enabling statutes and the strategies used to minimize TIF’s horizontal and vertical inequities. The article finds that although TIF is widely used to fund transit-related facilities, such as rail lines and train stations, it is not used to purchase or maintain the rolling stock (e.g., train cars and buses). Furthermore, the use of TIF revenues for public transport enhances vertical equity to the extent that public transit users are likely to have lower incomes than auto users. However, in all case study projects, TIF primarily helped develop rail projects, not bus systems, with the latter more likely to be used by lower income people. Finally, setting aside TIF funds for affordable housing, job training, and relocation and rehabilitation can help reduce vertical inequities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the Fremont Unified School District in Fremont, California, as the study area, this study estimates the impact of school quality on house prices and finds that a one-standard-deviation increase in the quality of elementary, middle, and high schools significantly increases house prices—by 20 percent for an average-priced house. I urge urban planners and policy makers to explicitly recognize the impact of schools on residential segregation, to consider access to high-quality K–12 education when developing plans and policies, to collaborate with school districts to improve educational quality, and to provide incentives for the construction of affordable housing in neighborhoods with high-quality schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews three impact fee programs spread across three continents (North America, Australia, and Asia) in a search for those impact fee design features that meet the nexus and rough proportionality principles and promote vertical equity. To meet the nexus and rough proportionality principles, we assert that the impact fee should vary by use, intensity of use, and type of infrastructure or service funded by the fee, and that the fee should be based on clearly articulated service standards. Finally, specific policies that may be used to increase vertical equity include (a) allowing developers to pay the fee in installments and/or at a later stage of project development, (b) granting impact fee waivers for affordable housing, and (c) exempting smaller properties from paying the fee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little scholarly attention has been paid to the equity impacts of special assessment districts (SADs) established to fund public transportation projects. This article uses three recent public transportation projects funded using SADs in the United States and finds that the case study SADs’ performance is mixed. Although the districts use a variety of criteria, such as property value, parcel area, and distance from the transportation project, to calculate assessments in a way that promotes horizontal equity, the assessment methodologies do not take into account the disamenity associated with certain elements of public transportation projects, such as the rail line. Furthermore, owner-occupied residential properties are often exempt from paying assessments to garner support for SADs, rather than to satisfy equity concerns. Finally, the low-interest, long-term payment of assessments enhances vertical equity which can be further enhanced if assessment exemptions or deferments are consistently provided to seniors on fixed incomes and low-income households. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study provides evidence of the impact of an urban growth boundary (UGB) on housing and land prices. The study uses a data-set that inventories sales transactions of single-family homes and of vacant lots zoned for single-family homes within two miles of either side of the eastern boundary of the primary UGB in King County, Washington. The results show that although the UGB increases land prices by 230 per cent, it decreases housing prices by 1.3 per cent. These findings should encourage policy-makers to adopt a policy framework in which a UGB's anticipated inflationary land price effect is mitigated by policies that increase housing supply. Such policies could include minimum density requirements, zoning for multifamily housing, and ordinances enabling the construction of accessory dwelling units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study empirically estimates the effects of four types of impact fees (road, school, park, and fire protection impact fees) on new and existing housing, as well as the fees’ differential effects on price as determined by housing quality. The results indicate that impact fees generally raise the price of new housing. Further, the magnitude and the direction of the housing price effect of individual impact fees vary substantially. For example, the park impact fee increases the price of new and existing housing, whereas the fire protection impact fee has no effect or has a negative effect on housing prices. