Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Howard Hahn / In Novato, California, zoning regulations and the city’s urban growth boundary (UGB) have restricted development on open agricultural and hillside land outside the city. These restrictions have added to a shortage of affordable homes in Novato in spite of a demand for housing. Population growth estimates suggest that this demand will continue and strategic development of land outside the current city boundaries will need to occur in order over the next 15-20 years (Bay Area Census Data 2010 and Heid 2004). This report outlines a process of land development which evaluates the success of a development alternative relative to what the land owners, developers and the community want, need, and value. This process involved producing four community design alternatives of varying housing densities for an 867 acre parcel of land just beyond Novato’s UGB. The alternatives were: high density (556 homes), medium density (224 homes), low density (14 homes), and low density + land swap (72 homes). Using a systematic scoring process, each alternative was evaluated based on what the land owner, developer, and the community valued in the development and then awarded each a feasibility score. This score represents likelihood of implementation. The higher the feasibility score, the more likely the alternative could be pursued as a development option. The high density alternative (556 homes) received the lowest feasibility score. It met many of the land owner and developer values, but few of the community values. The low density + land swap alternative (58 homes) received the highest feasibility score. This alternative met nearly all of the developer and owner values as well as the community values. The land swap option of this alternative was unique and made this design more feasible. The swap identified land areas on the site property that could be traded for developable land inside the city boundary allowing Novato to maintain the rural character of the city fringe, while giving the developer land that could be used for future development. This alternative is a compromise that adequately addresses the values of all involved and is therefore recommended as the most feasible design possibility.

Thesis (MPhil (Public Management and Planning))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis considers the veracity, within the land use planning and development context in the Western Cape, of the claim that South Africa has a constitution that gave us accountable government. The study necessitates consideration of the meaning of terms such as accountability and sustainable planning and development. There is a dearth of South African literature on government accountability. The main focus of the literature from abroad is on elections as a mechanism for achieving government accountability, to the exclusion of other issues and with a distinct disregard for legal questions. Much of the available overseas literature draws on the descriptive models of how democratic accountability should work. The writers seemingly have little interest in moving beyond the descriptive. The available body of literature is static in nature as little theoretical development in the field of government accountability has taken place for decades. This thesis argues that, as a result, the literature from abroad on accountability is of limited value in South African context. Accountability has an important role to play in curbing the abuse of public power and for maintaining conditions of peace and stability. Central concerns with the study are to assess the current measure of government accountability within the stated context and to establish whether the existing system for achieving effective government accountability is adequate. The research commences with thorough literature and law reviews, supplemented by the development of a questionnaire on accountability in the land use planning and development field. The assessment of the current measure of government accountability in the context of land use planning and development is supplemented by the views of people active in that field. Those views are pieced together from the results obtained from questionnaires and personal observations. The findings are that government is presently not regarded as accountable in the field of study. This thesis demonstrates how difficult it is to achieve effective government accountability - in particular, towards the local population - and how ineffective the current accountability mechanisms are for this purpose. It argues that the challenges facing South Africans in this regard are complex and that everyone is required to accept responsibility as the actual agents of accountability, to make accountability work as a personal concern and a matter of individual responsibility. This thesis reflects on the need for new accountability mechanisms and calls for a radical reform of the current approach to government accountability. It inter alia recommends that the reform should involve the establishment of a new structure empowered to enquire into the merits of decisions taken by public authorities. On the basis of this discussion, the thesis concludes by advocating specific steps required to improve government accountability at the local-level within land use planning and development context. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis oorweeg die geldigheid, binne die konteks van grondgebruik beplanning en ontwikkeling in die Wes-Kaap, van die aanspraak dat Suid-Afrika 'n grondwet het wat vir ons 'n verantwoordbare regering gegee het. Dit noodsaak oorweging van die betekenis van uitdrukkings soos verantwoordbaarheid en volhoubare beplanning en ontwikkeling. Bykans doodse stilte heers oor regeringsverantwoordbaarheid in die Suid-Afrikaanse literatuur. In buitelandse literatuur val die klem hoofsaaklik op verkiesings as meganisme om regeringsverantwoordbaarheid te bewerkstellig, met uitsluiting van ander kwessies en 'n besliste verontagsaming van regsvrae. Baie van die beskikbare oorsese literatuur steun op die beskrywende benadering van hoe demokratiese verantwoordbaarheid behoort te werk. Die skrywers het oënskynlik min belang daarin om meer as beskrywend te wees. Die beskikbare literatuur is staties van aard aangesien vir dekades min teoretiese ontwikkeling op die gebied van regeringsverantwoordbaarheid plaasgevind