Public spaces are noted by historians, philosophers, planners, etc as being the lifeblood of civic centers, spaces that bring people in community together for a myriad of reasons. Recalling the ancient Agricola’s of ancient Greece to the modern version of malls and pedestrian plazas, these spaces are where social interactions occur, ideas are spread, and are open for all people to enjoy. Beautifying these spaces with public art and well-thought out design encourage the use of these spaces and work to empower those who use them. While the mode in which public art populates public spaces has changed, the notion that they exist to benefit a public good, act as a civilizer, create character and a distinct environment endures. The idea of public art is unique and is noted for doing something that neither a public space without art nor a museum with art can do: it can capture the eye and mind of individuals passing through public spaces. Making people pay attention to the civic environment around them, creating a sense of “civic vitality” in cities, towns and communities. Public art prompts vital questions about our environment and ourselves, encouraging a broad range of learning opportunities. Public installations of art celebrate culture and the environment, providing connections to history and the natural world. It makes space interesting and different from another. Public artwork is celebrated and condemned for its ability to challenge, delight, educate, and illuminate. Establishing written policies and programs for the arts solidify their place in communities, enacting a set of codes and a process for which artistic endeavors are woven into the complex urban landscape. The role public art plays in communities is unique in the marrying of two very different sectors of civic life: art and aesthetics with the political planning process. This study examines how political decisions impact the installation process for public artwork in cities. How do written policies and programs support opportunities for installations, ways to empower the community and brighten the streetscape, and where are there gaps in knowledge and information that make the process more convoluted and difficult to navigate? Through studying the public art installation process in the City of San Luis Obispo from the perspective of the administrators working with the public art programs and policies and comparing the process with the ways in which the community is empowered by public art a number of recommendations are made to increase transparency and encourage artistic opportunities in the town with an already robust Public Art Program.

During the second half of the twentieth century, scholars and journalists documented the failures of the public housing program in the United States with a range of studies focusing on the Midwest and East. Problems such as displacement, criminal activity, high vacancy rates, racial segregation, and the isolation of tenants informed critiques of federally-subsidized housing for low-income families. These aspects contributed to the national image of "the projects" as high-rise ghettos, populated primarily by African Americans, and located in run-down areas. Public housing with its position at the crossroads of national, state, and local politics and policies as well as tenants' varied experiences, however, defy simple categorization as an unmitigated failure.;This study expands the history of public housing to the West and in doing so complicates the image of where public housing is located, what it looks like, and who lives there. Examining public housing in San Francisco, a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, politically liberal city, reveals the important role regional, local and spatial politics play in project design, location, and population. The three projects examined here, Ping Yuen in Chinatown, North Beach Place in North Beach, and Valencia Gardens in the Mission District, are located in thriving urban areas near public transportation, shops, and hospitals. Nevertheless, tenants over the years experienced a range of difficulties including mismanagement and racial segregation by the San Francisco Housing Authority, rising crime rates, in-fighting, and at Valencia Gardens and North Beach, the scorn of district neighbors. Despite these challenges, many tenants came together to form communities. Coming across racial and ethnic lines, tenants relied on formal and informal networks to make their rental apartments into "homes." Demonstrating part of the hidden history of public housing, tenants at Ping Yuen, North Beach Place, and Valencia Gardens became politicized by living in the projects and challenged the state to improve their living environments. These case studies highlight public housing's contribution to the affordable housing stock and tenants' roles in making the projects livable spaces.

This study focused on using a mapping tool, Space Syntax, to analyze the connectivity of the Cache County road network and its use to plan for bicycles. Space Syntax is being compared to another method that is already used by city planners called Bicycle Level of Service, or BLOS. The two analyses used data from Cache County and, after they were modeled and evaluated, a statistical analysis was done to see how similar one is to the other. The analyses were done at both a regional and a local scale. At both scales the analyses were not similar. Data was added to the Space Syntax analysis at both scales to see if it would influence making it more similar to BLOS. Adding the data had no effect in making them similar. It was determined that Space Syntax and BLOS are not similar and more research would need to be done to attempt to make them similar. They both have advantages and disadvantages to them when being used for planning for bicycles. One is not necessarily better than the other, as they are two different methods that could be used.

The research will help to design a shower for Dr. Chelson’s shelter, which can control the water flow, pressure and duration of the shower, which optimizes the utilization of water. The showers could be used in drought-hit areas where water is very scarce, as daily sanitation needs are necessary to keep a person safe and healthy without wasting water. The report from, World Health Organization shows that showers consume the most water. A timed shower could help resolve this issue through eliminating the wastage. Eco-friendly environmentalists may also be attracted to the showers, as their main purposes are to save energy and water. The showers could be set according to the needs of the person. Annually, the difference in costs reflects that these showers are effective and make optimal use of the available water and energy.

The architectural and spatial design and two public housing projects, Brownsville and Van Dyke, located in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York, were tested to determine their effects upon the crime rates and mental illness. While keeping the socio-economic factors under limited control, a data comparison approach was used to illuminate any difference in the crime and mental illness rates between the two projects. A significant difference in the crime rates was noticed between them with the Van Dyke Houses having a higher crime rate. Since Van Dyke also had a significantly higher percentage of mental illness than compared to Brownsville Houses, a correlation between the sense of residential security and mental health was drawn. In conclusion, the architectural and spatial design was found to be an important influence in crime deterrence in public housing as well as the cultivation of mental health of the project's occupants.

