Thesis (M.S.)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2003. / Title from title screen (viewed Feb. 11, 2004). Includes bibliographical references (p. 77-108). Also issued in paper format.

This study provided a broad overview of military base closures and the problems surrounding communities have when redeveloping them. The focus of the study was to analyze the success of the Fort Harrison Transitional Task Force and the Fort Harrison Reuse Authority in their attempt to redevelop Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. The information collected has led me to the conclusion that the base has been successfully redeveloped. The base had a number of fixed geographical and environmental factors that aided in developing a successful plan for redevelopment. The redevelopment plan was comprehensive in nature and followed sound urban planning practices. The plan has been successfully implemented to this point in time. The project will come to completion some time in the next ten years. A final review of the project will have to be done at that time to measure their complete success. / Department of Urban Planning

Thesis (Ph.D.)--George Mason University, 2008. / Vita: p. 183. Thesis director: Kathryn B. Laskey. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Technology. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed July 7, 2008). Includes bibliographical references (p. 168-182). Also issued in print.

Freiburg is a city in the southern Black Forest with a very innovative and successful urban planning policy. The city, in cooperation with other partners, redeveloped an abandoned Cold War-era military base into an ecologically sustainable cutting-edge city section with a diverse population.This creative project will examine the processes of the successful transformation of Forum Vauban from a military base into a sustainable mixed-use district. Although such progressive initiatives and creative problem solving may not be politic feasible in every community, it is important to learn from such successful and innovate to urban problems. For my creative project, I will describe and analyze various factors, events and policies that have encouraged Vauban to develop into a successful and world-renowned sustainable city section. It is especially important for urban planners to learn from the success of Vauban as a tool for professional development; however, lay person could also greatly benefit by learning about the successful planning practices in Vauban and in the city of Freiburg, Germany. Perhaps, this would enable them to learn enough about good planning practices to make a difference in their own community. / Department of Urban Planning

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / For nearly a hundred years, Fort Benjamin Harrison served as an epicenter of training and organization for United States Army in Indianapolis, Indiana. However, budget cuts pushed the U.S. Congress to close Fort Harrison under the Defense Base Re-Alignment and Closure Act of 1991. Over the following five years, the U.S. federal government, various Indiana state agencies, city governments of Indianapolis and Lawrence, and citizen advocacy groups worked together to develop a reuse plan for the former military base. Succinct planning and compromises allowed 70 percent of the former military base to be converted into an Indiana state park. Over the lifetime of the base a variety of factors resulted in the unintended creation of the largest noncontiguous forest in Central Indiana ---an area perfectly suited as an Indiana state park. As Fort Benjamin Harrison enters its second decade as a state park, park staff must reevaluate the park’s military past and its effects on the land as it is today. This thesis examines the transitional years between the closure of the base and opening of the park, analyzes current interpretive practices at the park, and provides new suggestions for future public programming and interpretive practices.

This thesis analyses major U.S. military bases closed by the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission since 1988. The study focuses on geographic patterns of pre-existing versus BRAC bases, statistical attributes, environmental restoration, and reuse of bases. Comparative case studies supplement the analysis, highlighting rural versus urban location, success versus failure, politics, conflict, and local versus national goals. Thesis findings are that: 92 bases closed versus 97 commonly published; a fairly even national closure pattern occurred, indicating Commission efforts to achieve equity, except for three closure clusters indicating efforts to consolidate functions in some regions and leave others; base reuse, while commonly perceived negatively, has been positive in most cases; the BRAC process is becoming more efficient, such that allowed years between BRAC closure decisions and base closures should be reduced from six to three years to benefit both communities and the Defense Department.