As interior designers, we strive to design everything for our clients, from complex environments to the joinery of a chair. We rarely consider inviting our clients or the users to join us in finishing the space. Read-In workshop is not a school, but a kind of home, a home belonging to children, which provides the possibilities for children to play, to learn, to occupy, to personalize, and to share. An emotional space that will not limit the user, but keep inspiring them. It helps children notice, think, and grow. Half of the interior space will be a fixed design, designed and fabricated during the first construction phase. The other Half will be designed as a flexible and changeable “framework” space, which allow the users to reorganize, repaint, and refinish, depending on their evolving educational needs and aesthetic tastes. Therefore, this “incomplete” workshop will share control with children. The contents of the framework will be continuously updated by the children who participate in the Read-In arts programs.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Hyung Jin Kim / Obesity levels—related to an increase of physical inactivity—are rapidly rising in the United States (CDC 2010; Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion 2008). Reportedly, African-American women have the highest obesity rates when compared to any other demographic in the United States—especially those residing in crime-plagued urban environments (CDC 2010). Yet active living strategies by designers have been least effective amongst this demographic (Day 2006). Researchers report crime-safety perceptions are one of the biggest environmental factors influencing physical activity levels amongst low-income African-American women (Foster and Giles-Corti 2008; Codinhoto 2009). Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) has been the most common practice towards an intervention of criminal activity in the built environment; however, little practice has addressed both CPTED and physical activity. While first and second generation crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) are inclusive of addressing both physical and social aspects of the built environment (Cleveland and Seville 2008; Griffin et al. 2008; Dekeseredy et al. 2009), they have yet to effectively address crime-safety needs and its potential relationship with physical activity behaviors of low-income African-American women and their neighborhoods. Therefore, what built environment changes tailored for this target population—African- American women—are necessary? This study examines 1) what crime safety perceptions of the built environment are affecting low--income African American women’s physical activity levels in Kansas City, Missouri and 2) what design solutions these women suggest could help increase their physical activity levels, through improving their perceptions of neighborhood safety. As a place-specific study on a low income neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri, selected through GIS suitability analyses with literature-based criteria, this study used survey and focus group interview methods to identify the target group’s design suggestions. The findings resulted with a connection from research to design solutions—neighborhood and street-level design strategies with CPTED guidelines linking the researched participant’s perceptions of crime in their built environment to the effect of crime on their own physical activity.

The extant literature on the play behavior of youth normalizes adolescent behavior in public space as transgressional, resistant, and in need of social control. The dissertation counters this trend by looking to see if physical qualities, peer effects, and neighborhood context of settings play a deeper role in youth behavior. The study documented urban context, peer effects, physical features, and play behavior across 21 urban settings in New Orleans. Unobtrusive observations employed a highly innovative technique based on YouTube videos and analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Coded observations of risk-taking and prosocial behavior demonstrated some stability in behavior amongst adolescents—“youth” ages 12-19—within each site, suggesting that site-specific factors can constrain youth behavior. Yet, more interesting, teens appropriated sites. Specifically, the study found that (a) adolescents consistently adapt play behavior due to settings and (b) that adolescents adapt sites to support play behavior. The latter finding is novel and diverges from normative theory on adolescent behavior by suggesting that teens exercise interdependence when engaging in urban environments away from home and school. Interdependence is a term derived from economics that means mutual dependence upon others for some needs. That adolescents display increased risk-taking behavior in environments with low appropriation and increased prosocial behavior in environments with high appropriation advocates for cities to support adolescent appropriation of urban space.