het. Hierdie tesis argumenteer dat, ten gevolge, die buitelandse literatuur oor verantwoordbaarheid van beperkte waarde is in Suid-Afrikaanse konteks. Verantwoordbaarheid het 'n belangrike rol om te vervul in die beperking van misbruik van openbare mag en vir die instandhouding van toestande vir vrede en stabiliteit. Sentraal tot hierdie studie staan pogings om te bepaal wat die huidige stand van regeringsverantwoordbaarheid is binne die vermelde konteks en om vas te stel of die bestaande stelsel vir bereiking van verantwoordbare regering voldoende is. Die navorsing begin met deeglike literatuur en regsresensies, aangevul deur die ontwikkeling van ‘n vraeboog oor verantwoordbaarheid in die veld van grondgebruik beplanning en ontwikkeling. Die huidige stand van regeringsverantwoordbaarheid binne die konteks van grondgebruik beplanning en ontwikkeling is aangevul deur die sienings van persone wat aktief is in daardie veld. Daardie sienings is saamgestel vanuit resultate wat bekom is uit vraeboë en eie waarnemings. Die bevindinge is dat die regering in die algemeen tans nie as verantwoordbaar beskou word nie. Hierdie tesis toon aan hoe moeilik dit is om effektiewe verantwoordbaarheid van die regering te bereik - in die besonder teenoor die plaaslike bevolking - en hoe ontoereikend die huidige meganismes vir hierdie doel is. Dit argumenteer dat die uitdagings wat Suid-Afrika in hierdie verband in die gesig staar, kompleks is en dat van elkeen verwag word om verantwoordelikheid te aanvaar as die werklike agente van verantwoordbaarheid om verantwoordbaarheid as 'n persoonlike aangeleentheid en 'n saak van individuele verantwoordelikheid te laat werk. Hierdie tesis besin oor die behoefte aan nuwe verantwoordbaarheidsmeganismes en bepleit 'n radikale hervorming van die huidige benadering tot verantwoordbaarheid van die regering. Dit word onder andere aanbeveel dat as deel van hervorming 'n nuwe struktuur voorsien moet word wat gemagtig sal wees om ondersoek in te stel na die meriete van die besluite wat deur die publieke owerhede geneem is. Op grond van hierdie bespreking eindig die tesis deur voorspraak te maak vir bepaalde stappe wat nodig is om die regering se verantwoordbaarheid op die plaaslike vlak te verbeter binne die konteks van grondgebruik beplanning en ontwikkeling.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Jason Brody / Some cities target innovation to bolster their economy, because it drives economic growth. An emerging trend is to use urban regeneration to accomplish this desire. However, lack of understanding about land development effects on innovation is a major concern. Such uncertainty makes it difficult to create visions, plans, and designs for these environments. A major dilemma presents itself. In what way do urban designers develop innovation economies and what confidence can they have in those roles considering the lack of evidence about urban sites within larger innovation systems? In response to the dilemma, this research documents projects facilitating innovation in local economies. A catalog was the tool for exploring characteristics of these places and their connections to economic systems. The catalog acts as a decision framework by displaying these relationships through a goal, objective, and tactic hierarchy. This format illustrates how site-level decisions impact specific parts of the economy. By using the catalog, planners and designers may guide innovation through urban development. To accomplish this, developments must draw talented people with creative ideas and organizations willing to invest in those ideas. When synergies form between these groups, new goods and services become available. To build this innovative milieu, planners and designers EXPLORE regional and site-based opportunities to determine the tactics they utilize. Next, they DEVELOP plans for the places desired by and required for people who INNOVATE. These findings collectively instill confidence in the roles of planners and designers in their quest to cultivate innovative environments.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / John Keller / The purpose of this thesis is to discover whether disability access regulations are being met and whether the regulations fulfill their intended purpose. Is Kansas State University Campus in Manhattan, Kansas ADA compliant (follows the current law) and convenient (user-friendly)? This inquiry can be split into two research questions: (1) Do the main entrances (entry experience being the sidewalk, ramp, and door) to buildings on the Kansas State University campus comply with current ADA guidelines? (2) Do students on campus find the access to these buildings user-friendly? This study has two main questions, and therefore multiple research methodologies: a focus group, audit, and guided activity. The focus group was made up of physically disabled students at KSU who are therefore familiar with access on the campus. The second method involved a yes-no checklist to test whether the buildings meet code. The third involved disabled and non-disabled students using a wheelchair for a day, with post-event survey to test public opinion of access on campus. My hypothesis anticipated that Kansas State University is code compliant, but not user-friendly. The conclusion is that no structure is fully sidewalk/ramp/door compliant, but two structures’ doors are fully compliant. According to the audit: ramps are mostly not needed (only 35 percent of structures need a ramp), sidewalks are 66 percent compliant, and doors are 63 percent compliant. According to the survey: doors are in the best condition, with ramps next, and sidewalks last. When comparing the checklist (compliance) and survey (convenience) results, sidewalk results were different, the ramp results were non-conclusive, and the door results were similar. This means that sidewalks meet code, but people do not find them accessible. Because ramps are not always needed, it made the checklist and survey difficult to compare. The analysis did not result in a clear “Similar” or “Different” result, therefore the comparison was non-conclusive. Doors were in the best condition on the checklist, and most people felt they were in good conditions. The application of this project allows other universities and communities to test whether their structures adequately provide access to students with a disability in a way that is user-friendly.

