This thesis explores what can happen when planners and designers allow local narratives to inspire and inform all stages of community planning and design processes. Specifically, this paper suggests how local narratives can contribute to the ongoing revitalization efforts underway in Old South Baton Rouge, a historically significant, low-income, African-American community in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A personal narrative introduces the subject matter at hand. Thereafter, each chapter is preceded with a narrative interlude to add texture to the ideas presented herein. Chapter two underscores the theoretical and practical relationship between place, memory and development, particularly as this relationship applies to planning methods and development practices for low- income neighborhood revitalization projects. Old South Baton Rouge is introduced in chapter three as an example of a community that has the potential to undergo a revitalization that is founded on local narratives. In chapters four and five the public process components of two in-progress revitalization projects in Old South Baton Rouge are assessed in terms of how well they utilize local narratives and to comprehend the current roles and values of local narratives, public participation and historical context. Chapter six seeks to highlight the potential roles and potential values of these factors in revitalization projects by giving examples of designs and plans founded on local narratives and by proposing plans for Old South Baton Rouge based on existing local narratives. The conclusion asks planners to aim to define success in revitalization efforts within a given area not only by increased private and public investment and increased market values, but equally by the intangible: How many young children in distressed situations are afforded opportunities that help them achieve stability and success against the odds of their own personal circumstances? For the sake of longevity, and for the purpose of developing complex solutions for complex planning matters, this study suggests that revitalization efforts must balance market-driven and people-driven approaches. Utilizing local narratives in public participation is proposed as a means to that end, and therefore, to viable, rich, lasting solutions for complex planning issues faced in urban revitalization projects.

To encourage increased stability in declining neighborhoods, government planning agencies and other land developers, continuously search for solutions to improve the quality of life for people living in communities in need of revitalization and a boost to their local economy. Studies have shown that well developed greenways and other public open spaces are improving the economic stability for many neighborhoods. Consequently, it is the creation of successful parks and public open spaces that have been found to be the first steps to improving such communities (The Trust for Public Land). If creating parks is the key to saving neighborhoods, can a parks design features increase its chances for success, while acting as a catalyst in the movement toward revitalization? Currently in New Orleans, Marigny and Bywater have been targeted as sources of opportunity to test this theory by taking steps to improve their communities through the development of additional public open spaces. Parkway Partners and the Trust for Public Land are negotiating the purchase of a six-block tract of railroad corridor that bisects Bywater near the eastern boundary of Marigny. Their specific objective is to develop a linear park in partnership with the New Orleans Department of Parks and Parkways. Parkway Partners hopes that developing a park will improve the quality of life for the residents and initiate improvements for Marigny and Bywater (Parkway Partners). The intent of this thesis is to develop a new park design for the linear park to be developed along the Press Street corridor. The primary objective is to stimulate improvements within these communities by providing design ideas that have utilized history as the source of inspiration in the development of a park. These design ideas forges distinct historical and cultural links that the community can recognize. No one can truly predict what type of design elements will make a park successful. However, this project does offer creative ideas that could be used to improve that possibility.

This study investigates the use of site-specific art as a means of enhancing and interpreting an historic battlefield. The finding of this study are demonstrated in a series of designs for interpretive installations for the Port Hudson State Historic Site, a Civil War battlefield located in Louisiana. The interpretive methods commonly used in historic battlefields today, as identified in chapter two of this thesis, tend to produce remote relationship between visitors of the current generation and the site. To help visitors understand the meaning of historic battlefields batter, site-specific art is introduced in this thesis as an instrument to retrieve the subtle relationship between humans and their land. To employ art as an interpretive in an historic battlefield is a novel experiment in the United States. This study therefore conducts a review of the genre of site-specific art in order to inform readers of its nature. Notable works by contemporary "land artists" are described, and certain landscape architects' adaptation of site-specific art in historical commemorating are discussed as well. After modes of application of site-specific art are identified, I survey the local history of the study site in order to explore the site specificity of the place through its past patterns of human occupation. The settlements and the Civil War military deployments are both found to have been closely related to local geographic characteristics, demonstrating a high degree of material site-specificity. An ethnography of the Historic Site follows to discover the meanings that the Site's staff and visitors routinely attach to it (immaterial site-specificity). Combing the results of these two studies, the sense of place and the fundamental interpretive subjects of the Site emerge. Several significant spots in the historic site are then selected to demonstrate site-specific art. Through a series of rehabilitative designs, this kind of creative interpretation is shown to be an effective means of conveying the meaning of an historic place to visitors. Applied in conjunction with the existing traditional interpretive methods, site-specific art is thus shown to be effective in bringing a close relationship between the current generation and their legacy of historic battlefields.

This thesis began from my interest in using indigenous architectural and dwelling patterns of fishing villages in coastal Thailand as a model for a new sustainable community. The provincial government has a policy promoting longstay tourism for affluent retirees from other countries, enabling them to experience the natural, historical, and cultural heritage of the area at an economical cost. To fulfill the local government's policy and my intention to design such a facility, this thesis proposes to design an international "ecolodge" for a site near Yisan Village. The area is very peaceful yet it is not so far from downtown Samut Songkhram City. This thesis offers the design of a sustainable resort community as a guide to be adapted to other applications on the specific site using local vernacular building and dwelling patterns in a new situation.

