This dissertation examines contemporary changes in relations and forms of urban governance by focusing on neighborhood associations in Tucson and analyzing their practices and experiences in the midst of an emerging trend that values collective action and direct democracy. This urban ethnography focuses on practices, strategies, and ideologies of neighborhood associations to discuss issues of representation, participation, and social integration. This dissertation is based on fieldwork conducted for a total of 24 months between 2005 and 2007. It combines participant observation and in-depth interviews with Tucson residents, members of neighborhood associations, and City and non-governmental organizations' officials.This work is presented in three main parts divided into several chapters. In the first part, I provide a general review of the development of concepts of governance and representative democracy in contemporary as well as earlier times. I aim to contextualize the work of neighborhood associations within a general movement towards more direct participatory democracy and argue that a new understanding of the transformations impacting the functioning of representative democracy is crucial to its preservation as a central institution of social integration.The second part of this dissertation presents an analysis of fieldwork data and argues that neighborhood associations are positioning themselves, at the local and global levels, as an important part of the emerging discourses and practices of civil society. Within this broad context, neighborhood associations engage in a variety of activities, pursue multiple strategies, and adopt very different ideologies. A central idea that results from this analysis is that neighborhood associations greatly value practices of direct democracy and strive to exercise greater control over processes of representative democracy in order to prevent its perceived deficiencies from thwarting their projects and corrupting their ideals.The third part extends the data analysis and provides a political and historical reconstruction of neighborhood associations and their cultural evolution as a continuation of the counterculture movement of the 1960s. I also argue that there is a powerful drive towards the global implementation and exercise of direct democratic processes. I draw on the example of Morocco's urban governance reforms and discuss its growing neighborhood associations to show the delicate and conflicted paths they tread between their engagement with the existing system of representative democracy and their attempts to step beyond the limitations of that system to carry out some of the ideals of building a direct and participatory urban democracy.

Web services have been developed as an attractive paradigm for publishing, discovering and consuming services. They are loosely-coupled applications that can be run alone or be composed to create new value-added services. They can be consumed as individual services which provide a unique interface to receive inputs and return outputs; or they can be consumed as components to be integrated into business processes. We call the first consumption case individual use and the second case business process use. The requirement of specific tools to assist consumers in the two service consumption cases involves many researches in both academics and industry. On the one hand, many service portals and service crawlers have been developed as specific tools to assist users to search and invoke Web services for individual use. However, current approaches take mainly into account explicit knowledge presented by service descriptions. They make recommendations without considering data that reflect user interest and may require additional information from users. On the other hand, some business process mechanisms to search for similar business process models or to use reference models have been developed. These mechanisms are used to assist process analysts to facilitate business process design. However, they are labor-intense, error-prone, time-consuming, and may make business analyst confused. In our work, we aim at facilitating the service consumption for individual use and business process use using recommendation techniques. We target to recommend users services that are close to their interest and to recommend business analysts services that are relevant to an ongoing designed business process. To recommend services for individual use, we take into account the user's usage data which reflect the user's interest. We apply well-known collaborative filtering techniques which are developed for making recommendations. We propose five algorithms and develop a web-based application that allows users to use services. To recommend services for business process use, we take into account the relations between services in business processes. We target to recommend relevant services to selected positions in a business process. We define the neighborhood context of a service. We make recommendations based on the neighborhood context matching. Besides, we develop a query language to allow business analysts to formally express constraints to filter services. We also propose an approach to extract the service's neighborhood context from business process logs. Finally, we develop three applications to validate our approach. We perform experiments on the data collected by our applications and on two large public datasets. Experimental results show that our approach is feasible, accurate and has good performance in real use-cases

