Jeremy Phan Period 1 World Geography - Orso

How will plate tectonics affect Orso University? Will faults be a problem? Are there any physical features around the area where Orso University will be built? If so, are they attractive features or do they drive people away? Is there enough space? Will there be room for students to drive their cars? Will the university be affected by any natural disasters? Is there a lot of criminal activity around the area? What are the expenses that have to be paid to make and maintain the university?

1. Bayside (La Porte, TX)  Bay Area Blvd., Houston, TX 2. NE Houston (Huffman, TX)  FM 1960, Huffman, TX 3. W. Tomball (Tomball, TX)  Liberty Ln., Tomball, TX 4. Downtown East (Houston, TX)  650 Oats Rd., Houston, TX 5. Downtown Central (Houston, TX)  1400 Travis St., Houston, TX

Type of floodplainStudent-created explanation of floodplain Locations of floodplain inExplanation of potential flooding Valley Floodplain Valley floodplain has a creek in the middle for water to run down to. Northwest in Harris County Flooding can be very deep and usually extends for a few days. Major River Floodplain Houses are on stilts. The river slowly rises, while houses are above the water line. Along the San Jacinto river The floodplain is large, deep, and flooding conditions may sometimes last a week or more. Shallow Floodplain There is a low point. The houses are equally level Throughout most of the county When the channel capacity is exceded, flooding begins, but usually lasts hours, rather than days. Coastal Floodplain Structures are near the coast. Unusually high tides or hurricane surges can flood low- lying structures. Along the Gulf Coast Water comes in from hurricane surges or high tides. Ground subsidence can result in frequent and severe coastal flooding. Fifth Flooding ScenarioWater overloads in sewers and ditches and they can’t absorb any more water. Water begins to collect in the streets. AnywhereWater overfloods into the streets.

Floodplain question: What is the strongest flood and what is the weakest? Answer: 500 year floods are the strongest. 100 year floods are in the middle. 10 year floods are the weakest of the three. Worst Floodplain Scenario The worst floodplain is the coastal floodplain. In a scenario of a hurricane coming, giant storm surges and high winds at their highest strength hitting Orso University would cause major damages to the campus, costing very much to repair and endangering all students and staff. Also, repairs and cleanup would take a lot of time, preventing students from attending school. Floodplains – From Best to Worst 1.Shallow floodplain – Requires the shortest time to recover. Flooding lasts only a few hours, school wouldn’t be affected very much 2.Valley floodplain – Flooding lasts a few days. 3.Major River floodplain – Flooding usually lasts for a week 4.Coastal floodplain – Major damage can be done if a hurricane hits.

LocationType of floodplainWatershedFlooding Threat Level Bayside (La Porte, TX)  Bay Area Blvd., Houston, TX 500 year floodplain Clear Creek F NE Houston (Huffman, TX)  FM 1960, Huffman, TX 100 year floodplain Cedar Bayou C W. Tomball (Tomball, TX)  Liberty Ln., Tomball, TX Area of lowest riskSpring Creek B Downtown East (Houston, TX)  650 Oats Rd., Houston, TX 100 year floodplain Hunting Bayou C Downtown Central (Houston, TX)  1400 Travis St., Houston, TX Area of lowest risk Buffalo Bayou A

LocationCategory of hurricane that would require an evacuation Storm surge height that would flood the campus Hurricane Threat Level Bayside (La Porte, TX)  Bay Area Blvd., Houston, TX Category 3 and above22.4 Feet D NE Houston (Huffman, TX)  FM 1960, Huffman, TX NoneNot affected by storm surge A W. Tomball (Tomball, TX)  Liberty Ln., Tomball, TX NoneNot affected by storm surge A Downtown East (Houston, TX)  650 Oats Rd., Houston, TX Category 5 and aboveNot affected by storm surge B Downtown Central (Houston, TX)  1400 Travis St., Houston, TX NoneNot affected by storm surge A Storm Surge Questions: What is storm surge? A storm surge is a large dome of water, often miles that sweeps across the coastline when the hurricane makes landfall. Why is storm surge such a huge problem in the Gulf of Mexico instead of places like the Atlantic Ocean? The water on the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico is shallower, making the storm surge stronger. What are three causes of storm surge? Areas of high and low pressure Waves Current actions associated with the tide What makes storm surge so devastating? It sweeps everything in its path away.

