In a context of increasing attention to sustainability issues, France has formulated a number ofstrategies to develop greener transport practices. The French National Sustainable DevelopmentStrategy is one of them and - among other topics - it encourages soft mobility and the development ofactive modes of transportation such as walking and cycling. In such a setting, the Nîmes andMontpellier Bypass railway project stands out thanks to one of its specificity: planning simultaneouslyfor a high-speed line and a véloroute. A critical investigation of the véloroute’s planning processwithin this project provides elements that may improve usual greenways and véloroutes projects.

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

Downtown Clearwater has grown to be disconnected from its surroundings due to an adjacent buffer area and the lack of a transit system to bring people into the city. The downtown core is also separated from its neighboring residential areas by an area of vacant land that holds in it the potential to become a gateway into the city. On a macro scale the city has grown to be separated from the Tampa Bay area due to the lack of a mass transit system. The goal of this project is to create a new "new urbanism" in which transit and natural ecology are introduced in order to link a city with its surrounding neighborhoods and with the rest of its context. The new development will provide the area with a centralized place of commerce and social interaction, while reducing the reliance on the automobile. Utilizing a light rail station and a central bus terminal, the transit oriented development or TOD will bring people into Clearwater's downtown core, bringing economic, social and environmental benefits to the area. Introduction of a natural ecosystem into the downtown fabric will attribute to the development's sustainability. The natural greenway will run through the urban fabric and also use the Pinellas Trail as an ecological corridor linking the different greenspaces of Pinellas County. New York City's High Line project provides a prime example of the introduction of a natural greenway into an urban core. The High Line brought a new life to an area that once served only the purpose of industry. Ian McHarg and Richard T. T. Forman provide examples and guidelines of how to bring the natural and built environments together as a cohesive whole. The design will look at Peter Calthorpe's ideas of transit-oriented development. Calthorpe's The Next American Metropolis will provide a set of guidelines for the design of the development. The project will create an opportunity for downtown Clearwater to be linked within its surrounding context. Transit oriented development has been proven successful throughout the country and Clearwater will benefit from its implementation.

Greenways are linear open spaces, sometimes called "Green Links" which connect parks, Nature preserves, cultural features, historic sites, neighbourhoods, schools and shopping areas. They are often located along either natural corridors like ocean fronts, rivers, stream valleys, ridgelines, or built landscapes such as rail rights-of-way converted to recreational use, canals, trails, scenic roads, lanes or dedicated or shared streets. In the city of Vancouver there is a great opportunity to establish a link between Trout Lake, located in East Vancouver, and False Creek, located in the heart of Vancouver. The mission for this thesis project is to design a greenway connecting Trout Lake to False Creek with special focus on ecological enhancement and stormwater management. The Route itself has already received citywide support in City Plan approved in 1995. The Greenway, as indicated in the report, will connect Trout Lake to False Creek via the Grandview Cut. With city policy supporting the greenway, the bulk of the thesis is incorporating ecological enhancement and stormwater management into the design. Stormwater from the Trout Lake watershed will be brought to the surface, cleaned through biofiltration by wetlands, and used to sustain a stream, which flows year round to False Creek. By design the stream will be able to support a number of fish habitat, such as Coastal Cutthroat, Coho Salmon, and the endangered Salish Sucker, to name a few. As the Greenway reaches False Creek Flats there is an opportunity to daylight (bring to the surface) two of Vancouver's historic lost streams: China Creek, and Brewery Creek. The study begins with a series of large-scale context analyses, looking at how the proposed Grandview Greenway fits into the city of Vancouver as a whole. The analyses include topography, hydrology, watershed boundaries, utilities, openspace, circulation, structures, zoning, and how cultural views and perceptions of the environment have changed over the past 50 years. Trout lake watershed in its built form is the next area of focus. Starting at the individual lot, an analysis of the current condition is identified as it relates to stormwater management. Suggestions are made to increase the amount of groundwater infiltration, while reducing the amount of surface runoff collected in the watershed. Runoff calculations for the watershed illustrate the limits to the proposed system ie. the maximum size of wetland needed to store and treat all stormwater runoff before it enters Trout Lake, and the minimum flow the creek will require during summer dry periods. All calculations support the feasibility of the proposed greenway in its entirety. Route options are explored to connect the stream to the Grandview Cut, followed by the detailed design of the Grandview Cut to accommodate the stream, pedestrians, cyclists, the existing rail line, and wildlife. Once in the False Creek Flats, route options are once again explored to link the stream to False Creek. Now in the industrial section of the greenway route, the form of the stream changes from a model of a natural system to that of an urban canal. This allows the system to accommodate more water, while using less total land area. China Creek Park is the next detailed design focus. The goal is to daylight China Creek through the park and connect it to the Grandview Greenway system. It is proposed that for this section of the greenway, the initiative be entirely derived through community groups as well as special interest groups, rather than by the City of Vancouver. What is proposed is at a smaller scale with less intervention to the Landscape. The final stage of the proposed greenway is the estuary as it enters False Creek near Science World. Detailed design shows how the canal enters False Creek and how it relates to Science World, the Sea Wall, and to the proposed Sustainable Community of Southeast False Creek.

Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Detroit Mercy, 2008. / "28 April 2008". Includes bibliographical references (p. 107).

