Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-87). / Few social arrangements have affected so many people for so long in human history, as the laws and customs governing the ownership and use of land. Taking Romania as a case study, this thesis focuses on the institutional changes that accompany land reform (e.g., property rights, market services, rural financial services) and the role the state plays in the implementation process. The main hypothesis is that in developing countries, unsatisfactory forms of agrarian structure, and in particular the systems of land tenure, tend in a variety of ways to impede economic development. The results of this study illustrate that in Romania improper implementation of land reform had negative effects on development - further deterioration in the standard of living for the rural population, decline in real productivity, and lower production. Hence, one main conclusion is that the distribution of property rights in land is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for creating the basis for development. Redistribution of property rights in land has to be complemented with technical advice and more integrated cross-sector policies such as easy access to credit and agricultural inputs, production and social infrastructure. State involvement is crucial for supporting these services. / by Georgeta Vidican. / M.C.P.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2004. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 68). / Prior studies suggest that variations of returns in all assets can be predicted to some extent. This study extends the subject of predictability of returns to commercial real estate. The main purpose of the present study is to investigate whether private real estate is predictable and the level of predictability associated with real estate return sufficient to realize superior investment performance by market timing. The study examines commercial real estate both at the aggregate level and in markets for four major property types in the United States. A rolling regression using a vector autoregressive model is employed to forecast returns and estimate the predictability of commercial real estate. Then the forecast model is used to construct simple rules regarding market timing. The classical efficient market theory suggests that there is little to be gained by timing investment, and little hope to consistently beat the market since asset prices already reflect all information available in the market. However, the fact that returns in commercial real estate are predictable raises the possibility of market timing. The potential to use a market timing strategy based on the predicted returns to achieve superior investment performance is of interest to practitioners since it suggests a more efficient method for investment portfolio allocation. The findings of the study suggest that commercial real estate returns are predictable to a certain extent and, although not statistically convincing, that the level of predictability associated with commercial real estate can be used to direct market timing decisions and achieve superior performance relative to a passive buy and hold portfolio. However, predictability of returns tends to decrease at the disaggregate property market level as the markets have smaller sample sizes and more exposure to idiosyncratic risk. / by Kyung Seok Cho. / S.M.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2011. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-92). / A lack of consensus exists among urban planners and government officials on what to do with the complex issue of informal street vending and sidewalk usage, with cities often turning to ineffective licensing or harmful street clearance. This paper seeks to address this unfulfilling dichotomy by analyzing a tourism proposal for a painted pedestrian path in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to assess whether this intervention has potential as a spatial management tool for street vendors, given existing sidewalk practices. Since Ho Chi Minh City has taken to clearing vendors in the name of tourism, this proposal uniquely positions itself at the nexus of street vendor management and urban tourism, and hopes to capitalize on two existing forms of management in the city: a painted sidewalk line to regulate vending, and an informal motorcycle taxi union. To understand the existing system of sidewalk uses, this thesis analyzes official reports and policies, utilizes interviewing and mapping fieldwork conducted in Ho Chi Minh City with street vendors, and examines data from news articles and tourist surveys. These three levels of research reveal significant mismatches in policy goals and existing practices, such as the government's targeting mobile street vendors when they take up significantly less space than business spillover and sidewalk cafes, and the government's attitude of clearing the streets for tourists when in fact tourists comment on Vietnamese street life and street food more than any other experience. Given these mismatches, it seems that this visual line has potential to both include street vendors and organize sidewalk life into an appealing tourist experience. However, the goal or purpose of the intervention will ultimately determine its impacts on the city with respects to displacement and gentrification. Through identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, this thesis is able to propose strategies and planning tools to mitigate the impacts of this intervention, and argues that a visual tourist intervention of this nature could in fact present a viable street vendor management model. / by Courtney Sung. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-110). / by Usha Kaul. / M.C.P.

Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2017. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 86-93). / Faced with rapid resource degradation in the Indus river basin in Punjab, Pakistan, the provincial government of Punjab has identified 'integrated water resource management' as the guiding paradigm for achieving efficient, equitable and environmentally sustainable use of natural resources in the province. However, no clear roadmap for how multi-sectoral, 'integrated' resource management and governance can be operationalized exists. Focusing on irrigated agriculture in Punjab, this thesis uses a combination of historical, institutional and empirical analyses to investigate how 'integrated' food and water planning can be achieved in Punjab. The historical analysis traces how the idea of 'integration' in irrigated agriculture has evolved in Pakistan's colonial history and within the province of Punjab after independence. It reveals that both the departments of irrigation and agriculture have highlighted the need for vertical and horizontal integration within and between the departments throughout their existence. They have experimented with various institutional configurations and many reforms, like the creation of the On-Farm Water Management directorate and introduction of participatory irrigation management, have been implemented in an effort to achieve this integration. The institutional analysis explores how planning is done within and across the provincial departments of agriculture and irrigation. It finds that currently only the provincial tiers are responsible for planning within the two departments while the sub-provincial tiers are responsible for management and operational functions. Coordination between the departments happens by way of the provincial Planning and Development department as the final approver of their proposed plans. Finally, the empirical analysis uses annually collected departmental data to develop metrics that can enable integrated planning of irrigated agriculture. In conclusion, this thesis uses the idea of boundary spanning organizations and objects and builds on the historical, institutional and empirical analysis to propose recommendations for how planning in the Indus River Basin of Punjab can be re-imagined. / by Ayesha Shahid. / M.C.P.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 61-64). / This thesis explores implications of green, or environmentally sensitive, development in the commercial real estate industry. Developers, as building owners, will respond to ideas that can improve their profits, not necessarily to an environmental call to arms. The ability to lease up a development quickly is a competitive advantage that a developer can realize as increased net operating income. Green building strategies may increase the productivity of occupants, which may also help a developer differentiate a project from the competition. Three green building technologies, underfloor air distribution, photovoltaics, and natural ventilation, are examined in detail to determine if they are financially feasible for a developer to include in a commercial real estate office project. This thesis attempts to use a financial argument, to address the issue of environmental sustainable, or green, development. The results of the study are that natural ventilation and underfloor air distribution are currently promising technologies that should be seriously considered by developers. The high cost of photovoltaics, however, does not justify their current use in a commercial development. A large part of the decision to include green developments is dependent on the developer understanding his/her clients, the tenants. This thesis includes a survey of both developers and tenants in an effort to gauge their interest in green technologies and willingness to pay for them. The results of the survey are presented, and suggestions for the future of green building practices are laid out. / by Richard J. Donovan. / S.M.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 115-[124]). / Getting people to parks and other green spaces is important. But most cities overlook parks as destinations in the name of density and commercial development. This thesis describes the symbiotic relationship between public transportation, open space and dense development, which together are the keys to sustainable, livable communities. Development, environmental and transit agencies together effect the creation of one of the most visible factors that influence the quality of urban life-its transportation network. The narrow focus and lack of coordination between government policies and tools also tend to lead to degradation and loss of open space, as well as access to it. Individual developers sometimes recognize the benefits of open space, but in the midst of maximizing financial returns often they depend on others to provide or require it. Years or decades later, many governments find themselves scrambling to (re)acquire open space in an attempt to improve the quality of life of their residents. Transportation improvements should continue to be used as catalysts for transforming cities and the way residents perceive them. Improvements are rare opportunities to effect change in an urban environment in a relatively short span of time. New design guidelines, incentives for developing open space, and better coordination between agencies, usually take longer periods of time to create balanced development that most people think of in the abstract. In most governmental systems responsibilities and tools are split sectorally: transit by transportation agencies, open space by environmental management or parks agencies, economic development by any number of different groups from the planning board to development agencies, etc. Rather than thinking of transportation systems as separate from environmental amenities, neighborhood amenities and economic development, planning must attempt to solidify the relationships between them to develop methods of achieving more holistic goals. This thesis contributes guidelines that will aid in developing design, policy and operational tools that facilitate coordinated, balanced accessibility to a range of uses in transit-rich urban areas, specifically open space, as it has often been neglected in the race to accessibility. This research describes the evolution of struggles between accessibility to open space and commercial development in specific urban areas, then proceeds to characterize current efforts to recreate, reacquire and reconnect open space to urban neighborhoods. It proposes a framework for interventions that prevail in these cities, and their relative success in providing accessibility. I also include a description of various implementation practices and tools, from zoning changes to coordination efforts to funding mechanisms. I conclude by applying these tools to Chicago, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Santiago de Chile, then offering suggestions for areas where further research is needed. / by Elizabeth M. Bent. