The dissertation examines the problem of students’ training and testing. To solve the problem, new model, algorithms and system have been developed and adapted. The developed system enables organizing of individual and group train-ing and self-control process. Integrated intelligent search subsystem helps to de-velop the study plan for the themes of interest. The system continuously moni-tors the user and can respond to his failure. The developed built environment computer learning subsystem performs practical calculations to assess the built environment projects. The main problem solved by development of the subsystem is reduction of time needed for users to create their own systems. Knowledge database created during the system devel-opment can be a good source of knowledge for new or similar projects evalua-tions. Calculation results can be saved for further research or shared with other users of the system. The dissertation consists of Introduction, 4 Chapters, Conclusions, Refer-ences, and List of Author’s Publications. The introduction reveals the investigated problem, importance of the thesis and the object of research and describes the purpose and tasks of the dissertation, research methodology, scientific novelty, the practical significance of results examined in the dissertation and defended statements. The introduction ends in presenting the author’s publications on the subject of the defended dissertation, offering the material of made presentations in conferences... [to full text] / Disertacijoje nagrinėjama studentų mokymo ir testavimo problema. Problemai spręsti buvo sukurti ir pritaikyti nauji modeliai, algoritmai ir sistema. Sukurta sistema leidžia organizuoti individualų ir grupinį mokymo ir savikontrolės procesą. Integruota intelektinė paieškos posistemė leidžia sudaryti dominančios tematikos mokymosi planą. Sistema nuolat stebi vartotoją ir gali reaguoti į jo mokymosi nesėkmes. Sukurta kompiuterinio mokymo posistemė, skirta statiniams ir jų aplinkai, atlieka praktinį statinių ir jų aplinkos projektų vertinimą. Pagrindinė išspręsta problema kuriant posistemę yra laiko sąnaudų mažinimas, kurių reikėtų kuriant atskiras sistemas. Žinių bazė, kuri buvo sudaryta kuriant sistemą gali tapti pagrindu naujiems ar panašiems projektams vertinti. Skaičiavimo rezultatai gali būti išsaugoti tolesniems tyrimams atlikti arba jais galima dalintis su kitais sistemos vartotojais. Disertaciją sudaro įvadas, keturi skyriai, rezultatų apibendrinimas, naudotos literatūros sąrašas ir autoriaus publikacijų disertacijos tema sąrašas. Įvade aptariama tiriamoji problema, darbo aktualumas, aprašomas tyrimų objektas, formuluojamas darbo tikslas bei uždaviniai, aprašoma tyrimų metodika, darbo mokslinis naujumas, darbo rezultatų praktinė reikšmė, ginamieji teiginiai. Įvado pabaigoje pristatomos disertacijos tema autoriaus paskelbtos publikacijos bei pranešimai konferencijose ir disertacijos struktūra. Pirmame disertacijos skyriuje atliekama literatūros apžvalga. Nagrinėjama... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Disertacijoje nagrinėjama studentų mokymo ir testavimo problema. Problemai spręsti buvo sukurti ir pritaikyti nauji modeliai, algoritmai ir sistema. Sukurta sistema leidžia organizuoti individualų ir grupinį mokymo ir savikontrolės procesą. Integruota intelektinė paieškos posistemė leidžia sudaryti dominančios tematikos mokymosi planą. Sistema nuolat stebi vartotoją ir gali reaguoti į jo mokymosi nesėkmes. Sukurta kompiuterinio mokymo posistemė, skirta statiniams ir jų aplinkai, atlieka praktinį statinių ir jų aplinkos projektų vertinimą. Pagrindinė išspręsta problema kuriant posistemę yra laiko sąnaudų mažinimas, kurių reikėtų kuriant atskiras sistemas. Žinių bazė, kuri buvo sudaryta kuriant sistemą gali tapti pagrindu naujiems ar panašiems projektams vertinti. Skaičiavimo rezultatai gali būti išsaugoti tolesniems tyrimams atlikti arba jais galima dalintis su kitais sistemos vartotojais. Disertaciją sudaro įvadas, keturi skyriai, rezultatų apibendrinimas, naudotos literatūros sąrašas ir autoriaus publikacijų disertacijos tema sąrašas. Įvade aptariama tiriamoji problema, darbo aktualumas, aprašomas tyrimų objektas, formuluojamas darbo tikslas bei uždaviniai, aprašoma tyrimų metodika, darbo mokslinis naujumas, darbo rezultatų praktinė reikšmė, ginamieji teiginiai. Įvado pabaigoje pristatomos disertacijos tema autoriaus paskelbtos publikacijos bei pranešimai konferencijose ir disertacijos struktūra. Pirmame disertacijos skyriuje atliekama literatūros apžvalga. Nagrinėjama... