Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Timothy D. Keane / The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), the world’s first ecotourism organization, coined what has become the most succinct definition of ecotourism: “Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the wellbeing of local people (Honey 2008, p. 6).” Ecolodges are accommodation facilities within ecotourism destinations which must satisfy specific principles, while reflecting the definition of ecotourism. Ecolodge principles include water conservation, preservation of flora and fauna, design to create a small footprint, and interpretive programs to educate both employees and tourists about the surrounding natural and cultural environments, to name just a few. (Mehta 2002, p. 5) Tropical locations, where ecolodges are often found, are comprised of unique ecosystems. With tropical locales, there are specific considerations that could determine the success of a proposed ecolodge development. As a designer, one must understand the biophysical characteristics on site, to inform design decisions of the ecolodge development. In addition, a designer must understand how the indigenous populations utilize the site culturally, physically and spiritually to fully understand the importance of the ecolodge development. (Mehta 2002, p. 12) When proper analysis of cultural and biophysical factors is completed, an ecolodge development is able to conform to the ecotourism definition and satisfy ecolodge principles. Within this manual, a hierarchical list of design principles, guidelines and criteria are communicated to achieve an overall design goal called fitness design. A “fit” design is intended to achieve sustainability and quality of life for the environment and the communities that have daily interaction with the development. As readers navigate through the document, they will be exposed to various considerations of a tropical ecolodge development. The intent of the manual is to provide a structural framework to guide an ecolodge design process.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Timothy D. Keane / Many small Midwestern towns established near a river thrived on industry and the transport of goods up and down the waterway. Unfortunately, industrial riverfronts that have acted as the heart of their communities have seen tremendous flux as time has progressed. In the past half century the economic activity of industrial riverfronts declined as more goods can be shipped via interstate highways and as factories are closed and relocated. These vacant factories leave behind contaminated brownfield sites which discourage reinvestment and promote greenfield development on a city’s periphery in agricultural lands. Citizens have turned their backs on a history and heritage from which the first cornerstones of their communities were laid. A void results as industry begins to fade from the riverfront and a town loses its connection to the river. Put simply, we have lost our riverfronts. The Riverfront Found Master Plan for Quincy, Illinois integrates the different uses of the riverfront, weaving together the existing industrial, recreational, and natural fabrics that line the Mississippi River. Design concepts strive to create a dynamic atmosphere to encourage a healthy lifestyle environment and destinations with year-round interest. Enjoyable and memorable experiences of Quincy’s riverfront encourage users to return as the negative community perceptions of the Mississippi River are reversed. Planning is inwardly focused to combat sprawl of the urban fabric. Decision-making remains sensitive to floodplain ecology and mindful of flood occurrence. Conservation is an important design response concerning riverfronts and requires understanding an intricate system regionally and locally. Education ties both conservation and site experience together as users remember how their city and culture are embedded in ecology. Three case studies identify key concepts to inform the project at later stages. A site inventory and analysis spanning three scales, regional, city, and site uncovers history and processes. The programming phase addresses proposed elements to address the concepts, ideas, and problems identified in previous steps. A final master plan presents the proposed program elements within context of the site to create a functional and dynamic riverfront for the citizens of Quincy.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Timothy D. Keane / Urbanization has lead to environmental degradation in most of the world’s great cities. With the degradation of natural systems comes a reliance on man-made and engineered systems to perform functions vital to cities such as water treatment, the filtering of pollutants, flood mitigation, temperature control, and erosion prevention; functions formerly performed by natural systems. Relying on man-made operations to perform essential services comes at a cost, both in terms of monetary costs and in the resources needed to construct and operate them. New Orleans is a prime example of a city that has greatly altered the ecosystems that formerly existed on the site and has had to rely on human engineering for its survival. Instead of the mosaic of freshwater marshes, wooded swamps, wet meadows, and bottomland forests that once comprised New Orleans and allowed for the diffusion, evaporation, and infiltration of floodwater; present day New Orleans has had to rely on a system of levees and pumps to keep the City dry. These pumps and levees have allowed New Orleans to expand and prosper but failures in the flood control system have also lead to great disasters, Hurricane Katrina and the related flood in 2004 being the latest. Implementing permaculture designs to New Orleans will buffer the City from the effects of hurricanes and flooding and decrease its reliance on city services. These permaculture designs recreate key elements of the natural systems that formerly existed in New Orleans and attempt to again create spaces in the City were stormwater can safely be detained without damaging property and that allow the stormwater to infiltrate into the soil. At the same time these permaculture designs would enhance the character and uniqueness that makes New Orleans one of the world’s great cities.