FERNANDES, Francisco Ricardo Cavalcanti. Transformações espaciais no centro de Fortaleza: estudo crítico das perspectivas de renovação urbana. 2004. 164 f. : Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Ceará, Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Desenvolvimento e Meio Ambiente-PRODEMA, Fortaleza,CE, 2004. / Submitted by guaracy araujo (guaraa3355@gmail.com) on 2016-04-15T17:18:02Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2004_dis_frcfernandes.pdf: 8570009 bytes, checksum: 16d1637b24c2d73d8b3d48305042d5fc (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by guaracy araujo (guaraa3355@gmail.com) on 2016-04-15T17:20:28Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2004_dis_frcfernandes.pdf: 8570009 bytes, checksum: 16d1637b24c2d73d8b3d48305042d5fc (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-15T17:20:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2004_dis_frcfernandes.pdf: 8570009 bytes, checksum: 16d1637b24c2d73d8b3d48305042d5fc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2004 / This research analyses the urban an environmental perspectives for downtown Fortaleza in the context of the globalization flows and in the context of insufficiency of the structure an management models based on the Master Plans' juridical instruments, once the market relationships dominate in the contemporary urban space production process. It starts on a survey about the lines of direction and physical interventions proposed on the physicalterritorial plans for the city and the functional and flows homogenization that emerge with the space metropolization and with the decentralization of central activities caused by the vertical urban expansion. The research approaches to the "downtown issue" starting from the following questions: lost of the symbolic reference condition that come out with the emergency of new centralities and the intra-urban movement of residential, government and entertainment equipments; immobility of the physical structure along the metropolitan expansion process, which is characterized by the economical dependency of near towns on Fortaleza; structures degradation cycle, effect of low investment that produces the condition of "periphery's downtown"; Urban structure inertia and public managers and planners narrowness of understanding about the emergency of new spatial needs imposed by the dynamics of the global economy and the fact that recent government project for spatial adaptation of strategic city areas do not include downtown as a touristic site. The analysis look into four urban renewal projects which were presented in the "National Competition of Ideas for Embellishment and Valorization for Downtown Fortaleza and Park of the City", organized by N.G.O. Ação Novo Centro - which is attached to PLANEFOR - Strategic Plan for the Metropolitan Region of Fortaleza - in 1999. This competition had for objective bringing together global propositions for downtown Fortaleza that intended it's spatial, landscaping, functional end environmental restoration, life quality improvement and new activities attraction to make it more competitive, re-establish heterogeneous flows, revert the functional specialization condition and produce a new image for that area. The project's analysis intends to confront different downtown conceptions, evaluate their viability in view of contemporary economic dynamic and to discuss it's ideological contents. At last, the research think over the perspectives for downtown starting from the articulation among local government, firms and society, with emphasis to the importance of the technical action over the urban form - through the urban and architectural design - as a condition to induce the renewal, and alerting to the necessity of assuming the design as an important instrument in the environment organization process. / O presente estudo analisa as perspectivas de renovação urbana e ambiental para a área central de Fortaleza no contexto da emergência da cidade nos fluxos globalizados e da insuficiência do modelo de estruturação e gestão urbanas fundado nos instrumentos do Plano Diretor face ao domínio das relações de mercado na produção do espaço urbano. Considera, inicialmente, o levantamento das diretrizes e intervenções propostas nos planos de ordenamento físico-territorial para o centro da cidade, as conseqüências de sua não implantação e o processo de homogeneização funcional e de fluxos que emerge com a metropolização e polinucleação do espaço e com a descentralização de atividades eminentemente centrais proporcionada pela expansão urbana verticalizada. A análise aborda a “questão do centro” a partir dos seguintes aspectos: perda da condição de referencial simbólico em função do