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The dissertation examines the problem of students’ training and testing. To solve the problem, new model, algorithms and system have been developed and adapted. The developed system enables organizing of individual and group train-ing and self-control process. Integrated intelligent search subsystem helps to de-velop the study plan for the themes of interest. The system continuously moni-tors the user and can respond to his failure. The developed built environment computer learning subsystem performs practical calculations to assess the built environment projects. The main problem solved by development of the subsystem is reduction of time needed for users to create their own systems. Knowledge database created during the system devel-opment can be a good source of knowledge for new or similar projects evalua-tions. Calculation results can be saved for further research or shared with other users of the system. The dissertation consists of Introduction, 4 Chapters, Conclusions, Refer-ences, and List of Author’s Publications. The introduction reveals the investigated problem, importance of the thesis and the object of research and describes the purpose and tasks of the dissertation, research methodology, scientific novelty, the practical significance of results examined in the dissertation and defended statements. The introduction ends in presenting the author’s publications on the subject of the defended dissertation, offering the material of made presentations in conferences... [to full text]

This study maps research concerning person environment interrelationships with health and wellbeing outcomes. The purpose of this study is to provide insights into the inter-relationship between the built environment (BE) and human health and wellbeing as it is conveyed in research literature. It particularly focuses on literature that connects built environment, emotions, feelings, mind and body. This thesis therefore provides a review of relevant literature on the physical environment, with a focus on person environment (PE) relationship that may influence the person's psychological and physiological systems consequently affecting health and wellbeing. Specifically, psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is used to identify dimensions of the BE which are significant for this study. The understanding of PE interrelationships to health outcomes is achieved by undertaking a transdisciplinary outlook. To conceptualise the 'person' as a whole and the workings of the mind and human system PNI has been recognised as a main platform. PNI is the study of mind-body relationships (Evans, et al, 2000), providing a scientific framework which captures the understanding of the inter-relationship of the mind to the neuroendocrine systems and the immune systems with the aim of understanding the influence of the mind on eliciting as well as preventing illnesses. The work was motivated by the need for better understanding of the human interaction/transaction in an interior environment and their consequences on health. An exploration of literature from both the environmental and health fields provided a knowledge base upon which to develop an understanding of the interrelationship. Research has demonstrated a link between the BE and wellbeing, however, this is limited in its application and/or scope. For example, over the past years there has been an increasing amount of research showing the possible influence of the environment in reducing stress (Sommer & Oslen, 1980; Kaplan, 1983; O'Neill, 1991; Wapner & Demick, 2000; Parsons & Tassinary, 2002, Frumkin, 2006). In addition, there is growing evidence that indicates there is a relationship between BE and health including the psychological and physiological systems, in healthcare environments (Ulrich & Zimring, 2004). However, while there is ample research in the areas of environmental stressors and other determinants of the environment in contributing to health, less research has been undertaken in studying the impact of the environment on health (Evans& McCoy, 1998). The potential of the environment in contributing to the mental wellbeing of a person and how this could affect the physical health therefore needs further investigation (Solomon, 1996). The methodology followed was Coopers (1998) 'research synthesis' and the tool to sort the domains and PE interrelationships was adapted from White's (1989) 'space adjacency analysis'. The scope of this study was limited to explorations of literature that inquired into PE relationships that fit into the primarily established 'integrative systems model'; a parameter that enabled categorisation of the literature into the areas that related to the PNI framework. The findings illustrate that the person is interrelated to the environment in several ways and can be interpreted and explained in terms of various dimensions such as the psychological, physical, social, and spatial dimensions. Furthermore, empirical research indicates that the environment impacts on a person's health and wellbeing through psychological and physiological systems. PNI acknowledges the interrelationship of the mind and body systems contributing to an integrative systems model of human health and wellbeing. As an outcome, the study has produced an analysis method and a navigation map of the various literature domains related to PE interrelationships in terms of health and wellbeing. This has been facilitated by the development of, a 'PE integrative systems model'. Apart from demonstrating the need for transdisciplinary research and contributing to research methodology, the study also adds to the current design knowledge base providing BE professionals and creators with a better understanding of the health outcomes from PE interrelationships.

