published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Architecture

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The abolishment of Apartheid and the transition to a democratic political dispensation has ushered in a new era for urban development in South Africa. This change implies a range of challenges for managing urban areas which also includes the urban environment. Urban environmental creation (defined as activity to green the urban environment) holds the potential to mitigate the consequences caused by Apartheid to South Africans and in addition, if planned properly and applied sensibly, can contribute significantly towards social and economic prosperity in this country. Relatively few attempts to date have been made to research urban greening within the so-called new South African context. Currently a lack of vision exists regarding strategy development for future urban greening and dissension regarding the objectives of urban greening has been identified as a key problem area. This makes it particularly difficult to take decisions at project execution level. From the outset, the aims of this research were two-fold, namely to measure progress at project co-ordination level and further to conceptualise a theoretical framework for future decision making. The literature review documents the agendas for urban greening, both past and present. An, analysis of various urban planning and design strategies, together with South African central government policies which refer to urban environmental management, has shown that a paradigm shift is occurring within the urban greening discipline. This shift is characterised by a movement away from urban greening which focuses on secondary social needs of people, and a shift towards urban greening which is more sensitive to the primary social and economic needs of cities' inhabitants. This research uses a case study approach to measure progress gained in urban greening practise and to determine the current state of affairs. A sample of projects for analysis was obtained from four organisations. Information gathered was then analysed in terms of selected characteristics. In addition, the execution processes (planning, implementation, construction and maintenance) of four urban greening development projects, which were selected randomly from the sample, are described. The research is concluded with a synthesis of findings and recommendations into a conceptual framework for future decision making. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die beëindiging van Apartheid en die oorgang na 'n demokratiese politieke bestel het 'n nuwe era vir stedelike ontwikkeling in Suid Afrika ingelui. Hierdie verandering hou 'n reeks nuwe uitdagings vir stedelike bestuur in, wat onder andere ook die bestuur van die stedelike omgewing insluit. Stedelike omgewingsskepping, wat gedefinieer kan word as aktiwiteit om die stedelike omgewing te vergroen, besit die potensiaal om skade wat Apartheid aan Suid Afrikaners berokken het te temper en kan voorts, indien dit deurdag beplan en aangewend word, bydra tot sosiale en ekonomiese welvaart in Suid Afrika. Tot hede, is daar nog betreklik min navorsing oor stedelike vergroening binne die sogenaamde Nuwe Suid Afrika konteks onderneem. Daar bestaan tans groot leemtes aangaande die gedaante wat stedelike vergroening binne 'n post-Apartheid konteks behoort te verbeeld, weens twee-spalt wat heers met betrekking tot doelwitte. Gepaardgaande hiermee, bestaan daar ook geen aanvaarbare strategie vir die toekoms nie. Al hierdie probleme tesame bemoeilik sinvolle besluitneming op grondvlak. Hierdie navorsing stel dit dus breedweg as mikpunt om die konteks van stedelike vergroening in Suid-Afrika te bepaal, vordering wat sedert demokratisering in die veld bereik is te meet en verder om 'n raamwerk vir die toekoms daar te stel. Die agendas vir stedelike vergroening (soos wat dit in die verlede was en hoe dit tans uitsien), word in die literatuuroorsig gepeil. 'n Ontleding van 'n verskeidenheid van stadsbeplannings en - ontwerp strategieë tesame met 'n ontleding van Suid Afrikaanse sentrale owerheidsbeleid wat betrekking het op stedelike omgewingsbestuur, bevestig meegaande 'n hipotese wat gestel is, naamlik dat 'n paradigma verskuiwing besig is om plaas te vind in die stedelike vergroenings veld. Hierdie paradigma verskuiwing word gekenmerk deur 'n beweging weg vanaf stedelike vergroening wat gefokus is op die sekondêre sosiale behoeftes van mense en 'n beweging na stedelike vergroening wat fokus op die primêre sosiale en ekonomiese behoeftes van stedelinge. 'n Navorsingsprojek is onderneem ten einde die huidige stand van gekoordineerde stedelike vergroenings ontwikkeling, aldus stedelike vergroening wat spesifiek gemik is op die ontwikkeling van gemeenskappe wat deur die vorige politieke stelsel in Suid Afrika benadeel is, te meet. 'n Steekproef vir analise is verkry, deur 'n vraelys ondersoek te loods onder vier organisasies wat as gevallestudies deel neem. Stedelike vergroenings ontwikkelingsprojekte wat deur hierdie organisasies gelys is (die steekproef elemente) is dan aan die hand van geselekteerdekenmerke en eienskappe vergelyk en ontleed. Gepaardgaande hiermee volg daar ook 'n prosesbeskrywing van vier stedelike vergroenings ontwikkelings projekte wat subjektief uit die vier gevallestudies geselekteer is. Die doel hiervan is om gedetailleerde insae te verskaf tot die wyse hoe stedelike vergroenings ontwikkelings projekte tans tot uitvoering gebring word. Die navorsing word saamgevat deur 'n sintese van bevindings en aanbevelings in 'n teoretiese raamwerk vir toekomstige besluitneming.