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In recent times the number of children and youth, that have been forced to flee to Sweden due to various circumstances, has increased. The majority of said children and youth seek refuge along with their parents. In recent years, however, the count of this mentioned group, coming separately from their parents, has gradually increased. Children in such situations are called unaccompanied children. A knowledge gap in previous research, regarding the commitment of unaccompanied children, might be filled by neighborhood attentiveness to residential care homes i.e. HVB where many of these children get placed. In regards to this acknowledgement, the aim of this study has been to investigate neighborhood contacts with HVBs for unaccompanied children. Furthermore, the aim has been to investigate these contacts by using a case study with the objective of the municipality Gislaved and its HVB for unaccompanied children Furugården in Smålandsstenar. From the noted points the role that the neighborhoods might play regarding the endeavors towards integration will be highlighted. The study has been based on the theoretical frameworks of NIMBY and the Contact Hypothesis that intend to explain the significant role that the neighborhood’s impact can have on unaccompanied children’s integration. In order to meet the aim of this study, a total of 23 semi-structured and qualitative interviews have been conducted with responsible staff of the HVB along with its neighborhood i.e. its neighbors. / På senare tid har antalet barn och ungdomar som tvingats på flykt till Sverige åtskilda från sina föräldrar succesivt ökat. Dessa går under benämningen ensamkommande barn. En kunskapslucka inom tidigare forskning angående åtagandet av ensamkommande barn är den betydelse grannskapet till HVB-hem, som många av dessa barn placeras i, kan spela. Syftet med föreliggande studie har därmed varit att undersöka grannskapskontakter med boende för ensamkommande barn med hjälp av en fallstudie av ett HVB-hem i Gislaveds kommun, HVB-hemmet Furugården i Smålandsstenar, och att från dessa utgångspunkter belysa den roll grannskap kan spela för integrationssträvande. Studien har utgått från de teoretiska begreppen: NIMBY och Kontakthypotesen vilka inom studien har ämnat förklara grannskapets inverkan på ensamkommande barns integration För att uppnå studiens syfte har totalt 23 semistrukturerade intervjuer av kvalitativ karaktär genomförts med HVB-hemsansvariga och med HVB-hemmets grannskap, det vill säga grannar. / Ensamkommande barn och grannskapsrelationer i Jönköpings län

Climate change is currently identified as one of the most challenging global issues, which makes low-carbon development an increasingly popular topic that needs serious consideration. Therefore, the way cities are planned, managed, and use energy will play a vital role in mitigating climate change and its impact on the environment. Some simple city facilities such as pedestrian walkways, safe bikeways, and different modes of transportations, as well as sustainable policies and action programs, could reduce automobile dependency and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in many cities. This project will explore such sufficient and practical rules and policies to redesign neighborhoods to create more sustainable, livable, and low-carbon cities, which will be accessible and attractive for all groups of people. This study reviews, compares, and analyzes different sustainable urbanism principles under three pillars of the sustainable development concept, including environmental, economical, and social. It also analyzes similar successful projects in Europe to find the appropriate and practical rules that are compatible with community requirements. The results show that all the sustainable principles should work together to create a sustainable community with reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, it is everyone’s responsibility to care about the future. It is necessary for urban planners, architects, and any related divisions of government to follow the proper rules to make cities a better place to live and also to increase residents’ awareness of both climate change issues and practical solutions. Urban planners are responsible for inviting people to be involved in making decisions and sharing their ideas to enrich communication, with the purpose of making a better city to live in.

