Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Laurence A. Clement, Jr. / Advancements in technology, architecture, landscape, planning and design, and education are being pursued in the 21st century. Unfortunately, the campuses of higher education institutions, which promote such advancements, do not reflect the vision of innovation and creativity. Rather, the exterior environments on college campuses portray a 19th century gardenesque landscape aesthetic, which emphasizes a “park-like” appearance and discounts ecological functions. The Kansas State University campus evidences a gardenesque aesthetic that arguably is not performing socially or ecologically to its fullest potential. This Master’s Project and Report uses an open space on K-State’s campus, Coffman Commons, to challenge its aesthetic performance. Campus landscape aesthetic performance can be improved by designing a community amenity that celebrates ecological processes, especially regarding stormwater, and involves the campus community in the design process. A conceptual framework, rooted in the Vitruvian Triad, directs the project’s methodology. Methods of photojournalism and design are conducted. Photojournalism is used to collect aesthetic responses of Coffman Commons from K-State students, faculty, and staff. Their photographic and textual responses inform the design process. The photography method allows each participant to confer importance to aspects of the landscape that moved them. Through photographic coding and content analysis, commonalities are discovered in the landscape with which each person identifies. The participants’ written descriptions further inform an understanding of expectations and hopes for Coffman Commons. Influenced by the photographic research and guided by set goals and objectives, the design method allows the innovation of a contextually specific and personable design solution for Coffman Commons. The design exhibits two community amenities which invite social activity to Coffman Commons. The amenities incorporate visible water systems (rain gardens and dry swales) - increasing the ecological performance of the Commons, and provide research opportunities for piezoelectric technology. The design also features inscriptions which honor Dr. Coffman and K-State Distinguished Faculty. This Master’s Project and Report transforms a gardensque campus landscape into a high-performance landscape that responsibly manages stormwater and enriches user experience.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional Planning / Anne Beamish / Death and loss are natural processes of life, but even so, that does not make them any easier to cope with. For children who may not understand loss, adjusting to life after it can become a nearly impossible feat. Children’s reactions to loss and the grief often include anger, anxiety, confusion, fear, sadness, shock, guilt, and regret (Murthy & Smith, 2005). Nature and art have been used as healing methods in the past, but rarely in schools. Because children spend much of their day at school, outdoor landscapes could be designed to that help alleviate children’s grief and commemorate their memories. This master’s project proposes a set of guidelines and a palette of elements that can be used to create landscapes for grieving in elementary schools. To define these guidelines I combined stages of grieving from two different psychological models with design elements that could help children at each stage of their grief. These guidelines and elements were then tested by applying them at three different elementary schools in Manhattan, Kansas: Marlatt Elementary, Northview Elementary, and Theodore Roosevelt Elementary. The designs at the three elementary schools help illustrate the flexibility of the guidelines and palette of design elements. Not only can the selected elements vary, but the sites can range in size and location. The palette of elements will enable schools to implement landscapes for grieving in a range of places and conditions.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Jessica Canfield / Colorado Springs' downtown streets are primarily automobile-oriented, which has lead to a deficiency of multi-modal transportation networks and user-oriented environments. The streets lack engaging public space, pedestrian and bicyclist amenities, native landscaping, and stormwater management systems. The auto-centric design presents significant physical and perceived safety issues concerning pedestrians and bicyclists in the right-of-way. The aim of this study is to redesign the downtown core of Colorado Springs to foster multifunctional user-oriented spaces which enhance overall environmental, social, and economic benefits. In order to complete this study, background literature research and a series of case studies were conducted. The ultimate goal of this masters project is to create a retrofit streetscape design for Colorado Springs that can be used as a model for other planners and designers. The results of this project will be significant to designers because it will provide them with information regarding the best practices for designing urban streetscapes that activate the public realm and promotes safety.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional Community Planning / Anne Beamish / The landscape has the opportunity to commemorate new, dynamic cultural identities which are developing in rural cities throughout the Midwest. These communities are experiencing historic demographic changes as a result of two major phenomena: the in-migration of foreign born peoples and the out-migration of younger generations. Immigrants are settling in rural cities because of the relatively low cost of living, available skilled and unskilled labor jobs, and developing immigrant networks. Foreign traditions and cultural ideals have introduced a new dimension to the historically homogeneous communities found in the Midwest. The age demographic is also changing as young adults move away from their rural hometowns seeking employment and education opportunities available in larger, metropolitan areas. This project will propose a research and design process for defining a design concept for Inclusive Community Landscapes in Midwestern rural cities with diverse population demographics. Inclusive Community Landscapes are purposefully programmed public spaces that celebrate the positive effects of immigration and an aging population: they are defined by the people of the rural city. The goals of these landscapes are to educate visitors about the history of the town, honor the diverse cultures that have been, are, and will be part of the town, and promote communication amongst residents. The project concludes with a design of an Inclusive Community Landscape in downtown Emporia, Kansas, a reflection on the applied research and design processes, and a revised process based on lessons learned during the project.