Access to water from San Antonio Creek was critical in Claremont’s growth from a small stop on the Santa Fe Railroad to an agricultural powerhouse and an elite college town. While Claremont has sought to distinguish itself from surrounding communities since its founding in 1882, the innovative Pomona Valley Protective Association (PVPA) aligned Claremont with the City of Pomona and its other neighbors in a scheme to conserve the Creek’s resources at the turn of the century. Organized around the discovery of local confined aquifers and the development of a strategy to recharge them with water from the San Antonio Creek, the Association was a contradictory moment of cooperation in an otherwise highly contentious zero-sum game of water rights politics. As conflicts wore on, the PVPA quietly orchestrated the purchase of large tracts of land in the San Antonio Creekbed, where the construction of diversion dams and spreading grounds served dual purposes of water conservation and flood control. As dam building in the Creekbed continued, large tracts of the previously undevelopable Wash were transferred to the aggregate mining institutions that gouged the area’s many gravel pits. This thesis uses the story of the PVPA and the contemporary example of the Claremont University Consortium Gravel Pit to explore the context of development in the San Antonio Creek Wash. Understanding the political and social contexts of the gravel quarry problem reveals possibilities for a more integrative, conscious, and sustainable approach to improving the former gravel quarries that currently occupy the Wash landscape.

This dissertation examines how confusion and lack of access to information about subsurface property rights facilitates the rapid acquisition of mineral rights by mining interests, leaving those who live 'above the surface' to contend with complicated corporate and bureaucratic apparatuses. The research focuses on the first proposed state-run large scale mining project in Ecuador, believed to contain copper ores, and on the natural gas hydrofracking industry in three counties in north central West Virginia. Qualitative and visual methods, including mapping, are employed to determine (i.) how the geography of subsurface ownership patterns is changing, (ii.) links between changes in subsurface ownership and surface ownership, and (iii.) how these changes are facilitated or impeded by institutional and governance practices. Rights and permit acquisitions are facilitated by state institutions, which often have strategic interests in mineral development. Accordingly, this research also considers the role of state strategy with respect to the establishment, bureaucratic management, and enforcement of vertical territory, which reflects the state’s interest in and sovereign claim over subterranean resources to benefit the nation. The research finds that the historical separation of subsurface property rights from the surface is associated with a persistent weakening of surface holder claims to land in favor of mining development, and that this weakening has contributed to the long-term persistence of absentee ownership and control over land in Ecuador and West Virginia. Viewing subsurface land deals from the perspective of those whose lives are disrupted on the surface, I conclude from this work that mundane practices such as deed transfers and local micropolitics about land use are significant factors in the lead up to larger scale violences and silences, such as forced displacement and even political imprisonment of activists opposed to extraction.

