Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Huston Gibson / In many urban redevelopment discussions, people often refer to a catalyst as the impetus for redevelopment. Unfortunately, no standard definition of an urban redevelopment catalyst exists, so liberal use of the term catalyst persists. As distinguished in Dr. Timothy Chapin’s dissertation, Urban Revitalization Tools: Assessing the Impacts of Sports Stadia at the Microarea Level, the impacts of sports stadia (widely considered catalysts) are often overstated. In order to have valuable arguments over the impacts of presupposed catalytic activities, we need to understand the defining characteristics of an urban redevelopment catalyst and utilize a consistent process for examining them. This study identifies these characteristics and develops a methodology from which others may study catalysts. Included in the study are both narrative and tangible evidence from which researchers may decipher catalytic characteristics and events. In order to explore this analytic method, a case study was necessary. The revitalization of Washington Avenue (in downtown St. Louis, Missouri) provided an excellent opportunity to implement and test the process. Washington Avenue went from decrepit in the early 1980s to receiving the honor of being a Great Street by the American Planning Association in 2011. By delving into the developmental history of Washington Avenue, the process verified urban redevelopment catalytic characteristics, the methodology and the presence of small-scale urban redevelopment catalysts. From these findings, (coupled with a preexisting, dominant discussion focused large-scale catalysts) we see the value of small, organic development. The study prompts further exploration of urban redevelopment catalysts, especially in regards to smaller catalysts. It also suggests a new line of thinking for urban redevelopment dynamics, thus guiding future research to focus on understanding the processes of urban redevelopment.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Jae Hong-Kim / The concept of Live-Work-Play has grown in popularity in the field of planning, as various strands of the planning literature increasingly have highlighted the potential benefits of providing places to live, work, and play in close proximity. This study explores the theoretical foundations of the Live-Work-Play concept and discusses its effectiveness as a strategy for creating vibrant urban areas by reforming the spatial arrangement of the built environments. More specifically, the present study empirically examines how the segregation or the mixture of places to live, work, and play may create differences in terms of growth, inequality, education, the built environment, and transportation by analyzing the Boston metropolitan region as an example. The empirical analysis with the use of census tract level socio-economic data shows that the Live-Work-Play mixes can encourage more desirable travel patterns, while the mixes may not significantly promote growth in small areas. However, the analysis also revealed racial and income inequalities exist in the provision of the mixes in the Boston region. These findings suggest planners carefully should consider the equity issues when adopting the Live-Work-Play concept and providing its potential benefits.

The Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan promotes the ideology of integrating green infrastructure into the City’s water management strategy to cultivate resiliency. In order to develop enough green infrastructure to have a significant impact on the hydrological functioning of the area, New Orleans officials are investigating different options for encouraging property owners to manage their stormwater on-site. Philadelphia Water Department’s parcel-based stormwater utility fee has been offered as a model for working within the constraints of the municipal government’s regulatory authority to increase the water retention capacity of individual properties. This thesis provides an analysis of Philadelphia Water Department’s stormwater utility policy and offers recommendations to other cities, like New Orleans, that are considering adopting a similar policy in their jurisdiction.

Transportation availability and land use intensity demonstrate a strong relationship, with intense development concentrated near significant transportation investment. Transportation networks evolved in response to emergent transportation technologies and changing urban land uses. The irregular distribution of transportation systems reinforced patterns of land use development, shaping urban form. Understanding the relationships between transportation and the intensity of land uses allows urban geographers and city planners to explain the urbanization processes, as well as to identify areas historically susceptible to future development. The goal of this research is to develop a quantitative framework for the analysis of the development of urban form and its relationship to urban transportation systems. This research focuses on transportation accessibility, building density, and the structural massing as the basic metrics in the categorization of urban form. Portland, Oregon serves as the case study environment, while the research methodology examines the spatial and statistical relationship between these metrics for much of the city's urban area. Applying geographic information systems (GIS) and k-means cluster analysis, urban form metrics are compared within the ADaM (Accessibility, Density, and Massing) cube, a model demonstrating comparative relationships, as well as the geographic distribution and patterns of urban form in Portland, Oregon's neighborhoods. A finalized urban form catalog describes existing urban environments, but also indicates areas of impending transition, places having the strong potential for reorganization with respect to higher levels of transportation accessibility. The ADaM Cube is a tool for characterizing Portland's existing urban form, and describing the vulnerabilities of urban neighborhoods to the pressure of redevelopment.