A presente tese trata da concepção de projeto sustentável para a cidade - o caso de Uberlândia, Minas Gerais. A hipótese que se coloca é que o desenho ambiental urbano, em um projeto sustentável, além de responder às necessidades básicas da cidade de habitar, locomover, trabalhar e recrear, promove, também, a conexão sociocultural com a natureza, possibilitando o desenvolvimento da consciência e da identidade cultural de um lugar e de um povo. E, a partir da visão de mundo ecológica, tem o veio d\'água como elemento-chave estruturador do desenho da cidade. É uma abordagem em que a questão reside em colocar a o desenho ambiental urbano no centro da produção da cidade. Em síntese, trata-se de destacar o projeto sustentável como fio condutor da concepção e organização territorial, contrapondo aos modelos funcionais, administrativos e econômicos, cuja aplicação tem levado o ambiente urbano a processos intensos de degradação, de fragmentação e de insustentabilidade. Tem como premissa filosófica a dimensão ecológica, que estabelece os pilares para o pensamento sobre a organização das cidades. Nessa dimensão, está a visão de mundo ecológica, os princípios das teorias não lineares (Morin, 1990), a sustentabilidade e a ética ecológica. A partir dessa visão, a dimensão ambiental (McHarg, 1969; Spirn, 1995; Hough, 2004) se estrutura em dois eixos de análise: o ambiente biótico e o urbano. No biótico, destacam-se os links ecológicos como mediadores das interconexões ecológicas em que a água é elemento fundamental a existência da vida. No urbano, os vínculos antropossociais são assinalados dos como estruturantes da dinâmica urbana e por meio da identidade cultural e urbanidade, em que o sentido de pertencimento e pertinência é fortalecido pela condição de conectividade e pela qualidade da imagem urbana estabelecidas na dimensão da teia urbana. O estudo da cidade de Uberlândia visa aplicar tais premissas teóricas na leitura ambiental e, ao mesmo tempo, auxiliar no processo de instrumentalização do processo projetual do projeto sustentável para a cidade. / This thesis deals with the conception of sustainable design for the city - the case study of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais. The hypothesis that arises is that the urban environmental design in sustainable design, beyond responding the basic needs of the city as live, move, work and leisure, promotes also the socio and cultural connection with nature, enabling the development of consciousness and the cultural identity. And, from the ecological world-view, has the watercourses as a key design, an element-key structuring the city design conception. This is an approach in which consist to centralize the urban environmental design in central urban space production. In summary, it is to highlight the sustainable design as a conductor of territorial conception and organization, contrasting the functional models, administrative and economics ones, which has been taken the urban environmental to intense process of degradation, fragmentation and un-sustainability. It has as philosophical premise the ecology dimension, which establishes the cornerstones to the thinking about cities organization. In this dimension there is the ecological world-view, the non linear theories (Morin, 1990), the sustainability and ecological ethic. From this vision, the environmental dimension (McHarg, 1969; Spirn, 1995; Hough, 2004) structures itself in two axes analysis: the biotic and urban environment. At biotic ambient, it highlights the ecological links as mediators of ecological interconnections in that the water is the fundamental element to existence of life. At urban ambient, the social and cultural ties are highlighted as structures of urban dynamic and through the culture identity and urbanity, in which the sense of belonging and relevance is strengthened by the connectivity condition and by the urban image established in the urban web dimension. The case study of Uberlandia city aims to apply such theoretical premises in reading the environmental panorama and, at the same time, to assist the instrumentalization of city sustainable design process.

This thesis explores the process of integrating cycling infrastructure into transportation networks in major cities. It starts by contextualizing the process in Copenhagen, Denmark (often called the best bike city in the world) during its cycling movement in the mid-20th Century. The findings from Copenhagen show that cycling is both viewed as a legitimate and respected mode of transportation and that the city layout, density, and topography is conducive to cycling. In the United States, this thesis explores the federal policies that have been created in support of the Complete Streets movement and makes the case that Complete Streets generally yield many benefits. In the final section, this thesis contextualizes these studies with a case study of Seattle and explores the challenges that have been associated with implementing Seattle’s Bicycle Master Plan. Although the city has made some small-scale cycling infrastructure, the number of cyclists in the city remains low and the bike network remains disconnected. There has been tremendous citizen pushback against lanes for fear of increased traffic and gentrification, and Seattle’s layout and topography presents additional challenges. While the author is in support of bicycling and cycle networks, she believes it is important to consider the opposition to implementing this infrastructure so that we can be more deliberate, sensitive, and inclusive with creating cycle networks in the future. The author proposes that cycling infrastructure may need to be done in smaller pockets before a citywide network can be successfully developed.

