One of the consequences of China’s rapid urbanization is the disappearance, or at least, mismanagement of the many lakes of the Central Yangtze River Basin. The thesis investigates the situation by conducting a complex system analysis, revealing four most pressing issues surrounding the lakes: flood management, sustaining agricultural practice, controlling urban development and maintaining a healthy ecosystem. The inadequacy in Central Yangtze River Basin’s flood capacity requires that the many lakes in the region be preserved and connected to form a flood retention network. Unfortunately, this preservation is threatened by urban development that seeks to infill the lakes. As well, many of the lakes are now divided into independent lotus farms and fish ponds which do not provide for a sustainable aquatic ecosystem. The city of Wuhan and its Lake Shahu is the focus of this thesis. Lake Shahu is a microcosm of the regional condition, and its centrality within the city of Wuhan brings about a particular set of problems, namely, the lake is perceived as an obstacle for communication and transit as well as an impediment for much needed city expansion. The thesis proposes a solution to the complex problem surrounding Lake Shahu by synthesizing a system of integrated infrastructure which would reconnect the lake and the Yangtze River, as well as provide a flood berm, public spaces, lotus farms, fisheries, wetlands and an artificial platform as land for city expansion. The infrastructural system is to instigate a process of transformation which sets up a symbiotic relationship among elements on site. For example, the Land Over Water project will allow penetration of sunlight to sustain the ecosystem below while staging a lively urban life above and supplying the lotus farms below with grey water collected from households. The design approach, known as Landscape Urbanism, is exemplified by Field Operation’s Fresh Kills Landfill Rehabilitation project where agricultural techniques and strategic planting are used to create a diverse range of habitats and event spaces over the course of 30 years. In the case of Lake Shahu, the importance of agriculture is highlighted for its engineering potential as well as its economic capacity to support the remaining rural farming population in the area. Aided by the transformation of the landscape and given the tools for monitoring the lake’s ecosystem, the farmers and fishermen can eventually become stewards of the land and water. Not unlike Fresh Kills, the project of Lake Shahu is staged for a 35-year period. The project evolves along the rapid development of China at a much slower pace as the natural processes required to stabilize the landscape will take a long time. By the end of the transformation, a sustainable system capable of adapting to changes in the urban, agrarian and natural environment will be able to support generations to come.

One of the consequences of China’s rapid urbanization is the disappearance, or at least, mismanagement of the many lakes of the Central Yangtze River Basin. The thesis investigates the situation by conducting a complex system analysis, revealing four most pressing issues surrounding the lakes: flood management, sustaining agricultural practice, controlling urban development and maintaining a healthy ecosystem. The inadequacy in Central Yangtze River Basin’s flood capacity requires that the many lakes in the region be preserved and connected to form a flood retention network. Unfortunately, this preservation is threatened by urban development that seeks to infill the lakes. As well, many of the lakes are now divided into independent lotus farms and fish ponds which do not provide for a sustainable aquatic ecosystem. The city of Wuhan and its Lake Shahu is the focus of this thesis. Lake Shahu is a microcosm of the regional condition, and its centrality within the city of Wuhan brings about a particular set of problems, namely, the lake is perceived as an obstacle for communication and transit as well as an impediment for much needed city expansion. The thesis proposes a solution to the complex problem surrounding Lake Shahu by synthesizing a system of integrated infrastructure which would reconnect the lake and the Yangtze River, as well as provide a flood berm, public spaces, lotus farms, fisheries, wetlands and an artificial platform as land for city expansion. The infrastructural system is to instigate a process of transformation which sets up a symbiotic relationship among elements on site. For example, the Land Over Water project will allow penetration of sunlight to sustain the ecosystem below while staging a lively urban life above and supplying the lotus farms below with grey water collected from households. The design approach, known as Landscape Urbanism, is exemplified by Field Operation’s Fresh Kills Landfill Rehabilitation project where agricultural techniques and strategic planting are used to create a diverse range of habitats and event spaces over the course of 30 years. In the case of Lake Shahu, the importance of agriculture is highlighted for its engineering potential as well as its economic capacity to support the remaining rural farming population in the area. Aided by the transformation of the landscape and given the tools for monitoring the lake’s ecosystem, the farmers and fishermen can eventually become stewards of the land and water. Not unlike Fresh Kills, the project of Lake Shahu is staged for a 35-year period. The project evolves along the rapid development of China at a much slower pace as the natural processes required to stabilize the landscape will take a long time. By the end of the transformation, a sustainable system capable of adapting to changes in the urban, agrarian and natural environment will be able to support generations to come.

