This study examines and analyzes the sustainable development indicator data and determines what improvements and recommendations are needed for East Baton Rouge Parishs development. This thesis has identified methods and indicators for studying sustainable developments, studied patterns of sustainable developments in the East Baton Rouge Parish to identify trends and developed recommendations that would encourage sustainable development in the East Baton Rouge Parish. It forms fourteen sustainable principles that would encourage sustainable development in East Baton Rouge Parish and a framework for a sound development.

C. C. Pat Fleming practiced landscape architecture in Houston and the surrounding South from the 1920s through the 1990s. He came to be considered one of Houstons preeminent landscape architects, and his role in the profession cannot be overlooked. This thesis traces the evolution of Flemings design style over the course of his career, analyzing a selected cross section of his works against three design movements that occurred during his lifetime: the Beaux-Arts tradition, the Colonial Revival movement, and the Modernist movement. For investigating the work of Pat Fleming, the method of historical research is used. A historical context study is conducted, covering design and social movements during Flemings lifetime that relate to his work. This context study covers the international movements of Beaux-Arts, Classical European styles, and Modernism. The national trend of Colonial Revivalism is examined along with the regional mode of Southern gardens. The local context of Houston, Texas (Flemings residence and primary place of practice), is then examined. After establishing an historical context, case studies of various Fleming projects are presented. Works for critique are chosen which illustrate Flemings different design modes and those which portray an evolution of his sensibility. Flemings work was found to have evolved from his Beaux-Arts training to incorporate Modernist principles. This evolution was tentative at first: he characterized his more modern designs as informal. A persistent Beaux-Arts principle throughout his work is the use of axiality, even in many modern works. He remained heavily deferent to the architecture of the buildings and homes he designed for; however, in areas more distant from those buildings and homes, Fleming engaged in convincingly naturalistic design. His early connections with respected architects and prominent families afforded him significant opportunities. His personality, evocative of Southern gentility, was gracious and inviting to clients who sought his workespecially those clients whose tastes stemmed from Colonial Revivalist inclinations. Flemings engaging personality allowed him to closely observe how his clients lived and to design for that lifestyle.

This study establishes a set of guidelines for designing a therapeutic garden for autistic children. To understand how a garden may provide benefit, the literature on healing gardens is reviewed. The history of gardens in hospital settings and other healthcare institutions is examined. In addition, published work on the effects of nature on stress and health outcomes and theories as to why nature is restorative is included in the review of the literature. Because the focus of the study is outdoor environments for autistic children, published works on childrens outdoor environments and the topic of play are reviewed as well. The nature of autism and its characteristics are studied to determine the strengths, deficits, and needs of the autistic child as well as current treatment methodologies in use today including whether these treatments would lend themselves to an outdoor environment. Informal interviews with professionals who work with autistic children on a daily basis give insight into these treatment methodologies. A field study conducted at a facility for autistic children in New Orleans allowed observations of autistic children and the professionals who work with them providing first hand information about the nature of autism and implementation of treatment methodologies. Based on the extensive literature review, informal interviews, the field study, direct observation, and the writers own experience of teaching autistic children in New Orleans for a year, design guidelines are established.

American cities are facing unprecedented development pressures. Urban populations in particular are increasing and diversifying, land as a resource is becoming more valuable, and designers/developers are challenged to creatively maximize space for all land uses. As urban populations grow, space for burial of the dead may become limited thereby prompting communities to consider alternatives to traditional burial. The increase in numbers of cremation already points to this trend. In addition to the spatial limitation issues there also exist issues of social and cultural limitation. Ethnic diversity is rapidly increasing and within each group one finds different traditions and needs regarding burial and memorial. This diversity of trends is often ignored in cemeteries today. Considering the pressures for land in urban areas and the dramatically shifting demographic in the United States, it seems appropriate to reevaluate our use of all land including cemeteries. This thesis will explore fnctional considerations associated with burial, as well as other social needs in order to develop guidelines for efficient and socially responsive burial.

The profession of landscape architecture has struggled with public perception since the mid-nineteenth century. Community programs, coloring books, and educational toolkits are just some of the methods employed in the profession's attempt to improve public perception. Very little research has been conducted to test the efficiency of these educational attempts. The goal of this thesis is to create a Web-based program to effectively educate young members of the public. The program uses five "mini lessons" to present information about landscape architecture to the student. Links to the World Wide Web are scattered throughout the program to supplement lesson material. A "chat" is available for those students interested in communicating with a professional landscape architect. To assess the effectiveness of the program, information is collected from answers submitted by student users from within the program. From a total of sixteen questions, twelve are modeled after Bloom's Taxonomy to provide an analysis of student comprehension. The remaining four questions allow the student to express opinions and suggestions for program improvement. Although little literature exists that explores the evaluation of a Web-based educational landscape architecture program, surveyed literature does suggest its potential success. This study suggests that students can effectively learn about landscape architecture through use of such a program. This Web-based program can be used as an initial step in the development of more sophisticated Internet-based methods of educating high school students or the general public about the profession of landscape architecture.

This study is about humor and its application in Korean traditional space, which merges culture, design, and preservation. The purpose of the research is to seek humor as a significant design concept in Korean traditional space, and establish it through the examples. The examples focused on are found in temples and palaces since those are relatively well preserved Korean traditional spaces. Each humor in the examples is interpreted based on culture and the mentality of the age, such as religion, ideology, and customs. Also, forms and functions of humor are examined. Through the design analyses of case studies, unique characteristics of Korean traditional humor were found, and the importance was also discussed. Unlike that of Western countries, humor in Korean traditional space is soft, metaphoric, and human. Moreover, the humor creates intimacy and a unique sense of place so that it attracts viewers. Namely, humor is one of the significant design elements which has potential to be applied and developed for the future. Ultimately, this study will become an essential design guideline for both Korea and the western world.