This study examines ten major storms that have affected Louisiana in the last fifty years, beginning with Hurricane Betsy in 1965. The goal is to determine if the nine coastal parishes are prepared adequately for another major hurricane impact. It examines storms that have affected the state physically, in terms of property and ecological damages. It also considers storms that provided non-physical influences, by way of mitigation policy changes and social, economical, ecological, and political policy alterations. The main focus is on the transformations, if any, of social vulnerability in light of emergency preparedness in the areas impacted, particularly along the Louisiana coast. I argue that, while the State has come a long way, Louisiana is not currently prepared adequately to handle another major storm by 2015. Furthermore, I offer recommendations for improvement in preparedness measures for the future.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / Esta dissertaÃÃo trata do desenvolvimento socioespacial de Fortaleza, procurando analisar o processo de produÃÃo e apropriaÃÃo do espaÃo urbano no entorno de Ãreas de proteÃÃo ambiental, como respaldo para a avaliaÃÃo de projetos de parques locais. A pesquisa teve como objeto de estudo o entorno do Parque EcolÃgico do CocÃ, principalmente as Ãreas de interseÃÃo do espaÃo natural e a malha urbana e o espaÃo construÃdo dentro das faixas de proteÃÃo. O Parque foi analisado segundo a conjuntura polÃtica em que foi implantado, observando-se nos Ãltimos 15 anos as transformaÃÃes ocorridas em seu entorno. O mÃtodo de anÃlise foi fundamentado a partir dos dados obtidos pelos seguintes procedimentos metodolÃgicos: pesquisa bibliogrÃfica realizada para elaboraÃÃo da fundamentaÃÃo teÃrica e resgate das bases histÃrica do desenvolvimento urbano de Fortaleza; pesquisa documental e visitas de campo, para observaÃÃo direta do espaÃo urbano no entorno do Parque e identificaÃÃo das agressÃes e dos pontos vulnerÃveis; entrevistas estruturadas com moradores objetivando recolher informaÃÃes acerca das mudanÃas provocadas com a implantaÃÃo do Parque EcolÃgico do CocÃ. A partir da anÃlise dos resultados da pesquisa conclui-se que a desigualdade socioespacial se reproduz em diferentes escalas na cidade de Fortaleza. à na natureza que se verificam os impactos da degradaÃÃo e do desenvolvimento. A configuraÃÃo das Ãreas verdes da Cidade demonstra as mazelas frutos de intervenÃÃes pontuais e desarticuladas. O rio Cocà faz parte de uma bacia, mas sua relaÃÃo com os demais corpos hÃdricos nÃo à considerada pelo planejamento e pela gestÃo pÃblica. Desta forma o tecido urbano se impÃe sobre os possÃveis circuitos verdes. à assim com o Parque EcolÃgico do CocÃ, cuja Ãrea verde desaparece em meio a Cidade. Isolado e valorizado em determinadas Ãreas, âescondeâ as agressÃes, estimula as pressÃes do mercado imobiliÃrio e nÃo faz parte da vida das comunidades em seu entorno, tornando o rio e o mangue mais vulnerÃveis. / This work is related to the social and space development of Fortaleza, and analyzes the process of urban space production and appropriation in the environmental protected surrounding area, as a support for the evaluation of local parks projects. The research had as the object of study the surroundings of the Cocà Ecological Park, more specifically the areas of intersection of the natural and urban spaces, and the space developed into the areas of protection. The Park was analyzed according to political context in which it was implemented, considering the transformations happened in its surroundings in the last 15 years. The research method was based in the data collected by the following techniques: bibliographic research made for the theoretical foundation and for getting the historical urban development of Fortaleza; documental research and visits in the field, the last did in order to observe directly the urban space in the Park surroundings and identification of the main aggression and the vulnerable points; structured interviews with residents, aiming to collect information about the changes provoked by the implementation of the of the Cocà Ecological Park. Through the analysis of the data collected, it was possible to conclude that the sÃcio space inequalities are reproduced in different levels in Fortaleza. It was in the nature where could be verified the main impacts of the degradation and development. The configuration of the green areas of Fortaleza demonstrates the problems came from the punctual and unarticulated interventions. The Cocà river is part of a basin, but its relation with the other basin components is not considered by the public planning and management. This way, the urban areas advance on the river area and consequently on possible green spaces. This is what happens with the Cocà Ecological Park, where the green area disappears into the city. Isolated and valued in certain areas, the river âhidesâ the aggressions, stimulates pressures of the civil construction and real state market, and gets not part of the life of the communities in its surroundings, making the river and the swamp vulnerable.

In this thesis, I am examining how East Tennessee State Normal School in East Tennessee and Appalachian State Normal School in Western North Carolina interpreted progressive education differently in their states. This difference is that East Tennessee State began as a state funded school to educate future teachers therefore their school and their curriculum was more rounded and set to a structured schedule. Appalachian State Normal School was initially founded to educate the uneducated in the “lost provinces” therefore, curriculum was even more progressive than East Tennessee State’s – based strongly on the practices of farming, woodworking, and other practical skills. I will also be looking at what these different interpretations tell about the states, what it says about the Appalachia region, and how both schools applied these progressive ideas in their schools. Lastly, I will be answering how Progressive education, and normal schools affected the communities in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.

This study was initiated to demonstrate how declining neighborhoods can be revitalized through the cooperation and Partnership of local residents, financial institutions, and local government. The Neighborhood II Conservation Plan assumes that interested and informed residents can plan their own environment just as they plan their own family affairs and budget their incomes. The plan further assumes that residents working together as a team can revitalize their neighborhood at the point of decline. This study pursues various approaches to neighborhood preservation which may be useful to other cities.

