The study is focused on the roles and principles of textiles, textile manipulation and its potential relationship with landscape architecture. Tactility bonds the two worlds of fashion and landscape together. It changes in scale, intimacy and movement. The study explores how textiles perform in relation to the following principles; movement, climate, reaction, light, transformation, scale and communication. The etymology of the word TEXTILE is derived from the Latin 'texre' meaning to weave or to construct. The word text is related to communication and the word 'tek' is related to building or architecture. The study has been conducted via various different media upon a range of different materials. These consist of film and media, light and shadow studies, projections, etching and transferring of textures, pattern cutting, stitching, and the making of paper and textile from plant material, to name a few. The act of textile manipulation and the product of these techniques is then used in the conventional site analysis that a landscape architect would conduct. These techniques being, a pleat, knot, veil, seam, weave, drape, dart and skirt. Each of these are broken down into their structural, functional and landscape roles. For example, a Veil is structurally light and semi opaque. Functionally it is aimed at concealing that which is behind it, yet it is not completely enclosed, thus revealing the object behind. In landscape design, a veil can be translated into a row or cluster of trees that is aimed at concealing objects in the background. Taking this process, a step further, these textile manipulation terms are then translated into verbs. These verbs of weaving, pleating, knotting etc. is then used as tools to analyze the site and its context in context of the act -of textile manipulation itself. From this, the area of study is broken up into pattern pieces. This unlocks a new perspective on how each of these pieces' work -or do not work- together. This then begin to set out a set of opportunities and constraints for the site and its surroundings. Are there potential seams or connections that have not yet been realized? Are there opportunities in the converging topographic darts?. As previously mentioned many of the design principles and ideas we know in architecture have been influenced and have influenced textiles and fashion. This study is focused on the act of textile manipulation and the properties of different materials.

According to Brunkhorst (2001) and Raeberg (1997), governments who are responsible for regional (territorial) planning are in effect planning blindly as they are not taking into account the brilliant work done in related fields which could change their attitude towards planning, design, ecology & technology. The global debates on scarce resources and climate change which are causing governments to have to take a stand, pose questions such as: How are Scarce Resources Managed? How will injustices to the poor be rectified? What policies and guidelines are in place to promote sustainability? The theory is out there, but little or no practical implementation of the theory at broad scale through fine scale has been done to date. To this end I have created a model which takes into consideration these global issues, and tested it on the SW Wildlife ecosystem of Botswana which has all the characteristics mentioned above. Lessons have been learned from failures in Implementation Strategies at Gudigwe (N Botswana) where insufficient planning for the needs and capabilities of the local villagers created a mismatch of the socio-economic product created and the outcomes anticipated. Another example of failure was the unanticipated social culture of the Baswara who take care of each other above the needs of outsiders. The guests and management were at odds with the staff due to these cultural differences at Mababe Village Sankuyo Trust, NW Botswana. The study will contribute a model of bioregional planning from broad to fine scale which can be used in the planning & design of such regions in the future. The macro biogeographic region is defined at the Broad Scale and at the Fine Scale appropriate socioeconomic sustainable interventions are detailed.

Childhood obesity is one of the nation’s most serious health problems. There are growing efforts to prevent childhood obesity by improving opportunities for physical activity in their communities. The outdoor settings of the built environment, such as parks and open spaces, can offer children opportunities for physical activities, experience with nature, and social interaction, which contribute to children’s physical and psychological health. However, children’s physical access to parks is often inequitable. Simultaneously, the quality of parks also varies. These disparities caused the inequitable distribution of health-promoting features of built environment among disadvantaged groups who may not have access to other resources. While most previous studies focused on physical park distribution inequities, the purpose of this study is to explore park access by both park physical proximity and quality related to children’s (5 to 17 years old) potential need for parks. This study employs case study methods to explore these relationships across Cache County, Utah. Park proximity is identified by GIS network analysis methods to determine park service areas for all the 77 census block groups in Cache County. Both overall park quality and five separate park feature qualities (facilities, amenities, aesthetic feature, cleanliness and maintenance, and incivility) are measured using the PARK tool (Parks, Activity, and Recreation among Kids). The measure of children’s potential park need is an index created according to the following contributing factors; the population density of children, total population density, racial minority density, population percentage whose income falls below the federal poverty line, population percentage of unemployment, population percentage of low-education, percentage of renter-occupied housing, and yard size. Comparison between the measures is both graphical (spatial) and statistical (correlational). The graphical analysis identifies spatial gaps between the measures. The statistical analysis, using multiple linear regression, assesses the extent that the park location and quality distribution is correlated with children’s potential park need in the setting. Proposed parks are added in the graphically identified spatial gaps, the effect of which is statistically analyzed to see whether children’s park needs can be better met in the study area. This study can be a model for examining park access and park need among children to ultimately improve opportunities for physical activity and reduce the rate of obesity among the population.

