Farmland, Indiana, located approximately twenty (20) miles east of Muncie, has been successfully engaged in a revitalization effort since the early 1990s. Although several significant historic buildings have been adaptively reused, others, including the Opera House, are only partially occupied. The continuation of future redevelopment efforts rests on whether these buildings can be preserved and adaptively reused in a manner that supports the revitalization goals the town has established and in which they are committed.The structure was constructed in 1889 and owned by P.M. Bly. Bly and John H. Thornburg, owned a drugstore together in the north retail space on the first floor and the south retail space was rented out to other businesses. Presently the first floor of the Opera House, which was constructed in 1889, is occupied by a Pizza King, which has been there for since the early 1990s. The second floor, which was originally used as an opera house, has been sitting vacant for over twenty years.This creative project documents the current condition of the building and proposes two options of adaptive reuse for the building owner to consider. The format and content of this project was modeled after adaptive reuse studies by two Indianapolis, Indiana architecture firms. Also, a synopsis of several interviews the author had with professionals who deal with the adaptive reuse of historic buildings is included. Architects, contractors, historic preservationists, and a market analyst were among those interviewed and their views afford the reader an insight into current attitudes among professionals involved in historic preservation and adaptive reuse.The project portion of this proposal includes: a brief history of the building; a conditions assessment through photographs and written text; existing floor plans and elevations; a synopsis of the American Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility evaluation; and preservation and adaptive reuse recommendations. In addition, two schemes, or concepts, of adaptive reuse are included, with each containing: floor plans and elevations; a preliminary cost estimate and pro forma; and a summary of historic tax credits and grant programs that are applicable. Furthermore, the option which is most desirable for the historic context of the building and the future economic development of Farmland has been developed through design with an interior design package, which includes a furniture plan, furniture options, and a color scheme.This project is primarily an academic exercise intended to help the author learn the process of preparing a comprehensive adaptive reuse proposal. However, this project was also chosen with the hopes of inspiring the current building owner to develop the property by providing a substantial amount of objective and professional quality information and documentation. Thus, the format developed is that which a professional design firm would use, as opposed to an academic format. Through dissemination of this project to local leaders of preservation and redevelopment efforts, it is also hoped that it will aid in garnering public support to preserve and reuse. / Department of Architecture

This thesis advocates development of a program to rehabilitate Braulio Fernandez Park and the commercial sector of Hidalgo Street in the border city of Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, Mexico. Guidelines for the treatment and development of both new and existing elements within the study area were generated based upon the following: an analysis of the economic and physical needs of the community, and examination of the natural and urban environment, a study of existing landscape architectural amenities in various border cities, and research documenting attitudes and perceptions of the people within the study area as they relate to the issues presented herein. Revitalization through the administration of this program would increase tourism, promote recreation and would enable Braulio Fernandez Park and commercial street Hidalgo to serve as a more impressive and prosperous gateway to Ciudad Acuna and to Mexico.

This study explores the creation and proliferation of urban entertainment destinations i n two Vancouver neighbourhoods - Gastown and Granville Mall - and the effect that these spaces are having on the delivery of urban policing services. This analysis provides a basis for a critique of both the 'broken windows' thesis and consumer culture. Urban entertainment destinations (UEDS) are sites that utilize forms of entertainment as a means of retailing goods and services. Unlike traditional notions of the city, site operators, and increasingly consumers, view these areas solely as spaces of consumption linked to pleasure. However, the marketing of many of these sites as pleasure spots is problematic for site operators because of the pre-existence of various forms of 'urban blight' that are commonly associated with the inner city. In order to reduce, or eliminate, a number of 'quality of life' issues that plague retailers and consumers, such as panhandling, graffiti, squeegees, street youth, and so on, business improvement associations (BIAs), which function roughly as site operators, demand an increased police presence. To augment existing public policing programs in their areas, many BIAs are also contracting private security services to engage in 'broken windows'-style policing in public spaces. Many of these services work cooperatively with public programs. The thesis advances three propositions. First, urban entertainment destinations generate demands for both increased and diversified forms of policing. Second, these demands for policing can be traced to modern consumption patterns and the mass media. Third, these demands can translate into 'policing' practices that are not centered around crime prevention or other strategies commonly associated with policing per se, but rather have more to do with creating and maintaining images of safety and 'risklessness' in sites frequented by consumers.

This study provides a strategy from which Economy, Indiana may find structure for future improvement and growth, en route to establishing this Town as a model community for small, rural Indiana towns adjoining rails-to-trails networks. After conducting a visual inventory of the Town, significant physical design components were selected for analysis, including land use, circulation, streetscape, vegetation, buildings/structures, park area, open space/vacant land, and a surveyed historic district. The evidence suggests that even though most of Economy's original visual historic patterns and components still exist, they are in a continual decline. Using the Cardinal Greenway rails-to-trails project as a catalyst, the recommendations will assist the improvement of Economy's visual character, and take advantage of rails-to trails tourism as one means of revitalization. / Department of Landscape Architecture

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Western Sydney, 2003. / Bibliography : leaves 211-238.

