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Infrastructure plays an instrumental role in the shaping of the landscape across many scales and is a critical human component within the landscape, yet these systems have tended to ignore the function of appearance and aesthetics in their design. Consequently, the relationship between our infrastructure, the environment, and us has become increasingly opaque. The majority of the vast infrastructure systems that weave throughout the landscape promote a mono-functional agenda which is relegated to the background of our everyday experiences. By investigating the traditional methods of designing infrastructure, we can begin to understand how to integrate aesthetics into the design of infrastructure. This is explored through one of the largest infrastructure systems in the United States; flood control. Flood control infrastructure in is an extensive system that has formed a protective barrier between human and natural processes for over 200 years. Its largest component, the levee, is an elegantly simple structure that contains many layers of significant cultural and historic aesthetic narratives. This thesis focuses on the levee as an infrastructure that mediates between natural processes and human development and studies how it can perform aesthetically to convey new meaning and value. What is the potential of the levee to become expressive in our lives, and be designed in such a way to move us? This new infrastructural paradigm explores the implications of utilizing aesthetics as an expressive and significant function of levee design that can inform and inspire the public and define a new dialogue between man, nature, and technology. / Master of Landscape Architecture

"Creative Thinking about the future requires tension -- the tension of holding both the need and the possible in our awareness at the same time." Milenko Matanovic Constructing concrete open channels can provide a quick, efficient solution to help prevent an area from flash floods and water accumulation. However, such a solution does not take into consideration the increased land needs for housing and public open spaces, in addition to missing the opportunity for benefitting from rainwater and reusing the municipal water of cities in greening sustainable stormwater channels. The United Nations (2014) reported that 54% of the world's population is living in urban areas, and it is predicted to increase to 66% by 2050. Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia already struggles from both lack of open spaces while consuming spaces in constructing concrete open channels, only made worse by the rapid growth of population and urbanism. Although the rate of precipitation in arid regions is low, studies and evidence show that even in arid regions turning the majority of urban areas into impervious surfaces is restrictive and the result of doing so is devastating. This thesis aims to find an environmental alternative solution for an open drainage channel designed to function as a stormwater management facility as well as a central green finger for Jeddah City. It will take into consideration international and regional precedent design and future development of green channel case studies, to provide efficient design recommendations to planners and designers, who aim to redevelop constructed or proposed stormwater channels using sustainable green infrastructure practices to improve a city's livability. / Master of Landscape Architecture

Living shorelines and other nature-based solutions have become more widely accepted as a cost-effective, multi-functional, and sustainable approach to coastal resilience. However, in spite of growing stakeholder support, a planning-level understanding of the hydrodynamic impact of living shorelines is not well-developed. Not only do these features vary in size, shape, and structural characteristics, but the wave environment in which they exist can be quiescent or extreme. The work presented in this paper explores the hydrodynamic effects of living shoreline features in such a way that can be generalized across a range of varying physical environments. In a series of Simulation WAves Nearshore (SWAN) simulations, we investigate the effect of wave period, wave height, bed slope, living shoreline feature length in the cross-shore direction, and feature friction coefficient on wave attenuation. Results showed that higher wave period, higher wave height, milder slopes, longer feature lengths, and higher feature roughness largely correlated with higher wave attenuation. However, only on mild slopes did additional feature lengths result in appreciable additional attenuation. Characteristic lengths were thus computed to better illustrate the cost-effectiveness of additional feature lengths given a particular wave environment. These characteristic lengths provide one way to evaluate the hydraulic efficacy of proposed living shoreline projects. In this way, regardless of the particularities of individual project sites, we aim to help planners screen potential living shoreline projects before pursuing more detailed, costly analyses. / Master of Science / Living shorelines and other nature-based solutions have become more widely accepted as a cost-effective, multi-functional, and sustainable approach to coastal resilience. However, in spite of growing stakeholder support, a planning-level understanding of the hydrodynamic impact of living shorelines is not well-developed. Not only do these features vary in size, shape, and structural characteristics, but the wave environment in which they exist can be quiescent or extreme. The work presented in this paper explores the hydrodynamic effects of living shoreline features in such a way that can be generalized across a range of varying physical environments. In a series of Simulation WAves Nearshore (SWAN) simulations, we investigate the effect of wave period, wave height, bed slope, living shoreline feature length in the cross-shore direction, and feature friction coefficient on wave attenuation. Results showed that higher wave period, higher wave height, milder slopes, longer feature lengths, and higher feature roughness largely correlated with higher wave attenuation. However, only on mild slopes did additional feature lengths result in appreciable additional attenuation. Characteristic lengths were thus computed to better illustrate the cost-effectiveness of additional feature lengths given a particular wave environment. These characteristic lengths provide one way to evaluate the hydraulic efficacy of proposed living shoreline projects. In this way, regardless of the particularities of individual project sites, we aim to help planners screen potential living shoreline projects before pursuing more detailed, costly analyses.

As urban land expands across the globe and impervious surfaces continue to be used for constructing urban infrastructure, stormwater treatment costs and environmental damage from untreated stormwater will rise. Well designed urban landscapes can employ trees and soils to reduce stormwater runoff flowing to streams and treatment facilities. Typical urban soil, however, is compacted and restricts tree growth via high soil strength and inadequate gas exchange. A site preparation method that deeply incorporates compost and includes trees for long term carbon input and pore development was evaluated in the urban setting of Arlington, Virginia. Three species were used in that study of 25 streetside plantings. The site preparation affected soil at 15 30 cm by lowering soil bulk density by 13.3%, and increasing macro-aggregate-associated carbon by 151% compared to control plots, and resulted in 77% greater tree growth during the first year after transplant. In a second experiment, rainfall simulations were used to evaluate common landscape mulch materials for their ability to prevent compaction from traffic as well their affect on surface runoff before and after traffic. When plots were subjected to heavy rainfall, (>97 mm/h) mulches were found to reduce sediment loss 82% and 73% before and after traffic, respectively. Runoff rates from wood chips were only 0.19 ml/s faster after traffic while rates from bare soil and marble gravel with geotextile increased 2.28 and 2.56 ml/s, respectively. Management of soils, trees and landscapes for stormwater benefit could reduce cost of wastewater treatment for municipalities and can prevent environmental degradation. / Master of Science

One of today’s most important public health issues is inferior air quality which causes many years of healthy life lost due to disability primarily due to respiratory-, heart- and cardiovascular diseases. A major cause is vehicle emissions such as particles or nitrogen oxides. To protect both environment and people from being harmed there are environmental quality standards that every township must follow. The aim of this report is to investigate residents in Piteå’s attitudes and motivations, significant differences in willingness to change behavior and what Piteå municipality can do to influence their residents to make sustainable choices. This study’s data was collected through a survey distributed towards people with a motor vehicle in Piteå. The results show that the resident’s most important motivations to change their behavior are health benefits and their climate moral. The willingness to change is lower the further from the city the resident’s live and the study showed a significant difference between people living closer than 5 kilometers from the city center compared to people with 10 kilometers or more. The report also showed that Piteå community must work with different types of information sources and methods to make people change their behavior. In conclusion, many residents in Piteå are willing to change their behavior, however accessibility for public transportation needs to be improved. To increase motivation, Piteå municipality must work broadly with many methods.