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aims: Physical exercise is known to alter the physiological response to orthostatic stress. This study compared reported physical activity levels in patients with unexplained syncope who did or did not demonstrate positive responses to carotid sinus massage and head-up tilt-table testing. Methods: We reviewed the records of 1,336 patients with unexplained syncope who underwent carotid sinus massage and head-up tilt-table testing. Patients with positive responses (cases) were compared with patients with negative responses (controls). Multivariable regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors of positive responses to carotid sinus massage and head-up tilt-table testing. Results: Seventy patients had a positive response to carotid sinus massage and 564 patients had a positive response to head-up tilt-table testing. Physical activity was an independent positive predictor of a positive response to both carotid sinus massage {adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.86, 95%CI (1.14-3.05); p=0.01} and head-up tilt-table testing [AOR 1.31, 95% CI (1.04-1.65); P=0.02} even after adjustment for multiple other factors including age, gender, and other medical conditions. Conclusion: Physical activity is associated with greater likelihood of positive responses during carotid sinus massage and head-up tilt-table testing [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ambulatory patients with uncertain functional capacity may benefit from combined exercise and vasodilator stress protocols for myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). The safety and MPI image quality with regadenoson administered during symptom-limited exercise have not been prospectively evaluated. Methods and Results: A total of 140 patients (mean age 61 years, 48% female) referred for exercise with vasodilator stress MPI were randomized 2:1 to a strategy of exercise with regadenoson-as-necessary (Ex-Reg, n = 96) or dipyridamole with exercise (Dip-Ex, n = 44) after Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) scoring (median score 28 vs 24, P = .09). Ex-Reg subjects commenced treadmill exercise and regadenoson was administered only if the subject was unable to reach standard endpoints. Dip-Ex subjects received dipyridamole prior to symptom-limited exercise. Hemodynamics were recorded throughout. Subjects completed symptom questionnaires and MPI image quality was assessed by blinded read. Ex-Reg subjects were more likely to achieve ≥85% age-predicted maximum heart rate than Dip-Ex subjects (57% vs 32%, P < .01). Only 50% of subjects meeting inclusion criteria and randomized to Ex-Reg required regadenoson and none had symptomatic hemodynamic changes. Severe side effects or adverse events occurred in 16% of Ex-Reg and 24% of Dip-Ex subjects ( P = .12). MPI image quality was 'good' or 'excellent' in 88% of Ex-Reg subjects and 86% of Dip-Ex subjects ( P = .33). Conclusion: A strategy of exercise with regadenoson-as-needed for MPI offers similar safety and side effect profile with similar image quality compared to dipyridamole with exercise, with reduced pharmaceutical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In selected patients, stress-only SPECT imaging has been proposed as an alternative to rest-stress SPECT imaging to improve laboratory efficiency and reduce radiation exposure. The impact of attenuation correction (AC) upon interpretation, post-test patient management and cardiac risk stratification in relation to stress-only imaging is not well understood. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical value for laboratory throughput and predicting outcomes of normal and abnormal stress-only SPECT imaging with AC in a consecutive series of clinically referred patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 1,383 consecutive patients who were scheduled for stress-only SPECT imaging for symptom assessment of suspected myocardial ischemia was performed. All images had been interpreted and categorized using the standard 17-segment model without AC followed by AC. Follow-up data for 2.1 ± 1.3 years after SPECT imaging for the occurrence of cardiac events (non-fatal MI, cardiac death, and cardiac revascularization) previously collected by routine methods were reviewed. Results: Non-AC SPECT image interpretation revealed that 58% (802/1383) of patients had abnormal stress images. AC image interpretation of the abnormal non-AC images re-classified 83% (666/802) of these as normal. Among patients with abnormal stress images after AC (136/1383), 63% (86/136) returned for additional rest scans, while the remaining 37% (50/136) were clinically managed without further rest images. The incidence of cardiac death or non-fatal MI was very low in patients with normal stress-only scans (0.7%). Conclusion: A strategy of stress-only imaging with AC in symptomatic patients is an efficient method which appropriately identifies at risk and low-risk patients yielding a low percentage requiring rest imaging. Clinical decisions can be made based on abnormal stress-only imaging without further rest imaging if clinically appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a longitudinal data set that inventories single-family home sale transactions within 3.2 km (2 mi) of the Central District redevelopment area of Oakland, CA, this paper finds that the targeted efforts to redevelop the Central District have partially mitigated the District's negative impact on surrounding neighborhoods. The paper examined the Central District from 1992 to 2006, a period during which the District changed in character from a business district to a mixed-use vibrant area. During the period 1992 through 2000, proximity to the Central District negatively impacted housing prices up to 1.6 km (1 mi) from the District boundary. However, the magnitude of the impact reduced in the 2001-2006 period and dissipated after 0.8 km (0.5 mi) from the District boundary, indicating that the redevelopment efforts had a positive