[Truncated abstract] The main purpose of this research was to conduct a series of studies with the aim of contributing information about methods for measuring and analyzing physical environmental attributes of neighbourhoods and the influence of these attributes on specific types of physical activity behaviour. Furthermore, this research examined the moderating affect of the objective physical environment on the relationship between cognitions and physical activity behaviours and the mediating role of the cognitions on the associations between the objective physical environment and physical activity. The research included secondary analyses of data collected as part of the Studies of Environmental and Individual Determinants of Physical Activity (SEID1 and SEID2: Corti 1998; Pikora 2003) and the Physical Activity in Localities and Community Environments study (PLACE: Leslie et al. 2005a; Leslie et al. 2005b). Demographic, cognitive, social and behavioural data from the baseline and follow-up surveys from SEID1 (Corti 1998), and objectively measured built environmental data from SEID2 (Pikora 2003) were analyzed. ... A stronger association between frequency of past trying and recreational walking was also found for respondents residing in neighbourhoods with more recreational destinations (β = 0.11), compared with fewer destinations (β = 0.00). These findings show some evidence that the built environment can affect exercise-related cognitions, which in turn influence physical activity. Findings of this and other research (Owen et al. 2000; Humpel et al. 2002; Saelens et al. 2003b; Foster & Hillsdon 2004; McCormack et al. 2004; Owen et al. 2004; Badland & Schofield 2005; Duncan et al. 2005; Heath et al. 2006) support the need to create supportive environments that encourage both recreational and transport-related physical activity. Providing more opportunities and a greater variety of destinations close to home could encourage physical activity participation, and may even assist some individuals to achieve sufficient levels to accrue health benefits. However, additional research is necessary to understand how both the perceived and objectively measured built environment influences physical activity and to provide evidence of temporal causality between environments, cognitions, and physical activity behaviour.

No description available.