This research project focused on the development of an appropriate interior design proposal for the Hulme F1 supercar. The Hulme F1 supercar, originally designed by Hulme Supercars Ltd, draws exterior design references from contemporary Formula One Grand Prix race cars. In addition, the Hulme F1 supercar integrated visual design cues expressing luxury, high-performance and exoticness. The existing design established the package, window openings, basic controls and door architecture for this study. Based on this material, the interior study focused on an overall aesthetic and its integration with ergonomic, technical and functional requirements. The conceptual nature of this project allowed for the inclusion of speculative and experimental design proposals that were not constrained by local contemporary manufacturing and economic issues. Consequently, the project based itself on a technological forecast of five to ten years. Research first explored and defined several key design motifs central to the Hulme F1 supercar. This involved studies into supercars, luxury, high-performance, exoticness, contemporary Formula One Grand Prix racing and the existing exterior form language. The results from this research established initial themes for development of the interior design proposal. A review of contemporary theory in visual product communication and experience was undertaken to identify an appropriate framework for this investigation. The research of Monö (1997), Norman (2004a) and Warell (2007) was reviewed. Review focused on two areas; a structure appropriate for defining design criteria and a comprehensive framework for visual analysis of exemplars to identify visual design trends. The Visual Product Experience (VPE) framework by Warell offered the most appropriate visual framework for this investigation. Using the VPE framework, a visual analysis of contemporary luxury motorcars, professional race cars and supercars was undertaken. Analysis focused on interior and interior/exterior related design trends. Findings illustrated that luxury motorcars have simple aesthetic compositions with frequent interior/exterior form element repetition. Conversely, professional race cars have complex aesthetic compositions with minimal interior/exterior form element repetition. Meanwhile, supercar interior aesthetics and appear to vary between these two spectrums depending on their overall aesthetic expression. To this end, the analysis illustrated the opposing visual qualities between luxury and high-performance. This suggested the interior design proposal required a delicate balance between complex and simple aesthetic elements to obtain an appropriate overall visual expression. Consequently, the interior design proposal used a combination of flowing soft surfaces and complex detailing to express luxury and high-performance. Research also established criteria for the design of interior functional systems required within the interior design proposal. Interior functional systems included control, body-support, display, storage and safety systems. The development process for the interior design proposal consisted of iterative design methods. This included concept generation, concept development and three-dimensional form studies. Throughout the development process, concepts were screened against design criteria in order to further direct the iterative process. Contemporary Formula One race car illustrated an abundance of visual inspiration for the interior design proposal during the development process. Elements such as exhaust and aerodynamic wing details were referenced within the interior design proposal. The intent of this was to create visual harmony between interior and exterior aesthetics. Research into ingress and egress found a conventionally fixed steering unit impeded participants. As a result, the final design proposed a steering unit that swung towards the centre of the interior for greater entry/exit space. The interior design proposal was assessed by internal and external ‘ design evaluation’ methods. Testing indicated that the interior design proposal had fulfilled most of the experience and performance design criteria and achieved the aim of this research. Overall, this investigation designed an interior design proposal to compliment the exterior design of the Hulme F1 supercar. The interior design proposal was supported by visual framework developed from this research investigation. In addition, the investigation proposed functional and ergonomic solutions to support the interior design proposal.

What is a periphery? We can think about this word in more than one way. First off, peripheries are places that exist as spatial conditions in cities, They indicate edges and places that have been left behind. Spaces that have lost their meaning. But in this thesis I will use the word in another way as well. What does the periphery mean for us today? What are those parts of our lives that have been marginalized, and how can we begin to reclaim what has been lost? It is the aim of this thesis to address these issues of the individual in a site that exists on the edge of Manhattan--a place physically separated from the city by means of a highway, and in so doing, redeem both a physical space as well as a place within ourselves. One way in which we as a society create this edge condition within ourselves centers around how we structure our time. How do we work? When do we work? And, conversely, when do we rest? An important part of our twenty-first century lives centers around our ability to be in constant communication. Recent advancements in communication technology are fast shaping the way in which we live, and, as a result, we have constructed a world in which productivity and communication are no longer limited by our physical place. For its many benefits, one problem created by this is that of a population simultaneously connected to the world, yet easily disconnected from their physical place. When do we turn off? And, more importantly, what are we missing by being so endlessly connected? In response to this situation, I feel that we as a society need moments of repose to restore balance in our lives. It is during these breaks in our day that we are better able to synthesize information, form memory and maintain balance between engagement and rest. By connecting our minds with our bodies, moments of repose serve as physical and mental experiences that ground us in place.