New planning and management paradigms for the USDA Forest Serviee suggest that future Forest Plans incorporate the best available science and the public's values into Forest Plan revisions. Revised plans should focus on the ecological capabilities of the land and how to sustain them. The means to manage the land for these outcomes should be developed with considerable and ongoing public involvement. One outcome of this public involvement can be the development of a "desired future condition" for the area being managed and the needed regulations to maintain and monitor the desired conditions. In order to provide preliminary information on backcountry recreation in a particular setting, a survey was conducted in the Lakes Management Area (LMA) of the Kamas Ranger District in northeastern Utah. The purpose of the survey was to provide scientifically gathered baseline information (who the typical visitor was, perceptions of and preferences for social and biophysical conditions in the LMA, how the area was being used) and to investigate the variability of visitor desires within the LMA. Results indicate that visitors to the LMA are mostly from the nearby urban Wasatch Front. Visitors come to the LMA to relax and find solitude while hiking and camping. They report being highly satisfied with their visit, with social and biophysical conditions found during the visit surveyed largely meeting expectations or being less than expected. The variability of visitor desires was measured by creating groupings of visitors based on characteristics of the visitor or visit considered relevant to managers. Eight groupings were developed. Subgroupings within these groups were then analyzed, using ANOVA, to determine the extent of variability within the groupings of visitors and their perceptions of and preferences for selected social and biophysical factors as well as site attributes and management options. Significant variability was found within certain groupings, particularly groupings based on the type of organization the visitor was a member of, how many previous trips to the LMA the visitor has made, and whether the visit was day use or overnight.

The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the potential effectiveness of the Rich County 701 Plan as a planning and management aid in controlling the development around Bear Lake. The success of the plan in integrating cultural data and natural resource data is judged on the basis of professionally accepted techniques of resource analysis and on the availability of pertinent planning data. Guidelines for evaluating the land use controls for Bear Lake that will result from the Plan are derived from the shoreland ordinances of Wisconsin and Minnesota and the lakeshore experiences of New Hampshire and Vermont.

The goal of this research has been to prove that changes in water quality resulting from changes in land use could result in a threatened decrease in economic utility of land uses in the Bear Lake Valley. The purpose of this research was to illustrate a process for determining land use and water quality relationships in the Bear Lake Valley that utilized quantified data and projective models. The first phase of the research estimated the changes in land uses and demographics for the valley. The second phase of research utilized the results from the first phase together with models predicting changes in water quality developed from the literature, to predict water quality changes. Other necessary data required for the models was obtained from an extensive inventory of existing data and literature from state, federal, and local sources. The results from the second phase were then compared to state and federal water quality standards to estimate if the changes in water quality threaten.

It is the apolitical position undertaken by Botanics such as Kirstenbosch Garden that further excludes people from engaging with Ihlathi through harvest and ritual. It prevents them from connecting with spaces that had once been occupied by their ancestors and still carry the consecrated nature of amasiko (customs). In reimagining these spaces with the understanding of African spirituality and indigenous contribution that has shaped Isiko Lehlathi (customary rites of the forest), the main goal is to re-enact the participatory activities, and interactions through design, which used to exist between people and nature. This is an attempt to break the colonial rigour to develop inclusive cultural principles of cultivation and harvest that share the same conservational values as the existing ones. Botanical Gardens have historically been defined by Eurocentric values of cultivating natural landscapes, conserving flora and fauna, and curating spaces that foster medicinal and educational studies of plants. However, they are often established in spaces that have immense cultural and consecrated significance such asehlathini (forest landscapes). South Africa is known as one of the most biodiverse countries in the world with a wide range of biomes, forests, deserts, estuaries, and aquatic systems (Biofin, 2021). These form part of a cultural ecology that is spiritually driven by amasiko (customs) of those who had created a sense of place from these landscapes. Botanical gardens such as Kirstenbosch are situated in forest landscapes that form part of the Capefloristic region protected areas. Conversely, it had been shaped by the existing legacy of colonization which is now sympatric to the traditional cultural rites of those who lived of these landscapes. This has continued to marginalize the history and heritage of Indigenous people such as the Khoi and San who have initiated a transcendent relationship with Ihlathi (forest landscapes).

