Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Mary C. Kingery-Page / Temporary landscapes are an emerging project type with in the field of landscape architecture. Pop-up parks, parklets, and temporary art installations have been gaining media attention and changing notions of open space. Landscape architects need to take a more active role in the planning, design, and execution of these temporary landscapes. Peter Bishop describes temporary land use as “an intentional phase” where the “time-limited nature of the use is generally explicit” (Bishop, 2012, p. 5). This research refines Bishop’s definition by stating temporary landscapes must be intentionally time limited designs of open space. Currently the unorganized variety of projects has impeded landscape architects’ ability to evaluate and learn from these spaces. This research project seeks to understand and synthesize different characteristics of temporary landscapes. A typology was developed by identifying key themes in literature, composing a carefully curated series of precedent studies, participating in the development of a temporary pop-up park in Wichita, Kansas, and developing a matrix that identifies the relationships between temporal types. The products of this research will help planners and designers develop more successful and intentional temporally limited designs.

Master of Science / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional Community Planning / Stephanie A. Rolley / As bicycle tourists seek interesting experiences along low traffic roads, rural communities are poised to embrace bicycle tourism as a community development strategy. Asset based community development provides a methodology for communities to utilize assets that already exist within their communities to meet the needs of these tourists. The community capitals framework then provides a platform for analyzing and discussing the existing assets, as well as helping hone in on ways communities can develop further. The Sunken Lands region of Northeast Arkansas is one such rural region seeking to embrace bicycle tourism. Two case studies of communities that have capitalized on their existing assets to accommodate bicyclists were completed to explore potential for using the community capitals framework to guide pursuit of bicycle tourism. A snowball approach to interviewing community members in Collinwood, Tennessee and Farmington, Missouri was used to discover the details of bicycle accommodations, the processes of pursuing bicycle tourism, the people and groups involved, the types of assets used, and any challenges faced in implementation. Additionally, existing literature was used to substantiate each case and provide a more robust community picture. Emerging from the case studies were commonalities that aligned with the community capitals framework and Emery and Flora’s (2006) theory that community change is driven by social capital. The result is a tool that aligns community assets with the needs of bicycle tourists with the community capitals framework.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Huston Gibson / Often cities are in a perpetual struggle to increase or maintain community development within their districts; how can cities revitalize struggling neighborhoods? How can cities bring energy and life into portions of the downtown? How can cities encourage development for night-time destinations? There is no clear-cut answer to these questions, but this study will examine what amenities within districts may be in the presence of successful music venues. I will determine the district-based criteria for potential venue placement for success based on multiple case studies of different venues located within St. Louis, MO; Omaha, NE; and Indianapolis, IN as described in Yin’s Case Study Research (2009). These case studies will be compared using the community capital framework (Green & Haines, 2012) using a matrix based upon a) social, b) physical, c) financial, and d) cultural capitals. Each study will contain both qualitative and quantitative analysis in order to tell the story of each district for more comprehensive analysis.

