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Many cities in the US and around the world are facing a dual challenge of promoting both urban revitalization and urban sustainability. Increasingly, cities are exploring greening initiatives - through which vegetation is planted and maintained - targeting vacant land as a potential means of addressing both of these challenges. This research is a sustainability-based assessment of the impacts of a Philadelphia, PA-based program that uses greening as an interim management strategy for vacant land. I use quantitative spatial analysis techniques to measure economic, environmental, and social justice impacts of the Philadelphia Land Care (PLC) program, which `treats' vacant land by removing debris, bringing in topsoil, planting grass and trees, putting up a split-rail fence and providing regular maintenance during the growing season. The analysis is shaped by the concept of sustainability which posits that to be sustainable, development must incorporate and balance economic development, environmental preservation and social justice. This research seeks to answer a series of questions about the economic, environmental, and social justice impacts of the PLC program, ultimately assessing not only the extent to which it exhibits impacts along these three dimensions of sustainability but also whether or not the impacts vary for different locations, and also questions the extent to which there may be tradeoffs between the different potential impacts of the program. This dissertation addresses several gaps in the urban greenspace literature including an assessment of the effect of location on the impacts of greenspaces and an assessment of the extent to which temporary greenspaces have the same impacts of more permanent greenspaces. It also addresses questions in urban revitalization and sustainability about the potential role of greening programs in meeting these challenges. Ultimately, the PLC program is shown to increase surrounding property values, improve environmental conditions, and increase equity in access to greenspace in Philadelphia. These benefits are not uniform, however, and differ for neighborhoods across the city. The research indicates the potential for greening programs such as PLC to help cities address pressing economic, environmental, and social concerns, but highlights the need to understand the tensions and tradeoffs between different forms of program impacts. / Urban Studies

Au début des années 2000, on assiste en France au développement de vacants jardinés : des espaces interstitiels, dont les anciennes utilisations du sol sont caduques, temporairement conquis et végétalisés par les habitants. L’institutionnalisation de ces initiatives par les municipalités donne naissance au jardin partagé, dont le vacant jardiné constitue un type spécifique installé sur un terrain vacant et temporaire. Cette thèse vise à appréhender le vacant jardiné comme un outil d’analyse privilégié du « faire » et du « vivre » la ville contemporaine grâce à une étude, combinant méthodologies qualitatives et quantitatives, fondée sur 48 sites du nord-est de l’Île-de-France. Nous montrons ainsi que l’encadrement de jardins associatifs par les municipalités est un fait inédit. Toutefois, bien que ces territoires soient coproduits et que les usagers participent pleinement à la gestion du vacant jardiné, ils ont un rôle limité dans la prise de décision. Si le développement des vacants jardinés institutionnalisés témoigne d’un engagement politique, il s’inscrit aussi dans des stratégies de rentabilisation accrue des espaces urbains qui présentent des bénéfices certains pour les municipalités en termes d’embellissement, de sécurisation et d’image politique. Enfin, les impacts sociaux et environnementaux sont à relativiser. D’une part, la création de liens sociaux est circonscrite à l’espace du jardin, en raison de son statut hybride relevant du « club ». D’autre part, les vacants jardinés sont davantage envisagés comme des outils d’amélioration du cadre de vie et de sensibilisation à l’environnement que comme des territoires écologiques et biodiversité effectifs. / Since the early 2000’s, gardened vacant lands – i.e. interstitial lots characterized by obsolete land-use, temporarily taken over and vegetalised by inhabitants – have emerged in France. The regulation by municipalities of such initiatives yields an institutional construct designated as jardin partagé. Gardened vacant land constitutes a specific type of jardin partagé because they are developed on a temporary and vacant lot. The thesis addresses gardened vacant land as territorial marker of social and political processes of “producing” and “living” the contemporary city. The thesis combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies based on 48 case-studies, located in the north-eastern Île-de-France. As argued, the institutionalization of associative gardened areas is an unprecedented fact. Yet, while theses spaces are co-produced and then users are fully involved in the management of vacant gardened, they have a limited role in the decision making process. If the diffusion of institutionalized gardened vacant lands certainly reflects a political commitment, it also emphasizes the increasing profits produced by such negotiated land-use, that are instrumental for municipalities, in order to promote increased safety, enhanced political outreach, and beautification. Finally, social and environmental impacts vary depending on several conditions. On the one hand, the emergence of social bonding is limited to the space of the garden, due to its hybrid status of “club”. On the other hand, gardened vacant lands are rather understood as a toolbox, in order to enhance the quality of life, the environmental education, as well as territories dedicated to ecology and biodiversity.

