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abstract: Over the last two decades programs and mandates to encourage and foster sustainable urban development have arisen throughout the world, as cities have emerged as key opportunity sites for sustainable development due to the compactness and localization of services and resources. In order to recognize this potential, scholars and practitioners have turned to the practice of visioning as a way to motivate actions and decision making toward a sustainable future. A "vision" is defined as desirable state in the future and scholars believe that the creation of a shared, motivational vision is the best starting point to catalyze positive and sustainable change. However, recent studies on city visions indicate that they do not offer substantive sustainability content, and methods or processes to evaluate the sustainability content of the resulting vision (sustainability appraisal or assessment) are often absent from the visioning process. Thus, this paper explores methods for sustainability appraisal and their potential contributions to (and in) visioning. The goal is to uncover the elements of a robust sustainability appraisal and integrate them into the visioning process. I propose an integrated sustainability appraisal procedure based on sustainability criteria, indicators, and targets as part of a visioning methodology that was developed by a team of researchers at Arizona State University (ASU) of which I was a part. I demonstrate the applicability of the appraisal method in a case study of visioning in Phoenix, Arizona. The proposed method allows for early and frequent consideration and evaluation of sustainability objectives for urban development throughout the visioning process and will result in more sustainability-oriented visions. Further, it can allow for better measurement and monitoring of progress towards sustainability goals, which can make the goals more tangible and lead to more accountability for making progress towards the development of more sustainable cities in the future. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Sustainability 2013

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Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Jason Brody / This report evaluates the success of the Green Light for Midtown in New York in order to understand the factors that led to its success and thereby determine how social spaces can be created along streets and the initiatives that can be taken by other cities to create such spaces. It begins with a review of historical trends of urbanization that shifted the focus on streets from open spaces to transportation networks. The report attempts to answer a two-fold research question. Firstly, the Green Light for Midtown project in New York that attempted to reinvent the public space on Broadway and Times Square is evaluated in depth to examine the design elements that resulted in a thriving public space. This is done with the help of documents produced by the city and the concerned organizations as well as interviews with the officials in charge of the project. Analysis of the Green Light for Midtown illustrates certain elements that are essential for the design of social spaces along streets and bring the focus back on the pedestrians. Through the second part of the research question, the report attempts to determine the lessons that can be learnt from the New York example. The study reveals certain key elements for the creation of successful public spaces along streets in urban areas. The primary element is to have a political will that enable these changes to take place in the public realm. In addition, the area should be able to maintain a competitive edge in order to attract people and keep them coming back to the area. Finally, the regulations should be made more specific to the context of the area so that the identity of the place can be maintained effectively.

<p> Forests are essential to the livelihoods of billions of people worldwide. In addition to furnishing valuable resources for both subsistence and commercial uses, they provide critical environmental services, including soil conservation, water supply, recreational opportunities, biodiversity preservation, and carbon sequestration and storage. A new market-based paradigm for forest conservation based on payments for ecosystem services (PES) has emerged alongside state-led and community-based models. Various PES schemes have been introduced in order to harness the potential of regional and global markets to provide financial incentives to communities, private landowners and governments to protect and plant forests.</p><p> This doctoral dissertation examines the impacts of two international market-based responses to the pressing global environmental problems of deforestation and climate change&mdash;sustainable forest management certification and forest carbon trading (REDD+)&mdash;on the governance and wellbeing of the forests and communities that rely on them. Are these market-based conservation schemes compatible with local forest management priorities and needs? Do they exacerbate or alleviate existing governance issues and inequities? Do they promote inclusive and deliberative policymaking processes? In other words, can they fit into national and local contexts in ways that reinforce effective decentralized forest governance, especially the autonomy, rights, and livelihoods of forest communities? Focusing on Nepal, a country with a strong tradition of community-based forest management, this research probes these questions using two complementary empirical cases: (1) a study of SFM certification and REDD+ projects in Dolakha District; and (2) an assessment of national policymaking processes for REDD+. This facilitates an assessment of the implications of these globalized PES schemes for the future of decentralized forest governance in Nepal and other countries with community forestry initiatives.</p>

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<p> By the year 2050, about three quarters of the world&rsquo;s population will live in cities. Most cities are developed by state or federal governments; however, some cities are developed for the purpose of private interests that plan the city. While the concept of private companies planning and sometimes even owning cities is not a new development, there seems to currently be a rise in this trend, with communication corporations such as IBM, Google, Intel, and Cisco now taking advantage of this growing market. </p><p> Known as &ldquo;smart&rdquo; or &ldquo;wired&rdquo; cities, this new privatized way of planning communities allows major communication corporations to play an important role in shaping the future of our communities. Google, IBM, and Intel are all playing a role in planning the future of Portland, Oregon. By analyzing documents such as planning ordinances, financial reports, and government transcripts, as well as conducting interviews with city planners and corporate employees, this study found that many of the &ldquo;smart&rdquo; city efforts being undertaken by these communication corporations are intimately tied to their efforts to bring the Internet of Things (IoT) to fruition. Ultimately, the main goal of these efforts is to utilize urban communication technologies (UCTs) to gather data about community members by tracking their activities. In this emerging personal data economy, identities are the main commodity being fetishized.</p>

<p> This study defines and determines the characteristics of super pedestrian trips in Washington, D.C. Super pedestrian trips are defined here as trips greater than the third quartile distance based on data from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) Household Travel Survey 2010/2011. In this case, super pedestrian trips are quantified as greater than 0.6 miles; super pedestrians are those completing the trip. A trip is defined as one complete segment of travel (i.e., walking directly from home to the office). Using data from the MWCOG Household Travel Survey 2010/2011, this study determines who makes super pedestrian trips in Washington, D.C. and assesses their socio-demographic characteristics using a linear regression model. The results from the linear regression model show that super pedestrians are likely to be young, low-income, male minorities without driver&rsquo;s licenses or access to vehicles within the household. Pedestrians traveling the farthest distance may do so only out of necessity. The bulk of current planning and transportation literature focuses on the shortest pedestrian travel distances for trips typically less than one-quarter mile. However, pedestrians are walking greater distances and it is worth understanding from a planning and policy perspective the implications of these trips for livability and design of the urban environment. The core findings from this research contribute to the growing body of research on pedestrian behavior by illuminating the socio-demographic characteristics of those walking the farthest distances. </p>

<p> Previous policy studies have demonstrated that affordable housing residents who live in neighborhoods with racial and economic integration, community investment, and access to amenities are more likely to experience improved well-being. The Moving To Opportunity (MTO), Gautreaux, and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) programs have best practices to increase neighborhood opportunity at affordable housing sites. This thesis analyzes primary policy documents to compare national best practices with those presented by an advocacy report and a Housing Element for Long Beach, California. The potential outcomes of applying such best practices in Long Beach are compared using GIS. The study finds policies conflict and converge in both guidelines and spatial outcomes. Finally, modifiable area unit problems may affect demographic-based guidelines. More research on amenities quality and neighborhood integration is needed.</p>

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