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Recent Submissions
The eye (and tongue) of the beholder: There may be more value in non-Grade A syrup than producers think
Stelick, Alina; Wightman, Aaron; Monserrate, Catherine; Dando, Robin (2025-05)
Common off-flavors in maple syrup can arise from late season harvest, processing defects and microbiological contaminants, resulting in non-Grade A designations, and much reduced value. Twelve maple syrup samples, representing Grade A syrup and the common flavor defects “buddy”, “sour,” and “dark/acrid” (syrups associated with a burnt/bitter flavor), were produced in two NY State locations, Van Etten, NY and Lake Placid, NY, across the 2023 maple sap collection seasons, by Cornell Maple Program, where the samples were assigned appropriate grades and off-flavors by a maple syrup producer following industry standard guidelines. Samples were then evaluated at Cornell Food Science by a group of 26 maple syrup consumers in a multi-session qualitative study to establish a flavor profile for the maple syrups.
Environmental Planning Through Public-Private Partnerships: Lessons From Three New York City Business Improvement Districts
Barnes, Katie (2025-05-01)
This study investigates the role of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) as key stakeholders in urban sustainability and climate resilience planning in New York City. Operating at the intersection of public and private governance, BIDs represent an understudied middle ground between top-down governmental planning and bottom-up community initiatives. Through qualitative methods, including content analysis, direct observation, and semi-structured interviews, this research compares sustainability approaches across three diverse BIDs: Hudson Square (Manhattan), West Shore (Staten Island), and Pitkin Avenue (Brooklyn). The study examines how and why these BIDs implement sustainability strategies, how their efforts align with municipal goals, and how their approaches vary across different boroughs and neighborhood contexts. Findings reveal distinct patterns in how these hybrid governance entities incorporate environmental objectives while responding to local needs. This research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of multi-level urban sustainability governance and offers insights for policymakers seeking to engage diverse stakeholders in climate resilience planning.
Supplemental Materials: Development of a consumer-driven chocolate milk sensory ballot for use in the dairy industry
Stelick, Alina; Dando, Robin; Wiedmann, Martin; Martin, Nicole (2025-05-07)
Data in support of: Development of a consumer-driven chocolate milk sensory ballot for use in the dairy industry.
From Villages to Gated Communities: Mapping Accessibility Disparities in Suburban China
Wang, Yizhou (2025-05-06)
This study examines the geographical inequalities in walking accessibility of essential services such as transit, shopping, healthcare, education, and recreation across four different community types in Panyu District, Guangzhou: urban villages, redeveloped communities, commodity housing communities, and rural villages. The accessibility is examined by coverage of Points of Interest (POIs) within 15-minute isochrones of community boundaries, a spatial boundary representing the area reachable within a set time frame. Transit, shopping, healthcare, education, and recreational amenities are selected as key amenities for examination. Redeveloped communities and commodity communities demonstrate higher overall accessibility in the 15-minute isochrones, while rural villages and urban villages exhibit lower accessibility to services out of the community boundary, and with more services inside the community The data indicate historical biases in urban planning, emphasizing unit-based and commodity housing growth while systematically neglecting informal and rural populations.
The core aim of this research is to uncover how historical planning policies and land ownership structures have shaped spatial gaps in service by community types in a quantitative approach. As cities in China pursue “15-minute living circles,” aiming to make access to urban services for communities by active transportation, the study offers recommendations for improving equitable infrastructure and explore mixed-use developments, especially in under-resourced areas.