This diploma project design studio work focus on the introduction to the problematics of vacant lots within the contemporary city centres. The opening represents basic typology of the lots. The work also presents a strategy how to develop the potential of vacant lots with its recreation as public spaces before the housing developments. The whole project book is divided into three parts. Analythical one shows the vacants lots within the Brno city centre and their typology. The strategy is illustrated by a sort of a „health kit“ tool box.And the main aim of the design part is to explore various possibilities of development for a vacant lot on Vesela street.

O nervo vago (X nervo craniano) está formado por fibras motoras somáticas e viscerais e por fibras sensitivas e possui um trajeto e distribuição mais extensos do que qualquer outro nervo craniano. Nos seres humanos, o nervo vago tem sua origem craniana pelo forame jugular e possui dois gânglios no seu trajeto: o gânglio superior e o gânglio inferior. Em ratos, o nervo vago emerge pelo forame lacerado posterior, apresenta o gânglio nodoso e se estende posteriormente, em frente a coluna vertebral, por todo o pescoço, tórax até o abdome. Na literatura são escassos informações sobre as diferenças morfometricas e morfológicas dos nervos vagos em ratos normotensos (WKY) e ratos espontaneamente hipertensos (SHR). O objetivo do presente estudo foi comparar os aspectos morfológicos e morfométricos dos diferentes segmentos e lados do nervo vago de ratos das linhagens WKY e SHR, machos e fêmeas. Os animais (n =4 em cada grupo) foram pesados, anestesiados e sua pressão arterial aferida. Após o preparo com técnicas histológicas convencionais, secções transversais dos segmentos proximal e distal foram obtidas para análise de microscopia de luz e através de um sistema de imagem computacional. O peso corporal dos animais mais velhos acompanhou o crescimento, sendo maior nos machos do que nas fêmeas. Não foram observadas diferenças estatísticas na morfologia e morfometria entre os lados e segmentos tanto em fêmeas como machos. Quando comparados os animais entre as idades foi possível gerar alterações na área fascicular, número de fibras, diâmetro mínimo da fibra, área da bainha, área da fibra e diâmetro do axônio. / The vagus nerve (X cranial nerve) is formed by somatic and visceral motor fibers and by sensory fibers and has a more extensive path and distribution than any other cranial nerve. In humans, the vagus nerve has its cranial origin through the jugular foramen and has two ganglia in its path: the superior ganglion and the inferior ganglion. In rats, the vagus nerve emerges through the posterior lacerated foramen, presents the nodous ganglion and extends posteriorly, in front of the vertebral column, throughout the neck, thorax to the abdomen. In the literature, there is scarce information about the morphometric and morphological differences of the vagus nerves in normotensive rats (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The objective of the present study was to compare the morphological and morphometric aspects of the different segments and sides of the vagus nerve of rats of WKY and SHR, both male and female. The animals (n = 4 in each group) were weighed, anesthetized and their blood pressure measured. After preparation with conventional histological techniques, cross sections of the proximal and distal segments were obtained for light microscopy analysis and through a computer imaging system. The body weight of the older animals followed the growth, being higher in the males than in the females. No statistical differences were observed in morphology and morphometry between the sides and segments in both females and males. When comparing the animals between the ages it was possible to generate changes in the fascicular area, number of fibers, minimum diameter of the fiber, area of the sheath, area of the fiber and diameter of the axon.