surgimento de novas centralidades a partir da fuga de habitações, atividades governamentais e de lazer; imutabilidade da estrutura física e fundiária ao longo do processo de expansão metropolitana marcado pela dependência dos municípios da região em relação a Fortaleza; ciclo de degradação das estruturas em virtude da falta de investimentos públicos e privados que produz a condição de “centro da periferia”; inércia da estrutura urbana e estreiteza de visão de gestores e planejadores face à emergência de novas exigências espaciais impostas pela dinâmica da economia globalizada; e desconsideração do centro nos projetos governamentais de transformação espacial de setores estratégicos da cidade com vistas à sua inserção na rede de fluxos globais através do turismo. A par desta contextualização, a análise fará a leitura de quatro projetos de requalificação urbanística apresentados à Prefeitura Municipal de Fortaleza através do “Concurso Nacional de Idéias para Embelezamento e Valorização da Área Central de Fortaleza e Parque da Cidade”, organizado pela Ação Novo Centro – ONG vinculada ao PLANEFOR – Plano Estratégico da Região Metropolitana de Fortaleza – em 1999. O concurso teve como objetivo a reunião de proposições de caráter global para o centro de Fortaleza com vistas à sua reestruturação espacial, paisagística, funcional e ambiental, à melhoria da qualidade de vida e à atração de novos usos e atividades capazes de torna-lo mais competitivo, restabelecer a heterogeneidade de fluxos, reverter o quadro de especialização funcional e produzir uma nova imagem para a área. A análise dos projetos visa estabelecer o confronto entre distintas concepções de centro, avaliar sua viabilidade face à dinâmica econômica contemporânea e discutir os conteúdos ideológicos subjacentes. Por fim, o estudo considera as perspectivas de futuro para o centro a partir da articulação entre governo local, empresas e sociedade, destacando a importância da ação técnica sobre a forma urbana – por meio do projeto urbanístico e/ou arquitetônico – como condição para a indução à renovação, e alerta para a necessidade de assumir o desenho urbano como instrumento fundamental no processo de estruturação do ambiente.

Esta pesquisa investiga os impactos do desenho urbano tradicional e modernista na orientação espacial em campi universitários, a partir da avaliação de usuários que diferem quanto ao grau de familiaridade com tais espaços. O problema de pesquisa reside na reprodução de projetos urbanísticos que remetem à lógica espacial preconizada pelo urbanismo moderno, os quais tenderiam a dificultar a legibilidade urbana, afetando negativamente a navegação. Assim, o objetivo é realizar um estudo comparativo detalhado dos efeitos de atributos físico-espaciais que compõem tais desenhos urbanos quanto à orientação espacial de seus usuários, a fim de contribuir para um melhor entendimento dos impactos de tais configurações na experiência espacial. Para tanto, são selecionados dois campi da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), localizados em Porto Alegre- RS: O Campus Centro, que representa o desenho urbano tradicional, com variedade arquitetônica, cujos prédios tendem a estar dispostos junto ao perímetro dos quarteirões e apresentam os acessos principais voltados para as ruas; e o Campus do Vale com características do desenho urbano modernista, onde verifica-se o predomínio da repetição e uniformidade entre os prédios dispostos em amplas áreas verdes, cujos acessos principais tendem a estar desvinculados das ruas. Os métodos de coletas de dados fazem parte dos utilizados na área de estudos Ambiente e Comportamento, sistematizados por meio de levantamento de arquivo, levantamento físico, mapas cognitivos, identificação e descrição de percursos, questionários e entrevistas. A análise de dados é realizada através de testes estatísticos não-paramétricos e da Sintaxe Espacial. Os resultados desta investigação demonstram que, independentemente do campus, os atributos físico-espaciais que remetem ao desenho urbano modernista tendem a ser avaliados negativamente quanto à orientação espacial pelos alunos calouros e, inclusive, pelos técnicos administrativos da UFRGS. Ainda, atributos arquitetônicos dos prédios como a falta de clareza no destaque formal do acesso principal e a menor visibilidade do acesso principal a partir da rua tendem a dificultar a orientação espacial. Foi confirmado que a avaliação do nível de facilidade de orientação espacial é influenciada fortemente pelo grau de familiaridade com o espaço. Entretanto, verifica-se o predomínio dos atributos físico-espaciais sobre o grau de familiaridade quando avaliados os níveis de facilidade de descrever o percurso para acesso ao prédio. Por