Advanced technology is often considered to be the property of those individuals or corporations based in the richest and most powerful nations, or the rich and powerful individuals or corporations that can be found in the world's poorest countries. It is typically the case that the most disadvantaged populations do not have equal access to the internet, laptops or personal workstations, fabricating machines, or any of the many software programs or hardware components that are available to many of the world's workers and citizens. There is a tremendous gap between those with access to advanced technology and those without.The aim of this thesis is to address this gap by speculating on the potential of implementing an advanced software application—Building information Modeling (BIM)--into several low technology settings that exist in the author's home country of Nepal.To advance this question, a number of research tactics were engaged: field research was conducted in Nepal during the summer of 2006; advanced digital applications, including Revit and BIM software, were studied and used both as a graduate student and an intern in an architectural firm in Atlanta, Georgia; and the non-governmental organization READNepal was contacted and studied, as was the architectural office with which they collaborate in Katmandu.Three different sites in Nepal were selected to highlight the differences present in the rural areas in terms of cultural, social, and physical qualities, as well as to consider the different "cultures of building" and levels of technological sophistication in the three settings.In time, "trajectories" were developed that link the digital tools readily available to the READNepal offices in New York and Nepal, with the architect's office in Katmandu, and with the contractors and day laborers (who are often illiterate) in the countryside. In this sense, it is suggested that through the introduction of basic software and hand-held devices, information can flow not only from the funding organization's office in New York to the architect, or from the architect to the job site, but from the job site to the architect and READNepal office as well. In this way, communication is improved and the architecture has the potential to be more localized. Power is distributed and knowledge flows not only from top-to-bottom, but from bottom-to-top, from day laborer in rural Nepal to architect in Kathmandu to New York office worker.The thesis offers not a concrete solution but rather an understanding that while potential exists, there is much more to be done to bridge the gap that exists between clients, architects, and constructors in societies where gaps exist between those who have access to high technology and those who do not. / Department of Architecture

No description available.

The proliferation of intrastate armed conflicts has been one of the significant threats to global peace, security, and governance. Such conflicts may trigger resource exploitation, environmental degradation, human rights violations, human and drug trafficking, and terrorism. Women may suffer disproportionately from armed conflicts due to their unequal social status. While they endure the same effects of the conflict as the rest of the population, they also become targets of gender-based violence. However, women can also be active agents of armed conflict and perpetrate violence. Therefore, political and scientific communities at the national and international levels are now increasingly interested in developing a better understanding of the role of women in, and effect on them from, armed conflict. A better understanding of the roles of women in conflict would help to prevent conflicts and promote peace. Following in-depth interviews with civil society members who witnessed the decade-long armed conflict between Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) and the Government of Nepal (GoN) (1996-2006) and thereafter the peacebuildng process, I assess the political and economic agency of women particularly in terms of their role in, and impact on them from, the armed conflict and peacebuilding processes. My research revealed that a large number of women, particularly those from rural areas, members of socially oppressed groups, poor and productive age (i.e., 14 - 45 years) - participated in the armed conflict as combatants, political cadres, motivators, and members of the cultural troupe in CPN-M, despite deeply entrenched patriarchal values in Nepali society. The GoN also recruited women in combatant roles who took part in the armed conflict. Women joined the armed conflict voluntarily, involuntarily, or as a survival strategy. Women who did not participate directly in the armed conflict were affected in many different ways. They were required to perform multiple tasks and unconventional roles at both household and community levels, particularly due to the absence or shortage of men in rural areas as they were killed, disappeared, or displaced. At the household level, women performed the role of household head- both politically and economically. However, in most cases the economic agency of women was negatively affected. At the community level, women's role as peacebuilders, members of community based organizations and civil society organizations either increased or decreased depending on the situation. Despite active participation of women in formal and informal peacebuilding processes at different levels, they were excluded from most of the high level formal peace processes. However, they were able to address some of the women's issues (e.g., access to parental property, inclusion in the state governance mechanism) at the constitutional level. The armed conflict changed gender relations to some extent, and some women acquired new status, skills and power by assuming new responsibilities. However, these changes were gained at the cost of grave violations of human rights and gender-based violence committed by the warring sides. Also, the gains made by women were short-lived and their situation often returned to status quo in the post-conflict period.