Esta dissertação consiste em uma contribuição ao estudo de caso Projeto Urbano Anhumas em Campinas SP, situado nas bordas do anel viário do centro expandido, em área de vazio urbano formado pela desativação do leito ferroviário, no ponto onde se forma o ribeirão Anhumas. Com o objetivo de propor diretrizes para a re-integração da área ao tecido urbano do entorno, considera o desenvolvimento urbano, a formação histórica da morfologia da cidade, bem como o estudo dos aspectos legais, ambientais e da dispersão urbana. A análise se dá nas escalas local e metropolitana, sob a perspectiva do desenvolvimento de novas centralidades situadas ao longo das antigas ferrovias. Tem como pano de fundo as recentes teorias do urbanismo contemporâneo, analisadas através de casos concretos das experiências nacionais e internacionais, confrontadas com a realidade local. / This dissertation consists of a contribuition to the case study of the Projeto Urbano Anhumas in Campinas SP, located at the outskirts of the beltline of the expanded center of the city, in a vacant urban area created by the desactivation of the railroad bed at the point where the Anhumas stream is formed. With the objective of recommending procedures for the re-integration of the surronding urban mesh, it considers the urban development, the historical upbringing ot the citys morfology, as well as the study of the legal and environmental aspects, and of the urban dispersion. The analysis occurs on local and metropolitan scenario, under the perspective of the development of settelments situated along the old railroad. It has a background on recent theories on contemporary urbanism, analyzed through real cases of national and international experiences, confronted with the local reality.

Esta dissertação consiste em uma contribuição ao estudo de caso Projeto Urbano Anhumas em Campinas SP, situado nas bordas do anel viário do centro expandido, em área de vazio urbano formado pela desativação do leito ferroviário, no ponto onde se forma o ribeirão Anhumas. Com o objetivo de propor diretrizes para a re-integração da área ao tecido urbano do entorno, considera o desenvolvimento urbano, a formação histórica da morfologia da cidade, bem como o estudo dos aspectos legais, ambientais e da dispersão urbana. A análise se dá nas escalas local e metropolitana, sob a perspectiva do desenvolvimento de novas centralidades situadas ao longo das antigas ferrovias. Tem como pano de fundo as recentes teorias do urbanismo contemporâneo, analisadas através de casos concretos das experiências nacionais e internacionais, confrontadas com a realidade local. / This dissertation consists of a contribuition to the case study of the Projeto Urbano Anhumas in Campinas SP, located at the outskirts of the beltline of the expanded center of the city, in a vacant urban area created by the desactivation of the railroad bed at the point where the Anhumas stream is formed. With the objective of recommending procedures for the re-integration of the surronding urban mesh, it considers the urban development, the historical upbringing ot the citys morfology, as well as the study of the legal and environmental aspects, and of the urban dispersion. The analysis occurs on local and metropolitan scenario, under the perspective of the development of settelments situated along the old railroad. It has a background on recent theories on contemporary urbanism, analyzed through real cases of national and international experiences, confronted with the local reality.