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2011. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references. / The 'collaborative community workplace' is a growing type of shared, flexible workplace that has emerged in recent years in response to a growing need for productive workspaces for mobile, distributed, and independent workers and small businesses. The way work is accomplished is transforming as the economy of the United States continues to shift toward knowledge work. As corporate structures have been streamlined and an increasing amount of work outsourced, the mobile and independent workforce has grown. This trend has been complemented by a shift in work environments, which aim to better serve the needs of modern workers. Although telecommuting from home offices and 'telework' centers appeared in the 1980s, it was the wireless Internetconnected laptop and cellular telephone that truly enabled work to be accomplished anywhere, from the daily train commute to the local coffee shop. New shared workplace typologies are broadening the spectrum of alternative workplaces and offer footloose workers a professional home base and network. Collaborative community workplaces fall into several typologies that embody unique approaches. They typically emphasize community and collaboration among independent workers and small firms, and each offers a different package of physical space, location, amenities, programming, and specialized services and equipment. As a result, these workplaces can provide a host of benefits, including enhanced productivity, efficiencies of scale, networking opportunities, social identity, and face-to-face interaction. Using data gathered through 25 site visits and over 40 interviews with space operators and tenants in three U.S. cities, this thesis characterizes these workplaces and identifies the needs they fulfill. It also develops a set of guidelines for future shared workplaces, exploring the creation of a larger, urban-scale shared workplace district, or cluster. / by Timothy W. Bates. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2011. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 57-62). / Land conservation programs are often guided by a dual mission: to protect natural resources and provide for the recreational use of a property. These goals are fundamentally in conflict, however, because all recreational use causes environmental impacts. Recreational management decisions are frequently contentious, as different types of recreationalists argue that their use is appropriate within the context of natural resource protection. Such a conflict is currently playing out in the Middlesex Fells Reservation, which is owned and managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). I use the Middlesex Fells Trail System Plan as a case study to explore how public agencies resolve conflicts over open space. I find that the driving force behind DCR's recreational use decisions is user group input; the agency takes user demands seriously. But user group desires are filtered through a variety of factors, all of which push the agency's ensuing recommendations toward the middle ground of compromise and incremental change. These factors include the agency's mission, existing system-wide policies, staff's professional judgment about the purpose of the property, the agency's understanding of the science, the regulatory framework, and most importantly-perceptions of political feasibility. I argue that the draft Trail System Plan attempts to reconcile the conflicting user group demands by accommodating each group's desired recreational experiences. DCR was unable to implement the draft plan, however, because the proposed compromise did not reconcile the fundamental difference in how user groups view and value the property. / by Andrea Christenson. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2011. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 113-118). / This thesis recognizes the social costs created by privately driven urban development while also acknowledging cities' fiscal dependence on local property taxes. This study is based on the premise that equitable spatial distribution of affordable housing can alter existing social perceptions and norms while providing a better quality of life to residents with less income capacity. Using as case studies the linkage and inclusionary policies in Boston, this thesis advocates for the need to include spatial emphasis in policies related to urban development. This proposal derives from an analysis and findings that show the concentration of affordable housing in some of the city's most impoverished neighborhoods. Based on the goals of income integration and poverty deconcentration as framed by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and by the Mayor's agenda for the City of Boston, I examine income integration patterns in the city through time and analyze how affordable housing created with the assistance of linkage funds and though the inclusionary policy has supported or refuted prevailing spatial income patterns in the city. Although this thesis ultimately questions whether income integration is the appropriate goal for fostering spatial equity, it offers policy reform suggestions that could support a greater "geography of opportunity" for the city's lower and middle- income residents. The recommended policy reforms extend beyond these two policies in order to question the larger urban development regime and the role of local level government interventions. / by Aspasia Xypolia. / M.C.P.