In 1953 the tangled, skeletal remains of a ship were pulled from the small harbor of Penetanguishene, Ontario. Local historians had hoped to raise the hull of a War of 1812 veteran, but the vessel pulled from the depths did not meet the criteria. Identified as H.M. Schooner Tecumseth, the vessel was built just after the War of 1812 had ended. Historical research of Tecumseth and her sister ship Newash, which remained in Penetanguishene harbor, illuminated the ships? shadowy past. Conceived and built after the war, the vessels sailed for only two years before being rendered obsolete by the terms of the Rush-Bagot disarmament agreement. Nevertheless, the two vessels offer a unique perspective from which to view the post-war period on the Great Lakes. The schooners? hulls were interpreted and analyzed using archaeological evidence. A theoretical rigging reconstruction was created, using contemporary texts and documentary evidence of the ships themselves. Architectural hull analysis was carried out to explore the nature of these vessels. From these varied approaches, a conception of Newash and Tecumseth has emerged, revealing ways in which the hulls were designed to fulfill their specific duties. The hulls were sharp, yet had capacious cargo areas. The rigs combined square-rigged and fore-and-aft sails for maximum flexibility. The designs of the hulls and rigging also reflect predominant attitudes of the period, in which naval vessels on the lakes gave way to merchant craft. Taken as a whole, Tecumseth and Newash illustrate how ships, while fluid in the nature of their work, are also singular entities that truly encapsulate a specific point in time and place.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 2000. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-164).

Inaug.-Diss.--Kiel. / Lebenslauf. "Verzeichnis der benutzten Literatur": p. [4].

Thesis (M. Sc.)--York University, 2001. Graduate Programme in Biology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-75, 135-143, 161-163). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pMQ66384.

No description available.

Environmental conflicts are multi-dimensional. Individual components of environmental and resource-related conflicts are closely interlinked with other structural societal elements, including economic, social, political and cultural developments. Coastal areas are significant for people’s subsistence, as well as industrial development, cultural heritage, and waterways; therefore, they require integrated research approaches and the implementation of comprehensive strategies of resource management, dispute resolution and conflict prevention. This qualitative exploratory study contributes to the development of the field of environmental conflict resolution (ECR) by examining the perceptions and experiences of 52 key stakeholders from the coastal areas of the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States (US) with regards to environmental and resource conflicts and conflict resolution approaches. The study invited coastal stakeholders such as environmental policymakers, researchers, academics, educators and NGO members to share their perceptions, images, experiences and knowledge about environmental and resource conflicts and conflict resolution practices in the coastal areas of the Great Lakes. The framework of this holistic study integrates public policy, alternative dispute resolution, conflict analysis, project evaluation, dialogue and public participation, education and other creative interventions into an inclusive strategy of integrated environmental and resource management of coastal areas. Analysis of the study participants’ responses revealed several key findings. First, the multi-dimensional character of environmental and resource conflicts and the wide range of coastal stakeholders involved necessitate creating spaces for dialogue and communication among coastal stakeholders, which may facilitate relationship building and encourage collaborative problem solving and constructive conflict resolution. Second, establishing links between science and policymaking within environmental and resource management, as well as introducing conflict resolution education for coastal stakeholders, may significantly enhance the capacity of coastal stakeholders in ECR. Third, coastal stakeholders in the Great Lakes have an extensive and wide-ranging existing local knowledge, experience and expertise in resolving environmental and resource conflicts. Fourth, a conflict resolution system’s design developed in this study may serve as an integrated framework for the analysis and resolution of environmental and resource conflicts. This ECR system design involves such important components as conducting conflict and stakeholder analysis; identifying the root causes of conflict; bringing conflict participants together to discuss resolution options; and building in continuous evaluation of environmental conflict resolution processes.

No description available.

Environmental conflicts are multi-dimensional. Individual components of environmental and resource-related conflicts are closely interlinked with other structural societal elements, including economic, social, political and cultural developments. Coastal areas are significant for people’s subsistence, as well as industrial development, cultural heritage, and waterways; therefore, they require integrated research approaches and the implementation of comprehensive strategies of resource management, dispute resolution and conflict prevention. This qualitative exploratory study contributes to the development of the field of environmental conflict resolution (ECR) by examining the perceptions and experiences of 52 key stakeholders from the coastal areas of the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States (US) with regards to environmental and resource conflicts and conflict resolution approaches. The study invited coastal stakeholders such as environmental policymakers, researchers, academics, educators and NGO members to share their perceptions, images, experiences and knowledge about environmental and resource conflicts and conflict resolution practices in the coastal areas of the Great Lakes. The framework of this holistic study integrates public policy, alternative dispute resolution, conflict analysis, project evaluation, dialogue and public participation, education and other creative interventions into an inclusive strategy of integrated environmental and resource management of coastal areas. Analysis of the study participants’ responses revealed several key findings. First, the multi-dimensional character of environmental and resource conflicts and the wide range of coastal stakeholders involved necessitate creating spaces for dialogue and communication among coastal stakeholders, which may facilitate relationship building and encourage collaborative problem solving and constructive conflict resolution. Second, establishing links between science and policymaking within environmental and resource management, as well as introducing conflict resolution education for coastal stakeholders, may significantly enhance the capacity of coastal stakeholders in ECR. Third, coastal stakeholders in the Great Lakes have an extensive and wide-ranging existing local knowledge, experience and expertise in resolving environmental and resource conflicts. Fourth, a conflict resolution system’s design developed in this study may serve as an integrated framework for the analysis and resolution of environmental and resource conflicts. This ECR system design involves such important components as conducting conflict and stakeholder analysis; identifying the root causes of conflict; bringing conflict participants together to discuss resolution options; and building in continuous evaluation of environmental conflict resolution processes.