Enfatizando os aspectos que dizem respeito à relação física e funcional que a cidade de Santos estabelece com seu porto, este estudo tem como objetivo discutir sua (re)valorização no território macrometropolitano de São Paulo. O estudo teórico das transformações urbanas decorrentes do fenômeno de passagem da aglomeração (espaço circunscrito e contínuo) à rede (espaço descontínuo e não homogêneo) evidencia a importância da relação trans-escalar e serve para verificar as respostas que o urbanismo contemporâneo oferece a este novo quadro. O exame das condições, fatores, modelos e tendências do desenvolvimento territorial do eixo Santos-São Paulo-Campinas procura problematizar o processo de desenvolvimento urbano santista. Pelo confronto entre as tipologias da expansão portuária e a configuração dos sistemas de lugares que definem a estrutura urbana de Santos a cada etapa de seu crescimento busca-se identificar as contradições e conflitos resultantes. A partir das compatibilidades e incompatibilidades, das pendências e potencialidades que se possa flagrar entre as lógicas portuárias, territoriais e urbanas, traça-se diretrizes para uma nova relação cidade/porto, entendida como infra-estrutura necessária para suportar processos de (re)ativação econômica e social da cidade de Santos. / Santos in the macro-metropolitan territorial realm of the State of São Paulo, Brazil. This interpretation will emphasize a new relation established between the city of Santos and its port. The theoretical study outlines the impacts related to recent transformations observed in the form of urban tissues: from aglomeration (circumscribed, continuous space) to network (non-homogeneous, non-continuous space). This approach analyzes the trans-escales dimensions and relations as it is used as background to check the responses which contemporary Urbanism is offering nowadays regarding this new framework. The study of conditions, factors and new trends of territorial transformations in the Santos-São Paulo-Campinas axis is an attempt to compare and debate the different urban development models adopted in the city of Santos so far. The cross-analysis of typological characteristics of the port expansion and the system of places which defines the city´s structure seeks to identify the specific approaches related to each model as well as their contradictions. From capabilities to incompatibilities, through new trends and possibilities of portuary and territorial structure and their urban logic, guidelines are proposed to the future urban development of Santos. These transformations will be the infrastructural support to reactivate the status of the city of Santos in the macro-metropolitan realm.

O presente trabalho propõe uma nova estratégia de planejamento da paisagem urbana para aquisição de novas áreas verdes, através da recuperação e restauração de áreas degradadas (locais vazios, abandonados e subutilizados). A urgência de intervenção e revitalização destas áreas tem sido foco de preocupação nos grandes centros urbanos, tanto em países desenvolvidos, como nos emergentes, uma vez que são espaços disfuncionais no tecido urbano. O estado de abandono e desinteresse leva a depreciação do entorno e facilita o uso à criminalidade e atividades ilícitas. A transformação das áreas degradadas em espaços vegetados visa transformar o problema em oportunidade, partindo do princípio de que as áreas verdes devam cumprir funções infraestruturais, ou seja, ser componente de uma paisagem de alta performance, contribuindo para a criação ou ampliação da infraestrutura verde urbana. O estudo de caso para aplicação desta nova estratégia foi parte da cidade de São Bernardo do Campo, na região metropolitana de São Paulo, Brasil, cujas diminutas áreas verdes urbanas acessíveis à comunidade são cada vez mais escassas, ao mesmo tempo em que há diversas áreas vazias e abandonadas, muitas em processo de regeneração natural, que são alvos do mercado imobiliário para residências, serviços e comércio. A partir desta temática, uma série de questões foi lançada: Quais áreas degradadas têm potencial para serem convertidas em áreas verdes? Quais são os critérios para avaliação deste potencial? Qual é o caráter vocacional destas futuras áreas verdes: ambiental ou social? Essas perguntas nortearam o desenvolvimento da pesquisa em busca de uma metodologia de planejamento paisagístico para aquisição de novas áreas verdes aplicada na cidade de São Bernardo do Campo. Assim, foi desenvolvida uma ferramenta de avaliação, que se utilizou de um sistema de informação geográfico, e está pautada nos princípios de infraestrutura verde, de forma a responder às questões ecológicas, de drenagem das águas, de mobilidade, e as questões sociais de atendimento à comunidade local. Os resultados mostraram que 40% das áreas amostrais avaliadas apresentaram potencial alto de conversão em áreas verdes, outros 40%, potencial médio e 20% restante, potencial baixo, apontando um cenário favorável para a maioria das áreas degradadas. Quanto ao seu uso vocacional, 50% apresentam potencial de uso