"The major problem that motivated this study is the fact the Negro in Houston, 1969 does not have any real political power although the potential for such power exists. The major purpose of this study is to seek answers to the following questions. First does the Houston Negro have any real political potential under the present system; if he does, what can he do with it? Second, why are there such wide gaps between the number of Negroes who are eligible to vote and the number that registered to vote and between those who registered and those who actually voted in Houston? The third question is in what election has the Houston Negro demonstrated his greatest political interest and why? And finally, is the politics of Houston based on race or economics?" -- leaf v.

Measurements of ambient volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) are reported from recent airborne and surface based field campaigns. The Southeast Texas Tetroon Study (SETTS) was a project within the TEXAQS 2005 field campaign, conducting airborne measurements that investigated the nocturnal Lagrangian transport of industrial plumes downwind of the Houston, Texas metropolitan area. On the evening of July 26-27, a polluted air mass with elevated mass 43, mass 45 and mass 57 VOCs along with elevated O3, CO, and NOx was tracked from the Houston metropolitan area to an area northwest of Shreveport, LA, a distance of over 200 miles. This campaign demonstrated that the PTRMS is capable of tracking a VOC plume over large distances and these measurements indicate that transport of VOCs, particularly light alkenes and their oxidation products, out of the Houston metropolitan area may need to be considered by areas downwind of the Houston area when they are determining how to attain their air quality goals. During the MILAGRO field campaign in March 2006 VOCs were measured by PTR-MS instrumentation on a rooftop in the urban mixed residential and industrial area north northeast of downtown Mexico City. Diurnal profiles of weekday and weekend/holiday aromatic VOC concentrations clearly show the influence of vehicular traffic during the morning rush hour time period and during the afternoon hours although a separate late afternoon peak is not seen. Plumes of toluene elevated as much as 216 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) and ethyl acetate elevated as much as 183 ppbv above background levels were observed during the late night and early morning hours. These plumes indicate the probability of significant industrial sources of these two compounds in the region. The high levels of toluene measured by our PTR-MS exceed levels that would be predicted by examination of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) emission inventory and when these VOC measurements are integrated with measurements conducted throughout the MCMA a better understanding of both the overall spatial pattern of VOCs in the MCMA as well as its variability will be attained.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1963. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [279]-284).

i am humbled by the prospect of Architecture. it is not formulaic or linear in thought and action and at times it can be difficult and elusive to define. i believe Architecture exists yet experience has shown that not all building endeavors lead to Architecture. i search for Architecture with a willingness to embrace the unknown, allowing my practice to provide a defined realm into which Architectural questions and propositions can evolve and open new forms of discovery. / Master of Architecture

Thesis (D. Min.)--Nazarene Theological Seminary, 1989. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 33).

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / John W. Keller / Regions are an intricate network of communities, geographies and economies that together impact the long-term growth and stability of one other. Cooperation between municipalities within the same region is vital in order to achieve sustained growth, both economically and in the built environment. The research question states: What is the value of regional planning bodies in ensuring effective communication and collaboration among region-wide governmental and non-governmental agencies? This research report includes a detailed history of the role and significance of regional planning bodies in the United States, as well as a case study involving the regional planning body in Houston, Texas and the Gulf Coast Region. The Houston-Galveston Area Council is the lead participant in a 25-member coordinating committee working together to complete a regional sustainability plan under the federally funded Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program. The interviews included in this report give conclusions and recommendations to the success of the region working together in terms of communication and collaboration. The challenge of establishing effective collaboration among a variety of agencies in the Gulf Coast Region is proving to be difficult and slow moving, however, there are signs of improvement as the three-year grant program moves forward. The conclusions from the literature review and case study show that regions with an unbiased planning body benefit both from the communication and social capital gained by working together on a shared goal.

