Background: Access to quality public transportation is critical for employment, especially for low-income and minority populations. This research contributes to previous work on equity analysis of the U.S. public transportation system by covering the 45 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and their counties. Objective: This study analyzes job accessibility of transit commuters in the 45 largest MSAs to assess the existing differences in accessibility between Census-defined socioeconomic status (SES) categories. Method: 2014 Census demographic data were matched to a previously published 2014 dataset of transit job accessibility at the Census Block Group level. Transit equality and justice analyses were performed based on population-weighted mean job accessibility and SES variables. Results: The findings suggest that within individual MSAs, the low-income populations and people of color have the highest transit job accessibility. However, in certain MSAs with high job accessibility, such as New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Houston, there is a significantly disproportionate access to public transportation based on income. Variables such as income, and the use of personal vehicle, are found to have a statistically significant negative impact on job accessibility in almost all MSAs. The percentage of White workers has a significant impact on job accessibility in upper-mid-density MSAs and high-density MSAs. The percentage of the population with limited English speaking ability is not a significant determinant of job accessibility except in lower-mid-density MSAs. Disparities by income are greater than disparities by race. Racial disparities increase by MSA size and density controlling for income. The findings suggest that planning for public transportation should take into account risks, benefits, and other equally important aspects of public transportation such as frequency, connectivity, and quality of service. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning / In recent years, there has been a shift in focus from encouraging mobility to encouraging accessibility, along with the provision of more sustainable travel options (e.g., walking, cycling, public transport). Access to quality public transportation is critical for employment, especially for low-income and minority populations. This research contributes to previous work on equity analysis of the U.S. public transportation system by covering the 45 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and their counties. This study analyzes job accessibility of transit commuters to assess the existing differences in accessibility in terms of income, race, ability to speak English, etc. Transit equality and justice analyses were performed based on population-weighted mean job accessibility and SES variables. The findings suggest that within individual MSAs, the low-income populations and people of color have the highest transit job accessibility. However, in certain MSAs with high job accessibility, such as New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Houston, there is a significantly disproportionate access to public transportation based on income. Variables such as income, and the use of personal vehicle, are found to have a statistically significant negative impact on job accessibility in almost all MSAs. The percentage of White workers has a significant impact on job accessibility in upper-mid-density MSAs and high-density MSAs. The percentage of the population with limited English speaking ability is not a significant determinant of job accessibility except in lower-mid-density MSAs. The findings suggest that planning for public transportation should take into account risks, benefits, and other equally important aspects of public transportation such as frequency, connectivity, and quality of service.

No description available.

The aim of the project is to investigate how a residential area could be more resilient to disasters. I have explored how this could be done by reusing or developing what already exists. The intention is to show how a residential area could be strengthened by such redesign, in collaboration with the residents. The project is located at Kandidatvägen, in the southern parts of Ålidhem in Umeå. In the area, different hubs are designed, with different functions related to our basic needs such as food, water, or sleep. One of these hubs, for food production and storage without electricity, is illustrated in detail within the project. A common room (kvarterslokal) is transformed and equipped with food solutions to function without electricity. Spatially, walls are removed and folding doors are applied to the facade to create a more flexible space. The kitchen is mobile and can be used indoors and outdoors. The space is also provided with foldable furnitures and storage. In the inner courtyard, a greenhouse and a cultivation area for food production are located. The residents could gather in the food hub if an electricity interruption occurs, and in ‘normal’ times, when people can use their apartments as usual, the space could be used in a similar way as today; as a social space for different activities. But with the new design, the space will be more flexible and enhance its usage.

Temat för projektet är social hållbarhet, för vilken bostadssegregation har blivit en alltmer kritisk faktor, eftersom vi idag ser hur bostadsområden blir alltmer uppdelade. En uppdelning vilken inte bara är socialekonomisk, som tidigare, utan även etnokulturell. I synnerhet är den här utvecklingen  alvarlig för de unga som kommer ta med sig den in i sin framtid. Idag är det etnokulturella avståndet mellan olika bostadsområden och förorter större än någonsin tidigare. Generellt för hårt segregerade samhällen är att det är de svaga grupperna som blir mest lidande, och därmed den förlorande parten i samhället, vilket visar sig i den fragmentisering och radikalisering som sker i termer av missbruk, kriminalitet med gängbildning och allt grövre vapen och religiös extremism – allt ett tragiskt utryck för en stegrande hopplöshet och brist på framtidstro. Ett ungdomens kulturhus är tänkt att motverka denna negativa utveckling genom att låta barn och ungdomar från olika etnokulturella miljöer mötas och därmed kunna utbyta tankar och erfarenheter. Därför blir den geografiska platsen avgörande viktig. I projektet fanns redan initialt en ambition att placera kulturhuset intill en sorts gränslinje som skiljer etablerade medelklassområden från mer invandrartäta. Bredäng är ett exempel på en förort som ligger mellan medelklassområden så som Mälarhöjden, Segeltorp med flera på ena sidan om gränsen och Sätra, Skärholmen och längre ut mot allt mer invandrartäta förorter som Vårby, Vårbygård, Alby och så vidare på andra sidan om samma gräns. I Bredäng finns ett nedlagt värmeverk som ligger på en plats som vetter mot Mälarhöjden. Det kan vara en strategisk fördel för verksamheten om kulturhuset är placerat så nära medelklassområden som möjligt, för att lättare dra till sig individer från dessa områden .

