Joyce N. Levine

Joyce N Levine, PhD, AICP Department of Urban & Regional PlanningFlorida Atlantic University

Joyce Levine, assistant professor of urban and regional planning at Florida Atlantic University, presented information on the impact districts can have, along with the state criteria used to draw boundaries.

The push for districting has intensified with Miramar's growth, with residents saying there is a need for more representation out west.

Levine said districts have to maintain a community's integrity.She added that while in some cases districting provides more representation, it also can cause division.

"I've watched some single-member districts, and the drawback is that the big picture can get lost in the shuffle," Levine said.
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Commissioners directed Levine to compare other cities close to Miramar's size that have a district form of government.

Joyce Levine, an assistant professor of urban and regional planning at Florida Atlantic University, was contracted by the city to study the issue.

She told commissioners at the workshop that in a district form of government, "people in neighborhoods didn't get lost in the shuffle as easily."

Levine also said that commissioners in district systems tend to deal with residents more frequently and face greater demands.

Joyce Levine, a teacher of urban and regional planning at Florida Atlantic University, will serve as the director for the chapter headquartered Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

"My initial contact with Levees.Org involved Louisiana's urgent needs in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina," says Levine."However, my research focuses on disaster management and hazard mitigation, so it did not take me long to realize that we need a group like Levees.Org here in Florida, too.

Levine said the Florida chapter will monitor the Corps' work in re-engineering the Everglades.She says the project is focusing largely on developing additional water supplies instead of restoring theecosystem.

Joyce Levine, an assistant professor of urban and regional planning at Jackson State University says people tend to migrate with jobs and Mississippi lacks strong economic development.

More people who left Mississippi went to Tennessee than any other state, and Levine said that's probably because of Tennessee's stronger economy.

She says that Mississippi like most rural states is suffering from brain-drain and needs to work harder to keep its college graduates from leaving.

Joyce N. Levine, PhD, AICP

People tend to migrate with jobs, and Mississippi lacks strong economic development, said Joyce Levine, assistant professor of urban and regional planning at Jackson State University.

More people left Mississippi for Tennessee than any other state, and Levine said that's probably due to Tennessee's stronger economy.

"Mississippi suffers from brain drain like most rural states," Levine said."We're undersupplied with graduates. ...If that's who the state is losing, it's not a good thing."

Levine said that 16.9 percent of Mississippians have a bachelor's degree or higher and that the national average is 24.9 percent.

Florida Atlantic University professor of urban and rural planning - Joyce Levine is the group's new Florida Director.She says there are correlations between New Orleans and the area south of Lake Okeechobee…

"What we're seeing here with the dike is an independent review group comes in, looks at the dike, goes over all the information about it and says you know folks, this is at very high risk of failure - particularly in a stronger hurricane.And we're getting the same response from the Corps that we got before Katrina, which is Oh there's nothing wrong with the dike, yeah it needs a few repairs but it's got a lot of good years in it…this report is alarmist."

Levine says after what happened in New Orleans…there's no such thing as alarmist anymore.

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An organization formed in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina has expanded into Florida.Its mission: to hold the U-S Army Corps of Engineers more accountable for its work.The state office of "Levees-dot-Org" is headed by Joyce Levine, a professor of urban planning at Florida Atlantic University.She points to a recent independent review of the dike around Lake Okeechobee as the primary reason for the expansion.

"It's definitely a flood ,of people,," said Joyce Levine, assistant professor of urban and regional planning at Florida Atlantic University in Fort Lauderdale."It's an awful lot of growth for a city this size."

But Levine said the issue is: Does the city have the resources to pay for the infrastructure upgrades needed to support all the growth?"The city has to ramp up services . . . more streets, police and firemen," she said.

People tend to migrate with jobs, and Mississippi lacks strong economic development, said Joyce Levine, assistant professor of urban and regional planning at Jackson State University.

More people left Mississippi for Tennessee than any other state, and Levine said that's probably due to Tennessee's stronger economy.

"Mississippi suffers from brain drain like most rural states," Levine said."We're undersupplied with graduates. ... if that's who the state is losing it's not a good thing."

Levine said 16.9 percent of Mississippians have a bachelor's degree or higher, and the national average is 24.9 percent.