The design of public open spaces frequently does not address the physical and psychological needs of their users with regard to their ages. This research gathered and restated the needs and preferences of teenagers, as an understudied group, in public open spaces, with an emphasis on neighborhood parks. Utilizing a neighborhood park in Roanoke, Virginia, the study developed findings that can influence the design of public open spaces, with the goals of providing social and physical benefits of neighborhood parks for teenagers. This research was conducted through two phases of interviews. The first phase of interviews took place with professionals who had experience in working with teenagers. The data collected in the first phase of interviews with adults were utilized for the second phase of interviews, which were with teenagers. Experimental models of the study site were created for the second phase to assist the interviewees in visualizing the various designs. In the second phase, the design options were presented to the teenaged study group in response to teenagers' characteristics and needs as determined by the outcomes of the first phase of interviews. The teenagers were asked to state their preferences among the design options. The different options for designing neighborhood parks utilized a neighborhood park in Roanoke, Virginia, as a study site. The findings of this research suggest that teenagers prefer to utilize spaces closer to the front of the park, by its edges, entrances, and exits, and the parking lot. These findings suggest that there may be no need to design specific spaces dedicated for teenagers in public spaces; however teenager's preferences should be considered in the design process of public spaces. Based on the findings of this research and the suggested relationships among the design attributes of neighborhood parks and teenagers' use of space, this research suggests that providing public spaces is linked with increased opportunities for the social development of teenagers. The primary implications of the findings of this research could help inform landscape architects and urban planners in their designs of future public open spaces that address the needs of teenagers. / Master of Landscape Architecture

The extensive literature on public open space illustrates that it is of great importance to the quality of life. This is particularly true in Syria where public open spaces play a critical role in the urban structure of cities and in the inhabitant’s daily existence. There is published evidence that improving the quality of public open spaces requires a comprehensive analysis of these spaces in order to be able to evaluate their quality. This thesis is concerned with investigating and evaluating public open spaces in Hama, Syria both in terms of the quality of the spaces themselves and the process of creating and managing these spaces in order to offer suggestions for improving the quality of life in Hama through improving the quality of its spaces. The research strategy, the social spatial approach, involves understanding the investigative context as: (a) a social phenomenon, by exploring the residents’ perceptions, professionals’ perceptions and users’ behaviour, (b) a spatial phenomenon, by exploring the physical and spatial structure of Hama. The research adopts a case study method choosing three parks as examples for their distinctive features, and a range of different qualitative and quantitative techniques are applied systematically to these parks and their wider context. These techniques comprised: a questionnaire survey with residents in Hama; observation and behavioural mapping in the parks; semi-structured interviews with professionals involved in the design and management process; land use and urban form surveys; space syntax applied at micro and macro scale; and a desk-top study of documents. The findings of the evaluation illustrate that the qualities of the three selected parks could be enhanced. In addition, they show the there is scope for a participatory process of design and management to ensure that the final delivery of new parks and the development of existing ones meet the users’ expectations. The research draws a number of conclusions, which are developed into a set of general recommendations. Two of the key suggestions are (a) the provision of good quality public facilities which meet residents’ needs in the parks (b) the provision of training programmes by Hama City Council for those involved in the development and delivery process of public open spaces. Both are vital if the quality of the public open spaces is to be improved.