LocationFaults Nearby (High, Medium, Low)Projected Repair Costs Bayside (La Porte, TX)  Bay Area Blvd., Houston, TX High (Magnolia Fault, Ship Channel Fault, Battleground Fault, Fault) $2,000 per year NE Houston (Huffman, TX)  FM 1960, Huffman, TX Low (one)$500 per year W. Tomball (Tomball, TX)  Liberty Ln., Tomball, TX Low (None)$100 per year Downtown East (Houston, TX)  650 Oats Rd., Houston, TX High ( Fault, Pecore Fault, Fault, Magnolia Fault, Ship Channel Fault, Battleground Fault) $5,000 per year Downtown Central (Houston, TX)  1400 Travis St., Houston, TX Medium ( Fault, Pecore Fault, Fault, Magnolia Fault) $1,000 per year

Fault Questions Use this link for the questions below. The images included on the map are examples of which kind of weathering? Physical weathering How far are Harris County’s faults moving per year? 0.2 – 0.8 inches a year. How would faults and weathering impact your University? Cracks would appear, foundation of the university would be damaged, safety hazards may arise. Problems that can be caused by faults are property damage, foundation instability, safety hazards, unattractive cracks, cracks that can be widened with physical weathering. Ranking (Best to Worst : 1.W. Tomball – No faults, very little maintenance needed for fault repairs, Orso University would last the longest here. 2.NE Houston – One small fault. Damages are not very severe 3.Downtown Central – Several faults. Damages can build up. 4. Bayside – High number of faults. Damage repair costs are estimated to be high. 5.Downtown East – Most amount of faults. Damage repairs will be very high.

Layers to be Added to Crime Map Amount of law-enforcement in an area Date and time of previous crimes Closest facility for medical treatment LocationTotal # of Rapes Total # of Murders Crime Level Bayside (La Porte, TX)  Bay Area Blvd., Houston, TX 00None NE Houston (Huffman, TX)  FM 1960, Huffman, TX 00None W. Tomball (Tomball, TX)  Liberty Ln., Tomball, TX 00None Downtown East (Houston, TX)  650 Oats Rd., Houston, TX 7 5 High Downtown Central (Houston, TX)  1400 Travis St., Houston, TX 6 6 High How can this be used? Crime data can be used to analyze the risks of normal activities. If the crime level is high, there is a higher chance that students will be attacked, therefore making the school look bad and preventing future college students from attending Orso University.

LocationLand Price (per acre) Option 1: Bayside$27,000 Option 2:$12,000 Option 3:$40,000 Option 4: Downtown East$50,000 Option 5: Downtown Central$6,850,000 How can this be used? This information can be used to determine how big the school will be, and would affect the recruitment of students who wish to attend a big school or a small school. The land prices may also indirectly affect the tuition fees of student courses. If the land price is very high, the university may have to charge students more money for their classes to pay off the cost of the land.

Using information gathered from the crime analysis and the land price analysis, the Board of Directors must consider hiring security for the students around the campus. The cost of the security would be affected by the land price because more security would be needed to protect a larger area. The land price must be considered also because if the land is too expensive, there may be no money left to actually build the university. So, using this information, they must also consider ways of generating income to pay off the costs of security, land, labor, construction, and all other factors needed.

