News & Events
How the ultra-rich, from Trump to Bruce, dodge their taxes and increase yours
Drive around an exclusive town like Mendham, in Morris County, and you’ll see homes that are palaces, with big swimming pools, tennis courts, and manicured lawns that seem to stretch on forever. These folks are doing all right. Many of them are also getting away with murder when it comes to property taxes by pretending they are farmers. If you own at least...
Some N.J. municipal council meetings are still virtual. Residents are asking why.
Piscataway is one of several New Jersey municipalities still holding public meetings remotely nearly three years into the COVID-19 pandemic. While some Piscataway council members sit in the council chambers for the Zoom call, others sign in for the meeting from home. And the public can only watch or listen online or on the phone. Some residents in...
Ensuring Access to Nature and Outdoor Recreation: Advancing Health Equity for People with Disabilities
The following blog was published by the New Jersey State Policy Lab, February 23, 2023 By Jeanne Herb The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 21% of New Jersey adults have some type of disability. CDC reports that people with disabilities are disproportionately affected by chronic diseases and conditions which are contributed...
NJ Downtowns Are Breathing New Life Into Empty Old Banks
Downtown banks used to be where eager home buyers applied for mortgages, workers cashed hard-earned paychecks, and youngsters watched nickels and dimes grow in their first savings accounts. But in recent decades, ATM machines and online banking have made these once essential institutions obsolete. Fortunately, developers and businesses across New Jersey...
Referendum on Major Westfield Redevelopment Project? Experts, Advocates Weigh In
Some residents are pushing for a public referendum on an expansive redevelopment project slated for the site of the former Lord & Taylor building and the town’s train station parking lots even as town officials argue such would leave Westfield subject to potentially costly litigation. Marc Pfeiffer, assistant director of the Bloustein Local Government...
New Environmental Study from alumnus Tsoulou, Profs. Senick, Andrews, et al.
Abstract Indoor heat and air pollution pose concurrent threats to human health and wellbeing, and their effects are more pronounced for vulnerable individuals. This study investigates exposures to summertime indoor overheating and airborne particulate matter (PM2.5) experienced by low-income seniors and explores the potential of natural ventilation on...
American Dream mall gets construction lender lifeline
Triple Five, owner of the American Dream mall in New Jersey, has struck a deal with a group of creditors led by JP Morgan that grants the developer a four-year extension on overdue construction debt. The loan extension gives Triple Five some much-needed breathing room as it waits for an expected increase in big-box retail traffic, said Marc Pfeiffer,...
Beyond buildings, Sandy damaged people’s health
The record-setting Superstorm Sandy that made landfall in New Jersey on Oct. 29, 2012, resulted in both short- and long-term health hazards for residents, some far from obvious. When the floodwaters finally drained, they left potentially contaminated sludge, which dried to an asthma-aggravating powder and led to toxic blooms of mold. Anxiety and depression...
10 years after Hurricane Sandy, the Jersey Shore is awash in new development
Many Shore buyers today seem unaware or unconcerned about the risk of future storms. Fewer than half in flood hazard zones have insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program, according to Milliman, an actuarial company based in Chester County that consults with NFIP. “People have been bidding up the prices of coastal housing for a long time,”...
Can NJ cut down on towns overspending on employee payouts? Proposed bill would try
A proposed bill would crack down on New Jersey towns abusing unused sick time and vacation payouts to employees following a report that found a “staggering” amount of municipalities violated state law. The bill comes after a report by New Jersey acting State Comptroller Kevin D. Walsh that found nearly all 60 towns his office surveyed violated some part of...
Recent Products
Ten questions concerning agent-based modeling of occupant behavior for energy and environmental performance of buildings
Abstract The complexity of occupant behavior is one of the major contributors to uncertainty in building performance simulation. Agent-based modeling (ABM), a computational simulation technique, has gained attention in the occupant modeling field due to its capability...
The Potential Economic Consequences of Flooding on Florida’s Historic Communities
State hazard plans demonstrate different levels of commitment in the manner in which they link historic resources and their preservation to mitigation plans. Compared to other hazards, like wildfires and tornadoes, planners have access to much more information on the...
Middlesex County Hazard Mitigation Plan
The Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners and each Municipality in the County adopted the All-Hazards Mitigation Plan in the original plan on January 14, 2011. This updated plan was approved in 2022 and allows each participating municipality to qualify for...
Influence of biogeochemistry on the availability of toxic metals in iron-replete New Jersey sediment
Development of a point-of-use trace metal sensor with integrated sediment microbial community and geochemical measurements Development of in-situ measurement technologies requires an in-depth understanding of the analyte and the key components from the surrounding...