published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Environmental Management / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

The expression "sense of place" has been used to describe the relationship between a natural or built environment and the people who inhabit or perceive that environment. This relationship involves the qualities or attributes which give a place its own particular character, as well as the identification and association that people give to a place. Aspects of Tucson's current sense of place are explored in this study by examining the perceptions of Tucson's accepted symbols and attributes held by persons involved with the planned downtown Arts District. The current quality of Tucson's sense of place was found to be most strongly reflected in the Sonoran Desert Environment, the city's ethnic and cultural history, and the urbanism of the revitalizing Central Business District. The content of Tucson's characteristic attributes was used to suggest design opportunities useful in enhancing the sense of place in the planned downtown Arts District.

Thesis (M.Arch. (Professional))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, 2016. / Forests, and the products we harvest from them, are vital to our economy and built environment, yet we have spiritual and emotional connections to trees which are at odds with these economic realities. This thesis explores how architecture can act as a filter between the real and ideal worlds by looking at the nature of indigenous forests in South Africa, the abundant plantations so necessary to construction and trade, and the problem of invasive trees which act as destroyers of our fragile ecosystems. The building is a centre for sustainable forestry in the Outeniqua forest outside Knysna - progressively removing invasive trees, turning them into useful wood products, and re-planting with scarce indigenous trees. In a social context of high unemployment this didactic building aims to connect ancient woodworking craft to modern fabrication technology for the purposes of skills training, reforestation and economic upliftment. The woodcutter kills the tree, but brings us wood - a material of infinite uses: pliable, strong, beautiful in its variety – a material for the craftsman to shape, sand, and join. The tensions between destruction and creation, natural and man-made, and industry and craft are brought to the fore in the search for the diverse, the specific, and the beautiful. / EM2017

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, 2014. / This dissertation tracks the political response by middle class residents to attempts by the city of Johannesburg to develop a public golf course and wetland called Huddle Park. It seeks to better understand the role of politics in Johannesburg’s suburban areas. The study explores three aspects of this issue. It first looks at the reasons why the issue of Huddle Park became important for residents. It then examines mobilisation tactics used by residents’ groups to pursue their political agenda on the issue. Lastly it follows how these middle class formations interact with city governance structures informed by deliberative democratic theories. It argues that understandings of these of these groups are too narrow and that by using a spatial paradigm greater nuance can be added to understandings of their actions. It shows that long term political action is possible by these groups and explores the limits of its effectiveness.

Urban green space plays a vital role in the stability of the environment. Green spaces are increasingly becoming an integral part of the efforts to promote sustainability because of the different areas of benefits they provide. Sustainable city ranking systems were used to identify the most sustainable urban extents within the US. Landsat TM 4-5 imagery and textural classification are used as techniques in identifying, classifying and analyzing urban green spaces within nineteen urban extents. Patch analyst was used to analyze the location, structure and fragmentation green spaces within each urban extent. The aim is to determine to what degree urban green spaces can be considered to be an integral part of the sustainability of sustainable urban extents across the US and ascertain whether or not more sustainable urban extents do have more urban green spaces. The results of the study have shown that urban extents that are ranked highly v on sustainable ranking systems do not necessarily have to have large proportion of green spaces. Results have also shown that urban extents that are ranked high on sustainable rankings will not necessarily be affected by increase in population or decrease in urban green space. Finally human modified green spaces have simple geometric shapes compared to natural unaltered green spaces that have more complex geometric shapes. / by Gillian Bloise. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

The world currently has more people living in cities than in rural areas. In the United States this is no exception, and as a result government policy is focusing on the supply of 'green' jobs that help repair and expand its infrastructure in an attempt to help curb non-renewable resource use. The expansion of public transportation throughout the country is one facet of the multi-pronged US government policy. In the tri-county area of South Florida (Palm Beach County, Broward County, and Miami-Dade County) a research study known as the South Florida East Coast Corridor Transit Analysis (SFECCTA) entered Phase 2 in January 2009. This study looks at incorporating the FEC freight corridor which transverses the downtown areas of 47 cities into a major North- South commuter system. This system would also supplement the existing commuter Tri- Rail corridor. The proposed methodology in this manuscript attempts to address the issue of providing an adaptable, efficient and convenient public transportation in a low to medium density environment where the automobile is the preferred mode of travel. Emphasis is placed on connecting existing origin and destination locations in and around the greater West Palm Beach metropolitan area in Palm Beach County, FL. The goal of the methodology is to establish potential routes that will connect high amounts of residence to places of social interaction, consumption, employment, and the proposed SFECCTA regional transportation system with Light Rail Transit as the end goal. As a result the proposed corridors focus on creating dedicated and shared right of ways that already exist via the road network. The discussion and conclusion provide methodology successes, improvements, and economic development recommendations. / by Dylan Kennard. / Vita. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.