spill-over effect on surrounding property values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The role of single photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (SPECT MPI) in cardiac evaluation of the very elderly patients is unclear. We investigated the clinical value of SPECT MPI in very elderly patients (≥80 years) with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) as well as in comparison to younger patients.Methods and Results: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from 8,864 patients [1,093 patients ≥80 years (very elderly), 3,369 patients 65-79 years (elderly), and 4,402 patients 50-64 years (middle-aged)] with suspected CAD who underwent exercise and/or pharmacologic stress testing with SPECT MPI between 1996 and 2005 was performed. Clinical and SPECT MPI characteristics, cardiac event rates, early (≤60 days) cardiac catheterization and revascularization rates of very elderly patients were compared to that of younger patients. Mean follow-up for cardiac events (cardiac death or non-fatal myocardial infarction) was 1.9 ± 0.9 years. Very elderly patients with moderate to severely abnormal SSS had a significantly higher annualized cardiac event rate than those with mildly abnormal or normal study (9.6% vs 3.4% and 2.5% respectively, P < .001). Across all categories of SSS, very elderly patients had a significantly higher cardiac event rate as compared to younger patients (P < .001). Early cardiac catheterization and revascularization referrals in very elderly patients increased as a function of severity of ischemia on SPECT MPI (P < .001), although these referral rates were significantly lower in very elderly patients with mild to moderate and severe ischemia as compared to younger patients (P < .05).Conclusions: In very elderly patients (≥80 years) with suspected CAD, SPECT MPI has prognostic and incremental value in the noninvasive cardiovascular assessment for risk stratification and may influence medical decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The role of single photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (SPECT MPI) in cardiac evaluation of the very elderly patients is unclear. We investigated the clinical value of SPECT MPI in very elderly patients (≥80 years) with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) as well as in comparison to younger patients. Methods and Results: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from 8,864 patients [1,093 patients ≥80 years (very elderly), 3,369 patients 65-79 years (elderly), and 4,402 patients 50-64 years (middle-aged)] with suspected CAD who underwent exercise and/or pharmacologic stress testing with SPECT MPI between 1996 and 2005 was performed. Clinical and SPECT MPI characteristics, cardiac event rates, early (≤60 days) cardiac catheterization and revascularization rates of very elderly patients were compared to that of younger patients. Mean follow-up for cardiac events (cardiac death or non-fatal myocardial infarction) was 1.9 ± 0.9 years. Very elderly patients with moderate to severely abnormal SSS had a significantly higher annualized cardiac event rate than those with mildly abnormal or normal study (9.6% vs 3.4% and 2.5% respectively, P < .001). Across all categories of SSS, very elderly patients had a significantly higher cardiac event rate as compared to younger patients ( P < .001). Early cardiac catheterization and revascularization referrals in very elderly patients increased as a function of severity of ischemia on SPECT MPI ( P < .001), although these referral rates were significantly lower in very elderly patients with mild to moderate and severe ischemia as compared to younger patients ( P < .05). Conclusions: In very elderly patients (≥80 years) with suspected CAD, SPECT MPI has prognostic and incremental value in the noninvasive cardiovascular assessment for risk stratification and may influence medical decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prognostic value of a blunted heart rate response (BHR) during ECG-gated vasodilator stress SPECT MPI in relation to ventricular function on long-term cardiovascular events is not well established. We performed this study to evaluate the incremental prognostic value of BHR during pharmacological stress SPECT MPI. Consecutive patients who underwent dipyridamole stress Tc-99m sestamibi ECG-gated SPECT MPI (without exercise) were identified. The ratio of peak stress heart rate to baseline was noted. If the ratio was <1.20, it was considered blunted (BHR). The images were interpreted using the standard ASNC 17 segment model. Patients were followed up for a mean time period of 2.3 ± 1.5 years. Sixty-four percent (2,890/4,484) of patients demonstrated BHR during dipyridamole stress testing. Cardiac death, the primary end point, occurred in 6.8% of patients. Patients with BHR had a significantly lower cardiac death-free survival as compared to NO BHR group in total population (83% vs 94%; P < .001) as well as in subgroup with normal ejection fraction (89% vs 96%; P < .001). BHR was an independent predictor of cardiac death after adjusting for multiple clinical, perfusion, and function-related gated SPECT variables. Blunted heart rate response during vasodilator stress SPECT MPI is an important prognostic marker for cardiac death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the potential for successful provision of high-speed rail (HSR) in the Midwestern United States, and concludes by identifying major lessons that other states and