A recent report by Terrapin Bright Green “Mid-century (Un) Modern” discusses the desperate condition of mid-century modern high-rises in Manhattan. The article argues that it would be beneficial both economically and environmentally to demolish these buildings and build new ones with an assumed increase in FAR. To re-build, repair or re-skin are the questions Mid-century Modern High-rises (MMH) face today. This study focuses on Houston, Texas, which is very different from New York City both climatically and from a planning stand point. It is dreaded for its hot and humid climate and notorious for its consistent refusal to adopt any zoning. These high-rises in Houston represent the economic success of the city immediately after WWII. These buildings were constructed as the city transformed from the Bayou City to the Space city. In this study I have mapped the status of these high-rises and the strategies that were used to renovate them. The questions I further wish to address are how preservation or energy efficiency are addressed while renovating these buildings. Even preservationists might agree that all buildings are not equal and a new look would benefit some. The real challenge lies in resolving the grey areas, where one is not talking about a Seagram or a Lever House, but a well designed environmentally sensitive building. / text

Free radicals play a critical role in the formation of tropospheric air pollution, but current condensed chemical mechanisms used in gridded photochemical models under-predict total radical concentrations. This dissertation evaluates three hypotheses regarding radical sources and sinks using environmental chamber data and ambient data from southeast Texas. The first hypothesis, that aromatics chemistry is under-represented as a radical source in condensed chemical mechanisms, was evaluated mainly by using environmental chamber simulations and in part by using ambient simulations. Results indicate that improved characterization of aromatics chemistry in condensed chemical mechanisms will lead to more rapid and extensive free radical formation. The second hypothesis, that alkene reactions are under-represented as a radical source in condensed chemical mechanisms, was also evaluated using chamber data and TexAQS-2000 data. Results indicate that the methods used in mechanism condensation lead to lower estimates of free radical production than detailed, compound specific models. The third hypothesis, chlorine emissions and chemistry as a radical source, was also evaluated in a series of sensitivity analyses with various levels of molecular chlorine emissions. Results imply that incorporating chlorine chemistry in condensed chemical mechanisms is expected to lead to more accurate modeling of OH, HO₂ and O₃, particularly for the southeast Texas region where relatively large chlorine emissions occur from various anthropogenic sources of molecular chlorine. The relative magnitudes of these radical sources (aromatics, alkenes, and molecular chlorine) in southeast Texas were also compared using box modeling with TexAQS-2000 data. Results indicate that the relative importance of these three types of radical sources depends on the strengths of their corresponding emissions. / text

Light rail transit (LRT) systems are tools to help reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, promote high-density development and more affordable housing, and curtail urban sprawl in metropolitan cities throughout the United States. The impact of transit system services on property values has been studied from various perspectives using many statistical approaches. There are two general categories of effects that proximity to a light rail system can have on the value of residential properties: accessibility benefits (experienced in close proximity to the LRT stations) might increase property values, while nuisance qualities (experienced in both proximity to the LRT line and stations) could have a negative effect on residential property values. Due to the opposing nature of these coexisting effects, results from many empirical studies have been contradictory or inconclusive. This report reviews the spectrum of results found by the growing body of literature focusing on the capitalization effects of rail stations on property values. The economic effect of one particular LRT system, the 7.5 mile long METRORail line located in Houston, Texas, on the value of properties within close proximity to rail stations has not been thoroughly examined, as it only opened for service in 2004. This study utilizes property data acquired from the Harris County Appraisal District (HCAD), Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques, and Hedonic Price Models to analyze the impact of the LRT system in the city of Houston, Texas, on the value of residential properties that lie within close proximity to the line’s rail stations. / text

Houston modern architect, Karl Kamrath (1911-1988), collected books, periodicals, and archival material that document the career and legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright. Kamrath identified himself as a collector of Wright and a devotee to the principles set forth by the master architect. In this thesis, I present Kamrath’s collection by organizing the materials by subject, considering how Kamrath marked books and journals, and drawing connections between his collecting interests and his architectural work. Kamrath collected and consumed information on Wright and organic architecture and then presented his own articulations of the principles in built form. His interest in organic architecture was evident in his projects that blended into the landscape and satisfied the individual needs of each client. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the story on Karl Kamrath, adding the details of the collection he donated to The University of Texas at Austin. / text