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture, Regional and Community Planning / Blake Belanger / Landscape architects are challenged with finding appropriate solutions to adequately address the dynamic nature of urban environments. In the 1970's C.S. Holling began to develop resilience theory, which is intended to provide a holistic understanding of the way socio-ecological systems change and interact across scales. Resilience theory addresses the challenges and complexities of contemporary urban environments and can serve as a theoretical basis for engaging urban design practice. To test the validity of resilience theory as a theoretical basis for urban design, this thesis is an exploration of the addition of resilience theory to current landscape architecture literature and theory through a three-part methodology: a literature review that spans a breadth of research, case study analyses, and an application of resilience theory through a design framework in two projective design experiments. The resilience framework bridges between complex theory and design goals/strategies in a holistic approach. Through the identification of key connections in the reviewed literature that situate the relevance of resilience theory to landscape architecture and the subsequent case study analysis, specific methods for applying resilience theory to urban design practice are defined within the proposed framework. These methods fit within five main categories: identify and respond to thresholds, promote diversity, develop redundancies, create multi-scale networks and connectivity, and implement adaptive planning/management/design practices. The framework is validated by the success of the projective design application in the winning 2013 ULI/Hines Urban Design Competition entry, The Armory. Resilience theory and the proposed design framework have the potential to continue to advance the prominence of landscape architecture as the primary leader in urban design practice.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Howard Hahn / Golf landscapes have been cast as selfish land use, only for the recreation of those who are fortunate enough to play (Kiss, 1998). Recently, golf has been used by precedent programs like the Salute Military Golf Association (SMGA) and American Lake Veterans Golf Course (ALVGC) for its perceived therapeutic value, specifically for those who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The following study presents an academic exploration of the potential therapeutic benefits a therapeutic golf landscape can provide U.S. combat veterans and service members suffering from PTSD. Ownership at a golf course in House Springs, Missouri is inspired to renovate their facilities to incorporate a playing experience of honor and healing for combat veterans. The golf course at Deer Creek USA is used as a model landscape for the purpose of this study. An analysis of the existing literature on the subjects of golf course design, therapeutic landscapes and memorial landscapes provided the foundation for the study. Precedent studies were used to extract specific design principles from each subject which was next interpreted and presented into two design frameworks. The design frameworks informed a series of design consideration for both memorial landscapes and therapeutic landscapes. A detailed analysis of the existing conditions at Deer Creek USA revealed that the golf course needed an intensive renovation in order to meet the report’s goals and objectives. The final Renovation Master Plan is one of many potential applications of the design guidelines to illustrate a vision for Deer Creek USA as a therapeutic landscape for U.S. combat veterans and service members. The following report reveals an innovative approach to the renovation of a golf course specifically designed to foster a complementary form of therapy for PTSD. If built, Deer Creek USA would be a place where U.S. combat veterans and service members suffering from PTSD can go to feel honored while benefiting from the potentially therapeutic sport of golf in a landscape optimized for stress reduction.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Blake Belanger / Resilience in social-ecological systems, defined by ecologist C.S. Holling (1973), is the persistence of systems after a disturbance. This theory of resilience is becoming increasingly important, especially in urban areas where human systems dominate. Therefore, creating resilient social-ecological systems is emerging as a focus for many landscape architects when designing urban landscapes. Researchers and practitioners have created frameworks and strategies for applying resilience theory, but designers are still lacking tangible methods they can use to implement design strategies to create resilient landscapes. This research presents a set of resilient design strategies, so landscape architects can have a tool to design generally resilient social-ecological systems in urban areas. In order to discover strategies which improve system resilience, I conducted a literature review and created a perceptual model of the social-ecological systems operating in the study site, Washington Square Park in Kansas City, Missouri. The perceptual model determined systems and system components I focused on in this research. These systems are soil, water, vegetation, fauna, and people. Strategies suggested by Jack Ahern (2011), Brian Walker and David Salt (2006), and Kevin Cunningham (2013) for creating resilience determined strategies which were applied to the system components in order to evaluate the park for resilience. The strategies suggested are modularity, redundancy, tight feedbacks, and ecosystem services. In addition, the system components and strategies were used to analyze case studies. I used strategies discovered in the case study analyses along with goals for the redesign of Washington Square Park, discovered by analyzing the site and previous park documents, to create the guidelines. I then used the guidelines to create a design proposal for the park. The current state of the system components in the park and the proposed state from the redesign were used to show the guidelines’ success in increasing the general resilience of Washington Square Park. These guidelines have potential to increase resilience in other urban civic spaces through a similar methodology I used for Washington Square Park. In addition, the guidelines have the potential to further research in applying resilience theory to the design of landscapes.