O trabalho reflete sobre a paisagem, o ambiente e os espaços livres de Suzano, município situado na bacia do Alto Tietê Cabeceiras, que faz parte da Região Metropolitana de São Paulo. Inicialmente, desenvolve-se a análise de conceitos voltados à ecologia de paisagens e do sistema de espaços livres públicos. Em seguida, faz-se uma aproximação da paisagem e do sistema de espaços livres do município, objetivando compreender a diversidade de suas paisagens, bem como do seu ambiente nos distritos que o compõem. Após esta compreensão retoma-se novamente o conceito voltado à ecologia de paisagens, para que este possa ser utilizado na constituição de uma proposta de sistema de espaços livres públicos para o território, buscando a valorização das suas paisagens, assim como do ambiente. Ao final, verifica-se quais são os entraves existentes na gestão pública, que dificultam a implementação de políticas ambientais no país. / The goal of this dissertation is to study the impact of landscape and open spaces on the environment in urban areas. The focus will be on the city of Suzano, which is located at the basin of Alto Tietê Cabeceiras and is part f the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Brazil. The first part of the study will focus on ecological concepts of landscapes and open spaces of the city. After, we aim to better understand the diversity of the open spaces within these territories and how they shape and mold the terrain and effect the local environment. Once an informed and educated analysis is achieved, the goal is then to establish a proposal to implement an open space program for the surrounding Suzano area that would both bring better quality of life and value to the city and their inhabitants. Finally, we plan to point out what obstacles and barriers might exist in within the government for implementation of these policies.

O trabalho reflete sobre a paisagem, o ambiente e os espaços livres de Suzano, município situado na bacia do Alto Tietê Cabeceiras, que faz parte da Região Metropolitana de São Paulo. Inicialmente, desenvolve-se a análise de conceitos voltados à ecologia de paisagens e do sistema de espaços livres públicos. Em seguida, faz-se uma aproximação da paisagem e do sistema de espaços livres do município, objetivando compreender a diversidade de suas paisagens, bem como do seu ambiente nos distritos que o compõem. Após esta compreensão retoma-se novamente o conceito voltado à ecologia de paisagens, para que este possa ser utilizado na constituição de uma proposta de sistema de espaços livres públicos para o território, buscando a valorização das suas paisagens, assim como do ambiente. Ao final, verifica-se quais são os entraves existentes na gestão pública, que dificultam a implementação de políticas ambientais no país. / The goal of this dissertation is to study the impact of landscape and open spaces on the environment in urban areas. The focus will be on the city of Suzano, which is located at the basin of Alto Tietê Cabeceiras and is part f the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Brazil. The first part of the study will focus on ecological concepts of landscapes and open spaces of the city. After, we aim to better understand the diversity of the open spaces within these territories and how they shape and mold the terrain and effect the local environment. Once an informed and educated analysis is achieved, the goal is then to establish a proposal to implement an open space program for the surrounding Suzano area that would both bring better quality of life and value to the city and their inhabitants. Finally, we plan to point out what obstacles and barriers might exist in within the government for implementation of these policies.

Twentieth century urbanization has left a tremendous footprint on the globe. It is generally speaking a spread out fragmented suburban and exurban landscape continuously growing according to what has been called sprawl-like development, increasing energy and automobile dependency, challenging urban sustainability. Recently urban growth has also turned inwards because of economic and political change. Thus one of the main challenges for future urban design will be to ‘compact sprawl’. This thesis, set in the field of urban morphology, explores the spatial conditions for suburban densification by looking at administrative and user-related measures of density, public open space, and pedestrian accessibility. If we consider useful open space, it would not decrease density, but rather increase spatial compactness. So would also a well-connected street network, if we consider accessibility as part of density. The thesis’ first four papers explore new measures that contradict ordinary notions of density and the last three papers examine densification scenarios on different urban scales in collaboration with urban planners in practice. The paper Place syntax explores a possibility to combine the space syntax description of cognitive accessibility, axial line distance, with place attraction into a combined attraction-accessibility analysis model. Empirical investigation shows that place syntax analysis captures pedestrian movement and can be used for new types of location density analyses. Sociotope mapping describes the theoretical body of a new urban planning tool called the “sociotope map” (sociotopkarta) developed in Stockholm planning practice. The map emphasizes that the same public open space can have different direct use values for different people and thereby assesses qualitative open space area. Exploring Ambiterritory investigates the notion of (sub)urban no-man’s-land. Densification most often means increased open space use, which naturally leads to an increase of potential conflicting territorial interests. However, the reduction of vague user space and unclear legal territories by densification can increase the size of useful open space. More green space in a denser city investigates whether little public green space means low accessibility. User questionnaires and GIS-analyses in ten city districts in Stockholm correlate and show that it is possible to have more accessible green space in a denser city. Strategic exurban landscape densification investigates different municipal location strategies and development rates in the municipality of Kungälv. Results show that location strategies create the biggest landscape impact and not development rates. Greening metropolitan growth analyzes the density landscape in Stockholm county region and finds some correlations with health and socioeconomic variables. Growth scenarios in the regional plan for 2030 show decreasing compactness and spaciousness in inner suburbia. Compact sprawl experiments use the measures developed in the former papers on four densification scenarios in two suburbs in Stockholm. The results show how it is possible to efficiently compact modernist sprawl, particularly the inner suburbs. It is likely that we will be more dependent on walking, bicycling, and public transportation in the future. Street networks and public open spaces are then key issues today just as they were at the end of the nineteenthcentury, creating compact, sustainable, liveable, equitable, and more competitive cities. In fact, many compact urban cores such as in Stockholm, London, and Manhattan have through the 20th century persistently stood up to the competition against more sprawling cities. The thesis shows that compacting inner suburbia seems to be the new frontier many cities and planners are facing. In fact, this is a vast unexplored field that needs further attention in urban studies and urban morphology in particular. / QC 20100913 / Stadsform och hållbar utveckling

