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Thesis. 1975. M.Arch.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. / Bibliography: leaves 150-155. / M.Arch.

Bernard J. Frieden and Marshall Kaplan. / Includes bibliographical references and index.

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2001. / "February 2001." / Includes bibliographical references (p. 237-248). / Combining aesthetic theory with theories of the public sphere, this dissertation examines the brief appearance of a publicly empathetic civic realm in the United States during the 1940s. The argument begins with a reevaluation of the debate over monumentality initiated in modernist architectural circles, which included such figures as Sigfried Giedion, Lewis Mumford, Henry-Russell Hitchcock, and Philip Johnson. Centering on the city, this debate recast monumentality in terms more progressive than commemorative; it posited open-ended architectural and urban strategies that offered a non-restrictive yet sympathetic public resonance. If empathy is understood as the viewer's physical and psychological engagement with an object, then the 'publicly empathetic' collects and communicates the public 's individualized engagements. The term 'publicly empathetic' underscores the distinction between totalitarian consensus, exemplified by the modernism of Mussolini's fascist Italy, and what Alexis de Tocqueville identified in 1835 as America's collective individualism, which persisted in the 1940s under the umbrella of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. Springboarding from Ernst Cassirer and Susanne Langer's philosophies of symbolic form as unconsummated symbol, I argue that the modernism of this period did not define the public but rather expressed architecture's publicness through the recasting of form, programming, and modernism's public mandate. The chapters of this dissertation examine in turn the texts, projects and urbanism of this empathetic modernism. The projects constituting this realm are both public and private in nature; they include Charles Franklin and ... / by Sarah Whiting. / Ph.D.

Central Business Area Revitalization Planning theory and practice has evolved from a concern with physical revitalization to an emphasis on a comprehensive approach which includes areas such as housing and recreation, which had not in most past cases been viewed as relevant to the undertaking. The current thinking views all aspects of town planning as inter-related and approaches the task in a holistic manner. The methodologies utilized in Planning for Central Business Area Revitalization have evolved as well. Detached consultant planning, which included little or no public involvement and which produced inflexible plans which outlined the way to revitalization, has evolved to a flexible, dynamic approach, which involves those responsible for implementation at all stages of planning; thereby, reflecting their beliefs, attitudes and values and having high probability of implementation. Successful efforts to revitalize the central business areas of rural towns require an informed leader who will function as an educator, and a planning and design process which leads to implementation through its participant centered, incremental, multiple objective approach. / M.L. Arch.

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