Esta dissertação tem como temática a análise da produção do espaço urbano em cidades litorâneas a partir da articulação de três esferas: a urbanização, a economia e o mercado imobiliário, e suas relações com o ambiente construído, tendo como eixo impulsionador a produção de segundas residências. Como estudo de caso o município litorâneo de Capão da Canoa, localizado no Litoral Norte do estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Esse município tem como característica principal um intenso processo de crescimento urbano, caracterizado pela verticalização e pela densificação do tecido construído, e, como agravante, a ocupação urbana representada por uma população fixa e uma população sazonal muito significativa. O trabalho tem o objetivo tratar do boom imobiliário gerado pela indústria da construção civil, como modo de urbanização e da economia urbana local com forte investimento nesse setor. Para abordar o tema proposto, optou-se numa análise teórica que envolve conceitos referentes à urbanização e ao ambiente construído relacionado à economia urbana local. A metodologia utilizada fundamenta-se em dados institucionais, do poder público municipal, de associações, do levantamento empírico e de entrevistas. As análises qualitativas e quantitativas demonstraram um resultado em que a economia urbana do município está vinculada direta e indiretamente à cadeia produtiva da construção civil, sendo essa sua locomotiva substancialmente mais importante. A regulamentação do uso do solo urbano está condicionada às exigências do mercado imobiliário. Houve, no período 1990-2010, uma mudança brusca do patamar de novos empreendimentos imobiliários, com a média anual de 24.400m² passando para 106.290m² anuais, mais do que quadruplicando nesse período. A literatura salienta que, na era moderna, o litoral passa e ser apropriado culturalmente, identificando-se como um espaço de lazer, tornando-se mais valorizado, sustentando assim, uma das indústrias de maior dinamismo – aquela ligada às atividades turísticas e de veraneio. O resultado do levantamento empírico na área selecionada demonstra que embora haja pontos de intensa verticalização e de maior densificação, existe ainda, potencial construtivo de aproximadamente 50% no setor estabelecido pelo Plano Diretor de 2004. Embora, existe a conscientização dos órgãos reguladores sobre os problemas causados pela intensa densificação em alguns pontos, o poder público ainda não propôs um novo ordenamento territorial, não havendo, portanto, pressão para uma mudança de comportamento tanto da indústria, quanto do poder público regulatório. / This study explores the development of urban spaces in coastal towns from three different articulation points - urbanization, economy and housing market - and their relation with the built environment. It has the construction of second homes as its main triggering point. As a case study, this inquiry used Capão da Canoa, a coastal town located in the Northern part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This town features a strong process of urban growth, which differs from other locations because of its verticalization, densification in constructed areas and, as an exacerbating factor, urban sprawl represented by a fixed population and a very significant seasonal one. This study aims at exploring the Real Estate boom generated by the construction industry, discussing the local urbanization and the urban economy with its major investments in this sector. In order to approach this subject, we chose to perform a theoretical analysis comprising concepts related to urbanization and built environment linked to local urban economy. The methodology used to support our study takes into consideration institutional data coming from municipal public power, associations, empirical surveys and interviews. Qualitative and quantitative analyses have shown that the urban economy of this city is tied, directly and indirectly, to the productive chain of the construction industry and that the last one ends up being its most significant fuel. Furthermore, regulations over the use of urban land are subjected to Real Estate requirements. There have been sudden changes on the amount of new Real Estate developments in the period from 1990 to 2010, which have caused the construction average to fourfold and annual averages to increase from 24.400m² to 106,290m². Literature mentions that, in modern ages, coastal areas have been taken over by different cultures, because they are becoming leisure spots; and this fact is responsible for turning these locations into highly valuated spots, supporting, this way, two of the most dynamic industries: tourism and summer activities. Results from empirical surveys performed in this area show that even though there are spots where verticalization and densification are severe, there is still a 50% potential for constructive opportunities as established by the 2004 Development Plan. However, regulatory bodies are concerned about intense densification in some areas, public power has not created a new land planning yet, and that is why there is no pressure on making the construction industry and regulatory public bodies to change their current behavior.

Cathedrals today are no longer sites of just religious worship, they must be many things to many people such as tourist attractions, heritage centres, and meeting places. Today, Durham Cathedral in the north-east of England is home to almost 900 people engaged on site, of which almost 700 are volunteers. Add to that number over 700,000 visitors and about 1,700 religious services annually, and a complex image of life within Durham Cathedral begins to take shape. Drawing on 14 months of ethnographic fieldwork between August 2013 and September 2014, this thesis takes a phenomenological approach in exploring the dynamic relationships that exist between a 900-year-old building and those who regularly come into contact with that building. It will consider the complex negotiations that take place between the many parts of the community and the building in a constantly changing environment, and will focus on the role sound, light, time, and space play in the constant challenge of change and negotiation. Finally, it will consider how buildings are not only constructed but are also cultivated through being built and rebuilt, spaces negotiated and improvised, as well as filled with stories and memories. The importance of this research is not just in observing and understanding the types of change and negotiation that occur between a building and those who inhabit it, but also in understanding the altering roles of religious buildings as they cope with the changing demands of running a site of both historical and continuing social, religious, and financial pressures, Durham Cathedral is a place that gives space to differing communities, allowing people to find in the building what they need from the building and as a result of this, Durham Cathedral is not a place in which life happens, it is a place with which life happens.