Thesis (MPA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1974. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 208-217).

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2005. Graduate Programme in Communication and Culture. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-113). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url%5Fver=Z39.88-2004&res%5Fdat=xri:pqdiss &rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR11791

Community organization as a basic social work method has taken on increasing emphasis during the past decade. There is a growing awareness of the contribution this method has to make in a variety of settings in social welfare and allied fields. This year, the School of Social Work, University of British Columbia, initiated courses and field work placements in this specialization for students in their second year of professional training. Partly because of the absence of this type of training in the past, there has been a dearth of studies of Vancouver neighbourhoods from a community organization point of view. Opportunity was provided through student placements to examine four disparate, dynamic and changing communities. The scarcity of previous studies denied access to any defined rationale. The examinations were based upon the tentative assumption that there should be a significant involvement of both physical and social planning at all stages of neighbourhood development. For the present studies, a variety of methods for obtaining information was employed. Primary among these were:- interviewing of key individuals in the communities and of representatives of agencies, institutions and associations knowledgable about the communities; an examination of pertinent agency records; attendance at a variety of meetings of local import; obtaining demographic statistical information. The findings of the West End study reveal it to be an area undergoing rapid change. The failure to establish decisive physical planning for the area creates uncertainty among local leaders otherwise well equipped to engage in social planning. A new community is thus evolving in haphazard response to this fact. Problems related to the behaviour of young people have given Fraserview, a veterans' housing area, a degree of notoriety which is not altogether deserved. Although the present density of teenagers was predictable seven years ago, the social planning process, at the agency as well as at the Community Chest and Councils level, was unable to marshall community resources to meet adequately the specific needs of this area. The mobilization of the professionals and their subsequent incorporation as the Fraserview Youth Services Society is designed to provide the needed local planning body. Skeena Terrace Public Housing is a major low-rental housing project located in an officially undefined community. Tenants have come from many parts of the city, but none from the area adjacent to the housing project. The findings indicate a degree of neighbourhood feeling developing on the project but little integration with the community of Sunrise Park. Strathcona, a severely blighted area, is presently undergoing planned physical redevelopment on a comprehensive scale. Results of this study which has been conducted in the very early stages of the changing environmental conditions indicate a need for extensive preplanning on the part of the governments, private agencies, and citizenry. Co-Ordination of all concerned is required so that satisfactory social arrangements for this community can be effected and thus ease the problems of relocation and redevelopment. These studies are of an exploratory nature - a deliberate effort to look at the communities without initial preconceptions. Although a few neighbourhood studies in Vancouver have been undertaken by students from this School, the value of this thesis may well stem from its community organization focus which could complement and supplement those with a case work and group work emphasis. These pilot projects may give rise to further analyses of Vancouver neighbourhoods and thus contribute to more comprehensive understanding of changing neighbourhoods within the city. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

The old Vancouver townsite offers the community planner an excellent study area in which to observe the cyclical nature of urban development. As well as being able to define the rise and fall of particular uses, the planner is able to identify criteria which dictate these trends. The hypothesis or point of departure for this study was that, traditionally, economic values have been the prime determinants in setting the physical form of the urban environs. As this Gastown study indicates, this indeed has been the case, and, in fact, is continuing in the present restoration project. The conclusion of the thesis is that a much wider and more diverse perspective is needed in order to preserve the great variety of interests in the old townsite. Towards this end, a development programme has been suggested which would include inputs from all the groups or individuals in the community. The first chapter outlines the history of the Gastown area. Growth patterns and development modes are traced from 1880 until the present day. A number of factors have been identified which affected the townsite's early growth, these include the geographical location of the settlement and the nature of its early industry, as well as the decision to locate the western terminus of the CPR in Vancouver, and the Great Fire of 1886. The city of Vancouver, from its incorporation in I89O, through to the present day, has continued to expand and diversify. As the population increased, the business district shifted to areas which were in closer proximity to the major markets. Once the townsite lost its importance as the central business district, it entered a period of transition. Various service oriented industries began to dominate Vancouver's once fashionable 'downtown area'. Gradually, the old townsite declined, buildings deteriorated and were vacated. During the depression years, the unemployed workers flocked to the coast and sought out this area because of its low rents and plentiful accomodation. From this time on, Vancouver's birthplace existed as a 'skid-road' - a community of pensioners, transients, and vagrants. In the past three years, much attention has focused on the old townsite. The experiences of other cities with the restoration of historic areas has found form for its manifestation in the Gastown district. The problems and opportunities which the restoration project has encountered are outlined in the second chapter. The impact of the rapid redevelopment was felt first by the residents of the area -as some rooming-houses were closed, and rents in others increased, they were forced to leave the neighbourhood. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate