This study compared the effects on children of two schoolgrounds chosen for maximum variability of vegetation, one richly biodiverse and the other relatively barren. A total of 349 children in grades one through seven participated in three sections of the user-based research by: (1) sharing perceptions of each schoolground through interviews and classroom brainstorming sessions, (2) stating their preferences for various schoolground elements in a survey, and (3) indicating how they used their schQolground by drawing cognitive maps. Analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data indicated that on the biodiversified schoolground the quality of the children's outdoor experience is richer, the children's stated preferences are more diverse and more oriented toward nature, and the use of their outdoor environment is more complex, especially for primary children and for intermediate girls. All 19 Mann-Whitney tests showed statistically significant differences in comparing children's preferences for fourteen schoolground elements. Additionally, the biodiverse schoolground afforded children more opportunities for imaginative play, reflection and conversation. The results of this research made recommendations regarding participatory schoolground management based on interviews with several stakeholders, including children, teachers, administrators, parents, noon-hour supervisors arid ground maintenance staff. It also has implicatons or future study on curricular integration of environmental education, the healthy development of children, and for the design, management and maintenance of sustainably biodiverse schoolgrounds. / Graduate / 0727

Thesis (M.S. in Systems Engineering Management)--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2005. / Thesis Advisor(s): Scott Carlson, Benjamin Roberts. Includes bibliographical references (p. 145-152) Also available online.

Through collaborative work with Cornwall Council, this AHRC funded project has produced an in-depth study of the design of secondary school outdoor landscapes linking two areas of research – landscape design and cultural geography. It explores the politics underpinning the design, construction, use and function of the outdoor landscapes of secondary schools in Cornwall, focusing on the extent of active participation of children and young people in these processes. Contemporary research has illustrated that outdoor spaces are essential to the development and wellbeing of young people as they are places in which children can play or have fun whilst they experiment with their identity, learn to socialise and participate in informal education. This thesis examines the role children and young people may have had and their potential in helping to formulate the design and implementation of outdoor spaces, alongside planners, garden designers, teachers and other interested parties. There are three linked aims. • Exploration of the politics underpinning the design, redesign, use and function of the outdoor landscapes of secondary schools. Here, “politics” refer to the complex negotiations between people, practicalities (policy priorities, management) and school strategic vision and ethos (including the role of student voice). • Understand more about the local spatialities of childhood of secondary school age children in order to: i) explain the politics of design; and ii) propose a more nuanced approach to understanding the varying needs and expectations of secondary school-age children. By participatory methods, interviews and observations I was able to note the use and functionality of the grounds by and for pupils, teachers and site managers. • Using an understanding of the politics of design in Cornwall’s secondary schools, and with greater awareness of the spatialities of childhood, develop recommendations for evaluation of secondary school outdoor landscapes via a ‘school’s biography’ approach. While policy-facing literature contemplates the educational function of school spaces in the secondary sector, this research broadens the view of children and young people’s relationship with secondary school outdoor spaces, emphasizing the relationality between groups of children, and children and others. This project proposes work which is attentive to how constructions of childhood are achieved in practice, beyond the contingencies of policy making and educational practices. The extent to which school grounds meet pupils’ needs is a reflection of school ethos and the relative status of children and young people in the decision making process.

This thesis examines ways in which educational and community-building opportunities can be enhanced on a school/park site located in the proposed sustainable community of East Clayton. It explores ways in which children construct knowledge of their world, through processes of direct interaction with, manipulation of, and reflection on their immediate environment. It proposes how the designed landscape of a schoolground can support these formative processes within the context of evolving attitudes and values concerning environmental education, community, and sustainability. A threefold framework, based on the concepts of contextuality , constructiveness, and relational space, was developed as a means of addressing the sensori-motor, cognitive, and social facets of learning.

This thesis examines ways in which educational and community-building opportunities can be enhanced on a school/park site located in the proposed sustainable community of East Clayton. It explores ways in which children construct knowledge of their world, through processes of direct interaction with, manipulation of, and reflection on their immediate environment. It proposes how the designed landscape of a schoolground can support these formative processes within the context of evolving attitudes and values concerning environmental education, community, and sustainability. A threefold framework, based on the concepts of contextuality , constructiveness, and relational space, was developed as a means of addressing the sensori-motor, cognitive, and social facets of learning. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of / Graduate

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Rhode Island, 2009. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 167-179).