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Melanie F. Klein / Greenways are an evolving landscape form, adapting to the needs of humans through time. Rooted in the work of Frederick Law Olmsted, greenways have progressed to become an international movement. Throughout this progression, three generations of greenways are recognizable—Generation 1: Parkways and Boulevards, Generation 2: Trail-Oriented Recreation, Generation 3: Multi-Objective (Searns 2002). Given the ideals of sustainability that drive our contemporary society, a fourth generation is poised to emerge. Responsive to sustainability, the fourth generation will be envisioned as a holistic system, structured within the frameworks of landscape ecology theory as developed by Richard Forman, and expanded with the progressive thinking of Jack Ahern and Kristina Hill. River North Greenway in Denver, Colorado is prime for transformation. Compromised by its industrial context, yet vitalized through the flow of the South Platte River and the infill development growing up the valley from Downtown Denver, River North will be re-defined as a holistic system. Utilizing the spatial pattern and process dynamics that define ecological theory (Forman 1996), abiotic, biotic, and cultural functions (Ahern 2007) will become the fundamental elements in strategizing the greenway as a multi-scalar dynamic mosaic (Hill 2005). River North Greenway will become a complexity of cultural activity and abiotic and biotic health, balancing programmed space with the enhancement and restoration of ecosystems. It will transform the City of Denver, enriching the connection between the city and its river, the people and nature. With its rich history and present potential, River North can become a timeless piece of Denver’s urban landscape, shaping meaningful human experiences and preserving nature within the built environment for future generations. In turn, it can propel the greenway movement towards a fourth generation.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Timothy D. Keane / All along the Gulf Coast, wetlands are disappearing due to saltwater intrusion from the draining of freshwater wetlands. Louisiana has about 40 percent of the coastal wetland in the lower 48 states but is currently losing approximately 24 square miles of wetlands a year (Louisiana Coastal 2009). Studies have shown that wetlands can help reduce the impact of a storm surge during a hurricane and have a cleansing ability from air to water. An increase in hurricane intensities due to climate change will likely result in bigger storm surges. Without wetlands to diffuse storm surges, disasters like Hurricane Katrina will recur. Cities spend millions of dollars on treating wastewater and stormwater with facilities and chemicals. Wetlands can treat wastewater through different processes without using chemicals, thus reducing costs and increasing sustainability. Bayou Bienvenue is a wetland located in New Orleans. This wetland was once a freshwater cypress swamp, but due to saltwater intrusion from the construction of Intracoastal Waterway and Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, has turned into a brackish lake. This wetland is separated from the Lower 9th Ward with a levee that creates a visual barrier which results in local residences not knowing that there is a former wetland behind the levee. Bayou Bienvenue’s Ecological Park’s discovery center with educational programs about successional wetland landscapes will educate people about the importance of wetlands to New Orleans. The restored of the bayou will be a landscape that functions as infrastructure through the treatment of stormwater and wastewater. The bayou will aid in reducing storm surge impacts, provide wildlife habitat, become part of schools’ curricula within the 9th Ward, stimulate the local economy and provide a community park for people to enjoy. Bayou Bienvenue’s Ecological Park will help spur further wetland projects of this caliber in and around New Orleans.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / William P. Winslow III / A 2009 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for Social & Demographic Trends found that people living in suburban areas are significantly more satisfied with their communities than are residents of cities, small towns, or rural areas. With almost 50 percent of Americans living in suburban areas, and not enough infill opportunities to accommodate future population growth, suburban development will likely continue to be a primary location for development (Berens 2010). As suburbia continues to develop there are two options: continue to use conventional suburban strategies or implement alternative suburban strategies. The city of Springville, Utah is currently experiencing suburban growth near a future transit station to the west of the downtown core. Since suburban sprawl has already begun in this area, the city has an opportunity to design for growth and become a positive example of suburban development in the region. What are the