In spite of increasing interests in the relationship between neighborhood environments and children's walking-to-school behaviors, few studies have examined the dynamic nature of school-community relationships from physical and social perspectives. Questions such as how centrally the school is located within the larger community, and how connected or accessible the school is to the surrounding communities, will have significant implications for children?s walking to school and physical activity behaviors and also for the community's social capital. The primary aims of this study are: (a) to assess the association between school-community relations and social capital among parents of school children; (b) to assess the relationship between school-community relations and walking-to-school behaviors among school children; and (c) to examine the mediating effects of social capital on the relationship of (b). This cross-sectional study focuses on children and parents from 19 elementary schools in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) in Austin, Texas, utilizing the parental Safe Routes to School (SRTS) survey and conducting a follow-up Parental Social Capital survey to gather additional in-depth data on social capital. Also objective measurements are performed to assess school-community relations and physical environments using the spatial centrality index and Geographical Information System (GIS) network analysis at/around schools and surrounding communities. Data analyses are conducted based at the school/community-level and the individual-level (large full data and small sub-group data) separately by using ANOVAs, bivariate statistical analysis and multivariate statistical models. Overall findings of this study show that: (a) neighborhood schools have more students walking to school and a higher centrality of the school than non-neighborhood schools; (b) differences in social capital between neighborhood schools and non-neighborhood schools are not significant or are only marginally significantly; (c) two social capital variables, "volunteerism" and "social cohesion" are correlated with children's walking-to-school behaviors but no significant mediating effect is found for social capital in the association between school-community relations and children's walking-to-school behaviors; and (d) "volunteerism" is shown to be positively correlated with "perceived centrality" but negatively associated with all objective centrality measures. The other social capital variable of "social cohesion" has a positive correlation with one of the objective centrality measures, "closeness centrality." Findings of this study may contribute to research exploring the dynamics of school-community relations with socio-spatial perspectives, and also bring attention to the policy makers for school siting in the large community context and evidence-based knowledge promoting healthy community design.

Die vorliegende Masterarbeit hat in einer Einstellungsstudie untersucht, welchen Einfluss Einstellungen gegenüber sprachlichen Varietäten und gegenüber der wahrgenommenen ethnischen Herkunft von Sprecher*innen auf die Leistungsbewertung von Schulaufsätzen haben. In Anlehnung an die Debatte um Sprachideologien wurden Einstellungen gegenüber den sprachlichen Varietäten Kiezdeutsch und dominantes Deutsch sowie, aufbauend auf Studien zur Wahrnehmung von sozialer Information über Sprecher*innen, Einstellungen gegenüber türkisch und deutsch markierten Vornamen miteinander verglichen. 157 Lehramtsstudierenden der Universität Potsdam wurde je ein fiktiver Schulaufsatz vorgelegt, der die jeweiligen Einstellungsobjekte sprachliche Varietät und ethnisch markierter Vorname enthielt. Durch einen Vergleich der individuellen Leistungsbewertung der Aufsätze wurde untersucht, welche Unterschiede sich im schulischen Kontext in der Bewertung und damit der Einstellung gegenüber bestimmten Sprecher*innen und ihrem Sprachgebrauch feststellen ließen. Die Studie ergab, dass in den fiktiven Schulaufsätzen Kiezdeutsch stärker sanktioniert wurde als dominantes Deutsch. Dieses Ergebnis konnte verstärkt beobachtet werden, wenn der Schulaufsatz vermeintlich von einer*m Sprecher*in mit türkisch markiertem Vornamen stammte. Die Ergebnisse der Studie lassen vermuten, dass eine Bewertung von Schüler*innen von einer Vorstellung darüber abhängt, wie weit oder nah entfernt der oder die betreffende Schüler*in zur sprachlichen und sozialen Norm steht. / The present master's thesis aimed to investigate whether attitudes towards linguistic varieties and a perceived ethnic background of speakers do influence the grading of school essays. 157 teacher trainees from the University of Potsdam had been asked to each grade an identical school essay which only differed in the attitude items ‘linguistic variety’ and ‘ethnically marked first name’. The study has shown that school essays containing the multiethnolect 'Kiezdeutsch' (Neighborhood German) – which is perceived by the media and the public opinion as a “poorly performed German spoken by adolescents from Turkish immigrant background” – are assessed worse than those containing structures of Dominant German. These results could be observed even more strongly when the essay supposedly came from a speaker who had a Turkish marked first name. The results indicate that the assessment of the performance of children and adolescents in school depends on the perception of how close or far the individual student is situated to the linguistic and social norm.

