No description available.

The industrialized agricultural system has resulted in ecological, economic, and social imbalances in several ways. Community gardens have become a trending interest to minimize the negative consequences of the modern agriculture system, especially in food insecure disadvantaged neighborhoods. Although community gardens have numerous economic, environmental, and social benefits, they have faced considerable degradation in some of the neighborhoods. Also, many of them have been lost to other land uses due to the lack of powerful public support. To achieve greater public support, knowledge about people’s perceptions and attitudes towards the community garden environment is important. This knowledge can help to develop more successful community gardens that can foster an increased involvement and support of community gardens. Community gardeners and non-community gardeners in five different low-income and low-access neighborhoods were chosen as study participants in the City of Roanoke, Virginia. Quantitative and qualitative data were used together for this study. Factor analysis, descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and T-Test procedures were used for the quantitative phase. Content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. Findings showed that people’s preferences are based on several factors including content and spatial organization of the environment, maintenance level of the community garden site, and the opportunities that community gardens offer to its users and residents. Particularly, participants preferred well-maintained community garden landscapes equipped with well-constructed raised beds, pavilions, pathways, and sitting structures offering opportunities for gathering and social events. Participants negatively responded to untidy community garden scenes with features such as unorganized garden spaces, uncontrolled weeds, overgrown vegetation, and poorly constructed structures. Results also showed that mental health and stress relief, outdoor exercise and physical health, community pride, and food access were the main motivation themes to participate in community gardening. On the other hand, theft and damage, difficult access, too much effort, and no personal interest were the main motivations not to participate in community gardening. Findings from this study may help gardeners, community garden program managers, planners, and designers to develop more successful community garden projects that can expand involvement and support for community gardens and increase the permanence of these landscapes in urban neighborhoods. / Ph.D. / The modern agricultural system has resulted in several negative ecological, economic, and social impacts. Community gardens have become a trending interest to minimize these negative impacts, especially in low-income and low-access neighborhoods. Although community gardens provide economic, environmental, and social benefits, they have been lost to other land uses due to the lack of powerful public support. To achieve greater public support, knowledge about people’s landscape preferences and their attitudes towards the community garden environment is important. This knowledge can help to increase public involvement and support and to develop more successful community gardens. Community gardeners and non-community gardeners in five different low-income and low-access neighborhoods were chosen as study participants in the City of Roanoke, Virginia. Participants were asked to rate a series of community garden scenes. They were also asked about their opinions on community garden design and their motivations to participate or not to participate in community gardening. Findings showed that people’s landscape preferences are based on several factors including organization of landscape elements, maintenance level of the community garden site, and the activities that community gardens offer to its users and residents. Particularly, participants preferred well-maintained community garden landscapes equipped with well-constructed raised beds, pavilions, pathways, and sitting structures offering opportunities for gathering and social events. Participants negatively responded to untidy community garden scenes with features such as unorganized garden spaces, uncontrolled weeds, overgrown vegetation, and poorly constructed structures. Results also showed that mental health and stress relief, outdoor exercise and physical health, community pride, and food access were the main motivation themes to participate in community gardening. On the other hand, theft and damage, difficult access, too much effort, and no personal interest were the main motivations not to participate in community gardening. Findings from this study may help gardeners, community garden program managers, planners, and designers to develop more successful community garden projects that can expand involvement and support for community gardens and increase the permanence of these landscapes in urban neighborhoods.

A successful landscape is one that allows people to feel comfortable within that landscape. Many people who live in an urban environment use gardens and parks as a way to balance their lives from the hard edge of what the world requires of them. That balance adds to the level of comfort and a decrease in stress. My thesis is to create a parking garage with that balance. A balance of hardscape with softscape, of practical uses with amenities, and of current methodology with progressive ideology. It will integrate parking and gardens, the static with the transitional. The proposal will create a balance between parking spaces where time is measured in hours with garden areas where time is measured in seasons. Thomas Jefferson said, "It takes time to persuade man to do even what is for his own good." This thesis is an example of that. Something that will take time for people, companies, municipalities and governing bodies to aspire to but that will, ultimately, be to the benefit of everyone. / Master of Landscape Architecture

No description available.

This thesis is comprised of a series of paintings that study historical representations of styles, forms and symbols found in gardens. It is less a research project into the history, meaning, and rules of these different gardens throughout time and more of an appreciation, appropriation and reinvention in fantastical form. There is no attempt in these paintings to represent objects or things that exist in the physical world, but instead a desire to create a new fantasy world. The image of ‘garden as paradise’ has been part of our human mythos for a very long time. The image of ‘garden of eden’ appears in the old testament of the Bible. There was a similar early image of ‘garden as paradise’ in Zoroastrian beliefs in ancient ‘Persia’. / Master of Architecture

Lam Na. / "Architecture Department, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Master of Architecture Programme 2001-2002, design report." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77). / Synopsis --- p.p. 1-2 / Problem Defining --- p.p. 3-16 / Introduction --- p.p .3 / Research - Hermit & Recluse Culture in China --- p.p. 4-10 / Issues --- p.p. 11-15 / Conclusion --- p.p. 16 / Site --- p.p.17-28 / Prologue --- p.p. 17 / Site selection --- p.p. 18-20 / Existing context --- p.p. 21 / Site image --- p.p. 22-25 / Solar study --- p.p. 26-28 / Program --- p.p. 29-35 / Prologue --- p.p. 29 / Reading --- p.p. 30 / A study of bibliotherapy --- p.p. 31-32 / Garden --- p.p. 33 / Precedent --- p.p. 34-35 / Design Stage --- p.p. 36-76 / Design concept --- p.p. 36-37 / Design generator --- p.p. 40-44 / Design development --- p.p. 45-55 / Chapter - --- Phase 1 --- p.p. 45-46 / Chapter - --- Phase 2 --- p.p. 47-50 / Chapter - --- Phase 3 --- p.p. 51-56 / Final design --- p.p. 57-76 / Bibliography --- p.p. 77 / Chapter Appendix - --- A study of Chinese scholar garden and Wanshiyuan --- p.App. 1-7 / Acknowledgement

Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone Project / There has been a nationwide movement which has promoted urban agriculture. The locale, seasonality, and methods of cultivation, have all entered the spotlight of public consciousness. While farmer’s markets, and co-ops may sometimes have limited accessibility with respect to cost another community gardens are branch of the urban agriculture movement which are highly accessible. The surge in popularity of community gardens came with the 2008 market crash, which created many foreclosures, and accordingly vacant lots. Where vacant lots are reclaimed by citizens, they create a sense of ownership within a community, they become physical manifestations of neighborhood rally cries, elbows rub, and community connections are made. With a relatively small amount of initial input, and continued care, there are tangible outputs, and literal fruits of labor. The popularity of these gardens extends to schools, and a whole branch of pedagogy which emphasizes place based learning. The benefits to these schools is tremendous; students are offered the opportunity to be academically engaged in a space other than the traditional classroom. Community gardens show the potential to create value from little input. With the benefit of a structured design process, there is potential to make school gardens learning space, in addition to growing space. The intent of this study is to explore the value created for these spaces by a formalized design process.

No description available.

No description available.

This report is the result of a fifteen week internship with the Interpretation Department at Longue Vue House and Gardens, New Orleans, Louisiana. During this internship I participated in many projects including the development of an interactive children's program for the Longue Vue house. This report also concentrates on the organization's history and structure, the internship's responsibilities and tasks, and an analysis of the organization.