Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2002. / "June 2002." / Includes bibliographical references (p. 83-85). / Gloucester, Massachusetts has long been regarded as the quintessential working port in the Northeast and the home of commercial fishing in America for several hundred years. Today, Gloucester's working port is threatened by dwindling fish stocks, strict land-use regulations and development pressures. The expansion of the tourism sector is spurned because 1) it is not fishing 2) it is not to be trusted, that it could turn against Gloucester and degrade the unique, authentic character of the city. I argue that managing Gloucester's waterfront as an attractive, appealing destination and protecting the working port are not antithetical concepts. In fact, combining both of these notions might be the best way to protect Gloucester's identity and preserve its living heritage. Planning should endeaver to mitigate any potential conflict between the two, and wherever possible, bind their fates together to create a sustainable, authentic place. This thesis is divided into analysis and recommendations. The analysis covers Gloucester's present situation through an exploration of the city's history and culture, and is paired with a review of the global waterfront revival movement and discussion of a number of postmodern trends as they relate to Gloucester. The combined findings of this local and cultural analysis form the basis for the urban design recommendations in the second part of the thesis. The recommendations are divided into three categories: policy issues, physical improvements and institutional reforms. / by Laurie Reyna Pessah. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1993, and Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-106). / by Michael Antonio Sherman. / M.S. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 113-114). / by Charles F. Planck. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-106). / In the late 20th Century, a common strategy has developed among a small but highly visible cross section of artists. They create and enact transient events, 'interventions', in public spaces in a way that both refers to the spatial language of the site and offers a critique of its dominant values. What distinguishes their work even further is their reliance on the instruments of mass media, and their interest in redefining its capabilities: the projector, the electronic sign, and the billboard are three such instruments whose potential for communication in the city have been creatively mined in their service. By exploring the ways in which these technologies may be put to new uses within the urban domain, and doing so from an interrogative standpoint, so that values, both explicit and latent, are questioned, these artists begin a process of engagement with the viewer which works to redefine the functions of the site. The intersection of the artist, the instrument, and the public sphere act, momentarily, to challenge typical notions of public space and public discourse within it. That such strategies have been adopted by commercial interests also shifts the paradigm further, and sets forth new conditions by which typical notions of public space and social action are challenged. I have chosen three cases through which to examine this process: the artists Krzysztof Wodiczko and Jenny Holzer, and the advertising campaign of the Benetton Group. My central questions around their work are as follows: what makes up the strategy of the artists and company when they put forward an impermanent critique in a public space? What "public" is being spoken to in a work like this, taking place as it does in the civic realm? Since the controversy surrounding many of the projects by Wodiczko, Holzer, and Benetton lies in the interplay between social values and spatial territory, this study also examines the wider community and institutional interests at work in the site. It traces the policies of institutions and municipalities and their role in granting or denying permission for the work, as well as the roles of stakeholders around the site in supporting or impeding it. The sites that I will discuss are Union Square Park and Tompkins Square Park, both in New York City, Times Square and 42nd Street, New York, and Bunker Hill and Monument Square in Charlestown, MA. Two defining features of these sites are that drastic changes to the built environment often took place not long after the artists enacted their projects in them, and that there is a existing conflict among stake holding groups which is often centered around it. This research seeks to determine what role the artist played in the changes to the site and the struggles over it. / by C. Adair Smith. / M.C.P.