Golf course community developments present a unique opportunity to preserve and create wildlife habitat. Golf course management and development industries have become particularly cognizant of their environmental responsibilities in recent times and are responsive to new research. The specific focus of this thesis research is to provide guidance and encouragement for landscape architects designing wildlife habitat areas within golf course community developments. Specifically, I analyze the size, shape, and orientation of a selected number of wildlife habitat areas within the unique context of golf course community land usage. My hypothesis is that the spatial characteristics of a habitat area influence the resulting wildlife habitation. Therefore, designers can influence the habitation of designated wildlife habitat through design decisions. This thesis produces a set of guidelines for the design of wildlife habitat areas within golf course communities in addition to substantiating the importance of incorporating wildlife habitat within large-scale developments, especially golf course communities.

Crime cannot be understood as a single-solution problem. Participation of the community is important to complement and make more efficient any program of crime control by police authorities or any other law enforcement agency. This thesis is intended to create consciousness among designers of the urban environment of their social role. Cities must include places to promote community interaction and formation of social bonds. As social bonds among residents increase, and bonds with the place begin building a sense of territoriality in the community, the residents become active defenders of the place against crime. A theory summary presents different and complementary points of view, some focused directly to urban and landscape design such as those stated by Jane Jacobs, Clare Cooper Marcus, Donald Appleyard, and Oscar Newman. Others focused to social and psychological aspects of the relation between humans and environment, for example those presented by Erving Goffman, Edward Hall, Amos Rapaport, Irwin Altman, and Setha Low. A field study is presented to complement the theory review. It was based on two inner city neighborhoods in Orlando, Florida. The data used came from Orlando Police Department, FBI, and U.S. Department of Justice crime and victimization reports. The population characteristics were analyzed based on the 2000 U.S. Census. From the study, a general conclusion is that social characteristics of the population in any given neighborhood such as poverty, high percentage of broken families, unemployment, social heterogeneity, large numbers of young population, and large proportion of rented homes create environments highly susceptible of crime. But social characteristics are not the only aspects determining crime. Physical layout of the neighborhood plays also an important role in preventing or promoting crime. In spite of the fact that both neighborhoods had similar social characteristics, crime was considerably higher in the neighborhood where the physical structure neglected possibilities for neighbors to interact and use public areas. Theories and other information presented is finally synthesized into design guidelines, which are related specifically to the function of landscape architects and other designers as shapers of cities and societies.

A public university that is perceived as being physically open and accessible to the general public can help promote a better relationship between the city and the university. Public urban universities have a responsibility to provide usable, accessible open space for the public. Universities and designers recognize the importance of integrating their campus into the community and creating spaces for students that allow for outdoor and social activities. However, little attention has been given to the need to provide spaces that allow for outdoor and social activities for the public. The public urban university was used as a model because as a public institution it has an obligation to provide usable open space for the public and it has a captive audience in its immediate surroundings. Two types of spaces were evaluated: entrances/gateways and park-like spaces. Nine characteristics were established, from site visits and readings, as a framework in which to evaluate the accessibility and usability of each space for the public. The methods for this thesis were established to observe, evaluate, and understand outdoor spaces using literature, site visits, and personal interviews. The nine characteristics were applied to each space and were then evaluated their effectiveness in creating an accessible space. Each campus space was analyzed and I determined why or why not the space is perceived as accessible to the public.

Our everyday movement is reflected by those individuals who design the world in which we live. Ninety percent of the people who shape our everyday lives are right handed. Individuals perceive life differently, especially left and right handed individuals. One reason left and right-handed individuals interpret differently is due to the brains two hemispheres processing information separately. Can this difference in interpretation result in varying abilities of performance? Research has proven that those individuals who are right hemisphere dominant process and comprehend shapes better than left hemisphere dominant individuals. Golf is an activity that is exhibits the constant changing of visual shapes. With this knowledge, the derived conclusion would imply that the right hemisphere dominant individuals should interpret the curvilinear shapes presented on a golf course better than the left hemispheric dominant individual. This thesis tests for the differing abilities in performance between the left and right hemispheres on two curvilinear holes.

One of the major problems that my country, Cyprus, faces is water scarcity. In the last five to ten years, the problem has become more serious because of a series of droughts that have left the island with limited water. As a result, Cypriots keep their gardens to a minimum or they abandon their gardens due to water shortage. This attitude of Cypriots toward their gardens was the inspiration of this thesis topic. The idea of Xeriscape and the seven guidelines of Xeriscape that were first introduced and organized by the Denver Water Department in Colorado are directly related to water conservation and landscaping, which is the focus of this thesis. First, I researched books, articles, and the Web on related topics with water conservation and landscaping in the United States and in Cyprus. After that, I did interviews with professional and non-professional Cypriots on related topics with water conservation in gardens. Based on this research and interviews, I tested the Xeriscape guidelines, which originated with the Denver Water Department, to see how they work in Cyprus. I used two sites of Cyprus as case studies to evaluate these guidelines. According to this testing of guidelines on case studies, I adapted the Xeriscape guidelines to Cyprus. The cultural environment of Cyprus, which is different than in the United States, affects how I adapted the guidelines. Also, the natural differences in Cyprus affect the application of the guidelines. In addition, graphic and other informative data are included in my own guidelines to provide a more detail explanation of important terms related with Xeriscape.