Gateway communities are the towns, cities, and communities that border public lands such as national and state parks, wildlife refuges, forests, historic sites, wilderness areas, national forests, and other public lands. They offer scenic beauty and a high quality of life that attracts millions of Americans looking to escape traffic congestion, fast tempo and uniformity of cities and suburbs. Gateway communities provide food, lodging, and business for Americans on their way to public lands. They serve as portals to public lands and therefore play an important role in defining the park, forest, or wilderness experience for many visitors. Their beauty, high quality of life, and economic benefits do not come easy. Gateway communities face challenges related to managing growth and development, providing economic prosperity, and preserving their character and sense of place. Parksville, TN is located in extreme southeast Tennessee and is a gateway community to the Cherokee National Forest and the Ocoee River, one of the premier whitewater rivers in the eastern United States. Many rural gateway communities, like Parksville, lack planning and growth strategies. For this reason, among others, they are particularly vulnerable to haphazard growth and development that threaten their economic potential as well as their character and sense of place. The struggles, problems, opportunities, and solutions for gateway communities are explored in this thesis to determine planning and design mechanisms applicable to Parksville. The product of this thesis is a master plan for growth and development as well as conservation and preservation. Embedded in the plan are strategies and mechanisms to build upon and improve the local economy and safeguard natural, cultural, and historic resources. “Proactive Stewardship Planning” is suggested as a useful term to accomplish these ideals.

Industrial design is a profession almost entirely dedicated to the design and development of physical goods and material culture. It is a practice that has thrived since industrialization, when the mass production of goods allowed average people the chance to afford products that improved their life style. Industrialization has chosen the path of least resistance and focused on the sheer volume of growth and high net profits without regard to efficiency or conservation on a macro level; especially in regards to energy use including fossil fuels. Companies are likely to choose to focus efficiencies in production and supply chain management on a micro-level within the company itself in order to help improve their bottom line profits. Nature has mastered the philosophy of doing more with less in order to survive, and soon designers will be encouraged to follow suit. With population increasing, energy prices rising and non-renewable resources being consumed at higher rates designers will have to adapt their industry to fit a more conservative, responsible model. The power of designers is catalytic and the impacts of our decisions multiply exponentially with every manufactured product. Unfortunately the decisions we make are not always focused on the welfare of the environment, in fact they rarely ever are. This research project aimed to determine the effectiveness of design guidelines and a product evaluation tool in helping to facilitate environmental design principles for practicing industrial designers.

Atelierworkshop is an innovative Wellington based architectural practice that has advanced into the area of off- site manufacture of container-based housing solutions. Their product, the Port-a-Bach (PAB) is moving into its second generation (PAB Gen-2). This product development initiative has resulted in a range of projects that have been undertaken to improve off-the-grid energy systems, water supply and storage, packaging, transportation and cost reduction. This particular project documents the design and development of an energy management and supply accessory product, called the Bach Pack. The Bach Pack seeks to create a viable product energy system solution, at reduced cost and environmental impact (compared with existing solutions) and to achieve this through the development of the usability aspects and features of the product system. The focus is on developing a quality experience for the end user with regards to the attachment and deployment of the components that make up the Bach Pack product. This accessory and modular product solution enables the PAB Gen-2 to be self-sufficient with regard to electrical energy and water supply, and can be specified at point of sale or added later if required. This document focuses explicitly on the design and development of the solar array segment of the Bach Pack.