Master of Science / Department of Architecture / David R. Seamon / Kamaiya is a system of Nepalese agriculture bonded labor. In typical wage labor, one can enter or withdraw from the labor market as an independent agent; in the case of bonded labor, however, a worker cannot control his or her labor power. The Kamaiyas were liberated by the Nepalese government in 2000, and promised land to build houses. Without enough money for construction, however, many of these “ex-Kamaiyas,” as they are now called, are without housing or live in sub-standard units. This thesis examines the housing possibilities for the ex-Kamaiyas and aims at creating basic guidelines for planning and designing low-cost, self-help housing. The thesis is an attempt to design affordable and environmentally responsive housing that draws on Nepalese vernacular traditions but incorporates some modern materials and construction methods. The research and designs are based on interviews with ex-Kamaiyas living in the Nepalese villages of Tesanpur, Janatanagar, and Bhuri Gaun. The thesis serves as a guide for non-profit organizations working to provide housing for the ex-Kamaiyas and consists of guidelines, termed “design patterns,” for laying out ex-Kamaiya neighborhoods and for designing and constructing individual houses. The thesis also provides step-by-step construction guidelines for building the houses. The thesis’s last chapter evaluates the proposed housing system and identifies strengths and weaknesses.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture / Dennis L. Law / In the late 1800s George Kessler and the Board of Parks and Boulevard Commissioners (BPBC) developed a Parks and Boulevard system for Kansas City, MO laying the foundation for the city to grow. Development of the system is the result of the combination of Kessler’s ideology, as well as his planning and design practices. The parks and boulevard system established a framework giving due weight to existing conditions, adapting itself to topography, avoiding forced routes and forced construction. This framework based itself around the value of beauty, the city’s duty, the effect of parkways and boulevards on real-estate values, and the experience of other cities. Today, auto-centric sprawl has revealed its limitations, bringing focus back to the neglected urban fabric. The current urban fabric is dominated with automotive infrastructure responding only to the pedestrian where convenient or required. Results of this trend in development are concrete jungles. Unfortunately, the city character developed by the expanded parks and open space systems has been or is in danger of being lost. Opportunities for redevelopment are rising as these expansive urban infrastructures are reaching the end of their designed life cycle. As people begin to repopulate urban areas, revitalization of the parks and green space is of high priority. Adapting George Kessler’s practices, principles, and ideals behind the Kansas City Parks and Boulevard System to contemporary practices, principles, and ideals in landscape architecture will allow a designer to enhance urban centers. Using my findings, I will develop a master plan for the Kansas City Downtown Loop. By enhancing sites with parks and plazas connected with pedestrian friendly greenways, the Downtown Loop will be a safer, more pleasant place for pedestrians and motorists alike.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Vincent R. Amanor-Boadu / Population out-migration from rural communities has caused significant distress in the Midwest of the United States. This distress comes from loss of the communities’ human capital which supports its economic well being. For example, the declining human capital implies lack of employees and consumers to support local business and lower populations that lead to consolidation of schools and services as well as increased per capita costs for these services. Population loss is caused by a variety of reasons, the most discussed being lack of economic opportunities for young people in these small and rural communities. This thesis sought to increase appreciation of the problem by focusing on a single county in Kansas, Wabaunsee County, and assessing the factors that influenced out-migration decisions of its youth. The hypothesis was that understanding these factors and their strength would provide local policy makers with the tools to intervene in the dimensions of the problem of out-migration long before it happens. The data was drawn from a survey of the population of high school students and covered their perspectives about their community and their future location plans. The total number of respondents to the survey was 172, and of these, only 12 percent totally agreed that at least one adult (not parent) has talked to them about opportunities that would encourage them to return home after their post high school or college education. Only about 10 percent totally agreed that there are opportunities in their community for young people to work with adults. These results provide an opportunity for policy makers to engage adults in the community to provide mentorship opportunities for the community’s young people. While the majority of the respondents indicated going to college, only 11 percent indicated that they would return to live and work in Wabaunsee County after graduation. An even lower percentage of respondents indicated retiring in Wabaunsee County when asked to “think way into the future” and indicate whether they would like to retire in the country. The results indicate that the most critical variables influencing respondents’ intent to return after their education included community connection, their age and the existence of a business connection in the county. For example, the relative risk ratio (RRR) for those with community connections was 35 times as high as those without any community connection in their intent to return after college. Similarly, those with business interest in Wabaunsee County with interest in coming back after college exhibited a RRR of 345.15. Similar indicators were found for intentions to retire in Wabaunsee County. It is obvious that the community cannot keep all of its young people. Indeed, it does not want to keep all of them if these young people are going to achieve their personal excellence. However, the community’s leadership can work with local businesses to provide the youth with clear and compelling connections to local and family businesses to increase their community connections. The results of this research indicate that these stronger ties would increase the likelihood that these young people would return. Their return, given the historical trends, would signify a break from the past and contribute to an arrest of the declining population and, hopefully, contribute to an alleviation of the challenges associated with declining population in these small communities.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Regional and Community Planning / John Keller / This report examines the evolution of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Processes and procedures have evolved overtime and the agency is making strides in improving their reputation. Joplin, Missouri, is used as a case study to determine (1) if there are changes being made in the Federal Emergency Management Agency and (2) outlines the process to receive aid after a natural disaster. Interviews were conducted with officials and members of the public who worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency after the disaster and their impression of the agency was documented.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Jason Brody / Kessler’s 1893 parks and boulevards system was established to spur investment. The 1893 Report shaped the present city pattern and form of Downtown Kansas City by encouraging decentralized city and metropolitan growth. Today’s system discourages pedestrian mobility and accessibility through the design and context of the public spaces. Since walkability contributes to successful public spaces, walking for transportation to encourage active use could improve today’s open-space system. To address the present condition facing the system, the report analyzes the morphology of Kessler’s parks and boulevards system within the 2010 Greater Downtown Area Plan boundary. For methods, stakeholder notes and professional interviews explain the planning process behind the 2011-2012 KCDC project to revitalize public space. The stakeholder notes and professional interviews assess the context of the Kansas City Design Center’s vision to revitalize Kessler’s parks and boulevards system. Using the StreetSmartTM walkability model, the design and context of public space can help revitalize Kessler’s 1893 system and today’s park system. The model can be used to measure and prioritize investment by assessesing the pedestrian mobility and accessibility of public spaces. The implication of the report is that if the design and context of public spaces addresses the public interest and walkability, public spaces will become connected, diverse, market-competitive, and actively used. Short-term pedestrian amenities and long-term infrastructure improvements provide different ways to prioritize pedestrian mobility and accessibility to create a walkable downtown, one of the goals of the Greater Downtown Area Plan.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional and Community Planning / Jason Brody / From start to finish, implementing large public infrastructure projects, like a park, can be challenging. Funding shortages, public opposition, and physical limitations are all potential problems that can halt a project’s development. This study explores the complexities of implementation by using a proposed park designed by the Kansas City Design Center as a case study for examination. The visioning process, or first stage of implementation, is explored by examining the factors that influenced the design. Through interviews, this report then examines how the actors and processes of project implementation work together or against each other in project development. Applying the learned knowledge of implementation to the proposed park of the Kansas City Design Center presented multiple challenges, as well as opportunities for the park. After understanding implementation and its application to the Rail Park, three main strategies are proposed to move the Kansas City Design Center’s proposed park past the visioning stage. The three strategies are: to collaborate between actors, garner public support, and project phasing. General conclusions about implementation in this study found that there will be challenges and not all can be anticipated, but it is important to plan for those that can be. Being flexible and persistent to move a project forward is necessary in order to accommodate stakeholders’ concerns and unforeseen problems. Knowledge of implementation and its complexities will assist actors, developers, and students to advance visions into reality.

Master of Science / Department of Landscape Architecture / Regional and Community Planning / Stephanie A. Rolley / Community development and architecture approach the study of the city in distinct ways while sharing the purpose of creating or modifying the places we inhabit. Community development utilizes a scientific approach through the study of place-making, developing it from a socially based tradition, in other words, communities of place. Architecture considers the city like a work of art approaching the study from a physical perspective and emphasizing form. Architecture in this context is both an element of construction in space and the totality of the construction, the whole of a community’s modification of site. Developed from the point of view of an architect, this investigation challenges the distinction between architecture and community development exploring each perspective’s study of the city. Through a linear progression of framework diagrams, modified as the result of connecting concepts between the two disciplines, this investigation demonstrates how architecture and community development can achieve a unified framework for the study of the city.