As societies and cultures evolve with time, human settlements also transform gradually. These days, globalization and modernity bring about rapid changes and in a matter of a few years, the face of a settlement is changed forever and the lives of the people are no longer the same. While such changes are inevitable, it will be suggested that they should be conducive to the existing built environment. Change brought about by capitalistic and consumeristic pressures does not necessarily have to take away the identity of a settlement.Because I am a person from Kathmandu, Nepal, I chose that place to study how and why change is evidenced in the environments, lifestyles and house forms of the local people, and to explore how specific families both maintain and mediate their cultural values amidst these changes. As much as Kathmandu is an Asian center of glorious art, architectural, and cultural history, it is also a center of development, growth and change. In recent years, a growing trend in Kathmandu is for homeowners to leave their ancestralhome in and of the historic city and to relocate to new urban areas. This thesis focuses on this particular trend of relocation.Available literature, documentation from other sources, and the author's few years of professional experience in Kathmandu, shape the analysis of the settlement patterns, house forms, socio-cultural activities and the economics of the urban Kathmandu in the past and the present. The families, which have lived through the changes -- as they have moved from the historic center to new neighborhoods -- are the ones who can best represent the current scenario. Four such families were studied. Their answers to a lengthy questionnaire along with photographic documentation and physical mapping of their old and new dwellings have formed the main body of research.In their responses, the local people spoke volumes on how change is necessary, desirable, and inevitable. Still, there are major cultural values that never change. They exist in the spirits and to some extent in the way people conduct daily chores in the house. To a greater extent, however, cultural affinity exists at the larger scale of a neighborhood. Quality of life in the historic city is brought about by its rich festivities, sociability of spaces and the feeling of communal harmony. Although the society is changing into a more individualistic one and material and spatial needs are fulfilled in the new location, people miss the quality of life in terms of the socio-cultural attributes of the old place.As designers, we can extract upon these attributes to bring back their lost sense of place.Being sensitive to these values, design can become more a response than an imposition. / Department of Architecture

The present study seeks to investigate the linguistic behavior of two Newari high castes, called Shresthas and Udas, living in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, in their use of Newari, the ethnic language, and Nepali, the national language. Specifically, the study attempts to explain the hypothesis that the Hindu (Shrestha) Newars are becoming monolingual in Nepali while the Buddhist (Udas) Newars are maintaining their bilingualism in Nepali and Newari. To do so, a questionnaire was distributed to a total of 96 subjects, selected through quota sampling procedures. The questionnaire not only elicits information about the situational and societal variation in the subjects' use of Newari and Nepali but also reveals their attitudes and opinions about the differential use of these languages. Also, the participant observation method was employed to supplement and validate the responses derived from the questionnaire survey.The results from this study suggest a diglossic behavior in the Udas' use of Newari and Nepali, which, however, is remarkably different from those found in classic diglossic settings. This, in turn, leads to a reexamination of Ferguson's concept of diglossia. The Shresthas, on the other hand, frequently alternate between Newari and Nepali regardless of situation. Such linguistic differences between these two groups are related to their varied social networks and relationships; the Udas Newars' greater use of Newari is due to their closed social networks while the Shresthas' greater use of Nepali is due to their open social networks.The data on the analysis of the subjects' attitudes and opinions toward Nepali and Newari indicate that the Udas Newars are positive and favorable toward Newari while the Shresthas are ambivalent in their opinions toward these languages. This study, therefore, emphasizes a strong need for bilingual education in the country.The results of the present study show that the Udas' use of Newari exclusively at home and with children is a major factor in its retention. Among the Shresthas, it is rapidly losing ground to Nepali. Newari then is gradually dying away among the Shresthas, and will continually do so in the absence of institutional support. / Department of English

This dissertation uses qualitative research methodology (individual interviews with alumni of three separate graduating classes) as a means of evaluating the effectiveness of an architecture program at a private engineering college located just outside the city limits of Kathmandu, Nepal. Cross-cultural issues were an important aspect of the research as the researcher (a former teacher at the college) is an American while all the students were from Nepal. All interviews were transcribed and the data collected was analyzed primarily using the Constant Comparison/Grounded Theory approach. Triangulation of data from different individuals helped to verify observations and solidify conclusions. The presentation of the research retains individual anonymity of the subjects within the framework that they were all students of architecture in the Department of Architecture at Nepal Engineering College in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Effort was made to explain the epistemological position of the author and comments are included describing possible bias in various stages of the research and analysis process. The findings indicate a high level of success by the graduates of the program, especially in the early years of its existence. Graduates from more recent years describe less satisfaction with their architecture training. The findings from the research lead to specific suggestions for changes/improvements in the architecture program at Nepal Engineering College. / Department of Educational Studies

This study investigates the impact of seasonality on standards of water and sanitation in the mountainous district of Humla, Nepal. The research considers impact on two levels: community level access and service delivery. First of all, it examines annual variation in village level access to water and sanitation. Secondly, it looks at the wider picture of service delivery and considers how seasonal variations present opportunities and challenges for improvement in standards for water and sanitation. Three case studies from Humla are presented which illustrate village level access to water and sanitation over a calendar year. These case studies summarise the content of 45 semi-structured interviews, 9 focus group discussions and 9 months of observational work in the district. Variations in weather, village population, infrastructure functionality, and environmental conditions are found to influence the experienced levels of access to water and sanitation at any given time. The impact of seasonality on service delivery was investigated via 39 key informant interviews. Both climatic (e.g. weather) and non-climatic (e.g. budget timings) sources of seasonality are found to impact programme implementation. The mismatch of local seasonal calendars and those imposed by central hubs is found to cause particular difficultly in effective delivery of water and sanitation services. The findings of this research have theoretical, methodological and practical implications. Theoretically, it is suggested that a mountain community s level of access to water and sanitation varies considerably over the course of a calendar year to the point where it needs to be considered if on the ground standards are to be improved. Methodological guidance is provided detailing means of investigating seasonality and its impact on standards of water and sanitation in other scenarios. Practical suggestions focus on incorporating seasonality into assessments of access to water and sanitation and programme delivery in mountain communities.

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

published_or_final_version / Ecology and Biodiversity / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

No description available.