O envelhecimento populacional é hoje um fenômeno observado mundialmente. Dentre as preocupações em oferecer qualidade de vida a essa crescente população, destaca-se a necessidade de ambientes de moradia mais adequados às necessidades dos idosos. Nesse contexto, as Instituições de Longa Permanência para Idosos (ILPIs), constituem uma importante alternativa de habitação para idosos em condições de vulnerabilidade social. A legislação brasileira tem avançado no sentido de exigir a qualificação dos ambientes físicos dessas instituições, estando, porém, ainda muito limitada ao estabelecimento de normas técnicas para as edificações que as abrigam. As áreas externas ou espaços abertos, apesar da sua importância para a qualidade de vida do idoso, permanecem pouco atendidos pela legislação vigente e quase inexplorados no âmbito das pesquisas envolvendo o ambiente construído. Observa-se também, na pesquisa em ambiente construído, pouca articulação com as contribuições teóricas dos estudos sobre o envelhecimento humano, as quais podem auxiliar na compreensão das necessidades desse grupo de usuários sobre seus ambientes físicos. Esta pesquisa se dedica, portanto, a investigar o tema dos espaços abertos junto às ILPIs, a fim de contribuir para melhor informar a pesquisa e a prática voltadas à qualificação das instituições desta natureza. Foca-se o processo de planejamento como um meio para produção de espaços abertos mais congruentes com as necessidades do usuário idoso, através da articulação com o referencial teórico dos estudos sobre o envelhecimento. Com o objetivo de gerar subsídios para o processo de planejamento nesse sentido, foi realizada uma pesquisa-ação em uma ILPI localizada no município de Porto Alegre - RS, a qual foi composta de três ciclos: O primeiro ciclo consistiu na preparação do pesquisador para trabalhar com o tema do envelhecimento humano e na estruturação de um grupo interdisciplinar de pesquisadores que apoiaram a pesquisa em seus procedimentos reflexivo e prático. O segundo e terceiro ciclo corresponderam, respectivamente, à adaptação e à aplicação do conceito de design social ao planejamento dos espaços abertos dessa instituição. Esse conceito, proposto como uma ligação entre o planejamento do ambiente construído e as ciências comportamentais, pressupõe o envolvimento direto dos usuários no processo de projeto a fim de produzir ambientes mais congruentes com suas necessidades. No segundo ciclo, estudou-se a adaptação de diferentes métodos de coleta de dados e técnicas de envolvimento dos usuários relacionados ao conceito de design social. A análise dos dados desse ciclo resultaram na proposição de um método participativo de planejamento adaptado à realidade das ILPIs. O último ciclo consistiu na aplicação do método proposto para o planejamento dos espaços abertos da ILPI participante da pesquisa. Ao término desse ciclo, foi realizada a avaliação da pesquisa pelos seus participantes. Os resultados da pesquisa apontam o planejamento de espaços abertos de ILPIs, através da aplicação do conceito de design social, como uma estratégia que pode melhorar as relações dos idosos com os ambientes institucionais, ao atuar positivamente tanto na dimensão ambiental quando na dimensão pessoal dessa relação. / An aging population is now a worldwide phenomenon. Outstanding among the concerns in offering quality of life to this growing population is the need for living environments that are more appropriate to the needs of the elderly. In this context, the Long Term Stay Institutions for the Elderly (ILPIs - Instituições de Longa Permanência para Idosos) are an important alternative for housing elderly people in a situation of social vulnerability. Brazilian legislation has advanced in requiring the physical qualification of these institutions, but it is still mainly limited to the technical standards for the buildings that house these facilities. Despite their importance for the quality of life of the aged the outdoor areas or open spaces are not taken into account much by current legislation, and are almost unexplored within the scope of research involving the built environment. In the research on the constructed environment, little articulation is found with the theoretical contributions of studies on human aging, which might help understand the needs of this group of users regarding their physical environments. This research is therefore dedicated to investigating the subject of open spaces at ILPIs, in order to inform research and practice for the qualification of this kind of institution. The planning process is looked at as a means to produce open spaces that are more congruent with the need of the elderly user, by articulating with the theoretical referents of studies on aging. In order to generate further information for