No description available.

The Elephant Marsh is a seasonal wetland that lies on the floodplain of the Lower Shire River in Malawi. This is one of the most productive ecosystems in Malawi that plays an important role in supporting the livelihoods of the local community (Kosamu, 2012) through fisheries, livestock grazing, and agriculture. The Elephant Marsh also plays a significant role in flood storage, attenuation, and purifying sediment-rich water. Furthermore, it is a habitat for over 110 water bird species (Bayliss, 2019). Unfortunately, upstream development, commercial sugarcane farming, human encroachment, and severe land degradation such as soil erosion, sedimentation, and deforestation within the Shire River Basin have resulted in a decline in remaining natural areas which have led to a decrease in infiltration and water holding capacity in the basin. This project aims to create a resilient system using fingerponds and rainwater harvesting practices that embrace the process of flooding and precipitation during the wet season by holding water and allowing it to infiltrate into the landscape. Furthermore, the project aims to reconnect the riparian community to a century-old traditional practice of harvesting and weaving reeds and palm leaves into mats and baskets to allow for a deeper relationship to form between the people and place while also creating more opportunities for the community. The term landscape resilience in this project is an aspect of wet theory, which is a way of accommodating flow and other boundary-blurring phenomena of motion, disturbance, and change through fluid occupancies of land and infiltration (Mathur & Da Cunha, 2009). Furthermore, the resilient landscape in this project is also linked to the preservation of traditional knowledge systems that are connected to the landscape to ensure the long-term success of the proposed sustainable practices. Through research, a site visit, and interviews, the study first uncovers the sense of place and identity of the landscape. Elements of the site are then synthesized through map analysis and visual narratives to understand the different relationships between the social and ecological aspects of the site. Finally, these relationships are then tested in a design intervention that aims to accommodate for uncertainty and forms a more integrated agriculture, aquaculture, and traditional system that retains the functioning of the wetland improves the wetland edge and empowers the community.

The West Coast of South Africa is a place that one might feel a sense of desolation, however, the harsh environment is one of beauty and richness. This thesis will look at socio-ecological issues linked to the Olifants River Estuary, and the fishing communities of Ebenheaser, more specifically Papendorp, which is situated approximately 350km north of Cape Town . The issues present can be described in two scales: The first, on a broader ecological scale, the ongoing expansion of mines across the West Coast threatens highly biodiverse habitats that support both ecological and human communities. The proposed new mines East and West of the Olifants River Estuary threatens the ecological systems as well as social systems as communities are directly affected by the health of the estuary (Sowman, 2016). The second scale is concerned on a social level as the communities struggle to maintain their livelihoods and ways of life as fish stocks within the estuary have been on the decline (Sowman, 2009). This decline has forced the need for secondary forms of income for the communities (Olifants River Estuarine Management plan (v.7), 2017). In-order to create a holistic understanding of the issues at hand the thesis will aim to map the patterns and processes of the estuary, its catchment and the landscape which it finds itself in through a lens of extraction. It is proposed that through this method, ecologically activated alternatives to mining might be achieved, ones which harnesses the processes of the natural systems and can provide economic relief and resilience for the community of Papendorp. This intervention also aims to highlight the translation of natural resource extraction towards one of abstraction. Traditionally, many interventions have failed to fully understand the interwoven nature of ecologies and the Anthropocene, this has led to the marginalization of groups (such as small-scale fishers) and the disregard for their cultural heritage and rights to natural resources. This multi-scalar approach aims to include all aspects of the study area, ecological, cultural, social, and economical to create a layered approach that allows for a detailed understanding of the site, its challenges and its opportunities. It is hoped that through this approach the outcome will allow for a better integration of ecology and conservation with social and economic aspects and therefore produce an intervention that aids in the improvement of both communities and ecologies.