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This thesis outlines the experiences of the author in conducting various research and development, projects addressing different means of representing the urban environment. These projects all fall within a fifteen year period that has been characterised by the most rapid growth and diversification of any technology in history. The document steps through four eras in the progress of these projects and, while addressing only a single viewpoint, attempts to follow the developmental thread that has linked all these activities over the years. As with all retrospective treatments of a single technology there is always a time period when a single snapshot represents the expensive state-of-the-art which, some time later, becomes derided as worthless and outdated before finally entering a phase where it may be regarded with nostalgia and perhaps new found worth. This cycle is true to all aspects of computing technology, hardware, software and applications. The rapid pace of progress with the computing industry has distorted this time frame allowing ground breaking applications of only a few years of age to be treated with derision by some of those who have only experienced the latest cutting edge of the technology. Unfortunately this temporal distortion has forced much of our computing history towards an early grave without providing a sufficient period within which fond memories might grow. This is lamentable not just for emotional reasons but mainly because many of today's techniques and technologies are based on yesterday's precedents. In order to appreciate the reasoning behind any one developmental phase of the project it is necessary to place it in its context of the available computing infrastructure both in terms of hardware and software. To this end each chapter seeks to identify the key enabling technological foundations on which the work is constructed.

The emission of the platinum group elements Pt, Pd and Rh (PGE) from automobile catalytic converters has led to rapid increases in Pt, Pd and Rh concentrations in roadside media. The vast majority of previous research examining autocatalyst-derived PGE in the urban environment has been performed in Europe or North America. Although catalytic converters became mandatory on all new cars sold in Australia from 1986, no prior studies have focussed on urban platinum group element (PGE) concentrations in Australian environments. In general, the results of previous studies suggest a limited post depositional mobility of catalyst derived PGE. However, these findings are from research conducted in cool-temperate climate zones with regular rainfall and from environments where soils and sediments differ from the typically coarse grained, sandy soils with low levels of organic matter found in Perth. The relevance of European and North American findings to other regions with different climates and soils is therefore unclear and where the climate regime and properties of soils and sediments are not comparable to those previously studied, the potential exists for different geochemical behaviour of autocatalyst-derived PGE. Through investigations of spatial and temporal distribution and the identification of some of the main factors controlling transport and fixation, the principal aim of the research presented in this thesis was to elucidate aspects of the post depositional geochemical behaviour of autocatalyst derived PGE in selected roadside environments in Perth, Western Australia. The quality of some of the reported PGE data has been questioned by a number of workers. Possibly the most intractable diffculty in the determination of low concentrations of PGE in environmental samples by ICP-MS is the control of interferences from common matrix components. To ensure accurate and reliable data in this research, prior to the analysis of environmental samples, the optimal instrumental conditions for PGE determination and two commonly applied matrix separation methodologies (tellurium coprecipitation and ion-exchange) were investigated. The most effective matrix separation technique for the accurate determination of PGE in the environmental samples applicable to this study, such as road dusts and roadside soils, was found to be cation exchange. The lack of knowledge regarding urban PGE concentrations in an Australian context was addressed through examinations of PGE levels in road dusts, roadside soils and infiltration basin and wetland sediments. Data show significant elevation of all three PGE above local background and average upper crust values. PGE ratios in surface road dusts and soils were consistent with known catalytic converter compositions and while Pt and Rh concentrations are comparable with European studies, Pd levels were generally higher in these Australian samples. The effect of climate on PGE levels in roadside environments was investigated by repeat sampling of road dusts and roadside soils over a twelve month period. Both sample media exhibited seasonal variations. The presence of seasonal variability in PGE concentrations in roadside soils suggests that this environmental compartment does not represent a long term accumulative matrix for autocatalyst-derived PGE. Further examination of spatial distribution revealed that the PGE exhibit greater vertical mobility in the soils of Perth than has previously been reported, with elevations above local background concentrations occurring at depths of 14-20cm. Neither small scale spatial variability nor vertical mobilisation were of su±cient magnitude to explain the observed temporal variability. Based on the pattern of seasonal PGE distribution and that of rainfall, temporal fluctuations are attributed to transport by stormwater. The mobilisation of PGE by stormwater is thought to occur principally via the water-mediated transport of PGE bearing particulates. However, PGE fractionation leading to a greater post-depositional mobility of Pd may occur during transport through the urban stormwater system. In the urban environment of Perth, infiltration basin and wetland sediments represent a sink for autocatalyst-derived PGE. Based on the examination of PGE ratios, and the vertical distribution of PGE in infiltration basin sediments, Pt and Rh remain associated, whereas Pd may be differentially mobilised. For both soils and infiltration basin sediments, variation in pH was limited and does not show any correlation with vertical profiles of PGE, suggesting that pH does not act as a major control on PGE mobility. The role of organic matter is less clear, and although no straightforward relationships were apparent, where high levels of organic matter were present, profiles suggest an increased mobilisation of Pd. This differential mobilisation of Pd may therefore be caused by the formation of an organo-metallic species. Temporal fluctuations in PGE levels in road dusts and roadside soils indicate that inputs of PGE to aquatic environments are likely to occur as seasonal pulses. The routing of road runoff into urban wetlands therefore represents a major pathway by which aquatic ecosystems may be exposed to autocatalyst-derived PGE. The impact of such inputs is unclear, however, as other recent studies have shown that a portion of autocatalyst-derived PGE, and especially Pd is bioavailable, the potential for ecosystem degradation due to PGE contamination represents a major avenue for further research.