Master of Science / Department of Landscape Architecture, Regional and Community Planning / Stephanie Rolley / The City of Emerado, North Dakota, population 414, located in northeast North Dakota is the subject of a Social Network Analysis (SNA), conducted prior to it being the subject of a University of North Dakota Center for Community Engagement, Community Connect Forum. The SNA was developed based on the results of 25 interviews conducted with local residents, elected officials and business owners, using snowball sampling and following grounded theory methods. The interview results were coded and memos were written to aid in the analysis. Social Network data was entered into the Sentinel Visualizer software (FMS Advanced Systems Group) to develop a visual image of the network, including nodes (people, organizations or businesses) and links to illustrate the relationships between nodes. The SNA helps to frame the relationships in terms of bridging and bonding social capital. The SNA provides the ability to mathematically determine the most important nodes to the community social network, using calculations to determine levels of degree centrality, betweenness centrality, closeness centrality, Eigenvalue, and network density. After calculating these elements, categorical descriptions of the top ten individuals for each category are provided. The networks of five individuals are reviewed in depth to aid in comprehending the process of incrementally expanding networks.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Jason Brody / There are six square miles of vacant land spread throughout Downtown Kansas City unkempt and untouched for the fear of what may exist in the soil, air, and water and the consequences that come with it (COR Team 2010, EPA 1997). Not developing the vacant/underutilized land causes more harm than good for the city, the locals, and the environment. It costs the city loss of tax revenue (Holt 2002). It hurts locals’ property values and possibly health. It inhibits the environment’s functions with potential toxins. By activating vacant/underutilized land through phytoremediation and redevelopment, it can meet the needs of the projected population growth in the next 30 years, accommodate the Rock Island Corridor, and dissolve any threats of contamination. With the threat of possible contamination on the vacant/underutilized land, surrounding properties, and industrial properties within the culturally rich Jazz and Crossroads districts downtown, phytoremediation is used as a continuation of the Rock Island Corridor’s linear park system and transit in the city context while allowing for redevelopment. The strategy examines regional to site specific strategies where phytoremediation is used to connect people to the environment, contain contaminant-producing places, and counteract contamination from new development. The development serves as a model for Kansas City to use the Rock Island Corridor to control site-specific problems as a catalyst for redevelopment of districts to solve large-scale issues through the use of phytoremediation. Phytoremediation allows for light contaminant production industries to remain functional and rely on phytoremediation to clean some of the waste to prevent excessive clean up in the future. With the help of the phytoremediation and development, it allows for us to understand how phytoremediation works while preventing sites from becoming vacant/underutilized urban areas for the betterment of the community as a proactive strategy to prevent brownfields. Phytoremediation supports sustainable preventative/remediation strategies while catering to community needs such as redevelopment along Rock Island Corridor and Common Line, multi-modal transit, Metrogreen, character of place, and city life. It blends site suitability with community needs, while creating a cleaner more efficient environment that is aesthetically appealing.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Huston Gibson / In many urban redevelopment discussions, people often refer to a catalyst as the impetus for redevelopment. Unfortunately, no standard definition of an urban redevelopment catalyst exists, so liberal use of the term catalyst persists. As distinguished in Dr. Timothy Chapin’s dissertation, Urban Revitalization Tools: Assessing the Impacts of Sports Stadia at the Microarea Level, the impacts of sports stadia (widely considered catalysts) are often overstated. In order to have valuable arguments over the impacts of presupposed catalytic activities, we need to understand the defining characteristics of an urban redevelopment catalyst and utilize a consistent process for examining them. This study identifies these characteristics and develops a methodology from which others may study catalysts. Included in the study are both narrative and tangible evidence from which researchers may decipher catalytic characteristics and events. In order to explore this analytic method, a case study was necessary. The revitalization of Washington Avenue (in downtown St. Louis, Missouri) provided an excellent opportunity to implement and test the process. Washington Avenue went from decrepit in the early 1980s to receiving the honor of being a Great Street by the American Planning Association in 2011. By delving into the developmental history of Washington Avenue, the process verified urban redevelopment catalytic characteristics, the methodology and the presence of small-scale urban redevelopment catalysts. From these findings, (coupled with a preexisting, dominant discussion focused large-scale catalysts) we see the value of small, organic development. The study prompts further exploration of urban redevelopment catalysts, especially in regards to smaller catalysts. It also suggests a new line of thinking for urban redevelopment dynamics, thus guiding future research to focus on understanding the processes of urban redevelopment.