Coastal regions are continually plagued by high water levels induced by river flooding or hurricane induced storm surges. As with any protective structure, it is essential to understand potential problematic regions which could result in a devastating loss for the regions nations value most. Coastal protective systems are primarily comprised of floodwalls and levees, each of which has practiced methodologies utilized for estimating their performance under design conditions. Methodologies concerning spatial variability are limited however, and transitions where earthen levees merge with floodwalls are considered vulnerable areas to erosion and possible breaching. Physical modeling of a specified levee transition is undergone in a three-dimensional wave basin to evaluate this hypothesis, and the detailed results of this assessment are presented within this thesis. From the physical model testing, analysis of the data reveals that the overtopping rates of the levee transition tend to be larger than traditional overtopping techniques have predicted. The runup values and floodwall wave heights tend to show potential problematic areas and mimic the variation of overtopping along the levee transition. Under the design conditions tested, extreme overtopping conditions and associated water level values propose that in order for the structure to sustain the hydraulic conditions, it must be well protected. It is shown that the variation of the still water level plays the largest role in the magnitude of the measured values, and increasing the peak wave period and wave heights also yields greater overtopping and water levels at the structure. Overall these extreme overtopping rates and water levels experienced at the structure irrefutably expose a greater risk of erosion and breaching of the protective structure than initially predicted. This study highlights the need to understand specific spatial variability along coastal protective systems, and provides a better understanding of the mechanisms affecting overtopping for the specific structure tested.

Infrastructure plays an instrumental role in the shaping of the landscape across many scales and is a critical human component within the landscape, yet these systems have tended to ignore the function of appearance and aesthetics in their design. Consequently, the relationship between our infrastructure, the environment, and us has become increasingly opaque. The majority of the vast infrastructure systems that weave throughout the landscape promote a mono-functional agenda which is relegated to the background of our everyday experiences. By investigating the traditional methods of designing infrastructure, we can begin to understand how to integrate aesthetics into the design of infrastructure. This is explored through one of the largest infrastructure systems in the United States; flood control. Flood control infrastructure in is an extensive system that has formed a protective barrier between human and natural processes for over 200 years. Its largest component, the levee, is an elegantly simple structure that contains many layers of significant cultural and historic aesthetic narratives. This thesis focuses on the levee as an infrastructure that mediates between natural processes and human development and studies how it can perform aesthetically to convey new meaning and value. What is the potential of the levee to become expressive in our lives, and be designed in such a way to move us? This new infrastructural paradigm explores the implications of utilizing aesthetics as an expressive and significant function of levee design that can inform and inspire the public and define a new dialogue between man, nature, and technology. / Master of Landscape Architecture