This thesis addresses the City of Detroit`s transformation from a thriving center of trade and commerce to its present abandoned state. Due to the decentralization of industry and massive suburbanization since the 1950s, Detroit presently resembles a ‘middle landscape,’ somewhere between urban and rural. This thesis proposes an urban design strategy for Detroit that mediates between nature and culture, through the vehicle of a design for a new technical college campus. First, investigation into the ‘zone of in?uence’ explores the city`s present conditions including its infrastructure, buildings, and its current relationship with the natural environment. Secondly, the ‘zone of control’ proposes a new urban typology that is appropriate to the proposed college institution. Lastly, this thesis considers the ‘zone of effect,’ which displays the in?uence the proposed campus could have in promoting land development in the city`s residential areas, Eastern Market District, and Rivertown Warehouse District along the Detroit River waterfront.

This thesis investigates the role of spatial configuration in shaping resident's experience of their neighbourhood. Studies to date have found that spatial configuration affects spatial behaviour and movement patterns (e.g., Hillier et al, 1993), however there has been little investigation of the cognitive processes that might underlie this relationship. Other research into cognition of the urban environment suggests that local spatial factors may play a role in cognitive processes (e.g., Hart & Moor, 1973), however these studies have not addressed global spatial configuration in quantitative terms. No studies to date have sought to integrate cognitive, behavioural and configurational factors within a single framework. Using Hillier's (1996) definition of intelligibility as the relationship between local and global configurational factors, this thesis investigates the relationship between resident's cognition, observed patterns of movement and the spatial configuration of an area. Two adjacent areas in Hampstead Garden Suburb in North London were investigated in detail. One area is relatively intelligible, the other less so. Structured interview surveys were carried out with local residents to elicit aspects of their cognition of the local area and detailed observations were made of movement patterns in the two neighbourhoods. Analysis of the spatial characteristics of the two areas using 'space syntax' methods provided a common basis for analyses of these data. The findings confirm that spatial configuration, spatial cognition and space use patterns are all related to one another. The main finding is that the degree of intelligibility of the area is the most significant intervening variable in relations between the three variables. The more intelligible area showed more powerful correlations between spatial configuration and patterns of movement, as well as giving rise to perceptions of greater legibility and increased neighbourhood size by local residents. Strong correlations were also identified between residents' cognitive maps and observed patterns of movement in the area. The correlations were again found to be stronger in the intelligible area than the unintelligible area. These findings suggest that spatial configuration may play an important role in determining people's daily spatial experience by increasing or reducing their sense of autonomy. By reducing the ability to predict either one's precise location within his/her global context, or the likely behaviour of others in space, unintelligible urban configurations may result in perceptions of a lesser sense of personal control over one's own actions in the environment. The thesis concludes that 'architectural intelligibility' may be a basic aspect in achieving human spatial needs.

