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Communities ready for takeoff

Integrating social assets for biofuel site-selection modeling

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 July 2017

Sanne A. M. Rijkhoff ,
Season A. Hoard ,
Michael J. Gaffney  and
Paul M. Smith
Sanne A. M. Rijkhoff*
Affiliation:
Mark O. Hatfield School of Government, Department of Political Science, Portland State University
Season A. Hoard
Affiliation:
School of Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs & Division of Governmental Studies and Services, Washington State University
Michael J. Gaffney
Affiliation:
Division of Governmental Studies and Services, Washington State University
Paul M. Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
*
Correspondence: Sanne A. M. Rijkhoff, Mark O. Hatfield School of Government, Department of Political Science, Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland OR, 97207-0751. Email: sannerijkhoff@gmail.com
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Abstract

Although much of the social science literature supports the importance of community assets for success in many policy areas, these assets are often overlooked when selecting communities for new infrastructure facilities. Extensive collaboration is crucial for the success of environmental and economic projects, yet it often is not adequately addressed when making siting decisions for new projects. This article develops a social asset framework that includes social, creative, and human capital to inform site-selection decisions. This framework is applied to the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance project to assess community suitability for biofuel-related developments. This framework is the first to take all necessary community assets into account, providing insight into successful site selection beyond current models. The framework not only serves as a model for future biorefinery projects but also guides tasks that depend on informed location selection for success.

Keywords

Social asset frameworkcommunity capitalsocial capitalsite selectionbio-fuel facilities
Type
Articles
Information
Politics and the Life Sciences , Volume 36 , Issue 1 , Spring 2017 , pp. 14 - 26
Copyright
© Association for Politics and the Life Sciences 2017 

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