the planning process, action-research was performed at an ILPI in the municipality of Porto Alegre - RS, consisting of three cycles: The first cycle consisted of preparing the researcher to work on the topic of human aging and in structuring an interdisciplinary group of researchers who supported the reflexive and practical procedures of the study. The second and third cycle corresponded, respectively, to the adaptation and implementation of the concept of social design to planning the open spaces of this institution. This concept, proposed as a connection between planning the constructed environment and behavioral sciences, presupposes the direct involvement of users in the project processes, in order to produce environments that are more appropriate to their needs. During the second cycle, the adaptation of different methods of data collection and techniques to involve the users was studied, involving the concept of social design. Analysis of the data of this cycle led to proposing a participatory planning method adapted to the realities of the ILPIs. The last cycle consisted in applying the method proposed to planning the open spaces at the ILPI that participated in the study. At the end of this cycle the research was evaluated by the participants. The results of the study indicate planning the open spaces of ILPIs by applying the concept of social design as a strategy that could improve relations between the elderly and the institutional environments, acting positively both on the environmental dimension and on the personal dimension of this relationship.

Esta dissertação tem como temática a análise da produção do espaço urbano em cidades litorâneas a partir da articulação de três esferas: a urbanização, a economia e o mercado imobiliário, e suas relações com o ambiente construído, tendo como eixo impulsionador a produção de segundas residências. Como estudo de caso o município litorâneo de Capão da Canoa, localizado no Litoral Norte do estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Esse município tem como característica principal um intenso processo de crescimento urbano, caracterizado pela verticalização e pela densificação do tecido construído, e, como agravante, a ocupação urbana representada por uma população fixa e uma população sazonal muito significativa. O trabalho tem o objetivo tratar do boom imobiliário gerado pela indústria da construção civil, como modo de urbanização e da economia urbana local com forte investimento nesse setor. Para abordar o tema proposto, optou-se numa análise teórica que envolve conceitos referentes à urbanização e ao ambiente construído relacionado à economia urbana local. A metodologia utilizada fundamenta-se em dados institucionais, do poder público municipal, de associações, do levantamento empírico e de entrevistas. As análises qualitativas e quantitativas demonstraram um resultado em que a economia urbana do município está vinculada direta e indiretamente à cadeia produtiva da construção civil, sendo essa sua locomotiva substancialmente mais importante. A regulamentação do uso do solo urbano está condicionada às exigências do mercado imobiliário. Houve, no período 1990-2010, uma mudança brusca do patamar de novos empreendimentos imobiliários, com a média anual de 24.400m² passando para 106.290m² anuais, mais do que quadruplicando nesse período. A literatura salienta que, na era moderna, o litoral passa e ser apropriado culturalmente, identificando-se como um espaço de lazer, tornando-se mais valorizado, sustentando assim, uma das indústrias de maior dinamismo – aquela ligada às atividades turísticas e de veraneio. O resultado do levantamento empírico na área selecionada demonstra que embora haja pontos de intensa verticalização e de maior densificação, existe ainda, potencial construtivo de aproximadamente 50% no setor estabelecido pelo Plano Diretor de 2004. Embora, existe a conscientização dos órgãos reguladores sobre os problemas causados pela intensa densificação em alguns pontos, o poder público ainda não propôs um novo ordenamento territorial, não havendo, portanto, pressão para uma mudança de comportamento tanto da indústria, quanto do poder público regulatório. / This study explores the development of urban spaces in coastal towns from three different articulation points - urbanization, economy and housing market - and their relation with the built environment. It has the construction of second homes as its main triggering point. As a case study, this inquiry used Capão da Canoa, a coastal town located in the Northern part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This town features a strong process of urban growth, which differs from other locations because of its verticalization, densification in constructed areas and, as an exacerbating factor, urban