Greenways are linear open spaces, sometimes called "Green Links" which connect parks, Nature preserves, cultural features, historic sites, neighbourhoods, schools and shopping areas. They are often located along either natural corridors like ocean fronts, rivers, stream valleys, ridgelines, or built landscapes such as rail rights-of-way converted to recreational use, canals, trails, scenic roads, lanes or dedicated or shared streets. In the city of Vancouver there is a great opportunity to establish a link between Trout Lake, located in East Vancouver, and False Creek, located in the heart of Vancouver. The mission for this thesis project is to design a greenway connecting Trout Lake to False Creek with special focus on ecological enhancement and stormwater management. The Route itself has already received citywide support in City Plan approved in 1995. The Greenway, as indicated in the report, will connect Trout Lake to False Creek via the Grandview Cut. With city policy supporting the greenway, the bulk of the thesis is incorporating ecological enhancement and stormwater management into the design. Stormwater from the Trout Lake watershed will be brought to the surface, cleaned through biofiltration by wetlands, and used to sustain a stream, which flows year round to False Creek. By design the stream will be able to support a number of fish habitat, such as Coastal Cutthroat, Coho Salmon, and the endangered Salish Sucker, to name a few. As the Greenway reaches False Creek Flats there is an opportunity to daylight (bring to the surface) two of Vancouver's historic lost streams: China Creek, and Brewery Creek. The study begins with a series of large-scale context analyses, looking at how the proposed Grandview Greenway fits into the city of Vancouver as a whole. The analyses include topography, hydrology, watershed boundaries, utilities, openspace, circulation, structures, zoning, and how cultural views and perceptions of the environment have changed over the past 50 years. Trout lake watershed in its built form is the next area of focus. Starting at the individual lot, an analysis of the current condition is identified as it relates to stormwater management. Suggestions are made to increase the amount of groundwater infiltration, while reducing the amount of surface runoff collected in the watershed. Runoff calculations for the watershed illustrate the limits to the proposed system ie. the maximum size of wetland needed to store and treat all stormwater runoff before it enters Trout Lake, and the minimum flow the creek will require during summer dry periods. All calculations support the feasibility of the proposed greenway in its entirety. Route options are explored to connect the stream to the Grandview Cut, followed by the detailed design of the Grandview Cut to accommodate the stream, pedestrians, cyclists, the existing rail line, and wildlife. Once in the False Creek Flats, route options are once again explored to link the stream to False Creek. Now in the industrial section of the greenway route, the form of the stream changes from a model of a natural system to that of an urban canal. This allows the system to accommodate more water, while using less total land area. China Creek Park is the next detailed design focus. The goal is to daylight China Creek through the park and connect it to the Grandview Greenway system. It is proposed that for this section of the greenway, the initiative be entirely derived through community groups as well as special interest groups, rather than by the City of Vancouver. What is proposed is at a smaller scale with less intervention to the Landscape. The final stage of the proposed greenway is the estuary as it enters False Creek near Science World. Detailed design shows how the canal enters False Creek and how it relates to Science World, the Sea Wall, and to the proposed Sustainable Community of Southeast False Creek. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of / Graduate

Infrastructure and open space planning can be brought together to create a system of multiuse corridors that accommodate multiple types of infrastructure, recreation trails and open space, while protecting natural resources. Some of the potential benefits of this system is more efficient use of fewer utility easements, a more comprehensive open space system that can be paid for by utility users, and less environmental damage from utility placement. A multiuse corridor planning process is described that is meant to be used by a multiple disciplinary team to plan for infrastructure and open space in the context of town, city or region. This process inventories all human infrastructure such as roads, waterlines, and electric and natural infrastructure, such as streams, rivers, forests, wetlands, and geologic features. An assessment is made on what areas are most likely to need infrastructure in the future and a conceptual plan is put together to best serve those needs. A conceptual open space plan is created to serve the needs of future development areas. The infrastructure and the open space plans are woven together using routing guidelines and typical multiuse corridor sections to best design these multiuse corridors. This thesis brings together infrastructure and open space planning at the city and regional level. / Master of Landscape Architecture

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Huston Gibson / Green infrastructure is a new term with old principles that address the protection of valuable open space through the use of connected natural areas. Through implementation of green infrastructure, communities can experience environmental, social, and economical benefits such as increased biodiversity, improved human health, and increased property values. In order to determine the specific opportunities and constraints municipalities face when implementing green infrastructure, MetroGreen was examined. MetroGreen is a greenways plan for the Kansas City Metropolitan area. The plan was studied as a whole, as well as in more detail in two different municipalities: Platte County, MO and Lenexa, KS. Eight planners, landscape architects, Park and Recreation employees, and public administrators involved with MetroGreen were interviewed to document their experiences. From these interviews three categories were identified as being closely related to successful implementation of regional green infrastructure: management, education, and funding. It was found that in order to implement green infrastructure successfully, leadership of a civic-advisory group, private entity, or non-profit organization is needed; regional dedicated funding is crucial; principles should relate to broader societal issues such as storm water and health; partnerships should be created at all levels through city, county, and citizen organizations to aid in connectivity; and public support can contribute a significant amount to the progress made. These findings serve as an analysis of regional implementation of green infrastructure, in order for professionals and community members to learn from the experiences of MetroGreen.

published_or_final_version / Geography / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy