Many contemporary commentators suggest that urban space and public space have no settled form – that they are forever subject to contestation. It follows that the spaces most of us occupy, act in and pass through day after day are, if not overtly antagonistic, then somewhat fraught and compromised. My practice explores this terrain by engaging with specific spatial controversies, getting embroiled in arenas of friction, overlapping with a variety of different ‘actors’ and processes. Works develop as I try to do things in spaces, often in urban environments, probing situations in order to try to grasp their dynamics. Trying things out in space as an independent practitioner, I run into many kinds of structures, boundaries and rules. How such encounters unfold and are responded to and/or recounted – these questions lie at the heart of my work. The form of the work has varied. I have, for example, created posters, performances and a film. Some works have taken the form of insertions of objects into existing arenas and processes. On other occasions, my exploratory investigations and activities are narrated in the work. The work has appeared in diverse contexts: fly-posted across a town; inserted into a planning-consultation meeting; hidden beneath an exhibition space. This thesis will introduce five specific projects. An iteration of Four Anecdotes forms my Preface; this work is then discussed in Chapter One. Chapter Two introduces Huis Clos Planningline; Chapter Three Reverse Consultation (Old New Town) and Cushion Distribution (Public Inquiry). Chapter Four is accompanied by a short film (attached) and is entitled The Vessel. Elaborations and analyses of these works will be augmented by discussions of works by other artists that are particularly relevant, among them Gordon Matta-Clark, Allan Sekula and Francis Alÿs. Uncaptioned images will run throughout the thesis, in parallel with the text. Overall, I will argue for the value of a type of ‘site-oriented’ practice that probes and investigates spatial dynamics and power relations through experimental involvements with a range of sites and actors. In particular, I will contend that practices involved with everyday encounters and mobilities – including my own practice, which focuses on mobile things as they traverse boundaries and jurisdictions – allow structures and relationships to be encountered and tested in their day-to-day operation, with the twists turns and wriggles of practice generating new materials, works and ideas.

This research thesis presents an organisational framework for the management of virtual cities for hosts to adopt when seeking to produce and maintain a virtual city for use as a tool for urban planning related activities. The framework functions as an over-arching business model or structure, a general methodology for defining the organisational processes of virtual city enterprises. In achieving this aim, the research outlines standards and protocols for its creation, legal issues for its distribution and suggested processes for the update of 3D data. The diverse issues and needs of various stakeholders are addressed (Horne et al., 2006) in order to challenge the organisational issues and common concepts involved in creating, hosting and managing a city model (Voigt et al., 2004). Preliminary investigations showed that extensive research has been carried out on 3D and virtual city modelling techniques and their application, but the theoretical organisational and management issues for hosting 3D virtual city models needs to be addressed (Hamilton et al., 2005; Dokonal and Martens, 2001) through a ‘guiding source book’ for the creation and use of 3D city models(Bourdakis, 2004). This thesis explores the current state of virtual city modelling and its origins through literature research as well as an investigation into suitable business modelling practice. Pilot studies and an interview process with current virtual city hosts informed the research of current practice in the field. An organisational framework is subsequently put forward that combines elements from each of these investigations using a business model ‘canvas’ that can be adopted by current or prospective hosts and adapted to suit their circumstances, applications and users. The framework addresses the technical aspects of establishing a virtual city model, such as 3D data capture methods, spatial data infrastructure and modelling protocols in order to present a roadmap for virtual city enterprises. This correspondingly outlines a development from traditional and static datasets of geometry in ‘3D city models’ to more serviceable and user-centric ‘virtual city enterprises’. The organisational framework introduces 7 key areas that virtual city hosts should address for sustaining their enterprise that encompasses the technologies and expertise. Hence, this research makes significant contribution to knowledge by bringing together the many considerations that virtual city hosts must consider when creating a sustainable process to support urban planning.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1983. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 175-178).

During the 20th Century, concern started to grow that the towns of England were losing their individual identity. This unease became most evident in the development of new houses. The aim of the study is therefore to produce a framework that encapsulates recommendations to assist in the development of regionally responsive houses. The research is located in England, and specifically in the market towns of the North East. This is because Northumberland is perceived as a remote county, and therefore strongly expressive of the region. Within the county, the market towns are centres of traditional lifestyles, and therefore places where regionalism is most likely to be found. The focus is on domestic architecture, as this is individuals’ most immediate and personal interaction with the built environment. An early part of the study was to investigate the concepts of regionalism and regional architecture. The history of regionalism has been a transition from local methods to increasingly standardised approaches to design. This has resulted in a loss of identity through the use of design strategies that are not context driven. It is a lack of focus on region that makes similar architectural responses ubiquitous. Without a concerted focus on specific places, the nuances of climate, culture, and materiality cannot be sufficiently explored. Although there has been significant research into variation of architectural response and material use, there is no overall picture of the significance of vernacular architecture. However, as these houses are historic by nature, questions emerge about their relevance and whether they are replicable. The neo-vernacular revival may be a response. The study confirms the widely-held belief that speculative housebuilders dominate the market for new homes in England. These housebuilders started to produce the same houses all over the country, with little challenge from development control. The response was residential design guides, which aim to preserve the unique qualities of the built environment that have contributed to the character of market towns. However, their consistent emphasis on the past, does not offer the basis for developing a framework that can deliver contemporary regionally-expressive domestic architecture. Thus, a fundamental appraisal of home was undertaken, as a means of unpacking positive interaction between people, place and building that can form a set of socio-cultural values. The purpose of the appraisal was to identify aspects that may contribute to regional identity. This was applied in terms of the development of market towns in England, and a system for the architectural analysis of their houses. Corbridge in Northumberland, was selected as a typical market town, and the system was employed to assess its houses. The outcomes were verified by similar analyses of schemes in three other market towns in the region. Residents in all four towns were interviewed to determine the factors that influenced their purchase of the houses. Architects, planners and house developers were also interviewed to determine their perspectives. All parts of the study contributed to the framework, which is organised in terms of historical context, geographical context and design considerations based on the architectural analysis.

The electric vehicles (EVs) are emerging as an alternative solution to the conventional gasoline vehicles. The EV market faces different issues related to limited range, which are associated with the battery technology and the charging network. A clear emphasis is placed on how well the supporting recharging facilities (RFs) are deployed in order to reduce the limited range. The aim of this study is to investigate how suitably the locations for RFs can be chosen in order to satisfy the demand. Charging demand is a multifaceted problem, the majority of them charge at home and do not experience the maximum range of the EV in an attempt to avoid being stranded with a flat battery, and the deployment of rapid chargers is costly. A desired balance between supply and demand can be achieved by identifying the most influential factors affecting the design and use of the RFs. The fundamental monitoring of the use of RFs would reflect the quality of design, highlight the emerging design needs, and assist with the strategic deployment of the RFs. The interest in alternative transport is shaped primarily by consumer perceptions and users’ feedback. This thesis integrates visual and statistical elements in order to understand the end-­‐user emerging design needs and to model the RFs. In this thesis, over 12,725 charging events were analysed in conjunction to 20 interviews with EV users and stakeholders. With the use of an agent-­‐based modelling technique, it has been possible to capture and simulate the electric-­‐mobility system. By means of integrated spatiotemporal modelling, the results indicated that the proposed model is capable of identifying candidate locations for deploying RFs. A multi method approach is presented to understand the concepts of, model and design the RFs. The outcome of this research should be of interest to planning authorities and policy makers of alternative means of transport.

This thesis explores the notion of rurality as a form of constructed identity. Just as feminist and postcolonial studies identify the formation of hierarchies within gender and ethnicity, I argue that the rural is constructed as inferior in opposition to its binary counterpart, the urban. The effect of this is the othering of the rural. This thesis takes Emily Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights as a case study, using a critical approach to explore the ways in which it presents rurality, and to consider its role in the creation and reproduction of rural identity. The case study suggests that the adoption of a ‘rural reading’, in which an awareness of rural othering is fostered, can be a useful and productive strategy in textual analysis and interpretation. The first three chapters of this thesis focus on rural construction generally. Chapter 1 draws on semiotic theory to examine the creation of binaries, and Derridean notions of linguistic hierarchies to suggest reasons for the inferior position of the rural. Chapter 2 considers the historical location of the urban/rural binary in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, within the context of the Enlightenment, the growth of capitalism, industrialisation and rapid urban expansion. Chapter 3 explores rural othering as a feature of contemporary culture, examining the textual presence of idyllic and anti-idyllic versions of the rural. Chapter 4 introduces the methodology of the case study, explaining the relevance of Wuthering Heights to the study of rural othering, providing a précis of the novel and an overview of previous critical responses. Chapters 5, 6 and 7 explore the three themes of nature, deviance and space. These are derived from the examination of rural construction in Chapter 3. In Chapter 5, the representation of nature in Wuthering Heights is explored, and the presence of animals within the novel in particular. In Chapter 6, the depiction of deviance in Wuthering Heights is discussed, with special focus given to the presence of deviant speech patterns, reflecting changing expectations of behavioural norms in the early nineteenth century. Chapter 7’s consideration of the relationship between space and rurality within Brontë’s novel considers her representation of landscape. Chapter 8 argues that a similar rural reading can be applied to other texts, literary and otherwise, opening up a fresh set of perspectives and possibilities for interpretation.

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Abstract Urban/Rural Inequalities in Suicide Rates in Georgia, 2008-2013: A county-level analysis By Garrett Mahon December 9, 2016 Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Suicide is a significant public health issue. There have been copious amounts of research completed worldwide attempting to understand the reasons behind suicide, including those revolving around urban and rural disparities. However, research has yet to find a consensus on the issue. The state of Georgia, in particular, has a variety of county-level characteristics that could help understand the dissimilarity between urban/rural populations and direct future research to improve prevention strategies. OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to assess disparities in suicide rates across urban-rural populations, adjusting for rurality, ethnicity, and a county-level dissimilarity index, in the State of Georgia from 2008 to 2013. METHODS: Suicide mortality data by ethnicity, age, and county of residence were obtained from Georgia’s violent death incident report and death certificate database for 2008 to 2013. A series of Poisson Models were used to evaluate the rates of suicides between urban and rural populations. RESULTS: The analysis was conducted on 5833 suicides across the 159 counties of Georgia with Urban and Rural counties classified as both a binary and fourfold modify variable. There was sufficient evidence to suggest that rural counties in Georgia have a significantly high rate of suicide than those of its urban counterpart, (IRR=1.43, IRR=1.37), even after adjusting for ethnicity and a county level dissimilarity index. CONCLUSION: Georgia’s suicide rates are relatively higher among those living in rural counties when compared to urban settings. These results both confirm and conflict with findings from previous research. The diversity in findings denotes that future research should explore the variations across urban/rural classification systems, spatial remoteness of the area, and additional regional level characteristics.