As human populations increase, available land and resources decrease, and we begin to better understand the impacts of human activity on the environment, a strategy for human development that meets both the needs of society and the environment is being increasingly called upon. This movement has come to be known as sustainability. While this term is prevalent in the design and planning communities, it is important that this concept be brought to the attention of the general public, whom will ultimately decide the success or failure of this scheme. The question then is how to begin implementation of sustainable practices, as well as how to inform the largest segments of the population about the need to do so. The main objective of this thesis is to demonstrate that environmental taxes have the ability to begin the transition to a more sustainable society, both by addressing the goals of sustainability, and by increasing public awareness. Research gathered from this investigation is used to determine five goals of sustainability, and six results of environmental taxation. By demonstrating that the results of environmental taxation can be directly related to the goals of sustainability, it is possible to show that environmental taxes have the capacity to bring about many of the changes necessary in achieving a more sustainable society. The ability of environmental taxes and tax shifting to promote eco-efficiency, improve environmental quality, generate revenue, bring about educational and behavioral change, create new jobs and industries, and stimulate innovation suggest that these measures may be one means of achieving a more sustainable society. This is based on the fact that many of the results of environmental taxes can be applied to more than one of the goals of sustainability, which are the conservation of natural resources, the maintenance of diversity, distributional equity, public participation, and education. This paper does not profess to be the only answer, it is simply one possible solution to a problem that we face today, and will continue to face in growing proportions if nothing is done to address the problem.

A Proposal for a SPARK Park Site Selection Process in East Baton Rouge Parish is the topic of this study to assist Parish schools and local governmental agencies in creating community parks. The SPARK Park program uses underutilized municipal properties to create community-use parks in lower-income urban areas. SPARK Parks originated in Houston, Texas. The Houston SPARK Park process was adapted for developing a site selection process for East Baton Rouge Parish. East Baton Rouge Parish dedicated their first SPARK Park in 2000. The park was built in an attempt to reduce the Parishs open space deficit. Many more parks are needed for any significant reduction of the deficit. A prioritization process of need for park development is required since most Parish communities qualify as SPARK Park candidates. The proposed site selection process will expedite the park acquisition process and objectively locate those sites of greatest need for park development in the Parish. An easy-to-use checklist and a site selection prioritization map are the two tools created for the proposed site selection process. They were designed to involve a school and the surrounding community early in the park development process, save vital resources of local agencies so several parks can be built simultaneously, and be a model for similar park initiatives, other agencies, and school grant writing.

Natural landscapes, formed by eons of plant succession, are changing or disappearing as a result of rapid urban development and industrial growth. In addition, the human population explosion pressures are being applied to alter the urban/wildland interface in the United States and throughout the world. Many of Louisiana wetlands are subjected to these pressures and have caused change and loss in forested wetland areas. Most of the Mississippi River Delta consists of wetlands in a state of transition to either open water or degraded hardwood forest due to the effects of several key factors. Being a native of south Louisiana, I have witnessed the changes occurring across south Louisiana and the efforts to restore and preserve valuable wetland areas. As landscape architects we must work with biologists and ecologists to restore, protect, and preserve the delicate balance of wetlands present in todays changing landscapes. The causes of wetland loss are both natural and anthropogenic. Many wetlands in south Louisiana are being lost due to coastal erosion, particularly in the Barataria-Terrebonne Estuary, due to saltwater intrusion, and in the Atchafalaya Basin due to sediment impoundment. Both areas were dramatically altered around the beginning of the 20th century. Because of the value of the unique landscapes of the Atchafalaya Basin, efforts are being made to keep it Wet and Wild, to preserve it for generations to come. Part of the efforts to preserve this natural landscape should incorporate ways to inform the public of its value, its biodiversity, its delicate ecosystem, and hydrological requirements. As restoration projects are developed, it is important to educate the stakeholders to the likelihood of sustainability. How can we facilitate the presence of new and informed constituents for the next 10 years, 30 years, and 50 years? This thesis focuses on developing recreational landscapes within recreational areas of the Atchafalaya Basin that will serve as outdoor classrooms, or learning landscapes, to the visitor and, particularly, the young naturalist. The young naturalists, through education, will recognize the value of this unique landscape and continue support efforts to preserve it.

The property owns by Grand Idle Port of Commission with its unique combination of coastal and wetland landscape, the richness of environment and the susceptibility to hurricanes give opportunities as well as limitations in developing the site. A respond to this fragile but rich environment is a sustainable planning and design that balances the site programs and environment sensitivity. An ecologically, socially, economically, and aesthetically sound will provides an opportunity to achieve the optimal uses of the natural resources while maintaining the environment sustainability. The master plan of Port of Grand Isle addresses the clients programs expectation and enhances the programs to obtain an optimum use of the site potentials. Four major programs that vary from research to non-research are applied to promote the property as a demonstration site of sustainable environment planning. The master plan that consist of a marine research center, a commercial marina, a coastal plants nursery, and a wetland center has addressed ecological, social, aesthetical aspects and yet economically benefit the local community. The result shows compromises between human needs and an appreciation to the environment and natural resources as part of human life that need to be protected.