Using the detailed evidence of the burgh court records of Selkirk for the period 1503 to 1545, supported by comparative material from the records of other burghs, this study examines the nature and function of social control in an urban community. The burgh court is described through its functions as the chief formal mechanism of social control, and in the case of Selkirk, the organ of burgh government. The operation of the court is examined under a number of headings which reflect those areas of urban life which were of the greatest concern to community and individuals alike. Many of these concerns are revealed to be about the economic affairs of the burgh, and about the perceived need for economic and social stability and continuity. The protection of stability and continuity is a recuring theme throughout the study, in which the burgh court may be seen to be exercising formal and intentional social control. A parallel theme is provided by the evidence for a well developed and effective system of informal social control, based on the existence of a sense of consensus or public opinion. It is argued that this public opinion provided a framework within which the formal mechanisms of social control were able to function, and from this it is concluded that successful control was dependent on consent. The study ends with an explanation of the special role of the burgh court in bringing together the formal and informal aspects of social control through its function as public forum, sounding board, and mirror of the community's shared system of values and beliefs.

This thesis explores how architecture can be designed to react to changing conditions. In the design I address how the occupants of a building may change the exterior façade based on a change of events or on group size. This creates an architectural language on the façade for pedestrians and motorists to read those activities that are occurring. The design project is a hybrid recreational center and plaza that is designed for the use of small groups and can be adapted for larger groups. By manipulating the ground plane I create spaces where the spectator becomes the display and the display becomes the spectator. The public spaces at the center are a casual stage for movement, while private spaces at the edge offer places for spectators to overlook events. The movements at the center and edge are displayed on the façade creating a system of information.

This thesis addresses contextual design in the city, particularly the design of contemporary architecture in historic places. The research focuses on an analysis of Old Havana's urban architecture, particularly the spatial qualities of colonial Cuban houses as well as visual, social, and functional qualities of their urban façades. Additionally, I analyze specific mid-twentieth century houses that reinterpret Cuba’s colonial architecture in order to derive architectural principles that are tested in my design process. The design project is a mixed-use cultural center at the Plaza Vieja in Old Havana, Cuba. As a cultural destination currently under going restoration, the Plaza Vieja is an appropriate place to propose a contemporary project that reinterprets Havana’s historic context. The cultural center embodies a synthesis between old and new ideas.

Urban planners continue to explore various ways of influencing the type, rate, location, quality and timing of urban development. The need for such influence is evidenced by the compounding of urban environmentmental and energy concerns with local government fiscal difficulties. This study examines two of the tools frequently identified as being useful in efforts to effectively manage urban development: consolidated urban government and the controlled extension of certan urban services, especially water service, sewage service, fire protection and police protection. These two tools are explored through a case study of the urban and general services district concept as it has evolved in Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County, Tennessee. The decision, with the establishment of consolidated government in 1963, to divide Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County into two service districts provides a setting for the examination of past, present and potential impact of these service arrangements upon Nashville's urban development. The following four research questions provide the focus of the study: Was the creation of the service districts based upon a planning concern for the coordination of service provision with development objectives? Has the existence of these districts permitted their use as vehicles for coordinatied service delivery consistent with development objectives? Given the history of these districts, do they appear to have potential in assisting Metro Nashville in meeting its future development objectives? Does the Nashville experience with consolidated government and the service district concept provide planners with evidence of the validity of such arrangements for the implementation of development objectives in metropolitan areas? Organized around these central questions, the study employs interviews with past and present planning officials, reviews of planning documents, and searches of literature on Metro Nashville to find its answers. The principal findings of the study are: A continuing group of professional planners and Nashville citizens were instrumental in the design and implementation of consolidated government in Nashville and Davidson County. The creation of the Urban Services District and General Services District concept was a response to service delivery, poltical, fiscal and legal problems in Nashville; developmental concerns were secondary. Since 1963, the continuing need to provide urban services to already-urbanized areas has precluded active consideration of using service policies to guide development; this fact has been reinforced by the general Metro political environment which supports the view that public planning for development should be limited to the maintainance of "minimum standards" of public health, safety and welfare. The potential for use of Urban Services District expansion policies as developmental tools has been moderated by the erosion of the distinction between the Urban Services District and the General Services District. Although Metro is currently reviewing three "general plan" alternatives, there is little evidence to suggest that a political climate is emerging which will support the use of service policies to influence urban development beyond the "minimum standard" level. The expansion of the Nashville metropolitan area beyond the boundaries of Davidson County, the dominance of state and federal decision-makers in transportation decision-making, and the lack of consistent coordination between Metro agencies and departments seriously inhibits any effort to use Urban Services District extension to influence urban development. The conclusions of the study are based upon these findings and are phrased as messages to planners who are interested in the potential impact consolidated government and the management or urban services might have upon urban development. The messages suggest caution in listing the virtures of consolitated government, particularly where such government is not truly metropolitan. It is further suggested that the use of urban service policies to influence development is dependent upon both the political capacity and the political will to effectively achieve development goals. Planner are encouraged to seek the development of each of these.

Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Detroit Mercy, 2008. / "28 April 2008". Includes bibliographical references (p. 42-45).