fim, espera-se que os dados obtidos possam contribuir para qualificar projetos urbanísticos, a fim de responder melhor às necessidades dos usuários quanto à orientação espacial no espaço urbano. / This research investigates the impact of traditional and modern urban design in wayfinding performance in university campuses, based on evaluations of users who differ in the degree of familiarity with such spaces. The research problem concerns the propagation of urban projects that replicate the spatial logic advocated by modern urbanism, which would tend to hinder urban legibility, negatively affecting navigation. The purpose is to realize a comparative study about the impact of physical-spatial attributes considering different urban designs for its users wayfinding performance, in order to contribute to a better understanding of the impacts of such settings in the spatial experience. Therefore, two campuses of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), located in Porto Alegre-RS were selected: The Campus Centro, which refers the traditional urban design with architectural variety, whose buildings tend to be arranged at the perimeter of blocks and feature the main entrance facing the street; and Campus do Vale with characteristics of modern urban design, where there is a predominance of repetition and uniformity among the buildings, usually arranged in large green areas, whose main accesses tend to be disconnected from the streets. Data gathering means are part of those used in the Environment and Behavior area field of study, including archival records, field surveys, cognitive maps, identification of paths and route description, questionnaires and interviews. Data analysis was carried out through non-parametric statistical tests and space syntax theory. The results of this research show that, regardless of the campus, the physical-spatial attributes related to modernist urban design tend to be evaluated negatively on the wayfinding for freshmen students and even by UFRGS employees. Still, architectural attributes of the buildings, such as the lack of clarity in the identification of the main access and the lower visibility of the main access from the street tend to impair wayfinding. It was confirmed that the evaluation of the wayfinding facility level is strongly influenced by the degree of familiarity with the space. However, there is a predominance of physical-spatial attributes over the degree of familiarity when assessed levels of ease of describing the way to access the building. Finally, it is expected that the results obtained may contribute to qualify urban projects in order to better respond to users’ needs of wayfinding in the urban space.

O que é “projeto urbano”? Nos últimos anos, no Brasil, esta expressão tem sido muito utilizada e debatida. Ela comporta diferentes acepções: é polifônica, polivalente, como admitem muitos pesquisadores. Mas esta ambiguidade conceitual, sem dúvida às vezes fonte de equívocos que não se limitam ao debate acadêmico, nesta tese é tomada como característica positiva: afinal, o debate sobre as significações do projeto urbano não indica que, justamente ali, busca-se a invenção de novas práticas? O principal objetivo desta tese é desenvolver uma definição situada de projeto urbano. Trata-se, antes de tudo, de um exercício de conhecimento ou saber localizado, amarrado a um lugar específico, Porto Alegre, a um tempo específico, o início do século XXI, e ao olhar particular de uma arquiteta cujos estudos de graduação ocorreram nos anos 1990. Desde este tempo e lugar, a tese aborda caminhos já percorridos e descortina um futuro possível para viver e estudar: uma esperança, um futuro a situar; porque “o futuro já não é o que era". / What does “urban design” mean? During the last few years, this expression has been widely used and debated in Brazil. It has different meanings: it is polyphonic, polyvalent, as many researchers concede. However, this conceptual ambiguity, often a source of misunderstanding, which is not limited to academic debate, is considered as positive in this thesis: after all, the debate about the meanings of urban design does not indicate, precisely in this case, an invention of new practices? The main objective of this thesis is to develop a situated knowledge of urban design. Most of all, it is an exercise of situated knowledge linked to a specific place – Porto Alegre – at a specific time – the beginning of the 21st century –, and the particular look of an architect who did his undergraduate studies in 1990s. From this time and place, the thesis discusses already covered paths and reveals a possible future to live and to study – a hope, a future to be situated; because “the future is not what it was.”

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:00:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissRCB.pdf: 16213295 bytes, checksum: 1999dac95a5942bb478b44637887f2f6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-01-30 / Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos / This work has as objective to present a previous evaluation of techniques and guidelines of the Urban Drawing of a Ecovillage in way that, they serve as subsidy for elaboration of technician-scientific referential for the development of projects in areas of special ambient interest or areas of protection of superficial sources that suffer with the pressure for the urbanization and need prevention to its impacts. As study object it was opted to the previous evaluation of the Ecovillage Clareando in Piracaia-SP. that it possesses two factors that belong to the estimated one of this work. The first factor is its localization in Area of Ambient Protection of the Cantareira System of the SABESP, what it demanded an urban design that respects the cycle of the water and, the second, is the requirement in if occupying the place using itself of techniques that minimize the impacts of the urbanization and promote the ambient sustainability of the place praised by Agenda 21. The methodology used in the analysis was divided in three parts: historical bibliographical research and techniques on the relation between urban drawing and environment, data-collecting on the Ecovillage Clareando using some informative resources (as visits, photos and maps of the place) e, finally, the organization of the data in clarifying boxes, presentation of a methodology of urban design and consideration on the study object. As results, techniques of urban design are presented, the adequacy of the project to the urban site, the typology of reticule, the configuration of the lots, the tracing of the ways, the choice of the pavement, the treatment of liquid residues, the treatment of the landscape, the code of workmanships and the obstacles to the occupation of the place. / Este trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar uma avaliação prévia de técnicas e diretrizes do Desenho Urbano de uma Ecovila de modo que, eles sirvam como subsídio para elaboração de referencial técnico-científico para o desenvolvimento de projetos em áreas de especial interesse ambiental ou áreas de proteção de mananciais superficiais que sofrem com a pressão pela urbanização e necessitem de prevenção aos seus impactos. Como objeto de estudo optou-se pela avaliação prévia da Ecovila Clareando em Piracaia-SP que possui dois fatores que pertencem ao pressuposto deste trabalho. O primeiro fator é a sua localização em Área de Proteção Ambiental do Sistema Cantareira da SABESP, o que exigiu um desenho urbano que respeite o ciclo da água e, o segundo, é a exigência em se ocupar o local utilizando-se de técnicas que minimizem os impactos da urbanização e promovam a sustentabilidade ambiental do local preconizados pela Agenda 21. A metodologia utilizada na análise foi dividida em três partes: pesquisas bibliográficas históricas e técnicas sobre a relação entre desenho urbano e meio ambiente, levantamento de dados sobre a Ecovila Clareando utilizando vários recursos informativos (como visitas, fotos e mapas do local) e, por fim, a organização dos dados em quadros explicativos, apresentação de uma metodologia de desenho urbano e consideração sobre o objeto de estudo. Como resultados, são apresentadas técnicas de desenhos urbanos, a adequação do projeto ao sítio urbano, a tipologia da retícula, a configuração dos lotes, o traçado das vias, a escolha da pavimentação, o tratamento de resíduos líquidos, o tratamento da paisagem, o código de obras e os obstáculos à ocupação do local.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Mary Catherine (Katie) Kingery-Page / Human happiness is often overlooked in urban revitalization. Many studies have proven the benefits of regular exercise for overall health and happiness. Active transportation adopted as a major form of transportation has the potential to provide similar benefits. Wichita, Kansas, like many other mid-sized, American cities, prioritizes the car over the pedestrian. Currently, the plans for Douglas Avenue, the major thoroughfare, includes only minimal bicycle infrastructure, shared lane symbols (City of Wichita 2013). Lack of focus on the pedestrian and bicyclist only reinforces the auto-dominated downtown. Douglas Avenue is a missed opportunity and needs a re-envisioned strategy based upon current needs. I hypothesized that better understanding the lived biking experience of Downtown Wichita would help me to develop design recommendations that address current streetscape issues as they occur in daily life. This exploratory study documents the experiences of a small group of people who bicycle in or through downtown Wichita on a regular basis. First, participants recorded their experience visually and verbally by using GoPro cameras during a typical bike ride. Next, each participant reviewed their video with me, clarifying their comments and the overall experience. Dominant themes included: urban environment, bicycling infrastructure, road/traffic, safety and motorist behavior. The analysis of the bike rides and follow-up reflections were mapped over each participant’s route to reveal positive, negative, and neutral experiences categorized by theme. Final design strategies for selected areas (determined through analysis of experiences) were then produced based upon feedback and streetscape best practices. Bicyclists of Wichita are faced with many stressful situations during their daily routes. I have realized that downtown Wichita has more than a design problem to fix—an entire bicycle culture must be developed. I learned that while each participant was unique, they wanted the same things: safety, a pleasurable ride, and to be respected by motorists. Not all bicyclists’ needs can be answered through design; however, this proposal can help to create a safer and more pleasurable bicycling experience in downtown. An improved bicycle network provides humans with increased health, freedom to move, encourages and strengthens social connections, and provides a resilient form of transportation.

