Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional Community Planning / Anne Beamish / The landscape has the opportunity to commemorate new, dynamic cultural identities which are developing in rural cities throughout the Midwest. These communities are experiencing historic demographic changes as a result of two major phenomena: the in-migration of foreign born peoples and the out-migration of younger generations. Immigrants are settling in rural cities because of the relatively low cost of living, available skilled and unskilled labor jobs, and developing immigrant networks. Foreign traditions and cultural ideals have introduced a new dimension to the historically homogeneous communities found in the Midwest. The age demographic is also changing as young adults move away from their rural hometowns seeking employment and education opportunities available in larger, metropolitan areas. This project will propose a research and design process for defining a design concept for Inclusive Community Landscapes in Midwestern rural cities with diverse population demographics. Inclusive Community Landscapes are purposefully programmed public spaces that celebrate the positive effects of immigration and an aging population: they are defined by the people of the rural city. The goals of these landscapes are to educate visitors about the history of the town, honor the diverse cultures that have been, are, and will be part of the town, and promote communication amongst residents. The project concludes with a design of an Inclusive Community Landscape in downtown Emporia, Kansas, a reflection on the applied research and design processes, and a revised process based on lessons learned during the project.

Innan vi kommer in på vad som sker på tak reder arbetet ut hur takets yta kan ses i ett större sammanhang, vilka likheter och skillnader de har till andra outnyttjade ytor i våra städer. Arbetet begränsar sig därefter till att titta närmare på potentialen av att offentliga använda taket. Arbetet syftar därmed till att ifrågasätta och undersöka takets plats inom planeringen, med fokus på dess lämplighet som offentlig plats. Det undersökandet görs med hjälp av en fallstudie inkluderandes fem svenska och två utländska tak vilka är tillgängliga offentligt. Exemplen är hämtade från nutid i form av exempelvis Emporia i Malmö, projekt stadier i form av Park1 i Stockholm samt från historian i form av Hötorgscitys takterrasser. Utifrån teorier av främst Jan Gehl och Tomas Wikström studeras och analyseras platsernas förutsättningar och möjligheter till användande. Det gäller bland annat hur platsen skyddas från störande element och risker, vad de erbjuder för komfort och kvalitéer till besökaren samt i vilken grad densamme har möjligheter att tolka och sätta avtryck på platsen. En utmärkande faktorer har visat sig vara bristande koppling till resten av staden, främst i form av rörelse till och genom platserna. Det har även visats att möjligheterna till utsikt ger goda kvalitéer för en visuell koppling och möjligheter för en betydande del av stadens befolkning att ta del av vyer annars reserverade till ett fåtal. Med fallstudien eftersträvas att ge en bild av hur platserna på taken ser ut. Som komplement till detta läggs en intervjustudie av planerares tankar om användandet av tak där det offentliga användandet av platsen stått i fokus. Det visade sig att taket spelar en medveten roll för olika typer av användningar, där det som offentligt tillgänglig plats är en av dem om än inte den utmärkande. Det reflekteras bland annat kring huruvida taket bör tillföra extra funktioner och kvalitéer till staden och inte ersätta platser i marknivå.

This thesis assesses the sixth-/early seventh-century socio-economic roots of the eighth-century transmarine system connecting England and the Continent through major coastal trading sites (emporia). Part 1 discusses socio-economic developments in the coastal areas of Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and the Pas-de-Calais, through a close investigation of fifth- to early seventh-century archaeological evidence. The inclusion of later written sources has been fundamental to recognise that the two shores of the Channel were connected in a more complex network than previously assumed, beyond the major emporia. These areas are then considered comparatively: after challenging substantivist approaches that assume an overwhelming importance of gift-exchange in sixth-century England, Part 2 stresses the role of transmarine traffic and exploitation of natural resources in the socio-economic development of coastal areas. The examination of sixth-century written sources has also proved rewarding to reconsider the sixth-century political relationships between Franks and Anglo-Saxons. The role of kings, churches and laymen in the later transmarine network (seventh/eighth centuries) is then discussed by including the Thames Valley, the estuaries of the rivers Seine and Loire, and the Rhine Delta, examined through the written sources. One crucial question is the role of political actors in the development of a cross-Channel system of exchange. In this regard, scholars have mainly focused on the period when this system was already in place, pointing to a pivotal role of kings and political institutions for its establishment, or to the later appropriation by elites of a coastal area already integrated in the maritime network, but detached from political power. This thesis argues that a close link existed between elites and coastal areas before the emporia; thus, although kings were not the driving stimulus for the establishment of trading sites, the transmarine traffic fostered the socio-economic development of the coastal communities.