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Orientador: Lucila Chebel Labaki / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T20:51:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Silva_EricadeSantana_M.pdf: 7038567 bytes, checksum: dbe759b1d615577fb375e3b94169f912 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Em cidades de clima quente, a preocupação em proporcionar ambientes termicamente confortáveis torna-se imprescindível. O crescimento desordenado do ambiente construído com um traçado urbano desfavorável à insolação, ventilação e à transferência de calor pelos materiais do entorno, ocasiona modificações nos padrões de clima das cidades. Assim, esta pesquisa busca a correlação existente entre os parâmetros climáticos (variáveis de temperatura e umidade relativa do ar) e o parâmetro urbanístico denominado fator de visão do céu. O estudo desenvolvido analisa uma micro-região da cidade de São José dos Campos (SP) que compreende os bairros Parque Residencial Aquarius e Jardim das Indústrias. O Parque Residencial Aquarius vem apresentando uma acelerada ocupação vertical com novas construções comerciais e residenciais, em contraposição ao Jardim das Indústrias, bairro residencial com predominância de edificações com até dois pavimentos. A escolha da área baseou-se na hipótese de que, à medida que a verticalização da área urbana se intensifica, a geometria do ambiente é modificada, trazendo alterações no fator de visão do céu, e consequentemente, nas variáveis de temperatura e umidade relativa do ar. A metodologia aplicada baseou-se em medições fixas das variáveis climáticas (realizadas nos períodos de verão e inverno) e análises de imagens, obtidas com câmera fotográfica acoplada a lente olho-de-peixe, dos pontos escolhidos da micro-região. As análises estatísticas dos resultados demonstraram que o bairro Parque Residencial Aquarius apresenta temperaturas ligeiramente mais elevadas que o Jardim das Indústrias, tanto no período diurno quanto no noturno. Foi possível comprovar também que as correlações entre o FVC e a intensidade de ilhas de calor noturnas foram negativas e significantes, portanto, os pontos com menores valores de FVC apresentaram maior intensidade de ilha de calor. A pesquisa confirma que o FVC é um parâmetro importante na identificação de ilhas de calor / Abstract: In cities with warm climates, the concern to provide thermally comfortable environments becomes imperative. The sprawl of the built environment in an urban layout unfavorable to sunlight, ventilation and heat transfer through the surrounding material causes changes in weather patterns of towns. Thus, this research shows the correlation between climatic parameters (variables of temperature and relative humidity) and the parameter called urban sky view factor. The developed study analyzes a micro-region of São José dos Campos (SP) which comprehends the neighborhoods Parque Residencial Aquarius and Jardim das Indústrias. Parque Residencial Aquarius shows an accelerated vertical occupation with new residential and commercial buildings, as opposed to the Jardim das Indústrias, predominating residential buildings with two floors up. The choice of the area is based on the assumption that as the vertical extent of the urban area intensifies, the geometry of the environment is changed, causing changes in the sky view factor, and consequently, the variables of temperature and relative humidity air. The methodology applied was based on fixed measurements of climate variables (conducted during summer and winter) and analysis of images taken with camera coupled to lens-eye fish, the chosen points of the micro-region. Statistical analysis of results showed that Parque Residencial Aquarius with temperatures slightly higher than Jardim das Indústrias in daytime and at night. It could be demonstrated also that the correlations between FVC and intensity of heat islands night were negative and significant, so the points with lower values of FVC showed higher intensity of heat island. The research confirms that the FVC is an important parameter for identification of heat islands / Mestrado / Arquitetura e Construção / Mestre em Engenharia Civil

não há resumo em português / This is a study of the analysis of the concept of sustainable development. The linkages between environment and development, the meaning of sustainability and a critique of the decision making process are analysed through the comparison of two case studies the Aral Sea and the Billings reservoir. The rst study case is the Aral Sea. During the last thirty years the development of crop production was the goal of regional strategy of the Aral region countries. Wirhdrawls from the rivers caused inows to the Aral to fall at an average of over 50 km3 annually to 1-5 km3 in the 80´s. There have been observed accute environmental, health and social problems attributed to the development process. The Billings reservoir is located at the Southeastern region of the city of São Paulo, and was constructed in I937 with the objective of energy generation. During the years it was turned into a multiple-use reservoir including domestic and industrial water uses, as well as well as domestic and industrial deject reception. The accelerated development of the city and the lack of basic infrastructure projects such as sewage treatment have led to the advanced degradation of the reservoir. and to negative impacts and conicts for the entities and communities involved in the system. The study has shown that integration of environmental and developmental issues is very important for a balanced and efficient decisionmaking. This can be achieved through thorough studies of ervironmental, economic and social factors of the system under analysis. The meaning of sustainability has different dimensions for each system. Also a reformulation of the decisionmaking process is essential for the concept become operational.

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