The thesis starts with the study of a Miao village in China, which is known as the center of the Miao culture. In Miao settlement landscape history, there is one feature that can be found in many cultures. The Fengshui Lin, also known as the Sacred Grove, protects the village. The ancient songs and tales of Miao show that the Fengshui Lin can be seen as the spirits of the ancestors (Wang, X. 2015). Since ancient times, Miao people have a tradition of respect for nature, and Fengshui Lin is the most important landscape element for them. It is not only part of the natural flexible border, but also associated with many social activities. Sacred groves are created and evolved through human acts and the long span of human history (Jackson J. B. 1980). They play an important role in many different cultures around the world. Sacred groves may reflect the culture of society as settings for specific functions, or serve as objects of worship for people to purify their souls and refresh their spirits. In burial grounds, there also are sacred groves which could be a place for praying and commemorating. Since sacred groves are seen as spirits of life, it is necessary to think about the relationship between sacred groves and burial grounds. The thesis focuses on the issue of what is sacred? How to make a grove sacred or create a sacred grove in burial grounds? What kind of scenario for the design? With the inspiration of the Fengshui Lin in Miao village, the project aims to create a sacred space with trees for people who lost their family or friends in local communities. My thesis addressed these questions through a design project for sacred groves in the local parks of Arlington, Virginia. With design criteria derived from case studies and literature review, my goal is to create neighborhood cemeteries in the local parks to bring people closer to life as well as death and to let people get the experience of mortality. / Master of Landscape Architecture / In many ancient societies, sacred groves were an essential aspect of life. In some cases, these groves encompass a large territory; in other cases they may be a few trees. These groves originated in the time following the introduction of agriculture. When societies evolving, sacred groves became not a piece of nature, but an institution that depending on custom, agriculture, and even the cycles of life. Sacred groves are a legacy for everyone. These sacred groves may reflect the culture of society, they are not merely symbols but dynamic and complex landscapes created as settings for specific functions. These sacred groves serve not only as totems of worship, but as moments or places where people purify their souls. Sacred groves surrounding or covering burial grounds have existed widely throughout the world (Tuan, Y. 1977). In many burial sites, sacred groves dominate the landscape. They serve the spiritual needs of the living as well as keep alive memories of the dead. This thesis will discuss the method to make a grove sacred and develop a landscape to provide an opportunity for people to get a sense of their life and culture. The concept is to reinstate the connection between burial grounds and neighborhoods by creating neighborhood cemeteries in the local parks of Arlington, Virginia. Through thoughtful site selection and design, sacred groves can hold precious information about the history of communities for generations.

No description available.

<p>The aim of this project was to look into ten small sewer systems in the municipality of Laholm, in Sweden, in order to work out common assessment grounds for them. The sizes of the systems for purification of wastewater were within the range of 25 to 2000 population equivalents. Our method was to study literature, the laws and regulations applicable and the files at the municipality. The conclusion is that every sewer system is different and every situation is unique. We concluded that based on laws and assessment grounds sewer systems equal in size and pollution load ought to have similar demands attached to them. Four of the sewer systems are in need of adjustments or renovations. One sewer system in particular, Hishult, needs large-scale adjustments and improvements to live up to the demands attached to it. This sewer system is where we think the focus from the municipality ought to be the strongest, based on the result from this review. It requires most effort, time and money, to get it running with least amount of environmental impact. We also suggested levels for degree of purification for all of the sewer systems. As a common ground we set the demands equal to the ones for private sewer systems. The demand for purification of phosphorus was adjusted to if the system was equipped with chemical precipitation or not. Subsurface filters are left without measures. The focus of demands on systems of that kind is set to new construction or full scale restoration.</p>

The aim of this project was to look into ten small sewer systems in the municipality of Laholm, in Sweden, in order to work out common assessment grounds for them. The sizes of the systems for purification of wastewater were within the range of 25 to 2000 population equivalents. Our method was to study literature, the laws and regulations applicable and the files at the municipality. The conclusion is that every sewer system is different and every situation is unique. We concluded that based on laws and assessment grounds sewer systems equal in size and pollution load ought to have similar demands attached to them. Four of the sewer systems are in need of adjustments or renovations. One sewer system in particular, Hishult, needs large-scale adjustments and improvements to live up to the demands attached to it. This sewer system is where we think the focus from the municipality ought to be the strongest, based on the result from this review. It requires most effort, time and money, to get it running with least amount of environmental impact. We also suggested levels for degree of purification for all of the sewer systems. As a common ground we set the demands equal to the ones for private sewer systems. The demand for purification of phosphorus was adjusted to if the system was equipped with chemical precipitation or not. Subsurface filters are left without measures. The focus of demands on systems of that kind is set to new construction or full scale restoration.