In this study of The Central Garden at the J. Paul Getty Center was found evidence that the Central Garden designed by Robert Irwin is a postmodern garden. Beginning with an evaluation and description of the individual elements and conditions of the garden, the study then explores the larger body of artistic work produced by Irwin. This investigation also extrapolates how the ideas of modernism and postmodernism have been applied to past works of landscape architecture. The precedents provide a basis for interpretation and analysis of the Central Garden. Direct observation of visitors at the Central Garden provided evidence of the gardenâs success as a perceptual work of art. Evaluating the Central Garden by how it choreographs and conditions individual perceptions is important in understanding the work as a postmodern garden. The J. Paul Getty Center is an ideal venue for a comparison between modern and postmodern forms. At the center clear evidence can be seen of the contrasting ideologies between the phenomenal and conditional concerns of Robert Irwin in the Central Garden and the Euclidian timelessness expressed in Richard Meierâs Getty Center buildings and site layout. The Central Garden is a postmodern garden because it abandons classic geometric order and presents instead a formal and organizational structure similar to what postmodern theorist and architect Robert Venturi describes as a difficult whole. The garden displays an internally coherent organization and an order not derived from the architecture. Irwin also recombined past garden types into a new composition. The Central Garden does not present an artistic conception to be translated by the user nor does the garden design imply a pure or universal form.

Due to the diversity of landscapes and the complexity of landscape policies, integration principle plays a very important role in formulating a conceptual framework for effective landscape policies. This is often overlooked in normal practice of landscape related policy making, as a result of overemphasizing development and economic growth by local government. If the integration principle could be taken into account sufficiently, a consciously more responsive approach for landscape policy making could be formulated with higher effectiveness and less uncertainty. This thesis seeks to contribute to the system of landscape policy that integrates multiple environmental and spatial planning concerns into its processes and structures. This thesis has combined landscape planning and policy theories to analyze landscape policies currently in force in cities of Asia to demonstrate the complexity of landscape policies and the importance of integration in policymaking process. While there are few approaches in landscape policy studies except the European Landscape Convention which is a continental scale treaty with focus on environmental and cultural conservation within the context of Europe, there are widespread research on public policies particularly in urban planning, environmental protection, and sustainable development which provided plentiful sources as references. To apply integration principle in policymaking on the basis that landscape policy of nowadays is even important than before, a conceptual framework of landscape policy is established to gauge impacts and changes, as well as to inform planning, and implementation progressively. After providing a combined literature review of landscape architectural theories, landscape policy related areas, and practices of current landscape policymaking, this thesis discusses the importance of integrated approach in landscape policymaking due to the complexity and multidisciplinarity nature of landscape architecture discourse, and sets a two-way action between theory and practice as research strategy. After an overview of current landscape policies of Europe and Asia, this thesis has summarized four types of landscape policies based on its administrative level to reflect the hierarchical structure of landscape policy, from European Landscape Convention at global level to Hong Kong’s Greening Master Plan at project scale. This thesis further looks into two best practices of landscape policymaking in Japan and Singapore, to further elaborate the conceptual basis of the research and analyze the gap between current landscape policies and its urban development practice context. Case studies of Japan and Singapore are employed as references for both discussion and comparative purpose, aiming to demonstrate different ways in which integration principle could be utilized and interpreted with coherent consistency across policy levels and different government sectors, so as to clarify implications of integration principle in policymaking, implementation, and the following continuous improvement processes mainly at city level. The study is concluded by highlighting key issues of conceptual framework with recommendations for further research on integrated landscape policymaking, by applying Grounded Theory as main research method through collection and analysis of qualitative data, with the use of both explorative and interpretive approaches. / published_or_final_version / Architecture / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

<p> Human settlement displaces and fragments natural habitats. Design choices in the landscape directly affect both local diversity and extinction rates. This study seeks to understand how avifauna are responding to this new technology in Mississippi.</p>

The role of master plans at botanical gardens was studied for the purpose of identifying particular characteristics in successful master plan implementation. Twenty existing master plans were analyzed to provide background information about typical content, format, and professionals involved with development of master plans. In addition, fifty surveys were conducted with Directors of botanical gardens and arboreta. Twenty questions were posed to the Directors to define the extent of master plan implementation (i.e. use) at the garden and to identify the factors that affect implementation. Log-likelihood ratio tests (G tests) were performed to evaluate the data. Eighty-eight percent of the institutions surveyed reported that they implement a master plan at the garden. Significant relationships were observed between use of the master plan and the following factors: hiring a landscape architecture firm; involvement of staff, Boards of Directors, and the community; and inclusion of key sections, graphics, and the institution's mission statement. Based on these results, guidelines for master plan development and implementation are presented.

This study clearly defines and identifies the difference between the terms, restoration, renovation and redesign. In order to understand characteristics found on golf courses built in different eras, the history of golf course architecture has also been summarized. Research was gathered from eight courses that have recently completed some type of improvement project or that are currently undergoing improvements. The results show that the process of improving golf courses built before World War II differs considerably from improving those built after the War. Through neglect the former have lost many unique design characteristics and are therefore worthy of restoration. Based on the results of this study, key factors for successful restoration have been identified and applied to the Meadow Club, a course that is currently planning improvements. Built in 1927 the Meadow Club was originally designed by legendary golf architect, Alister Mackenzie.

This thesis will study Fort Lowell Park, a typical district park in Tucson, Arizona. Through a survey of park users, the park itself will be assessed according to its positive and negative aspects. The survey itself will seek to capture the thoughts, beliefs, and recreational needs of the typical park user in Tucson. Through the compilation and interpretation of survey results, and with the assistance of case studies involving cities investing in parks and open spaces, the author of this thesis expects to produce new guidelines not only for the improvement of Fort Lowell Park, but also for the planning and design of new urban parks in the Tucson metropolitan area. These new guidelines will not only improve the quality of recreational experiences in the City of Tucson, but will also contribute to the economic, social, and quality of life variables which make a city an attractive place in which to live.