For three years the writer has worked with children from a section in Mineral Wells, Texas, in which home environments were unnecessarily bad. They offered none of the wholesome stimuli for growth and development that homes should give. The houses were drab and cheerless, and the grounds were neglected, often grown up in weeds or cluttered with trash. Through its members, made up of sixth and seventh grade children of Travis Elementary School and including children from the affected homes, plans and procedures were formulated for improving homes, and the interest and cooperation of the parents were secured in extending the improvements over the area. By this plan the writer hoped that life might be made more satisfying for these people as a result of improved surroundings.

Portland, Oregon, is steward to a 5,126 acre wilderness park called Forest Park. The park's size and proximity to downtown make it a dominate feature of Portland's skyline. Despite its urban location the park provides respite from city life with its seventy miles of trails, which wind through stands of Douglas fir, western red cedar, and western hemlock. Portland citizens enjoy this easy access to nature as well as the park's health and environmental benefits.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning; and, (M. Arch. in Advanced Studies)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1976. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Rotch. / Includes bibliographical references. / M.C.P. / M.ArchAS

Sustainable development has been an emerging trend in worldwide projects for securing the assets available to future generations, yet, there are often disputes over the sustainability of a project. Sustainability indicators are therefore suggested to serve as a quantitative tool to analyze the changes and measure progress of a sustainable development. By engaging the public for identification of such indicators, their opinions of a development can be documented and then conveyed to the decision makers at the planning stage. It is anticipated that the actual needs of the local communities can be reflected in and communicated by these sustainability indicators. In this Study, Yuen Long Town Nullah was picked to be a pilot study to demonstrate the role and function of sustainability indicators. It is a part of the oldest drainage systems in Hong Kong and was constructed in the early 1960’s to alleviate flooding. Like many other nullahs, it was originated from natural watercourses and has then been straightened and provided with concrete bed and walls. Over the years, it has been complained of eyesore problem, foul smell, and accumulation of refuse. In order to address these urban problems in parallel with the lack of open space, revitalization of the Nullah has been opted for re-establishing riverscapes and providing valuable recreational space by turning the Nullah into community assets. In total, 202 sets of questionnaires were collected for gathering the general perception and identification of local sustainability indicators of Yuen Long Town Nullah. 4 interviews with various stakeholders were also conducted for giving comments on sustainability indicators, government’s policy towards sustainable development, recommendations on monitoring the sustainability progress and the sustainability indicators for developing Yuen Long Town Nullah based on their experiences. In general, the local communities concerned the environmental aspect the most but economic aspect the least. A sustainability indicator framework was proposed at the last part of this Study to conclude the findings from the questionnaire survey and the interviews. / published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