This paper will discuss the development and architecture of an Indianapolis northside residential neighborhood. While the area was settled in the mid twentieth century. Consequently, the neighborhood has a broad spectrum of architectural styles ranging from pioneer vernacular Greek Revival to Tudor Revival.In spite of the fact that the area was the leading suburb of Indianapolis in the early twentieth century, little research has been done on the history and historic architecture of Meridian-Kessler. Examples of significant structures and architectural types will be presented in the context of the area. Elements or factors which unify the neighborhood will be discussed.Finally, the issues of historic preservation in the Meridian-Kessler neighborhood will be examined. If the area is in fact historic, as the author believes then preservation measures are in order. The location and nature of the neighborhood pose a unique problem. Since the area is essentially a transitional urban/suburban district, methods of urban historic district preservation must be Modified for this special case. As historians and preservationists become reviewed. Historic increasingly aware of our early twentieth century heritage, a new terminology and approach must be acknowledged. This variation of a preservation or conservation district is termed by the author as "Suburban Preservation".Standard methods will be used to research and compose this thesis. For documentation of historic architecture, a series of Indianapolis Star articles titled "How Others Have Built" is an important source which must be a Thirty-eighth street Landmarks Foundation of Indiana is currently surveying the area; survey forms will provide much data on house types, styles and dates. Architectural archives, old records of firms active in the district and other published sources will provide further information. Planning data in the form of subarea plans andcooridor study have already been obtained for review. Plans for preservation districts in Indianapolis and other midwest cities will also be reviewed for possible application to Meridian-Kessler.Combined with field observations, the research should produce a document which places the Meridian-Kessler neighborhood in its proper historic context and aids in future planning for the area. / Department of Architecture

Ecological succession is the process of how natural communities change over time. Succession of the built environment occurs through the transition of neighborhoods. Early examples of parallel transitions include the conversion of wilderness land to agriculture and of agricultural land to urban centers. Energy development or the lack thereof, remains the biggest factor driving succession of the built environment. The following document creates a parallel symbiotic dialogue for applying scientific laws of the natural world to the built environment. This is achieved by examining factors driving primary and secondary succession, in the natural world and the built environment. By analyzing means of succession, it is possible to negate adverse effects through effective planning. Case studies are provided as evidence of possible implications. This paradigm will serve as a blueprint for creating a comprehensive preservation plan which will foster positive economic growth, environmental stewardship, and a strong sense of cultural identity. / Natural laws governing development of the paradigm -- Factors driving succession -- Historic context -- The role of historic preservation -- The case for preservation planning -- Implications of primary succession -- Implications of secondary succession. / Department of Architecture

The consumerism of Western culture has allowed the prevailing suburban development pattern of the latter half of the twentieth century to evolve from a pedestrian-friendly canvas for the American Dream into an iconographic realization of commuting motorists decentralized from social interaction. Symbolizing solitude and privatization. this sprawling environment has become an epidemic deteriorating the social network in the United States: a condition that requires a remedy.With the popularization of traditional neighborhood development. a large majority of newly constructed communities find themselves located away from the realities of the modern bait environment. Like a bomb shelter. occupants have been allowed the opportunity to escape to a time before sprawl. consequently ignoring the problem. In order to address this condition. these issues can no longer go unaddressed they must be healed. This study depicts suburbia as an evolving network requiring a reinsertion of a mixed-functionality into its failed developments in order to reengage the occupant and revive suburbia's communal identity: in turn allowing the resolution to evolve from a bomb shelter to a Band-Aid.With research methods including qualitative assessments of numerous case studies. writings and diagrammatic theories regarding the social realm. interviews. and the consideration of numerous texts regarding interdisciplinary concerns as well as popular culture and sociological understandings. the study defines suburbia as a poachable territory — a construct that harvests opportunities for the occupant to reengage their context. By reversing the evolution from pedestrian to motorist. these interventions allow communities to embezzle the environment in an effort to establish a collective identity and reintroduce a social ream. Furthermore. these theories are then inserted in a generalizable residential development in Carmel. Indiana named Village Park Estates. By analyzing the potential found in these developments this epidemic can begin to be diagnosed allowing the author to establish a solution grounded in the routine of the everyday. / Department of Architecture