This thesis explores characteristics of loose space and their implications for physical activity. A space becomes loose when an individual is using it for something other than what it was intended. Individuals can pursue a range of physical activities not possible in other public spaces. To assess the compatibility between loose space and physical activity a survey of 27 users of loose space and key informant interviews from public health, municipal parks and landscape architecture disciplines were used. Interview findings suggest that unstructured forms of physical activity are more likely to be adopted and maintained while survey results show 70% of loose space users are achieving recommended physical activity levels. Multifunctional space that can accommodate appropriation and change may have design implications for improving health. Design recommendations and strategies were developed to inform the design and management of loose space for physical activity. This study suggests that the qualities and distribution of loose space could improve adoption and maintenance of physical activity.

In recent decades, the role of port cities has changed dramatically. In many cases, the port function has been removed from the urban waterfront altogether. For this practicum, the subject is not the post-industrial, but rather an investigation into the role of landscape architecture in a place where industry persists on the shoreline. Halifax, Nova Scotia is the principle location for this exploration wherein the existing port-city interface is re-evaluated. This study includes an examination of the course of worldwide port development and the resulting impacts on port-city interrelationships and a historical comparison of the Port of Halifax to the general evolution. Mapping is the core of the analysis and is the primary means of assessing current conditions and future considerations. The work concludes with a final design proposal. Design drawings demonstrate the conceivability of the working port environment as a place to reconnect citizens with their harbour and the activities that occur within.

In recent decades, the role of port cities has changed dramatically. In many cases, the port function has been removed from the urban waterfront altogether. For this practicum, the subject is not the post-industrial, but rather an investigation into the role of landscape architecture in a place where industry persists on the shoreline. Halifax, Nova Scotia is the principle location for this exploration wherein the existing port-city interface is re-evaluated. This study includes an examination of the course of worldwide port development and the resulting impacts on port-city interrelationships and a historical comparison of the Port of Halifax to the general evolution. Mapping is the core of the analysis and is the primary means of assessing current conditions and future considerations. The work concludes with a final design proposal. Design drawings demonstrate the conceivability of the working port environment as a place to reconnect citizens with their harbour and the activities that occur within.