predominantemente social, 20% ambiental e 30% social e ambiental. A classificação por vocação de uso das áreas verdes (social ou ambiental) é um dado importante, uma vez que aponta áreas com potencial inferior e que não devem ser descartadas, pois tem um valor social importante. Os resultados têm por finalidade auxiliar nas tomadas de decisão preliminar do planejamento urbano ambiental, oferecendo subsídios aos profissionais da área na proposição criteriosa de novas áreas verdes urbanas. / This research proposes an urban landscape planning strategy for the acquisition of new green areas, through the reclamation of vacant, derelict and underused lands. Authorities in large urban centers, both in developed and emerging countries, have been concerned in these sites, once they are dysfunctional areas in the urban fabric. The carelessness and indifference has led to depreciation of the surrounding and facilitates the increase of crime. Greening derelict, vacant and underused lands can transform a problem into an opportunity, assuming that green spaces must fulfill infrastructural functions, as part of a landscape of high performance, seeking the creation or expansion of an urban green infrastructure. The case study to apply this strategic planning approach was Sao Bernardo do Campo city, in Sao Paulo Metropolitan area, Brazil, whose the tiny accessible green areas to the community are increasingly scarce, while there are many vacant, derelict and underused lands, under natural regeneration process, that are acquired for real estate market instead of creation of new greenspaces. From this point view, a series of questions were made: Which vacant, derelict and underused lands have the potential to be reclaimed into green areas? What are the criteria to evaluate this potential? Which the main role and potential use of the green area: social or environmental use? These questions guided the research in the development of a landscape planning methodology to acquire new green areas in São Bernardo do Campo. An assessment tool, using GIS and based on green infrastructure concept was developed, so that derelict and vacant lands could meet ecological, stormwater management, mobility and social issues. The results showed that 40% of the sample sites presented high potential to reclaim into green areas, 40%, medium potential and 20%, have low potential, revealing a favorable scenario for most vacant and derelict lands. Regarding the role and use of the green area, 50% have a predominantly social potential use, 20% environmental potential use, and 30% presents both potentials. This classification (social and/or environmental) is an important point, since it identifies those areas that, despite have lower potential, should not be discarded because it has an important social value. The results should assist a preliminary environmental and urban planning decision making, offering support to professionals to insightful creation of new urban green areas.

This thesis consists of two essays on applied microeconomics issues. The first essay presents a hedonic price econometric model of vacant commercial land. The second essay presents cost frontier analysis on the industry and firm's performance of the U.S. Motor Carrier industry. Our hedonic price econometric model includes two new developments in estimating land values in a multicentric urban area First, two composite indexes of market accessibility and highway accessibility are developed to account for the impacts of different characteristics of different regional nodes on land value at a particular site. Second, we use nonlinear least squares to estimate the decay parameters of the accessibility indexes within the model. We found that market accessibility is the dominant land value determinant. The estimated market accessibility decay parameter is different in value from the ones that are commonly assumed in hedonic models. The effect of access to highway interchanges is insignificant. Corner lots are of higher value. Finally, under Seattle's zoning policy, zoning classification of neighborhood commercial and community commercial land does not have significant effect on land value. The second essay uses the stochastic cost frontiers to analyze the performance of the U.S. motor carrier industry in the pre- and post-MCA periods. The average industry inefficiencies were between 14 and 27 percent during studied period. Our results indicate that the deregulation has no impact on industry efficiency. After a short adjustment period, the average industry inefficiency in the post-MCA years falls back to its pre-MCA level of around 14 to 16 percent. We analyzed the firm-specific inefficiencies by tobit regression. Our result shows that union firms are 1.5 and 4 percent less efficient than non-union firms in the pre- and post-MCA years, respectively. Firms located in the southern region are relatively efficient and the ones in the northern regions are relatively inefficient. Our result supports Stigler's Survivor Principle that survivor firms are relatively efficient. / Graduation date: 1998