It is the intent of this thesis to provide adaptive intervention that respects and preserves the significant features of historic urban late industrial buildings while enhancing their cultural and economic role within the city that developed around them. The Dinner Key Boat Yard, in Coconut Grove, will be used to demonstrate the conclusions of this study. Research into the practice and philosophies of historic preservation, and the local history; will be used to identify the attributes of historic value in the case site. An analysis of the surrounding area and case studies of parallel precedence will be used to determine a viable reuse program. The synthesis of this information will determine the new intervention. The resulting programmatic elements selected for the case site, museums, boat yard, restaurant, and pedestrian connector, are formally expressed to reflect the development, evolution, and public benefits of technology in late industrial society.

How can the revival of nature combined with the introduction of contemporary structures improve a city’s appeal? The goals of this thesis are as follows: 1) To provide a new public space along Hartford’s waterfront, 2) To relieve traffic of those traveling through Hartford, 3) To allow for easier/increased access for local traffic to access the downtown area and central business district, and 4) To create connections across the River at the Human Scale. The relocation of I-91 to the opposite side of the Connecticut River using existing infrastructure is a clean, concise way of achieving these four goals. By having I-91 cross the Connecticut River south of downtown on the existing Charter Oak Bridge, following the Right-of-Way of the current State Route 2, intersecting with Interstate 84 at a four-way, all-access intersection, and traveling back across the Connecticut River north of downtown using an existing Right-of-Way, the Riverfront opens up while allowing for easier traffic flow for both local and through traffic. A new boulevard in the existing highway’s Right-of-Way that starts and ends at exits off of the new configuration of I-91 allows for local traffic to access all parts of downtown, while having through traffic avoid the commuters and bypass the city completely. The new intersection of I-91 and I-84 across the River in East Hartford would allow all users access to all points, no matter what direction they're traveling; something the current intersection in downtown does not offer. Using existing bridges and Rights-of-Way also does the least amount of damage to current residents of East Hartford and its own waterfront, as there would be no new land needed for this new configuration. The following thesis attempts to bring life back into the downtown area of Hartford, Connecticut through various means that have been proven to work well in other cities throughout the United States.

This study examines how a shuttle system can meet transportation needs in Pittsburg. A circulator shuttle connecting major commercial nodes, public facilities, and residential locations, can increase travel options and improve accessibility to key locations. A review of best practices and transit planning standards provides a means to determine the cost of a shuttle service. The base costs of service are then applied to three alternatives for different shuttle route alignments: 1) a north-south route along Railroad Avenue only, 2) a north-south route along Railroad Avenue and an east-west route to Century Plaza, and 3) a north-south route along Railroad Avenue and an east-west route to Century Plaza that also links to Los Medanos College. Each alternative presents the basic system characteristics, which include travel time between proposed stops; the difference in shuttle and automobile travel times; ridership along each route; and cost evaluation of service. Alternatives are evaluated based on comparisons of benefits and costs they can produce in the current environment. Alternative 3 provides the greatest coverage, has the largest potential ridership, and provides access to other major destinations in the eastern half of the city. This should be the ultimate vision for the shuttle service. However, fiscal uncertainties at the moment suggest that it is prudent to select the least expensive alternative, Alternative 1, and slowly branch out the system over time. This would create opportunities for the shuttle system to expand with the future growth of central Pittsburg.

The University Square Development Proposal (USDP) explores the redevelopment of the underutilized University Square site (the Site) in the City of San Luis Obispo (the City.) The Sites proximity to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), a university with significant student housing needs, makes it an ideal location for student housing. The City has also expressed interest in the Site, having identified it in the General Plan Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) update as a “Special Planning Area”. The LUCE proposes a new mixed-use typology on the Site that may include a mixture of multi-family housing, retail services, entertainment, and recreation. The USDP is an early take on redevelopment of the Site, and provides a development option that accommodates both the objectives of Cal Poly, by providing student housing, and the City, by proposing a mixed-use development typology. To this end, the USDP includes a site assessment, project program, design vision, and financial analysis. The USDP concludes with project evaluations and lessons learned.

This study investigates the housing characteristics and the determinants of housing production of the informal housing sector in Alexandria, Egypt. It also examines the impact of land policies on the development of the informal housing sector. Informal housing, by definition, is constructed and acquired outside the legal procedure of land and building registration and without the necessary permissions and approvals. Therefore, there is a little knowledge about it, and its role in the housing market could be underestimated. The aim of this research is to enhance the factual knowledge about informal housing as a basis for future policy development. The findings of this research, based on data collected from a field study conducted in four informal settlements in Alexandria in 1991, include the following: 1. Macro-economic, political, and social structures accelerated the emergence and the development of informal housing settlements, which occurred rapidly during and after times of economic and political crises. 2. Informal settlements are heterogeneous and it is not evident that informal housing is synonymous with marginal housing for poor people. 3. Informal settlements have low levels of public utilities and infrastructure. 4. Income, household size, age of household head, and tenure status of the household are the major variables that explain different patterns of housing consumption and expenditure among informal households. 5. Inhabitants of informal settlements have moved from other areas of the city rather than origins outside Alexandria. Owners are more satisfied with both the units and the neighborhoods than renters are. 6. The determinants of informal housing production are in a dynamic process of change and are self-organized. The general conditions of the overall housing market influence informal housing in similar ways. Informal housing finance depends upon small scale and incremental methods of savings. 7. Implementation of different land policies results in augmenting provision of illegal land subdivisions, increasing land prices and expanding informal land market operation. From the analysis undertaken in this research and previous findings, some policy implications for future planning for informal development become evident.