possibilities and impacts of using conventional suburban strategies versus alternative suburban methods? A 60-acre tract of land in west Springville, Utah is planned and designed for development. The first master plan is designed to demonstrate Conventional Suburban Development. The second plan is designed to demonstrate Alternative Suburban Development. A comparative analysis of the two master plans accompanies the designs to compare the two solutions. This method has been used by New Urbanists to illustrate the difference in their method of suburban development. This tract includes a future transit station, a major highway corridor, and nearby access to Interstate 15. Additionally, the tract is located approximately two miles from downtown Springville. The focus of this study is to provide the background and evidence that there are design alternatives which can contribute to the mending of suburban sprawl. In this project, city officials, planners, developers, business owners, and housing consumers are provided with an objective comparative analysis of conventional versus alternative methods of suburban development in the Wasatch Front Region of Utah. The analysis of the two design proposals provides valuable insight into the feasibility or desirability of key design principles contained in each design proposal. The study provides compelling evidence that alternative methods of community design and suburban development are to be considered to help the region achieve its long range planning goals set forth in the Envision Utah initiative.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Lee R. Skabelund / Universities play a key role in the progression of society. With increased releases of carbon into the atmosphere and the effect of carbon dioxide and related pollutants on air quality and climate, it is critical that universities reduce their carbon footprints. Alternative landscape architectural designs and management techniques, such as rain gardens, constructed wetlands, restored prairies, and woodlands can be implemented to mitigate carbon outputs. Infrastructural landscapes‐called “green infrastructure” for their ability to meet essential human needs using natural processes ‐ sequester carbon at high rates, improve storm water runoff quality, and reduce runoff volumes. Establishment of native and other appropriate green space networks on university campuses can provide rich settings for education, research, and infrastructural services while also promoting carbon neutrality—achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing carbon released to the atmosphere with an equivalent amount sequestered in vegetation or offset by investing in renewable energy sources. The large experiential landscapes associated with university campuses can operate simultaneously as alternative storm water and carbon mitigating landscapes. They likewise have the potential to restore critical ecological processes while reflecting many of the ecosystems associated with the eco‐region where each university resides. The educational aspect of universities will be enhanced through an interwoven landscape of green infrastructure networks and pedestrian corridors that engage and inform faculty, students, staff and visitors. Development of green infrastructure on university campuses can significantly reduce human impacts on the local environment. They can also increase environmental awareness and showcase responsible stewardship of the land and recourses. These landscapes have great potential to restore native ecosystems and/or historic landscapes habitats. In the right locations they can provide stable environments for various regionally important plant and animal species. Green infrastructure can also reduce short‐ and long‐term costs associated with creating, maintaining, and replacing traditional pipeto‐ pond storm water infrastructure. Increased carbon sequestered in infrastructural landscapes could likewise be a source of additional revenue for universities through the carbon trading market (assuming this market becomes active and remains productive in the U.S.), thus creating a return on investment in the overall green infrastructure system for a campus.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Melanie F. Klein / Non-profit organizations seeking to expand their facilities are often met with difficult challenges. Oftentimes, funds are spent maintaining the grounds and facilities of the organization, reserving little or no funds for future expansions, marketing, or emergencies. Instead, these organizations rely on volunteers and donors. Without the guidance of design professionals, expansions may be developed without the direction of a coherent master plan. Circulation networks may need to be reconfigured, and newly constructed buildings may relate poorly to one another and to existing amenities. Camp Wood is one camp facing these dilemmas. Located in the Flint Hills Region of Kansas, between Wichita and Topeka, Camp Wood is a YMCA organization and primarily functions as a summer youth camp for kids ages 7-17. It is the only camp in America located in the tallgrass prairie. The Flint Hills hold many ecological features that can be seen and experienced. There are also several man-made features that could be implemented to save energy, water, and other resources. With a coherent master plan, these natural and man-made features can help teach ecological concepts to campers. A master plan can organize vehicular and pedestrian networks to unify existing facilities and proposed future developments for Camp Wood. The proposed master plan for Camp Wood is largely guided by a set of desired experiences that each camper will experience during their stay at Camp Wood. There are multiple site factors that influence each of these experiences. Once the program is defined and the program needs are determined, the site factors can be used to determine the most suitable location for the desired program elements. An in-depth analysis for each program element guides each program element’s location and design, allowing for each of the desired experiences to be achieved.