sprawl represented by a fixed population and a very significant seasonal one. This study aims at exploring the Real Estate boom generated by the construction industry, discussing the local urbanization and the urban economy with its major investments in this sector. In order to approach this subject, we chose to perform a theoretical analysis comprising concepts related to urbanization and built environment linked to local urban economy. The methodology used to support our study takes into consideration institutional data coming from municipal public power, associations, empirical surveys and interviews. Qualitative and quantitative analyses have shown that the urban economy of this city is tied, directly and indirectly, to the productive chain of the construction industry and that the last one ends up being its most significant fuel. Furthermore, regulations over the use of urban land are subjected to Real Estate requirements. There have been sudden changes on the amount of new Real Estate developments in the period from 1990 to 2010, which have caused the construction average to fourfold and annual averages to increase from 24.400m² to 106,290m². Literature mentions that, in modern ages, coastal areas have been taken over by different cultures, because they are becoming leisure spots; and this fact is responsible for turning these locations into highly valuated spots, supporting, this way, two of the most dynamic industries: tourism and summer activities. Results from empirical surveys performed in this area show that even though there are spots where verticalization and densification are severe, there is still a 50% potential for constructive opportunities as established by the 2004 Development Plan. However, regulatory bodies are concerned about intense densification in some areas, public power has not created a new land planning yet, and that is why there is no pressure on making the construction industry and regulatory public bodies to change their current behavior.

x, 255 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / This dissertation examines transatlantic, and especially American, literary responses to urban and industrial change from the 1840s through the 1930s. It combines cultural materialist theory with environmental history in order to investigate the interrelationship of literature, economy, and biophysical systems. In lieu of a traditional ecocritical focus on wilderness preservation and the accompanying literary mode of nature writing, I bring attention to reforms of the "built environment" and to the related category of social problem fiction, including narratives of documentary realism, urban naturalism, and politically-oriented utopianism. The novels and short stories of Charles Dickens, Herman Melville, Rebecca Harding Davis, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Upton Sinclair, and Mike Gold offer an alternative history of environmental writing, one that foregrounds the interaction between nature and labor. Through a strategy of "literal reading" I connect the representation of particular environments in the work of these authors to the historical situation of actual spaces, including the western Massachusetts forest of Melville's "Tartarus of Maids," the Virginia factory town of Davis's Iron Mills, the Midwestern hinterland of Sinclair's The Jungle, and the New York City ghetto of Gold's Jews without Money. Even as these texts foreground the class basis of environmental hazard, they simultaneously display an ambivalence toward the physical world, wavering between pastoral celebrations and gothic vilifications of nature, and condemning ecological destruction even as they naturalize the very socio-economic forces responsible for such calamity. Following Raymond Williams, I argue that these contradictory treatments of nature have a basis in the historical relationship between capitalist society and the material world. Fiction struggles to contain or resolve its implication in the very culture that destroys the land base it celebrates. Thus, the formal fissures and the anxious eruptions of nature in fiction relate dialectically to the contradictory position of the ecosystem itself within the regime of industrial capital. However, for all of this ambivalence, transatlantic social reform fiction of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century provides a model for an environmentally-oriented critical realist aesthetic, an aesthetic that retains suspicion toward representational transparency, and yet simultaneously asserts the didactic, ethical, and political functions of literature. / Committee in charge: William Rossi, Chairperson, English; Henry Wonham, Member, English; Enrique Lima, Member, English; Louise Westling, Member, English; John Foster, Outside Member, Sociology