My thesis project is attempting to investigate the notion of estrangement as a qualitative effect and discover various strategies and technics of estrangement in the field of architecture.These investigations will aim to design a cultural center as an institute for discovering more about the displaced situation of mankind in the twenty-first century, producing a defamiliarized aesthetic that is both alien and strangely contextual to our new cultural identity which embraces the concepts of disorientation and otherness. This center will be designed as a public exhibition and community building, integrating a high variety of programs and functions for attracting people of all ages and backgrounds, addressing the instability and fragility of our environment.Architecture is always incomplete and reliant on multiple layers of interaction and engagement, I aim to produce spaces that are challenging, lacking clear boundaries or hierarchies which demand new forms of interaction between architecture and subject, and offer a new understanding of space and material.

No description available.

No description available.

Syftet med denna masteruppsats är att undersöka bostadsområdet Holma, dess förutsättningar och hur det upplevs av befolkning och verksamma i området, samt att analysera och diskutera området utifrån teoretiska resonemang kring plats, urbanitet och grannskap. Vidare är förhoppningen att kunna identifiera resurser för främjandet av gemenskap och hållbar förbättring. Arbetet skrivs utifrån ett socialkonstruktionistiskt perspektiv där en premiss är att människor genom sitt agerande formar mening och att detta agerande i sig påverkas av sociala strukturer. Det empiriska arbetet utgörs av etnografiska studier som analyseras utifrån nämnd teoretisk bas. Studien mynnar ut i resonemang kring vikten av medborgarengagemang och långsiktighet i grundandet av intiativ i grannskapet. En viktig hållpunkt är att befolkningen bör ha möjlighet att själva identifiera och ha inflytande över sin plats då det är hos dem en grundlig kunskap om platsen finns. Examensarbetet visar hur de sociala resurser som verkar i området i högre grad bör användas för utvecklingen av ett gott grannskap. / The purpose of this master thesis is to investigate the residential area Holma, Sweden, its preconditions and how it is experienced by the people that reside and work there, and to analyze and discuss this from theoretical viewpoints regarding space, place, urbanity and neighborhood. Furthermore, the aim is to identify resources for the promotion of community and sustainable improvement. The work is written from a social constructionist perspective in which one premise is that people, through their actions form meaning and that this behaviour itself is influenced by social structures. The empirical work consists of ethnographic studies that are further analyzed through the previously mentioned theoretical basis. The study culminates in discussions about the importance of civic engagement and long-term perspective in the implementation of the initiatives. A major strong point is that people should have the opportunity to identify and have influence over their place, as thorough knowledge of a place is to be found through its people. The thesis shows how the social resources that operate in the field should be better used for development of a strong neighborhood and community.

This thesis looks at the study of accessibility and the role that attitudes and perceptions, based on place and socioeconomic standing, play in determining individual accessibility. The link between accessibility through public transportation systems and sustainable cities and the problems of designing these systems with equity in mind are presented. A framework based on current theory related to accessibility and the effect of perceptions on individual accessibility is developed to investigate if there is a relationship between place of residence, socioeconomics and attitudes towards bus travel and perceptions of accessibility. Surveying through a self-administered questionnaire is used as a method to test if relationships do, in fact, exist. Rosengård and Limhamn, two disparate areas of Malmö, Sweden are chosen as study areas. Relationships between place and attitudes towards bus travel are found to be weak or non-existent, with only concerns of bus wait times and timeliness in reaching one’s destination testing as having a significant relationship to place of residence. Bus users’ perceptions of accessibility are also found to be independent of place of residence. This suggests that the bus provides for satisfactory accessibility in Malmö regardless of place of residence and socioeconomic background.

Sustainable Development was conceived as a visionary idea to have society meet the needs of the today while also considering those of future generations. The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development was developed to provide an operational planning methodology to move society towards ecological and social sustainability. While abundant scientific research and project work have been completed in the ecological issues area - a significant gap remains regarding Social Sustainability. This research project sought to identify leading Actions of Social Sustainability that might strategically remove the systemic conditions (barriers) to Social Sustainability. Reducing the complexity of Social Sustainability for sustainability practitioners can be helpful for working within Strategic Sustainable Development. Using an assessment tool based on Social Sustainability Actions Criteria, leading Actions of Strategic Sustainable Development emerged from case studies and interviews research with social sustainability practitioners and experts. Although this research process was successful, the study of Social Sustainability Actions also resulted in two aspects of proposed discovery: a means to identify systems barriers within a Social Sustainability Actions Criteria Tool and a model of Core Characteristics of Social Sustainability Actions. Additionally proposed, 3 potential Universal Categories of Social Sustainability Actions. / Actions speak louder than words - It means a lot more if we act on our beliefs than if we just talk about them. In this research project, the Action Level of The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development is researched with regards to possible leading actions, a strategic planning model for grass roots sustainability work, and 3 potential universal categories for Social Sustainability actions.