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Jason Brody / It is easier for users to say that they frequent a park because they like the greenery than to say instead, that a park offers opportunities to meet or watch other people (Marcus, 1998).One of the main reasons people visit parks is to engage in both overt and covert social interaction (Gehl, 2010). Many people desire the opportunity to interact with others as a means of fulfilling their social well-being, but it is often unattainable in a civic space due to the lack of activities that promote social interaction. The lack of activities is specifically relevant in and around Washington Square Park, primarily due to a series of physical and social dilemmas the site faces. Washington Square Park is an underused civic space that has the potential to establish itself as a social civic anchor for downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Developing Washington Square Park into a civic space that promotes social interaction will help to achieve this potential. It will also help to bridge the gap with the current physical and social dilemmas that hinder the space. Through a process of literature review, precedent studies, and site analysis, project goals were established. To achieve these goals a set of design interventions were formed to address the physical and social dilemmas in and around the site. These interactions will then inform a final design for Washington Square Park that promotes a healthier lifestyle through social interaction for the users of the site.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Jason Brody / The way America thinks about and develops with water is not sustainable (Mouritz et. al. 2003). These thoughts and actions embody a paradigm that does not value ecological functions necessary to maintain water quality and quantity for future generations (Ahern et. al. 2010). Linear water infrastructure systems of collect, treat and convey lead to issues of flooding and contamination. These systems are reaching the end of their life span in American cities. Instead of replacing them using the current development approach, which treats water as a nuisance, this study argues for a new approach, developing with water as a resource; water-centric development. People have different perceptions regarding water resources and sustainability (Pahl-Wostl et. al. 2007). These perceptions affect the acceptance and support of public projects. Commonly, these perceptions are based upon people’s personal values and the immediate benefits they reap from the project. In order for communities to shift towards a water-centric development approach, demonstration projects must work to communicate the social value in the development’s hydrological functions (EPRI 2009). This project investigates emerging urban water management paradigms and synthesizes relevant knowledge to create a comprehensive new paradigm—New Urban Water Management (NUWM). This project focuses specifically on landscape architecture’s role in catalyzing the adoption of NUWM in Kansas City by applying the paradigm as a design approach to water-centric urban development. This approach employs environmental psychology strategies to append “Motivational Aspects” to the traditional social, ecological and economical aspects of sustainable development. The methodology provides the steps and tools for designers to apply the design approach. A three part design model of 1. Hydrologic Function 2. Social Amenity, and 3. Personal Relevance guide designers in developing water infrastructure systems as social amenities that objectively connect ecological functions with personal relevance. Washington Square Park in Kansas City, Missouri functions as a case study in the application of the design approach.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Timothy D. Keane / The purpose of the investigation was to inventory and analyze riparian corridor vegetation changes throughout the Black Vermillion watershed from approximately 1857 through 2007. Three sub-watersheds were studied; North Fork, Irish Creek and Black Vermillion Main Stem. Research questions investigated were: 1) What changes in riparian corridor width have taken place since the original territory surveys done in 1857 and why? 2) How has land cover adjacent to riparian corridors changed since the original territory surveys? 3) Has woody species composition in the riparian corridors changed? The research questions were addressed using a variety of techniques and tools including aerial photography, basic GIS, and vegetation survey techniques. Territory of Kansas survey maps and notes that were completed in 1857 were used as baseline reference conditions concerning corridor width and woody species present in the riparian corridors. Inventory and analysis of the riparian vegetation change over time and adjacent land cover will aid in understanding the present ecology of these riparian corridors and are important to stream and riparian ecosystem rehabilitation. Woody riparian corridors increased in width throughout the watershed from 1857 until about 1956 (probably due to a decrease in prescribed burning and lack of grazing), which is the pre-channelization period for this watershed. After channelization (late 1960's & early 1970's), average corridor widths dropped significantly as the stream was shortened a total of 15.8 miles (25.4Km). Most often, the land cover changed from native, tallgrass prairie to cultivated cropland or pasture. Woody species composition has changed over time from established mature woodland to a pioneer successional stage. The findings of this study can influence beginning stages of design for natural habitat rehabilitation purposes in this watershed. Design decisions for land rehabilitation purposes should consider reference conditions (historic), and to understand reference conditions we must study the history of land use and land change. This study provides a template for studying the history of land use and land use change of riparian corridors for Midwestern, agricultural landscapes.