abstract: Place branding by its very nature is a highly selective endeavor. Typically, place branding focuses on highlighting positive aspects of place while discounting others that are deemed less appealing. Whether it pertains to attracting tourism, investment or people, or whether it concerns achieving a level of cultural significance, ultimately place branding impacts physical planning decisions and consequently the built environment. The selectivity entailed in projecting a sellable place image, together with the presence of different interests among the particular place stakeholders, may lead to a divergent dialectic of assertion and resistance over which brand ought to be projected and how it ultimately should be represented. This dynamic, I argue, will have impact on equity, on the issue of authenticity and on representation. Through a historical analysis approach and a case study, this dissertation examines how such a dynamic plays out in the built environment and how it evolves and shapes it over time. Downtown Scottsdale is chosen as a case because it offers an example of a small city downtown in the US West that experienced significant place branding activity in the 1950s and the 1960s. In the 1950s, the City of Scottsdale branded itself as a Western town and the built environment of the downtown area was themed to reflect this image; in the 1960s, the Western brand was challenged and calls for change emerged. Stakeholders and supporters of the Western image and those of the call for change are identified, and the dialectic that ensued is examined and discussed in relation to its impact on the built environment. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Built Environment 2014

O que é “projeto urbano”? Nos últimos anos, no Brasil, esta expressão tem sido muito utilizada e debatida. Ela comporta diferentes acepções: é polifônica, polivalente, como admitem muitos pesquisadores. Mas esta ambiguidade conceitual, sem dúvida às vezes fonte de equívocos que não se limitam ao debate acadêmico, nesta tese é tomada como característica positiva: afinal, o debate sobre as significações do projeto urbano não indica que, justamente ali, busca-se a invenção de novas práticas? O principal objetivo desta tese é desenvolver uma definição situada de projeto urbano. Trata-se, antes de tudo, de um exercício de conhecimento ou saber localizado, amarrado a um lugar específico, Porto Alegre, a um tempo específico, o início do século XXI, e ao olhar particular de uma arquiteta cujos estudos de graduação ocorreram nos anos 1990. Desde este tempo e lugar, a tese aborda caminhos já percorridos e descortina um futuro possível para viver e estudar: uma esperança, um futuro a situar; porque “o futuro já não é o que era". / What does “urban design” mean? During the last few years, this expression has been widely used and debated in Brazil. It has different meanings: it is polyphonic, polyvalent, as many researchers concede. However, this conceptual ambiguity, often a source of misunderstanding, which is not limited to academic debate, is considered as positive in this thesis: after all, the debate about the meanings of urban design does not indicate, precisely in this case, an invention of new practices? The main objective of this thesis is to develop a situated knowledge of urban design. Most of all, it is an exercise of situated knowledge linked to a specific place – Porto Alegre – at a specific time – the beginning of the 21st century –, and the particular look of an architect who did his undergraduate studies in 1990s. From this time and place, the thesis discusses already covered paths and reveals a possible future to live and to study – a hope, a future to be situated; because “the future is not what it was.”

A reabilitação de orlas fluviais degradadas encontra-se em fase de grande prosperidade no Brasil. O estudo de medidas de reabilitação e dos fatores que definem seu sucesso são temas frequentemente debatidos na ciência. No entanto, esse debate está, geralmente, centrado em parâmetros mais facilmente mensuráveis que aderem à objetividade científica, ignorando, muitas vezes, aspectos mais subjetivos como a estética da paisagem ou o valor recreativo que poderiam ser identificados a partir da percepção dos indivíduos. Desta forma, o objetivo principal desta pesquisa é gerar subsídios para a elaboração de projetos de urbanização de orlas fluviais por meio da identificação dos níveis de satisfação e das preferências dos indivíduos em relação aos aspectos de desenho urbano dessas áreas. A estratégia de pesquisa adotada foi um estudo de caso realizado em uma área de orla fluvial degradada localizada no campus do Vale da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul em Porto Alegre-RS. Os métodos de coleta de dados englobam levantamento de arquivo, levantamento físico, observação e questionário com uso de simulações. Os resultados indicam que as preferências dos indivíduos envolvem ambientes com grandes áreas alagadas, mas mantendo uma proporção equilibrada com as áreas secas, margens com aspecto visual mais natural, alta densidade de vegetação arbórea de grande porte, distribuição desta vegetação de forma a criar grandes áreas sombreadas e ensolaradas, maior aceitação de equipamentos de lazer ativo do que passivo, distribuição de vias para automóveis acompanhando o traçado dos cursos d’água e trilhas e ciclovias próximas e distantes da água. / The rehabilitation of degraded waterfronts is in great prosperity phase in Brazil. The study of rehabilitation measures and the factors that determine their success are frequently debated topics in science. However, this debate usually focus on easily measurable parameters that fits the scientific objectivity, often ignoring subjective aspects such as landscape aesthetic or recreational value, that could be identified by the perception of individuals. Thus, the main goal of this research is to provide support for the development of waterfront urbanization plans by identifying the levels of satisfaction and preferences of individuals in relation to urban design aspects of these areas. The research strategy adopted was a case study in a degraded riverfront area located on the Vale campus of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre-RS. Data collection methods include file and physical survey, observation and questionnaire using simulations. The results indicate that the preferences of individuals involve environments with large wetlands, while maintaining a balanced proportion to the dry areas, banks presenting a higher natural appearance, high density of large tree vegetation, vegetation distribution that allows to create large shaded and sunny areas, greater acceptance of active leisure activities than passive, distribution of streets following the route of waterways and trails and bicycle paths near and far from the water.

