As human populations increase, available land and resources decrease, and we begin to better understand the impacts of human activity on the environment, a strategy for human development that meets both the needs of society and the environment is being increasingly called upon. This movement has come to be known as sustainability. While this term is prevalent in the design and planning communities, it is important that this concept be brought to the attention of the general public, whom will ultimately decide the success or failure of this scheme. The question then is how to begin implementation of sustainable practices, as well as how to inform the largest segments of the population about the need to do so. The main objective of this thesis is to demonstrate that environmental taxes have the ability to begin the transition to a more sustainable society, both by addressing the goals of sustainability, and by increasing public awareness. Research gathered from this investigation is used to determine five goals of sustainability, and six results of environmental taxation. By demonstrating that the results of environmental taxation can be directly related to the goals of sustainability, it is possible to show that environmental taxes have the capacity to bring about many of the changes necessary in achieving a more sustainable society. The ability of environmental taxes and tax shifting to promote eco-efficiency, improve environmental quality, generate revenue, bring about educational and behavioral change, create new jobs and industries, and stimulate innovation suggest that these measures may be one means of achieving a more sustainable society. This is based on the fact that many of the results of environmental taxes can be applied to more than one of the goals of sustainability, which are the conservation of natural resources, the maintenance of diversity, distributional equity, public participation, and education. This paper does not profess to be the only answer, it is simply one possible solution to a problem that we face today, and will continue to face in growing proportions if nothing is done to address the problem.

A Proposal for a SPARK Park Site Selection Process in East Baton Rouge Parish is the topic of this study to assist Parish schools and local governmental agencies in creating community parks. The SPARK Park program uses underutilized municipal properties to create community-use parks in lower-income urban areas. SPARK Parks originated in Houston, Texas. The Houston SPARK Park process was adapted for developing a site selection process for East Baton Rouge Parish. East Baton Rouge Parish dedicated their first SPARK Park in 2000. The park was built in an attempt to reduce the Parishs open space deficit. Many more parks are needed for any significant reduction of the deficit. A prioritization process of need for park development is required since most Parish communities qualify as SPARK Park candidates. The proposed site selection process will expedite the park acquisition process and objectively locate those sites of greatest need for park development in the Parish. An easy-to-use checklist and a site selection prioritization map are the two tools created for the proposed site selection process. They were designed to involve a school and the surrounding community early in the park development process, save vital resources of local agencies so several parks can be built simultaneously, and be a model for similar park initiatives, other agencies, and school grant writing.

Natural landscapes, formed by eons of plant succession, are changing or disappearing as a result of rapid urban development and industrial growth. In addition, the human population explosion pressures are being applied to alter the urban/wildland interface in the United States and throughout the world. Many of Louisiana wetlands are subjected to these pressures and have caused change and loss in forested wetland areas. Most of the Mississippi River Delta consists of wetlands in a state of transition to either open water or degraded hardwood forest due to the effects of several key factors. Being a native of south Louisiana, I have witnessed the changes occurring across south Louisiana and the efforts to restore and preserve valuable wetland areas. As landscape architects we must work with biologists and ecologists to restore, protect, and preserve the delicate balance of wetlands present in todays changing landscapes. The causes of wetland loss are both natural and anthropogenic. Many wetlands in south Louisiana are being lost due to coastal erosion, particularly in the Barataria-Terrebonne Estuary, due to saltwater intrusion, and in the Atchafalaya Basin due to sediment impoundment. Both areas were dramatically altered around the beginning of the 20th century. Because of the value of the unique landscapes of the Atchafalaya Basin, efforts are being made to keep it Wet and Wild, to preserve it for generations to come. Part of the efforts to preserve this natural landscape should incorporate ways to inform the public of its value, its biodiversity, its delicate ecosystem, and hydrological requirements. As restoration projects are developed, it is important to educate the stakeholders to the likelihood of sustainability. How can we facilitate the presence of new and informed constituents for the next 10 years, 30 years, and 50 years? This thesis focuses on developing recreational landscapes within recreational areas of the Atchafalaya Basin that will serve as outdoor classrooms, or learning landscapes, to the visitor and, particularly, the young naturalist. The young naturalists, through education, will recognize the value of this unique landscape and continue support efforts to preserve it.