Until recently, few have questioned the notion that the separation of uses in land use zoning is inherently correct. Many observers of the city are now suggesting that zoning, as it has been practiced in this country over the last 80 years, has created cities that are fractured and function poorly. Others propose that zoning should be reconsidered as a remedy for urban dysfunction. They suggest that the whole notion of zoning be rethought. The purpose of this study is to uncover some of the underlying rationales and methodologies that set the model for zoning. This study examines the rationales behind the classification and location of land use zones in a fast-growing area of Portland, Oregon, for its first zoning ordinance through history, culture, and geography. Between 1919 and 1924, two ordinances were prepared using two very different methodologies. The first of these was designed by nationally known consultant, Charles H. Cheney, using the latest scientific methods. After its rejection in the polls, a second ordinance was developed by a prominent group of realtors in conjunction with the city planning commission using more intuitive methods. This “realtors’ code” (MacColl 1979) was approved by the Portland electorate in 1924. Some fifty years later, the Portland planning commission would identify zoning as having played a significant role in the deterioration of the Buckman neighborhood in the study area. The comparison of the rationales and methods behind the locations of zone boundaries in both ordinances against the locations of actual uses in the study area, reveals the powerful influences of social Darwinism, laissez-faire attitudes, and newly developing social science methods on the association of zoning with the separation of uses and the land use patterns that were created.

Contemporary scholars seeking to increase Tuber Melanosporum truffle production rely almost exclusively on technological advancements to increase yields, while failing to place the cultivation of truffles, trufficulture, in its historical or local landscape contexts. In this dissertation, I describe how truffle scholars’ conceptualization of trufficulture and landscapes has changed over 150 years in France, while focusing on the French département of Lot. I examine changing relations between humans and nonhumans and how they impact truffle harvests. I analyzed the history of French trufficulture through a close reading of historic truffle manuals, archival research and the classification of remotely sensed images. Shifting from the past to the present, from July 2014-August 2016, I conducted semi-structured survey interviews with working truffle-growers (trufficulteurs) and participant observation at meetings of trufficulteurs, truffle hunts and truffle markets. I utilize actor-network theory (ANT) as both a theory and methodology. Actor-network theory allowed me to follow the impacts made by both humans and nonhumans on trufficulture. I found that truffle harvests in the 1880s dropped by 90%. Highly populated, intensively worked landscapes of viticulture, silvopastoralism and cereal cultivation created conditions suitable to truffles. By the 1870s the phylloxera aphid ravaged grapevines, which made trufficulture an important source of revenue. These advantageous conditions would not last. Post-WWI, yields fell for decades because of an ongoing rural population exodus and consequent agricultural abandonment, which promoted reforestation and closed canopy forests in Lot, France. By the 1960s, French trufficulteurs organized associations to share knowledge and promote local truffle markets to revive production. Trufficulteurs’ utilization of tractors, ‘inoculated’ plants and irrigation systems produced a new form of “modern” trufficulture. State subsidies helped trufficulteurs adopt “modern” practices, in hopes of increasing yields. “Modern” trufficulture has not dramatically increased yields. A few highly-capitalized trufficulteurs dominate production in Lot. Many others practice trufficulture as a hobby. Instead of relying on “modern” technological fixes, my findings suggest that trufficulteurs, farmers and states should reinvigorate extensive polyculture farming practices that maintain open canopy forests, which were beneficial to trufficulture in the past. Actor-network theory allowed me to rethink human and nonhuman relations, and to propose alternatives to “modern” trufficulture.

TreePeople is a Los Angeles based non-profit organization that uses environmental education, initiatives, and programs to engage with the greater community to work towards the goal of a sustainable future for Los Angeles. The Fruit Tree Program is one of TreePeople’s longest running programs of 29 years, which distributes free bare-root fruit trees to economically disadvantaged communities as a source of fresh fruit and the other environmental benefits that trees offer. This paper is a comprehensive report detailing the history of the program and the impacts it has had on communities across Los Angeles County. Looking at three communities in Los Angeles and interviewing key community members from these communities, I identified the impacts that the program has had on addressing important urban environmental concerns and facilitating community development.

An historical account of the Bernard Field Station and its present uses. Examining the rhetoric of Land Planning within the Claremont Consortium using archival documents and previous historical documentations. Examining the problems of the land's management and contentious history as well as the future intentions of the space.