A democracia e as decisões oriundas das instituições públicas se realizam de forma legítima se os cidadãos conseguem participar e interagir, trocando argumentos dos prós e contras sobre determinada questão que envolve o bem comum da sociedade e da cidade. O modo de vida nas cidades, influenciados inclusive por variáveis relacionadas ao urbanismo e ao desenho urbano, acabam por transferir o momento deste encontro para os espaços públicos abertos – aí incluídos as vias públicas - por onde as pessoas inevitavelmente entram em contato. A preocupação com os espaços públicos abertos é tema recorrente na história da cidade de Porto Alegre há pelo menos quatro décadas, o que pode ser verificado pela análise do tratamento institucional dado ao tema. No entanto, mesmo com o passar do tempo, os problemas de mobilidade urbana persistem, e inclusive se acentuam, fruto das decisões do Poder Executivo local que acabam por inverter a prioridade, consolidando e incentivando a utilização do automóvel como modal de transporte preferencial, resultando no afastamento das pessoas e na dificuldade de interação. Movimentos sociais surgem em oposição a estas políticas, e a bicicleta se torna instrumento e símbolo para a retomada da escala humana da cidade como lugar do encontro, da interação, e da democracia. / Decisions taken by public institutions – as democracy itself – can be considered legitimate and function as such, when citizens are able to participate and interact, exchanging arguments of the pros and cons on an issue that involves the common good of society and the city. The urban way of life – influenced by Urbanism and urban design related factors – end up transferring that meeting point to the public spaces – including public thoroughfares – where people, inevitably, come in contact with each other. Dealing with open public spaces is a recurring subject and often reason for concern in Porto Alegre; it has been so for about four decades at least; this can de verified by analysing how public institutions have dealt with this issue. As a matter of fact, urban mobility related problems persist, and get even worse, as a consequence of decisions taken by the local government, which end up reverting priorities: the use of the automobile as a preferred mode of transportation is further encouraged and consolidated. People get more isolated, interaction is more difficult. Social movements arise, opposing such policies; the bicycle becomes a tool and a symbol for regaining the human scale of the city as a place of meeting, of interacting, and of democracy.

A democracia e as decisões oriundas das instituições públicas se realizam de forma legítima se os cidadãos conseguem participar e interagir, trocando argumentos dos prós e contras sobre determinada questão que envolve o bem comum da sociedade e da cidade. O modo de vida nas cidades, influenciados inclusive por variáveis relacionadas ao urbanismo e ao desenho urbano, acabam por transferir o momento deste encontro para os espaços públicos abertos – aí incluídos as vias públicas - por onde as pessoas inevitavelmente entram em contato. A preocupação com os espaços públicos abertos é tema recorrente na história da cidade de Porto Alegre há pelo menos quatro décadas, o que pode ser verificado pela análise do tratamento institucional dado ao tema. No entanto, mesmo com o passar do tempo, os problemas de mobilidade urbana persistem, e inclusive se acentuam, fruto das decisões do Poder Executivo local que acabam por inverter a prioridade, consolidando e incentivando a utilização do automóvel como modal de transporte preferencial, resultando no afastamento das pessoas e na dificuldade de interação. Movimentos sociais surgem em oposição a estas políticas, e a bicicleta se torna instrumento e símbolo para a retomada da escala humana da cidade como lugar do encontro, da interação, e da democracia. / Decisions taken by public institutions – as democracy itself – can be considered legitimate and function as such, when citizens are able to participate and interact, exchanging arguments of the pros and cons on an issue that involves the common good of society and the city. The urban way of life – influenced by Urbanism and urban design related factors – end up transferring that meeting point to the public spaces – including public thoroughfares – where people, inevitably, come in contact with each other. Dealing with open public spaces is a recurring subject and often reason for concern in Porto Alegre; it has been so for about four decades at least; this can de verified by analysing how public institutions have dealt with this issue. As a matter of fact, urban mobility related problems persist, and get even worse, as a consequence of decisions taken by the local government, which end up reverting priorities: the use of the automobile as a preferred mode of transportation is further encouraged and consolidated. People get more isolated, interaction is more difficult. Social movements arise, opposing such policies; the bicycle becomes a tool and a symbol for regaining the human scale of the city as a place of meeting, of interacting, and of democracy.