Undeveloped lands are inherently capable of handling the precipitation rates and severe storm events of a given area. As our communities continue to grow and expand, the stormwater management capabilities of an areas natural systems will be impacted. Without thoughtful intervention, existing natural systems will be overwhelmed to the point of dysfunction, an unfortunate circumstance that has been the case in some of this countrys more urbanized areas. The main objective of this thesis is to demonstrate the process of applying an integrated greenway stormwater management system as an alternative approach to managing the present and future stormwater needs of a developing coastal community. Research gathered from this investigation is applied to the coastal community of Bay County, Florida in the form of a case study. A greenway system for Bay County is defined as the preservation of existing and connected undeveloped areas, particularly wetlands, shorelines, and natural drainage ways, in order to conserve and protect the natural systems that are inherently capable of handling normal stormwater occurrences. Structural, nonstructural, and natural engineering stormwater best management practices are recommended as supplements to the capabilities of the greenway systems preserved areas. These best management practices are alternative approaches to the conventional concrete and steel method of stormwater management. An important outcome of this study is the development of a three-step process for creating an integrated greenway stormwater management system. The first step is the preservation of natural systems and their inherent stormwater management capabilities. The second step is the application of appropriate greenway planning and stormwater management techniques to assist impacted or overburdened natural systems. The third step is the development of a stormwater utility as a means of implementing an integrated greenway stormwater management system on a comprehensive scale. An integrated approach to stormwater management that incorporates the principles of greenway planning supplemented with stormwater best management practices will enable an given areas remaining natural systems to function more efficiently, thereby reducing a communitys long-term costs associated with the construction and maintenance of stormwater infrastructure.

In this study, the terms that define a Rural Historic Landscape were examined. The examination of these terms determined the selection of the appropriate terms to identify the landscape of a Rural Historic Landscape. A case study of the Historic District of Mendocino, California was used to review the effectiveness of the landscape terms. The identified landscape elements in and around the Historic District were then evaluated using the National Register of Historic Places Standards. The result of the evaluation was the determination that a Rural Historic Landscape does exist separately from the Historic District as a landscape but a complete Rural Historic Landscape does exist with the inclusion of the Historic District. The results of this study are the creation of a template of landscape terms for identifying the existence of Rural Historic Landscapes in conjunction with places designated as historically significant that is applicable at a local, state and national level and a verification that a Rural Historic Landscape.

This project presents an unconventional approach to an innovative design process. The thesis relates the challenges of adapting to the design studio environment. The author describes a personal journey into the design process, resulting from research and study of specific designers who have had high impact on the new creative approach to landscape design. The insight and knowledge gained from this search was instrumental in the evolutional process of design, incorporating a universal technique. The resultant process was then applied to a case study and evaluated for merit. The measure of a designer ultimately becomes the work he produces.

The term gateways has been used in many contexts as a means of providing entry or connection. Gateways are where people congregate to leave a realm of familiarity to one of uncertainty and adventure. They can also mark the entrance into an area of interest. Gateways may have a significant impact on an individuals impression of a particular destination. This thesis provides arguments for using boating gateways into the Atchafalaya Basin (AB) region as the basis for a recreational framework that encompasses eight parishes. A common theme that exists in all eight AB parishes is their boat launches. They represent public access points or gateways into the forested wetlands that identify the Basin. These gateways can have a significant consequence on visitor impression. Research on human environmental preferences justifies the preference for these boat launch settings. A framework is then constructed on the basis of these settings by applying organizational principles employed by Kevin Lynch. This organization facilitates human functioning within an environment. The framework will be offered as a proposal for updating the 1999 State Master Plan (SMP) for the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway System (ABFS). A series of maps designed from color infrared aerial photographs will communicate the boat launch data to address arguments posed by Lynch and the preference studies. Vector and satellite maps will illustrate the framework within the eight parishes.

Driven by the accumulation of vacated buildings along with the need to reconstruct vacant urban areas and neighborhoods, the need to establish infill as the primary means of development in the Baton Rouge Metropolitan area is apparent. As suburban tendencies have increased, the core of our city has diminished. The principles of smart growth and infill development have been created in response these very problems. The methods have proven successful nationwide, but is the process feasible in Baton Rouge area? The answer to this very question goes well beyond yes or no. Many variables must be evaluated; the positives and negatives associated with infill and suburban development, the growth trends of Baton Rouge, and a relative cost comparison. This research paper plans to establish an up to date comparison of development costs in the Baton Rouge area through a comparative cost study of suburban and infill development sites. It is the belief of this author that the economic as well social positives associated with the use of vacant or underutilized land with existing infrastructure will outweigh the positives associated with suburban development. This comparison can be utilized as an effective tool for developers when analyzing future development sites in Baton Rouge. If proven more beneficial, infill development could become a valuable tool in the establishment of smart growth principles as a basis and standard of development. Through channeling the actions of developers and our communities, not only will economic sense be made, but also community neighborhoods will once again be established as the backbone of our growing society.