Development over the past sixty years has created patterned growth and expansion outward from city centers, separating residences from commercial areas and employment centers. This separation of land uses has increased automobile dependency, which increases vehicle miles traveled and associated greenhouse gas emissions. California Senate Bill 375 mandates the development and implementation of a “Sustainable Communities Strategy” in order to plan regional land use and transportation in a coordinated fashion. In coordination with this effort, the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) is developing the Regional Implementation Plan for Smart Growth Development Strategies, which entails the identification of smart growth strategies that offer the greatest potential to reduce vehicle miles traveled and meet the 5% greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for the Monterey Bay Area. The major goal of this project was to assist AMBAG in determining the political feasibility of smart growth development strategies and identifying the most feasible strategies for the region. Political feasibility was determined by two factors: 1) support from the public/stakeholders, 2) “low-hanging fruit” potential, and one technical criterion: the potential to reduce vehicle miles traveled and the associated greenhouse gas emissions. The Regional Advisory Committee provided ten months of knowledge and expertise on stakeholder opinions v about strategies, barriers, circumstances for gaining stakeholder support, and resources for implementation. Additionally, survey results from planning directors the “low-hanging fruit” strategies. The quantified VMT/GHG reduction potential of smart growth strategies was another evaluation criteria and was used to inventory quantified reduction measures and their ranges of potential. The analysis identified seventeen strategies that met a set of thresholds for political feasibility. Based on these results, it is recommended that AMBAG consider these strategies in the development of their plan, by addressing the barriers to implementation, the conditions or circumstances for overcoming those barriers and gaining support from stakeholders, and developing the resources to assist jurisdictions with implementation.

A new trend is emerging, seeking to recognize the benefits of and encourage the use of public transportation. In the past, public transit agencies have not directed much energy or focus at marketing, seeking to use limited funds elsewhere. “The common perception is that money spent on marketing would be better spent on transit systems themselves…over time, a sustained investment in marketing increases the number of people who use transit. Increased ridership leads to increased revenue, and ideally, an increase in service to match the new demand” (Arpi, 2009). Even as marketing gains importance in the public transit world, questions remain as to how to make effective marketing choices for the public transit market. This report explores public transit marketing, and its application to the San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority. The San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority (RTA) provides regional public transportation service throughout San Luis Obispo County. Case study interviews, conversations with RTA, and review of academic and professional sources have supplied information and guidance on these questions. An interview with RTA was conducted to establish goals and guiding research questions for the exploration of marketing. A literature review provided a context of the field, through professional, academic, news, and media pieces. The research questions were explored through case study examples, in the form of interviews with Intercity Transit (Olympia, WA) and Orange County Transportation Authority (Orange County, CA). Further analysis of 2011 ridership survey data provided an additional level of information to consider. The research methods resulted in a range of findings that are applicable to RTA. The report concludes with the following recommendations for marketing RTA: 1. Focus on consistent branding. 2. Establish a system of more detailed ridership information. 3. Identify segments and direct messages. 4. Further develop new technology and social media tools.

This research analyzes the relationship between local land use regulations and commercial development in the City of Bakersfield, California, specifically focusing on how the regulations are used to inform commercial development to be sustainable or not. This research contributes to similar research efforts through its contribution of the Sustainable Development Indicator Checklist, the tool used to measure sustainable development within the regulations as well as the built environment. Analysis of six case study locations falling under the C-B (Central Business), C-C (Commercial Center), and PCD (Planned Commercial Development) zone designations indicated the local land use regulations were not informing development to be particularly sustainable, mostly due to vague language, constraining language, and sometimes a combination of the two. Recommendations are made for how the City of Bakersfield can improve the land use regulations to be more pertinent to the process of informing future commercial development to be more sustainable.

The purpose of this professional project is to address the practical implications of decentralized greywater usage in the City of Arroyo Grande. This professional project consists of two products: a brief greywater guide for the City and a background report. The greywater guide is intended for city planners to use for general information about greywater systems. The guide addresses Arroyo Grande’s potable water shortage; what greywater is; advantages and concerns about greywater use; plants that are tolerant and intolerant of greywater irrigation; appropriate detergents to use with a greywater system; and a summary of California greywater law. The background report discusses the City of Arroyo Grande’s potable water conditions and how water supply will be affected by growth projections for 2030. It is estimated that by the year 2030, Arroyo Grande’s water demand will outgrow its water supply by 283 acre feet. Future water shortages are a concern at a local level and also on a global level. Three case studies examine how water scarcity has prompted the successful use of greywater. These studies examine the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; the Casa del Agua project in Arizona; and a local study in Santa Barbara, California. The report concludes with California greywater law, and how the recent change in August, 2009 has greatly increased the legal accessibility of greywater reuse as an obtainable method of water conservation. In combination with education and outreach among city officials and residents, greywater has potential to play a main role in water conservation in Arroyo Grande.

The passage of AB 32 in 2006 initiated the need for city planners in California to consider the quantification of greenhouse gas emissions at the community level in order to develop policies and programs to reduce emissions in the future. Although local jurisdictions are not required to quantify and report emissions at this time, the AB 32 Climate Change Scoping Plan recommended a reduction goal for local governments of 15 percent below today’s levels by 2020 to ensure consistent reduction goals at the state and local levels. ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability initiated the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) campaign in 1993, which provides a framework for local governments to develop a baseline emissions inventory and identify reduction measures as part of a climate action plan. This inventory is developed under the framework of the CCP campaign. A review of the current practice of local greenhouse gas emissions inventories in California identified significant consistencies across jurisdictions in the overall framework of community and municipal emissions inventories– due largely to the framework provided by the CCP campaign. However, data sources used and methods of measurement vary greatly among local inventories, which limit the ability to compare results. This highlights the need for a standard reporting protocol for community inventories. This baseline emissions inventory document provides the technical information necessary for the city to set reduction goals and facilitates the development of the climate action plan outlining policies and programs that when implemented would reach those goals.