There is a phenomenon of placelessness. Cities have look-alike landscapes. This sameness leads to a lack of significant places and a loss of sense of place. In addition to that, with the suburban sprawl and downtown deterioration, there is an increasing need for downtown revitalization. Cities call for vibrant and pleasant places with characters.In a world where most cities are getting more similar with each other and where people can't tell whom they are and where they come from, placemaking actions should be welcomed. Placemaking respects the genius of the place and finds links between traditions and our present experience of life.This thesis presents an overview of placemaking including its definition, history, categories, functions, principles and actions. Its purpose is to apply placemaking into the design of a city plaza in downtown Muncie to make a place that links people to history, to culture, and to other people. By doing that, this creative project tries to illustrate that placemaking is a valuable strategy in urban regeneration. / Department of Landscape Architecture

Water quality parameters including ammonia, nitrate+nitrite, phosphate, total suspended solids, Escherichia coli, and dissolved oxygen were statistically evaluated from sampling data collected by the Bureau of Water Quality (City of Muncie, Indiana) at five sampling locations in Delaware County over a five-year period (2002-2006). These data were also compared with water quality standards/guidelines to determine how sample values compared to acceptable levels of these parameters. Friedman's non-parametric test was used to study the differences between sites and seasons. Spearman's Rank Correlation was used to study the correlations between water quality parameters at each sampling site. Significant differences were observed for individual parameters when evaluated relative to sampling location based on pooled monthly collected data as well as data evaluated on a seasonal basis. These differences indicated the fact that different sources were responsible for observed concentrations at a particular location and that seasonal phenomenon such as precipitation, discharge and temperature also affected sample concentrations at individual sampling locations. Most notable were differences in geometric mean concentrations of ammonia, nitrate+nitrite, phosphate and E. coli upstream and downstream of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), with highest concentrations downstream, indicating the significant impact of the WWTP on water quality in the White River. Significant correlations observed among some study parameters suggested that sample concentrations may have been affected by similar sources. In comparison to water quality standards, concentrations of ammonia, nitrate+nitrite, phosphate, and E. coli were at unacceptable levels at most sampling locations. / Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management