The property owns by Grand Idle Port of Commission with its unique combination of coastal and wetland landscape, the richness of environment and the susceptibility to hurricanes give opportunities as well as limitations in developing the site. A respond to this fragile but rich environment is a sustainable planning and design that balances the site programs and environment sensitivity. An ecologically, socially, economically, and aesthetically sound will provides an opportunity to achieve the optimal uses of the natural resources while maintaining the environment sustainability. The master plan of Port of Grand Isle addresses the clients programs expectation and enhances the programs to obtain an optimum use of the site potentials. Four major programs that vary from research to non-research are applied to promote the property as a demonstration site of sustainable environment planning. The master plan that consist of a marine research center, a commercial marina, a coastal plants nursery, and a wetland center has addressed ecological, social, aesthetical aspects and yet economically benefit the local community. The result shows compromises between human needs and an appreciation to the environment and natural resources as part of human life that need to be protected.

This thesis explores therapeutic garden design and its role in landscape architecture. It also conducts a post occupancy evaluation (POE) for an existing therapeutic landscape. The St. Michael Health Care Center campus, Texarkana, Texas, is a Sisters of Charity institution and was designed and built in 1994 as a healing environment for patients, staff, and visitors. In this thesis, A POE was conducted to determine (1) user-perceptions and utilization of the campus, (2) whether the campus reduces stress and fosters restoration, and (3) any barriers or constraints to use of the campus. Results from visual analysis, behavioral observations, and survey questionnaires indicated a number of benefits of the campus. The campus was perceived as a place of stress reduction and restoration. However, there was a lack of knowledge of the history behind the design and the healing benefits of the campus, and some areas were not utilized as often or as effectively as intended. Interviewees recommended changes for the campus, such as the inclusion of more flowers and greenery, and more raised beds for outdoor therapy. In addition, certain areas required more maintenance. Based on the findings, recommendations for improvement were made. These findings can subsequently be used to inform guidelines for the design of future Sisters of Charity institutions, as well as other exterior hospital environments. By adding to a body of research, this evaluation provides a service to all of those involved in the design of healthcare facilities such as owners, users, medical planners, architects, interior designers, artists, and landscape architects.

As the human population has increased, the consumption of natural resources has become a serious problem for our society. With the possibilities of severe oil shortages, there is a growing need to promote a society which better suits the requirements of pedestrians. At the same time, there is a big push for urban redevelopments to rebuild a strong city center in the United States. It is important that these new redevelopments take into account the changing needs of our society by providing a good pedestrian environment. The main objective of this thesis is to illustrate the fundamental elements that must exist to support a pedestrian friendly environment in downtown areas, to determine the potential and potential problems facing downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and to offer suggestions on how to further bolster these plans in its effort to establish a healthy pedestrian downtown. By analyzing the two selected case studies of Portland and New Orleans, three fundamental components, consisting of eleven criteria were established. These criteria were; Enhancement of the Retail Core, Promotion of Mixed-use Developments and Ground Level Retail, Provision of Restaurants and Bars, Promotion of Cultural and Entertainment Uses Through Public Events and Festivals, and Provision of Downtown Housing Opportunities. All components should work together to provide a diversity of downtown uses thereby generating the critical mass necessary to support a healthy pedestrian environment; Provision of Public Transit Systems, Establishment of Central Transportation Hub, and Enhancement of Sufficient Parking Facilities, should work to ensure accessibility to downtown and to create an environment that is compatible with pedestrians; and Size of the Downtown Area, Size of the City Blocks, and Other Elements Serving to Create a Sense of Human Scale, will condition peoples perception of downtown thereby prompting people to walk. Through analysis of downtown Baton Rouge, many positive aspects were revealed, and the study concluded that downtown Baton Rouge can achieve its goal of a pedestrian friendly downtown. Recommendations stress the urgent need for the improvement of downtown accessibility. Several improvements and enhancements that can further promote the pedestrian friendly environment in downtown Baton Rouge were included.

This biographical study of the development of Marge Yates Jenkins into Louisiana's pre-eminent plantswoman examines the issues of culture and regional history, particularly the history of the horticultural industry in Louisiana. It traces how a self-taught botanist overcame the obstacles of gender and post-war depression to become an innovator in the nursery business, experimenting with native plants of the Southeast, as well as exotics imported from as far away as New Zealand. Her experiments and the plants that she introduced to the trade would eventually change the selection of plants used in the landscape industry in the Gulf Coast region. The thesis relies primarily on the method of oral history to document Jenkins' life story and her impact on the professions of ornamental horticulture and landscape architecture. Her family history with its agricultural roots serves as a backdrop for her eventual entry into the field of horticulture. The thesis covers the development of horticulture in Louisiana from 1962 to 2004, and explains how Jenkins' work gradually changed the way plants were viewed and used in the landscape industries. Particular emphasis is placed on Jenkins' success as a plant propagator and on her introduction of new varieties of azaleas into commerce. Finally, Jenkins' generous and open spirit is described as an important factor in her being able to bridge the gap between the nursery and horticulture industry, and landscape architecture theory and practice. The thesis calls upon these two aspects of landscape practice to embrace the model that Jenkins espouses in order to create landscape design that possesses the best of both the worlds of plants and design theory.