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-105). / There is a development phenomenon spreading across urban areas of the United States. Municipalities are undertaking multi-million dollar investments to support new stadiums for professional sports franchises. Accompanying these high profile investments is a concurrent investment in museums and cultural attractions of all types aimed at attracting tourists and local interests alike. This phenomenon is part of a wave of well planned and executed economic development initiatives that are using the development of cultural icons such as sports stadiums and museums to anchor commercial and retail development in the area. This thesis will look to identify the critical success factors in creating an urban entertainment district that encompasses sports venues, museums or other cultural icons, and an entertainment based retail center. It will identify the stakeholders in such an initiative and analyze the driving factors in the development and planning process. The combination of the three elements - stadium, museum, retail entertainment center- creates a critical mass of development that will serve as a model for other municipalities as they look to create their own downtown entertainment districts. It will also look at any combination of elements as a possible economic development initiative rather than a strict definition and closely defined form. Four case studies will be presented and analyzed, Faneuil Hall in Boston, Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Gateway/North Harbor in Cleveland and The Gateway in Salt Lake City as four projects undertaken in four large U.S. cities. We will also try to superimpose these success factors to secondary markets. / Jacob L. Boyer and Thomas G. DiNanno. / S.M.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-81). / Despite its reputation as one of the most entrepreneurial places on earth and its abundant resources, some firms in the hi-growth biotechnologyI sector have either left Cambridge 2 or, are considering leaving the City. The reasons why new biotechnology firms locate in Cambridge are well understood and conform to prevailing location theories; A highly skilled and educated labor force, as well as the proliferation of new technology from MIT, Harvard and mature biotechnology firms. At present, Cambridge is home to 62 of the 240 firms located in Massachusetts. However, over time the City's share of biotechnology firms has dropped from 32 percent to 26 percent. The scarcity of lab/office space in Cambridge may be among the primary reasons that firms relocate or establish operations in cities other than Cambridge. Of primary interest is how fast growing firms with dynamic demands for lab space negotiate its scarcity. Of particular interest is how firms that have yet to garner a net positive return confront their choices including subletting, incubation and shared labs. The central hypothesis is that despite Cambridge's overwhelming location advantages, and the near necessity of operating in the City, fast growing, unprofitable firms will actively search outside of Cambridge for flexible lab/office sites. Thus, this research evaluates the principles that inform the City's relationship with the biotechnology industry, and the ensuing roles Cambridge plays in its viability and the expansion of public goods including jobs and tax revenue. Finally, this thesis endeavors to draw broader principles and conclusions about how cities hosting volatile and fast growing industries can intervene to prevent displacement of young and dynamic firms. / by Brandon Mitchell. / M.C.P.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies, 1987. / Bibliography: v. 2, leaves 516-527. / by Joseph Michael Hunt. / Ph.D.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 143-149). / by Matthias Baxmann. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning; and, (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 155-166). / Today, the notion of the melting pot can no longer explain the process of assimilation in American society. The current cultural scene is comprised of a mainstream group and a large number of subcultural enclaves. The coexistence of these groups leads to tensions between the mainstream culture and the various subcultures, in this case, the immigrant ones. Transformation of the ethnic enclaves occurs over generations of interchange with the mainstream environment and results in specialized communities that are a hybrid of the immigrant's culture and the prevailing American one. This thesis explores the dialectical relationship between culture and city form by analyzing the evolution of the Islamic community of Dearborn, Michigan, which has the densest concentration of Arab Muslims in America. It traces the original Southend community, which has an irregular, agglomerate city form, to the later developed Eastend community, which has a grid-like city form. This thesis then examines a vision to design a new Islamic community at a proposed site in Plymouth, Michigan. How and to what extent ethnicity is expressed in the physical form of all three communities is examined. Issues of self-image and representation are also explored. The proposed Plymouth project exemplifies three architectural and urban planning trends: the building of state mosques in the Islamic world, the development of American suburbs, and the creation of subcultural enclaves by design. If it is built, the new Islamic community in Plymouth will be a compromise between the maintenance of self-identity and integrity of the immigrant subgroup and total assimilation and integration with the mainstream. . The architectural message sent by these designed ethnic enclaves to the mainstream culture represents new attitudes of the enclave members about their own identity and role in American society. The melting pot model of assimilation is being replaced with a model of distinct but open subcultures. The result will be a culturally pluralistic urban form, where group interchange diffuses polarization and promotes understanding. / by Rula Habal. / M.S. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-68). / by Penny Kusumastuti Lukito. / M.C.P.