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Blake Belanger / This master’s project and report examines the correlation between social inequity and vacancy to develop a phased revitalization strategy for Raytown, Missouri. The perception of vacant built landscapes cause people to interpret places as having no productive use (Corbin 2003). Vacant spaces appear void of opportunities and are fueled by a capitalist society where markets move toward the urban fringe in order to remain competitive (Fainstein 2010). Vacancy creates a cultural response that “erodes the local social fabric, [signifying] the ills of neglect, [and] communicating to people the futility of inner-city living” (Jakle and Wilson 1992, 175). As a result, people passing through a community dismiss these vacant spaces because what they see is a place of little value. The perception of vacancy can lead to severe social inequity as society’s affluent members move from inner-city cores. Economic viability and the overall quality of life begins to decrease. Building on the Creating Sustainable Places Initiative for the Kansas City region and planning efforts for redeveloping the currently unused Rock Island Rail Corridor, this project explores how vacant built landscapes within Raytown’s Central Business District can be reprogrammed to establish place identity. Through critical mapping, key equity dilemmas at the metropolitan level are brought forth to identify issues that can be addressed through corridor redevelopment in Raytown. Mapping vacancies in the Raytown CBD identifies current vacant parcels. Together, the identification of vacant parcels with parcel size indicates primary redevelopment sites that can readily support higher density development in anticipation of a potential rail transit system. Using a phased approach, temporary design solutions regain public interest in the community, while working to develop mixed-use neighborhoods, pedestrian oriented streetscapes, and improved open space amenities at future build out. Strategies at each phase provide opportunities for community gathering and living choices that accommodate a variety of people. Studying social inequity and vacancy allows landscape architecture professionals the opportunity to better understand this phenomenon and promote community revitalization through the creation of welcoming places for all people.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Jae Hong-Kim / The concept of Live-Work-Play has grown in popularity in the field of planning, as various strands of the planning literature increasingly have highlighted the potential benefits of providing places to live, work, and play in close proximity. This study explores the theoretical foundations of the Live-Work-Play concept and discusses its effectiveness as a strategy for creating vibrant urban areas by reforming the spatial arrangement of the built environments. More specifically, the present study empirically examines how the segregation or the mixture of places to live, work, and play may create differences in terms of growth, inequality, education, the built environment, and transportation by analyzing the Boston metropolitan region as an example. The empirical analysis with the use of census tract level socio-economic data shows that the Live-Work-Play mixes can encourage more desirable travel patterns, while the mixes may not significantly promote growth in small areas. However, the analysis also revealed racial and income inequalities exist in the provision of the mixes in the Boston region. These findings suggest planners carefully should consider the equity issues when adopting the Live-Work-Play concept and providing its potential benefits.

The subject of the thesis is the description of the planning process at the level of strategic management in public administration and analysis of current planning documents at the municipal level of the 3rd degree in the Vysočina region. The first part defines the basic concepts of strategic planning at the municipal level and also defines the methods and procedures applied in the development of strategic plans. The second part analyses the specific strategic documents of municipalities with extended powers in the Vysočina region. At the end of the thesis some recommendations are proposed that could help municipalities pursue the process of strategic planning and management.