abstract: Literature on the design and management of urban parks has been informed by empirical research on the value of public space in terms of economic value, public health, social, and environmental benefits. Although there is significant value in discussing these benefits, there has been a lack of understanding about the production of public space as a normative goal. Neighborhood parks have been recognized as one of the key urban public spaces that serve the social, economic, and environmental needs of adjacent neighborhoods. However, relevant studies mostly focus on the contribution of neighborhood parks as discrete space, instead of neighborhood parks as built spaces within the urban context. This research provides a better understanding of the relationship between the context of surrounding neighborhoods and the success of neighborhood parks. The research addresses two major research questions. First, what are the major characteristics of the morphological context around neighborhood parks? Second, how do the characteristics of morphological context associate with the success of neighborhood parks? For the first question, the `context' refers to the layout and configuration of urban form including blocks, parcels, and buildings; street network; pedestrian-oriented attributes; and property land uses. For the second question, the `success' of neighborhood parks is defined by property/ violent crime rate. The study is based on a quarter mile buffer area around 150 neighborhood parks in the City of Chicago, Illinois. The research employed factor and cluster analysis to develop a typology of neighborhood park contexts. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify the relationship between park morphological contexts and crime rate. Based on understanding the dimensional structure of urban form elements, neighborhood park surroundings were classified into six categories. This study provided an alternative way of constructing public space typology based on surrounding urban form. The findings of regression analysis revealed that variables associated with higher-density, permeability, and mixed-use development do not necessarily correlate with reduced property/ violent crime rates. However, some variables representing `traditional neighborhood' characteristics were correlated with lower property/ violent crime rates. The study provides guidelines for urban design and physical planning strategies for neighborhood park development. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Environmental Design and Planning 2013

abstract: Rapid urbanization in Phoenix, Arizona has increased the nighttime temperature by 5°C (9 °F), and the average daily temperatures by 3.1°C (5.6 °F) (Baker et al 2002). On the macro scale, the energy balance of urban surface paving materials is the main contributor to the phenomenon of the Urban Heat Island effect (UHI). On the micro scale, it results in a negative effect on the pedestrian thermal comfort environment. In their efforts to revitalize Downtown Phoenix, pedestrian thermal comfort improvements became one of the main aims for City planners. There has been an effort in reformulating City zoning standards and building codes with the goal of developing a pedestrian friendly civic environment. Much of the literature dealing with mitigating UHI effects recommends extensive tree planting as the chief strategy for reducing the UHI and improving outdoor human thermal comfort. On the pedestrian scale, vegetation plays a significant role in modifying the microclimate by providing shade and aiding the human thermal comfort via evapotranspiration. However, while the extensive tree canopy is beneficial in providing daytime shade for pedestrians, it may reduce the pavement surfaces' sky-view factor during the night, thereby reducing the rate of nighttime radiation to the sky and trapping the heat gained within the urban materials. This study strives to extend the understanding, and optimize the recommendations for the use of landscape in the urban context of Phoenix, Arizona for effectiveness in both improving the human thermal comfort and in mitigating the urban heat island effect. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Design 2014