regions in the United States interested in developing HSR can draw from Midwest's experience. These lessons include development of a vision for national HSR; identification of a dedicated federal source of funding for HSR; securing strong local political leadership; involvement of private railroads; development of consensus on the benefits of HSR; ensuring that the state and local governments are ready to commit their share; and development of synergistic relationships with the airline, and local transit companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study of the City of San Jose's Parks and Recreation General Obligation (GO) Bond Measure seeks to identify the politics-, management-, and planning-related lessons learned by the City as it developed its community facilities using the GO bonds proceeds. The study finds that these lessons include: be conservative in what you promise the residents; be prepared for changes in economic environment by identifying supplementary funding sources should the primary source not yield adequate funds; make sure that the jurisdiction is organizationally capable of handling the increased workload; and prepare detailed project plans prior to the bond issuance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses 1991-2000 data on single-family housing sales from King County, WA, to provide new evidence relating to the effects of impact fees on housing prices. The hedonic regression method is used to examine the effects of these fees on existing housing as well as their differential effects on price as determined by housing quality. Impact fees raise existing home prices by about 83 percent of the amount of the fee. The increase is 103 percent for high-quality homes and is not statistically significant for low-quality homes. The owners of high-quality homes realize capital gains from impact fees. However, such fees do not raise the price of low-quality homes. To the extent that low-quality housing is more likely to be owned by low- and moderate-income households, which are often composed of racial and ethnic minorities, this finding has significant policy implications for the supporters of impact fees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides new evidence on the effects of impact fees on housing prices, using an inventory of single-family housing sale transactions in the 38 cities and towns within King County, Washington, for the period 1991-2000. Although the effect of impact fees on housing prices has been examined previously, earlier studies have been limited by methodological deficiencies. This paper examines the effect of impact fees on new housing and their differential effect on housing price based on the quality of housing, and finds that the effect of impact fees on the price of new housing is quite significant and elastic, raising new home prices by about 166 per cent of the amount of the fee. The increase is 358 per cent for the higher-quality homes and is statistically insignificant for the lower-quality homes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical exercise up-regulates telomere-stabilizing proteins in mice, suggesting that physical activity affects telomere length. Several human studies assessing the relationship between physical activity, measured by health or activity surveys, and telomere length have produced conflicting results. The present study sought to explore the association between telomere length and physical fitness measured objectively as maximal oxygen uptake in endurance-trained athletes and sedentary controls.Seventeen marathon runners and 15 age- and sex-matched healthy, sedentary control subjects participated in the study. Medical history, demographic information, maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max), and peripheral blood lymphocyte telomere length were measured in all subjects. Statistical analysis was performed to examine the relationship between telomere length and measured variables.Athletes and sedentary controls had similar lymphocyte (0.97 ± 0.20 vs 1.01 ± 0.18; P = 0.6) and granulocyte (0.89 ± 0.11 vs 0.89 ± 0.12; P = 0.9) telomere lengths. Linear regression analysis showed age as the only variable significantly associated with telomere length (P = 0.007). There was no correlation between VO2 max and telomere length.In a cohort of healthy adult athletes and sedentary controls, there was no association between physical activity measured by VO2 max and peripheral blood lymphocyte and granulocyte telomere length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses 1991–2000 data on single-family housing sales from King County, WA, to provide new evidence relating to the effects of impact fees on housing prices. The hedonic regression method is used to examine the effects of these fees on existing housing as well as their differential effects on price as determined by housing quality. Impact fees raise existing home prices by about 83 percent of the amount of the fee. The increase is 103 percent for high-quality homes and is not statistically significant for low-quality homes. The owners of high-quality homes realize capital gains from impact fees. However, such fees do not raise the price of low-quality homes. To the extent that low-quality housing is more likely to be owned by low- and moderate-income households, which are often composed of racial and ethnic minorities, this finding has significant policy implications for the supporters of impact fees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]