The vitality of the city is substantially dependent upon the coexistence of old and new-buildings and people. A lot can be learned from the history and/or the potential of different generations; in the city this exchange is inevitable. The quality and arguably, quantity, of life are inextricably tied to both diversity and community. Human interaction, sense of belonging and dependence on others, make urban living desirable. The built environment of the city, similarly, tolerates the vernacular and its deviations over time. The challenge for designers is the recognition of the impact one building can have--just as no actions are neutral, no building exists without its particular and broader context. This is not only a source of inspiration, an opportunity for thoughtful, responsive design, but an imperative. / Master of Architecture

ABSTRACT WHITEWATER PARK DESIGN PRINCIPLES: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH FOR MULTIPLE USER GROUPS Byron Lester Advisor: University of Guelph, 2012 Professor Sean Kelly Existing whitewater courses have several design issues relating to their ability to balance expert, novice recreational, and commercial use. The goal of this study is to establish a better understanding of whitewater park design that incorporates the needs of multiple user groups in one integrated approach. Through elite interviewing whitewater park design was investigated and the data was analyzed identifying seven design principles and thirty seven detailed design recommendations. These design principles and recommendations were applied to create a preliminary conceptual design of a whitewater park. The design recommendations and conceptual design were evaluated by a professional whitewater course designer. The evaluation revealed that adaptability is an important principle in whitewater park design and that design recommendations must be flexible to allow for client input and site constraints. This research expands our knowledge of multifunctional design of whitewater parks that resolves user conflicts and important functional relationships.

Municipalities throughout the country are increasingly seeking out innovative partnerships with the private sector to acquire, operate, and/or maintain public parks. An example of this is found in Lafayette, Louisiana, where Lafayette Consolidated Government recently purchased a 100-acre farm from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and collaborated with community leaders to form a public-private partnership with a new non-profit, Lafayette Central Park, Inc. This entity is currently undertaking the necessary steps to lease, plan, design, fund, build, operate, and maintain a new community park on the property. This report explores the history of public-private partnerships found within park administration, as well as the myriad legal, organizational, and financial structures in place within those partnerships. The research also highlights potential benefits and drawbacks to these partnerships, found within four case studies in the Southeast, as well as through precedents found in previous research. The four case studies are Audubon Park and City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Memorial Park and Discovery Green in Houston, Texas. The insights, challenges, and best practices found through the examination in this report are used to create a series of recommendations for the fledgling non-profit organization, Lafayette Central Park, for both short-term and long-term success. / text

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1965 B87 / Master of Science

No description available.

The presented thesis deals with assessment of landscaping and with the opportunities for making use of natural relief during setting up of landscape gardens. The assessment has been done based on studies of the relevant matter in model locations, then the acquired facts have been generalized. Landscape gardens form an indispensable part of the landscape as such. Gardens mix, in a specific way and inseparably, influences of natural environment with anthropogenic impacts. The natural environment changes into landscape gardens mainly by means of diverse forms of relief. At the same time, relief was not just passively taken as a basis for starting a park, it was actively being changed, spending not a small amount of money and effort. What is typical of terrain changes in landscape gardens is that these changes, striking to whatever degree, were meant to be hidden to viewers, and that they copied natural lines and shapes. Geographical research topics in landscape gardens concentrate mainly on finding to what degree the natural relief was used and changed, and what impact it had on the form and creation of the parks. In the presented work methods leading to a thorough understanding of terrain changes were used. The main part of the work was to analyze maps in GIS systems, to study historical documents,...

This study critically examines the role of visitor use information in park management planning. Few park planning documents utilise visitor use information. This is thought to result from two problems. Firstly, visitor use studies have been plagued with methodological problems such as unclear objectives, lack of rigour in the survey design and lack of synthesis of information needs. These have resulted in data which are unreliable and at times have no direct implication for management planning. The second problem arises from the lack of understanding of the role visitor use information may play in the planning process. A case study, the Centennial Park User Survey, was undertaken to demonstrate how the inadequacies of existing visitor use studies could be overcome and to provide a base for future planning of Centennial Park. The survey data have assisted Management both in day-to-day decision making and future management planning relating to control of forthcoming events, responding to public comment, traffic management, facility provision, staff changeover, park staff work programmes and rosters, allocation of financial and staff resources, promotion of the Park, provision of interpretative material and re-allocation of users. By comparing the shortcomings of previous studies with the experience of the case study, specific implications for the collection and use of visitor use information in park management planning have been identified.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes special study report entitled: From the eyes of a flâneur: perception in the information age. Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this study was to develop management guidelines to ensure the long term ecological sustainability of the beach and sand dune area of Grand Beach Provincial Park. A qualitative approach was taken including interviews of individuals who use Grand Beach. A literature review was completed describing the history of use at Grand Beach Provincial Park, ecological processes specific to the park, and management guidelines in other jurisdictions in Canada with similar natural features. Aerial imagery provided a temporal look at intensely used areas in the park. Recommendations include: 1) completion of a biophysical study of the park including an inventory of flora and fauna species 2) development of a monitoring plan incorporating the natural environment with the human dimension of the park 3) engagement of park visitors through signage, education and awareness, and 4) engage the scientific community to form partnerships for further research studies in the park.

The purpose of this study was to develop management guidelines to ensure the long term ecological sustainability of the beach and sand dune area of Grand Beach Provincial Park. A qualitative approach was taken including interviews of individuals who use Grand Beach. A literature review was completed describing the history of use at Grand Beach Provincial Park, ecological processes specific to the park, and management guidelines in other jurisdictions in Canada with similar natural features. Aerial imagery provided a temporal look at intensely used areas in the park. Recommendations include: 1) completion of a biophysical study of the park including an inventory of flora and fauna species 2) development of a monitoring plan incorporating the natural environment with the human dimension of the park 3) engagement of park visitors through signage, education and awareness, and 4) engage the scientific community to form partnerships for further research studies in the park.