In the last decades the urban environment has been the subject of studies of many researchers, mainly about themes related to planning and sustainable managing of this space. The topics from these discussions become fundamental to the execution of better practices of environmental quality and life quality for the people. The city of Aracaju, Sergipe State, where this study was conducted, presents a variety of environmental problems that demands the analysis of several parameters and factors related to these themes. As a way of contributing to one more aspect for the discussion of sustainability of the city, the main objective of this research was to analyze the quality of the Public Green Areas System of Aracaju, in order to contribute with information that assist a more suitable planning of these areas. Therefore, the information and data analyzed during this study were organized into 3 chapters. Chapter 1 corresponds to the theory reference that fundaments the main themes approached in this research. Chapter 2 deals with the classification, characterization and mapping of the categories that build the Green Areas System. The results were obtained through the analysis of Secondary Data Bank and field activities, assisted by a Public Area Classification Model (PACM). This way, 313 public areas were identified, classified into three types: (1) areas associated to the road system (avenue islands and roundabouts); (2) areas not associated to protected areas (squares, parks and leisure areas); (3) areas associated to protected areas (Conservation Units and Permanent Preservation Areas). The protected areas are the most meaningful for the System, they occupy 80.6% of all the classified green area, while the other classes occupy only 19.4% of the total. Chapter 3 analyzed and discussed the space rates of the public green areas of the city, which were obtained through interpretation of Quickbird satellite images (2008) and data processing in programs of Geographic Information System (SIG s). The related aspects were evaluated into 3 rates: (1) Green Area Percentage PAV; (2) Tree Coverage Percentage PCA and (3) Public Green Area Rate by Inhabitant IAVP. The PAV was treated as the rate that reflects the environmental quality of the system considering the influence of all areas independently of its quality. The PAV of the city is 14.48% compared to urban areas, the PCA is 9.7% and the IAVP that takes into consideration the evaluation of the socio-environmental function of the green area, was only 3.4m ² of green area per inhabitant. The adopted methodological procedures were considered adequate to identify and qualify the categories of the green areas of the city. Moreover, it was essential to analyze the space rates in a more detailed and objective way. / Nas últimas décadas o ambiente urbano tem sido objeto de estudo de muitos pesquisadores, principalmente, sobre temáticas relacionadas com o planejamento e a gestão sustentável desse espaço. Os produtos gerados nas discussões sobre esses temas tornaram-se fundamentais para a execução de melhores praticas no âmbito da qualidade ambiental e da qualidade de vida das pessoas. O município de Aracaju, estado de Sergipe, área de estudo desta pesquisa, apresenta uma série de problemas ambientais que implica na análise de diversos fatores e parâmetros relacionados com essas duas temáticas. Como forma de contribuir com mais um aspecto para a discussão da sustentabilidade do município, o objetivo geral desta pesquisa foi analisar a qualidade do Sistema de Áreas Verdes Públicas do município de Aracaju, a fim de contribuir com informações que auxiliem o planejamento mais adequado dessas áreas. Para isso, as informações e dados analisados durante o estudo foram organizados em 3 capítulos. O Capítulo 1 corresponde ao referencial teórico que fundamenta a pesquisa, o qual foi construído por meio de uma revisão bibliográfica. O texto abordou temáticas gerais relacionadas com o desenvolvimento, sustentabilidade e a problemática ambiental do Ambiente Urbano, e mais específicas que correspondeu a considerações sobre as áreas verdes urbanas. O Capítulo 2 traz a classificação, caracterização e o mapeamento das categorias que compõem o Sistema de Áreas Verdes. Os resultados foram obtidos por meio da análise de Bancos de Dados Secundários e realização de atividades de campo, com auxilio de um Modelo de Classificação de Áreas Públicas (MCAP). Dessa forma, foram identificadas 213 áreas públicas, classificadas em três tipos de classes: (1) áreas associadas ao sistema viário (canteiros e rotatórias); (2) áreas não associadas a áreas protegidas (praças, parques e complexos de lazer) e (3) áreas associadas às áreas protegidas (Unidades de conservação e Áreas de Preservação Permanente). As áreas protegidas são as mais significativas do Sistema ocupando 80,6% de toda área verde classificada, enquanto que as demais classes ocupam apenas 19,4% do total. O Capítulo 3 dedicou-se a análise e discussão dos índices espaciais de áreas verdes públicas da cidade, os quais foram obtidos por meio da interpretação de imagens de satélite Quickbird (2008) e processamento de dados em programas de Sistema de Informações Geográficas (SIG s). Avaliou-se quali-quantitativamente os aspectos relacionados com 3 índices: (1) Percentual de Áreas Verdes - PAV; (2) Percentual de Cobertura Arbórea PCA e seu respectivo índice (Índice de Cobertura Arbórea por Habitante) e o (3) Índice de Áreas Verdes Públicas por Habitante IAVP. O PAV foi tratado como índice que reflete a qualidade ambiental do sistema por considerar a influencia de todas as áreas, independente da sua qualidade. O PAV da cidade é de 14,48% em relação à área urbanizada, o PCA é de 9,7% já O IAV, que leva em consideração a avaliação da função socioambiental da área verde, foi de apenas 3,4m² de área verde por habitante. Os procedimentos metodológicos adotados foram considerados adequados para identificar e qualificar as categorias de áreas verdes do município. E a análise dos índices espaciais refletiu de forma mais criteriosa e objetiva a qualidade socioambiental das áreas verdes públicas do município.

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Architecture

There is a phenomenon of placelessness. Cities have look-alike landscapes. This sameness leads to a lack of significant places and a loss of sense of place. In addition to that, with the suburban sprawl and downtown deterioration, there is an increasing need for downtown revitalization. Cities call for vibrant and pleasant places with characters.In a world where most cities are getting more similar with each other and where people can't tell whom they are and where they come from, placemaking actions should be welcomed. Placemaking respects the genius of the place and finds links between traditions and our present experience of life.This thesis presents an overview of placemaking including its definition, history, categories, functions, principles and actions. Its purpose is to apply placemaking into the design of a city plaza in downtown Muncie to make a place that links people to history, to culture, and to other people. By doing that, this creative project tries to illustrate that placemaking is a valuable strategy in urban regeneration. / Department of Landscape Architecture

This thesis is a study of a home beautification project developed by the Art Club of the Travis Elementary School in Mineral Wells, Texas.