Other sources of informationExplanation of how the source would be beneficial Location that would likely benefit the most from your source Location that would likely benefit the least from your source. Network of roads, highways, and pathways A low amount of roads could result in more car accidents, traffic jams, and a more dangerous environment for students. More roads also mean that students have more ways of travelling home to visit their family. Downtown Central (Houston, TX)  1400 Travis St., Houston, TX W. Tomball (Tomball, TX)  Liberty Ln., Tomball, TX Germs, diseases, and sickness in the area Telling students of illnesses n the area allows them to know what they are getting into and allows them to have time to get vaccines before they leave for college. Locations far from bodies of water will not have to deal with this as mosquitoes, who usually carry the most diseases, are mainly near bodies of water. W. Tomball (Tomball, TX)  Liberty Ln., Tomball, TX Bayside (La Porte, TX)  Bay Area Blvd., Houston, TX Amount of housing complexes in the area divided by student population Students must consider where they will live during the school year. If there are not many housing complexes but a very high student population, housing would cost a fortune and drive students away because of their financial status. These housing complexes also must be in a walking range of Orso University. Downtown Central (Houston, TX)  1400 Travis St., Houston, TX W. Tomball (Tomball, TX)  Liberty Ln., Tomball, TX

Data Sets - Floodplains - Watersheds - Fault data and mechanical weathering - Hurricane storm surge and potential damage - Land prices - Crime data Which data set is the most important in building Orso University? Crime data is the most important because the safety of students has a huge impact on the reputation of the school. Students would not go to Orso University if there was a large crime rate and students are attacked frequently. Also, loss of life cannot be reversed. The other data sets can be fixed by paying for repairs. Hurricanes and floods can be avoided, although some students may choose not to and may end up being injured. Ranking of Data Sets (Significant to Non-Significant) 1.Crime data – Affects the school’s reputation, safety, and mainly affects the student’s decision 2.Hurricane storm surge and potential damage – Can harm students, also highly important 3.Fault data and mechanical weathering – Faults and mechanical weathering can cause serious damage to the university’s foundation. Constant repairs would be a hassle, costly, and might sometimes not be able to happen. 4.Floodplains- The type of floodplain can affect everyone. It could be able to flood areas that would delay school, damage students’ and the university’s property. 5.Watersheds- Watersheds are used to store excessive water, but are not that important. The worst scenario with watersheds is that they will overflow into the streets. It isn’t as severe as hurricanes or storm surges. 6.Land prices – The price for the land is not very important. It is a one-time cost that can be repaid later in the future.

Crime Data – Further Analysis AddressZip Code Types of Crimes and Number of Incidents (from last month, July 2008) Bayside (La Porte, TX)  Bay Area Blvd., Houston, TX Burglary Of A Motor Vehicle (11 crimes) Auto Theft (4 crimes) Driving While Intoxicated (3 crimes) Burglary (1 crime) NE Houston (Huffman, TX)  FM 1960, Huffman, TX Aggravated Assault (4 crimes) Burglary (4 crimes) W. Tomball (Tomball, TX)  Liberty Ln., Tomball, TX None Downtown East (Houston, TX)  650 Oats Rd., Houston, TX Burglary (36 crimes) Narcotic Drug Laws (34 crimes) Aggravated Assault (26 crimes) Auto Theft (19 crimes) Robbery (14 crimes) Burglary Of A Motor Vehicle (11 crimes) Driving While Intoxicated (5 crimes) Murder & Nonnegligent Manslaughter (1 crimes) Forcible Rape (1 crime) Downtown Central (Houston, TX)  1400 Travis St., Houston, TX Burglary Of A Motor Vehicle (34 crimes) Narcotic Drug Laws (27 crimes) Robbery (17 crimes) Aggravated Assault (13 crimes) Auto Theft (10 crimes) Burglary (10 crimes) Driving While Intoxicated (8 crimes) Forcible Rape (1 crimes

Applying the Decision The area most suited for Orso University is the location at West Tomball. The flooding data showed that it wouldn’t be very severe if it did flood. The hurricane data showed that West Tomball would not even be touched by a hurricane. The fault data showed that there were no faults nearby, meaning no repairs would be needed and the foundation of Orso University would be stable. The crime data and the crime data in detail both show that West Tomball would be the best spot, with zero crimes. Lastly, the land prices are mediumly priced, in the middle of all five locations.

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