Few studies on presentation methods in the profession of landscape architecture have been done in the past, because evaluating presentations raises primarily subjective issues. Today, interactive multimedia presentations offer an excellent opportunity to investigate the presentation methods employed by landscape architects, gCan new communication technologies help to enhance the communication between the presenter and his audience?h This is the fundamental question addressed in this thesis. It explores interactive multimedia presentations to see their potentials, and considers ways to integrate various multimedia as presentation methods for future landscape architectural presentations. The main terms, interactivity and multimedia, are explained to understand the features of interactive multimedia presentations. Conventions of traditional presentations and historical aspects are overviewed to deepen the meanings of presentation methods. An interactive multimedia presentation is actually produced to explore how multimedia can be effective tools and to document how the interactive multimedia presentations are produced. It used to be very difficult to represent the transitions between spaces in traditional paper board presentations; however, interactive multimedia presentations make it possible to visualize the transitions and relationship between the designed spaces three-dimensionally. Landscape architects today should make the most use of various media and utilize the new computer communication technologies to enhance their presentations. 3D modeling process greatly helps designers check and reevaluate their proposed designs as well. In fact, interactive multimedia presentations are useful not only for the presentations but also for total professional communication and educational purposes.

The Atchafalaya Basin in the Southern United States is a cultural, environmental, historical and natural land region of such universal importance, designation as a World Heritage Site is appropriate. This thesis provides a justification for this designation through compliance with cultural and natural criteria detailed in the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage of 1972. The treaty, also known as the World Heritage Convention (WHC) promotes natural and cultural landscape preservation on an international level. This thesis lists the cultural and natural arguments for nominating the Atchafalaya Basin to the World Heritage Site list. <p> National, regional and local heritage preservation movements have a strong foundation of support from landscape architects and planners. The environmental science community has an equally dedicated base working on behalf of the natural preservation movement. In recent years, the two studies have commingled their efforts to preserve the great cultural and natural landscapes of the world. The resulting preservation of culture and nature provides protection for the world's most biologically diverse ecosystems and geomorphic phenomena while recognizing man's historic and physical influence upon the land.

The purpose of thesis is to provide a preliminary history of Middlegate Japanese Gardens and to make public their significance as an example of the landscape architecture that was typical during the Country Place Era, and their significance within the community of Pass Christian and the City of New Orleans. As it now stands the story of Middlegate Japanese Gardens is not known in its own neighborhood. Between 1923 and 1929 New Orleans residents Rudolf Hecht and Lynne Watkins Hecht developed Middlegate Japanese Gardens at their summer home in Pass Christian, Mississippi. The Hechts built Middlegate Japanese gardens to perpetuate their pleasant memories of their travels in Japan. In 1979 the Middlegate residence and gardens were listed as contributing element, number 88 in the Scenic Drive Historic District and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Since 1923 when the Hechts established them, Middlegate Japanese Gardens have been private, residential gardens. Although the heirs subdivided the property in 1962, the family still owns the gardens. Middlegate Japanese Gardens are furnished with Japanese antiquities that the Hechts collected in Japan between 1900 and 1929. Little documentation exists for the garden objects. Three garden statues were listed in the estate of Dorothy Cooper, a bronze Buddha and two bronze warriors. In his book, Around the Face of the Globe, Rudolf Hecht gave the origin of the Buddha as the Gardens of the Daibutsu in Kamakura Japan. One of the highlights of the garden is a large concrete swimming pool designed to look like a natural lagoon. A waterfall fed by an artesian well fills the pool and water overflows into a little river that meanders through the garden. Teahouses sit on top of hills that were created by fill from the pool. New Orleans Architect Rathbone DeBuys, designed the Japanese style buildings in the garden. Mississippi craftsmen used local building methods and local materials to construct the teahouses, guest house and pool house. Blue barrel tiles that cover the roofs of the Japanese style buildings are designed with an end cap for an embossed image. There is no documentation of the gardens history. No archives exist for Rudolf or Lynne Watkins Hecht. The thesis details the methods used to find existing information on Middlegate Japanese Gardens and its founders Rudolf Hecht and Lynne Watkins Hecht. It places the gardens in the context of the national movements in landscape architecture, showing how they were influenced by the ideas of their time.