This research examines tensions between Latino/a farmworkers, who rely on the seasonal harvest of saw palmetto (Serenoa repens [W. Bartram] Small) berries for increased livelihood security, and conservationists and land-managers who view harvesting as detrimental for wildlife. Informal harvesting occurs on public and private lands, sometimes without permission. Berries, though ubiquitous on the landscape, have become a contested resource. The rapid conversion of rural wildlife habitat into suburban development has increased State urgency to bring natural areas into protection along the Florida Ecological Greenways Network. Habitat infringement and associated pressures on wildlife by development has led to the promotion of the state-wide Florida Wildlife Corridor, based on the FEGN. This corridor would connect isolated Florida black bear (Ursus americanus floridanus) populations and Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) with other populations. The scale of the commercial berry industry is unknown, but is estimated at millions of pounds annually. State and wildlife conservationists are increasingly concerned with the perceived scale of the harvest and its possible associated effects on wildlife, particularly Florida black bears. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1979. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography: leaves 361-380. / by Andrew Schiffrin. / M.C.P.

by Fan Sze-chek, Lawrence. / Bibliography: leaf 66 / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1984

Based on the overall findings and implications of this study, this dissertation offers a siting strategy for addressing the NIMBY problem. The strategy calls for policy-makers to develop a more collaborative, learning and deliberative engagement process, address public concerns and past negative experiences, and build trust by iv enhancing their performance in planning and siting LULUs to meet public expectations. Finally, suggestions for future research are provided. / Siting locally unwanted land uses (LULUs) is a major policy problem across different societies. The problem is particularly pronounced in Hong Kong because of its small size, high population density and rapid development. The term NIMBY (not in my backyard) is generally used to describe public opposition towards LULUs. The literature highlights the importance of understanding the basis of public objections so as to resolve siting conflicts effectively. Thus, the purpose of this study is to address the NIMBY problem in Hong Kong by unraveling the factors that affect public response to siting, with particular focus on trust, and to suggest a siting strategy that can address public opposition to LULUs. A conceptual framework based on previous studies for understanding public response to LULU siting is developed to guide this study. The framework includes such factors as the perceived need for the facility, perceived risk, fairness, trust in government and certain socio-demographic characteristics, in addition to community siting experience, which has not been sufficiently studied in the past. This framework also includes the attributes that affect the formation of trust. / This research utilizes social surveys to investigate the factors underlying public opposition and in-depth interviews to explore the role of trust from the perspective of stakeholders. Four social surveys were conducted, one across the whole of Hong Kong (1,002 respondents) and the other three in local districts. Over 750 respondents had been surveyed in each district. These surveys were designed to investigate general public perceptions towards LULU siting, the influence of community siting experiences, and the factors that are most influential upon public acceptance/ opposition towards LULUs. Findings of the four social surveys are broadly similar and demonstrate that public have broad interests embracing social, political, environmental, risk and health concerns. The survey findings confirm that the NIMBY problem is prevalent in Hong Kong and that the most unwanted LULUs are those without demonstrated societal need and those which are perceived to be risky. The public feel that it is unfair to site LULUs in their districts; they think it is fairer to distribute LULUs evenly across districts, or based on local needs. The results also suggest a lack of trust in the government, reflecting a possible breakdown in communication between the planning authority and the public. In addition, comparison of the three local surveys shows that responses from the three communities are broadly similar, but there are some inter-community differences in terms of the magnitude of their responses. Results show that residents from communities with negative siting experiences have a lower degree of acceptance of LULUs, a stronger sense of unfairness about siting LULUs in their districts, and a lower level of trust in the government than do residents of communities without negative experiences. They also tend to be more sensitive to the risks associated with LULUs and to have a stronger preference for more public participation and implementation of effective mitigation and monitoring programs as methods for resolving siting conflicts. Further, results of the binary logistic regression analysis show that people are likely to oppose LULU siting if they have had a negative siting experience, do not perceive the need for the facility, accord a high risk to the facility and have a low level of trust in government. The above results suggest that it is important to understand and address public perceptions so as to resolve siting conflicts effectively. The importance and formation of trust was studied by conducting in-depth interviews with 35 local stakeholders. The respondents confirm the importance of trust in promoting consensus building and collaboration, which are conducive to conflict resolution. The conception of trust is also shown to be relevant to the respondents' evaluation of trust attributes including competence, openness, credibility, accountability, objectivity, fairness and caring. Moreover, the stakeholders require a higher level of trust in proponents involved in siting more risky or polluting LULUs. To enhance trust, the stakeholders recommend that proponents increase public participation and develop effective communications, and improve performance to meet social expectations on matters related to LULU planning and siting. / Woo, Lai Yan. / Advisers: K.C. Lam; T. Fung. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-01, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 173-186). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract and appendixes 2, 3-5, 7 also in Chinese.