La tesi analizza il lirismo melanconico di Gianni Celati nella sua produzione narrative e documentaristica che spazia in un arco di temporale che va dagli anni Ottanta ai giorni nostri. In queste opere, di ambientazione prevalentemente padana, l’autore utilizza, con notevole maestria, immagini e brevi impressioni altamente evocative, in modo tale da lasciar trasparire le proprie emozioni. Con questa operazione egli aspira a ridurre al minimo l’affiorare della propria soggettività come dimostra il largo impiego di dettagliate descrizioni, in cui abbondano simboli e metafore, riconducibili a oggetti, paesaggi e persone che sono oggetto della sua osservazione. Nel primo capitolo si mostra come, fin dalle prime fasi della sua carriera di scrittore e di studioso, Celati si serve della scrittura come strumento terapeutico, al fine di alleviare l’inquietudine con cui convive da sempre. Del resto, lo conferma la presenza nelle sue opere di modalità espressive tipiche del genere della caricatura. Nell’ambito di questo discorso si fa riferimento al pensiero del filosofo e psicanalista americano James Hillman, come, ad esempio, alla sua idea di poiesis relativa alla tendenza della nostra mente a produrre immagini come avviene nell’atto narrativo e avente su di noi analoghi effetti terapeutici. Alla luce di ciò, sono state esaminate alcune delle traduzioni poetiche compiute da Celati, mettendole in parallelo ad una selezione di sue poesie e racconti. Il secondo capitolo è volto ad indagare le modalità con cui Celati ha trattato il tema tradizionale del viaggio. Si mostra come i suoi vagabondaggi e quelli dei suoi personaggi non siano altro che una metafora della vana ricerca del senso da attribuire alla loro esistenza. Nella trattazione di questo aspetto la narrativa celatiana viene messa a confronto con l’arte di Alberto Giacometti e di Mario Sironi, che hanno trattato i temi della solitudine e dello smarrimento esistenziale. Analogo è il senso di desolazione che affiora dai documentari girati da Celati, servendosi delle immagini per svolgere un’indagine su come percepiamo il modo esterno. Tale approccio è riconducibile all’influsso che la fotografia del suo amico Luigi Ghirri ha esercitato sull’opera celatiana. Quest’ultimo si è a sua volta ispirato a quella di Cesare Zavattini, che costituisce un punto di riferimento fondamentale anche per Celati. Questo aspetto è stato approfondito nell’ultima sezione del secondo ed ultimo capitolo, incentrata sull’analisi del racconto “Non c’è più paradiso”, da cui emerge l’importanza che Celati, come Zavattini, attribuisce all’immaginazione e alla narrazione come componenti essenziali alla nostra esistenza.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Melanie F. Klein / In a nation of speedy and convenient technologies, the default pace of life has become “fast.” For many American cities, the primary mode of transportation is the private automobile. Daily life is conveniently seen through the car window: we drive to, drive-thru, and drive home. Auto-dependent growth patterns have evolved into sprawling networks of streets and low density, single land-use development. With few pedestrian amenities or destinations, long travel distances, and dominating automobile infrastructure, this development pattern decreases pedestrian and bicycle circulation as a viable and enjoyable mode of transportation. Transportation growth centered around the private automobile compromises compact development, physical activity, safety of pedestrians and bicyclists, interaction with nature, social exchange, and social equity in street corridors. Automobile circulation dominates the transportation system of Manhattan, Kansas. The result is low-density development, sprawling into the surrounding tall-grass prairie and flint hills of the region. Despite several City documents stating goals for multi-modal transportation and accommodation of all users, the existing built environment remains heavily dominated by automobile circulation. The current transportation system inhibits safe and enjoyable pedestrian and bicyclist transit. Inspired by Allan Jacobs’s Greet Streets vision and structured around the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ Context Sensitive Solutions, street networks can be public places for community: “people acting and interacting to achieve in concert what they might not achieve alone” (Jacobs 1993). Movement corridors should be public spaces that encourage physical activity and time to experience a healthier body, mind, and spirit. With priority for bicycle and pedestrian circulation, movement corridors support a more sustainable development pattern and foster meaningful time in transit through more natural speeds of engagement and active presence. Great streets for all users, and a means to integrate improvements in the planning and design of movement corridors will activate progressive growth. The action framework presented here emphasizes important elements concerning the vision for Manhattan’s movement corridors, shows how district development reinforces attributes for walkable communities, and demonstrates guidelines for integrating improvements in Manhattan’s transportation planning and design.