Orientador: Antonio Roberto Saad / Coorientador: Antonio Manoel dos Santos Oliveira / Banca: José Eduardo Zaine / Banca: Eduardo Soares de Macedo / Banca: Claudio José Ferreira / Banca: Marcio Roberto Magalhães de Andrade / Resumo: O município de Guarulhos, segunda maior cidade em população no Estado de São e pertencente à Região Metropolitana de São Paulo - RMSP vem sofrendo uma ocupação acelerada e desordenada ao longo de décadas. Dividido fisiograficamente em dois macrocompartimentos, separados pela Falha do Rio Jaguarí, Guarulhos possui na sua porção sul uma área já consolidada com terrenos mais apropriados à ocupação e com mais facilidade de acesso a serviços e infraestrtura. As áreas com problemas encontram-se na porção norte do município, que além de serem áreas com presença de declividades acentuadas, são ocupadas irregularmente, carentes em infraestrutura e planejamento do Poder Público. Resultado da pressão de ocupação na porção norte do município foram analisados três microbacias pertencentes aos Bairros Invernada, Fortaleza e Água Azul que possuem ocupações com históricos diferentes resultando ao longo do tempo em degradações ambientais principalmente no que se refere à dinâmica superficial. Para elaboração do Mapa de Degradação Ambiental para as três microbacias foram utilizados: o método de sobreposição de informações do IPT (2004) para as Microbacias Taquara do Reino (Bairro Invernada) e Guaraçau (Bairro Água Azul) e o método de Unidades Básicas de Compartimentação (UBCs) de Vedovello (2000) para a microbacia Lavras (Bairro Fortaleza). Os dados obtidos indicam que as três microbacias sofrem com a degradação ambiental, materializada em problemas de dinâmica superficial como escorregamentos nas regiões declivosas e um grande volume de assoreamentos, principalmente nas planícies aluvionares. A falta de planejamento e de infraestrutura nesses bairros corroboram para um aumento dessa degradação necessitando de cartografia geotécnica que possa auxiliar o Poder Público na melhor forma de uso do solo e a gerenciar os problemas existentes / Abstract: The municipality of Guarulhos, second large in population, state of São Paulo belongs to the RMSP - Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, has suffered from a disorderly and accelerated occupation during the decades. Fisiogeographically divided in two macro compartments, separated by Jaguari River Fault, Guarulhos has in its South portion a well done consolidated area more appropriate to land occupation resulting in facilities to access services and infrastructure as well. The biggest problems are in the Northern-part that beyond to be areas with an accentuated declivity, are irregularly occupied with no infrastrueture or governmental assistance planning. Due to the occupation stress in the Northern portion were analyzed three micro basins belonging to the Invernada, Fortaleza and Agua Azul Quarters with different historical occupations resulting in a short term in an environmental degradation especially regarding to dynamie surface. To elaborate the three micro basins Environmental Degradation Map were used two methods: overlaping information for the micro basins applied for Taquara do Reino (Invernada Quarter) and Guaraçau (Água Azul quarter) and the Compartimentation Basie Units methods applied to the Lavras micro basin (Fortaleza Quarter). The obtained datas suggest that the three basins suffer with the environmental degradation revealed in dynamic surface problems such as slide, a great volume of silting, mainly of the alluvial plains. The absence of planning and infrastructures in these places assure to an increase of this degradation, requiring geotechnical cartography in order to help the government to go on in a best way to use the land and manage the existing problems / Doutor

As unidades de conservação (UC) são áreas com características naturais relevantes, com limites definidos e com o objetivo de proteção e preservação da natureza, sendo admitido apenas o uso indireto dos seus recursos naturais, o qual deve compatibilizar a conservação da natureza com o uso sustentável de parcela dos seus recursos naturais. As áreas em volta das UCs são estratégicas para a proteção da biodiversidade e para o desenvolvimento sustentável da população local. Entretanto, é necessário que hajam restrições e limites ao uso e ocupação do solo nos locais da circunvizinhança, para reduzir a influência dos impactos negativos na biodiversidade das áreas protegidas. O objetivo do presente estudo é fornecer embasamento técnico para a determinação de critérios que definam a extensão, o uso e a ocupação da zona de amortecimento (ZA) do Parque Estadual Turístico do Alto Ribeira (PETAR). Para isto foram elaborados critérios que definem: a) a extensão da zona de amortecimento e b) a utilização da zona de amortecimento. A definição da extensão da zona de amortecimento do PETAR baseou-se na delimitação das microbacias hidrográficas cujos cursos de água drenam para dentro do parque e na aproximação dos vetores antrópicos ao limite do parque. Os critérios que definiram o uso e ocupação da paisagem na zona de amortecimento foram baseados na vulnerabilidade à erosão do solo. Conclui-se que a zona de amortecimento de 10 quilômetros contempla os critérios aqui usados, abrangendo o limite das microbacias hidrográficas e os grandes fragmentos florestais. Entretanto a qualidade do parque está ameaçada pela expansão da agricultura, mineração, extração ilegal de palmito e silvicultura. A expansão dessas atividades ocorre de forma irregular em áreas de alta vulnerabilidades à erosão e coloca em risco a manutenção da qualidade do bioma protegido. / Conservation Units (UC) are areas with relevant natural features, with limits defined and with the goal of protecting and preserving nature, being admitted only the indirect use of its natural resources, which should reconcile nature conservation with the use sustainable portion of their natural resources. The areas around the UC are strategic to the protection of biodiversity and the local sustainable development of the population. However, it is necessary that there are restrictions and limits on the use and occupation of land in the surroundings, to reduce the influence of negative impacts on biodiversity in protected areas. The aim of this study is to provide a technical foundation for the determination of criteria that define the extent, use and occupancy of the buffer zone (BZ) of the Alto Ribeira Tourist State Park (PETAR). To this were developed criteria that define: a) the extent of the buffer zone and b) the use of the buffer zone. The definition of the extent of the buffer zone PETAR was based on the delineation of watersheds whose rivers drain into the park and approximation of the antropic vectors to the park boundary. The criteria that defined the use and occupancy of the landscape in the buffer zone were based on the vulnerability to soil erosion. It is concluded that the buffer zone of 10 km covers the criteria used here, covering the source of watersheds and large forest fragments. However the quality of the park is threatened by expanding agriculture, mining, illegal harvesting for palm-heart and forestry. The expansion of these activities occurs irregularly in areas of high vulnerability to erosion and can endanger the maintenance of the quality of the biome protected.