This thesis proposes turning a Toronto subway station into a gallery that will display temporary exhibitions of contemporary art. Islington subway station, on the corner of Bloor Street West and Islington Avenue, will anchor a future civic and cultural centre and will become the social and public focal point of Etobicoke Centre. The building will turn this neighbourhood into a vibrant community, creating a self-sustaining node around which people will live, work, and play. This proposal has been inspired by urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg’s concept of the ‘third place’. In contrast to the first and second places of home and work, the third place encompasses the social realm, being a neutral space where people can gather and interact. The proposal for the Islington Gallery of Art also adapts new urbanist Peter Calthorpe’s theory of the ‘Transit Oriented Development’ where the subway station is the central node in the neighbourhood. Both of these concepts will be discussed further in the thesis. The Islington Gallery of Art will bring commuters a direct connection with culture. This gallery will transform the public space of infrastructure into a setting for informal public life. A third place will be created where one currently does not exist. The thesis combines the three narratives of public space, public transportation, and civic culture in the design of a mixed-use building. It explores how transportation infrastructure and architecture can combine with contemporary art to instigate the development for a new kind of place, one that isn’t a traditional street or square, near the periphery of the City of Toronto.

The surface parking lot was a key element in the destruction of traditional public space. It fragmented the fabric of traditional cities, prompting the sprawl of twentieth century cities and suburbs. The automobile permitted the average individual, for the first time in history, to move through public space insulated in a private shell, shielded from strangers and protected from undesirables. Consequently, the role of the sidewalk dwindled. The automobile and the parking lot dominated the pedestrian and the sidewalk, whose diminished vitality further encouraged widespread automobile use. As a result, the parking lot became one of the defining features of the American city. In the United States parking lots are expected to be utilitarian, prevalent and free. Even as traditional public spaces disappeared, there was little demand for new public spaces, particularly not in the parking lot. Through investigations of parking history and public space, this thesis argues that parking lots, by virtue of their visual and physical accessibility, are contemporary public space. Although they are singular in their use, in contrast to the multifaceted street, parking lots are the settings for modern public life. This thesis further asserts that the simple landscape of the utilitarian parking lot can be transformed into complex public space, thereby enlivening the public realm.

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.

abstract: Shareholder Activism is a mechanism by which investors who hold a significant but non-majority percentage of a company’s stock, exercise their voting rights, participate in corporate governance and influence operational decisions of target companies. The purpose is improve corporate governance, increase firm performance and boost share -holders’ returns. Existing studies of shareholder activism, based largely in mature capital markets like the US, come to different conclusions regarding its impact on firm performance. In this paper, I collect data on shareholder activism events in the China A Share market between 2006 and 2016. The sample includes 60 companies targeted by 42 activist investors over this period. I find that institutional investors, typically industrial capital and private funds, playing an increasingly important role in corporate governance of Chinese listed companies through activism. The disclosure of the holdings of activists results in large gains in the target firm. I also find subsequent improvements in long -term operational performance of target firms. Activist investors in China focus on smaller targets and those characterized by higher agency costs and lower operating performance. Activists appear to be largely concerned with improvements in business strategy and M&A activity. Non-hostile behavior is more likely to be related to successful activism in China. In addition to statistical evidence, I present case studies of the “BaoWan dispute” and the activist investment of Butterfly Capital in two firms, “Guonong” and “Xiuqiang”. The case studies highlight the mechanism employed by these firms to influence performance. I conclude with policy recommendations and direction for further research. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Business Administration 2017

Class of 2014 Abstract / Specific Aims: Fifth and 6th grade students at two schools in Tucson, Arizona were assessed using the Rapid Estimate of Adolescent Literacy in Medicine (REALM-Teen) to increase awareness of the need of childhood health literacy. Methods: After receiving permission from the two schools, the parents and the students, assessment by the REALM-Teen determined if the children were at, above, or below grade level. Main Results: Ninety-eight students were assessed of 183 possible (53.6%). Eighty-four were at or above grade level (85.7%), 14 were below (14.3%). Fifty-seven 5th graders were assessed of 90 (63.3%); of the 46 (of 72) in public school, 40 were at or above grade level (86.9%) and 6 were below (13.1%); of the 11 (of 18) in private school,9 were at or above grade level (81.8%) and 2 were below (18.2%). Forty-one 6th graders were assessed of 93 (44.1%); of the 34 (of 84) in public school, 28 were at or above grade level (82.4%) and 6 were below (17.6%); of the 7 (of 9) in private school 7 were at or above grade level (100%). Chi-square analyses showed no statistical significance between health literacy outcomes and gender, school type or prior health knowledge. Conclusion: Most (85.7%) students assessed were at grade level or higher for health literacy, which supports standards being taught and reached. That 14 students fell below grade level at the time of assessment as well as the high percentage of students not assessed (46.4%) emphasizes need for more health education and assessment.

The dissertation investigates an interface between industrial architecture, the public realm and formal and informal programmatic functions mediated through an urban abattoir. Further, the dissertation examines the occupation of a deserted industrial site and revival thereof through new light industrial programming. The proposal focusses on the rejuvenation of the abattoir as a ritualistic and cognisant process and the contemporary application of the industrial typology mediated through regenerative architectural principles and sustainable technologies. A new public interface is explored to reconnect industrial architecture and industry to the “urban surface”, avoiding the mistakes of the past and preserving the future of the site and its surrounding context. The final design ameliorates the deserted wasteland condition by connecting the new abattoir to the industrial heritage of the site. The resultant design is an urban abattoir which interacts and expresses itself at various scales whilst always representative of the processes housed. The design creates a dialogue between the public and the abattoir by adopting the methodology of reclaiming the entire animal carcass as done in South African ritual slaughter. The design incorporates numerous sustainable systems to reduce the waste found in abattoirs. The project reconnects the contemporary abattoir to the productive urban network and emphasises the importance of architecture in the regeneration of a building typology. Copyright 2011, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Nieuwoudt, JH 2011, High street abattoir : a new interface for architecture of industry mediated through a public abattoir, MArch(Prof) dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-01052012-134038 / > C12/4/56/gm / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Architecture / unrestricted

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Throughout my years of architecture education I have become more and more aware that we are connected with architecture from the very first moments of our life. Architecture, an important part of our environment, affects our experiences, feelings, memories, and ultimately the decisions we make. To exploring the connection between architecture and the human experience was the intention for my thesis. Whether positive or negative, everything created or done by man has an affect on his environment. Some people are more aware of their architectural environment some are less but at the end we all life with it and have at least an unconscious impression of it. Based on these impressions and the consciously experienced details of our environment, of events we have feelings and make judgments and decisions. The nice dinner on a Friday night which makes you feel comfortable and good, it is a result of the whole environment of the place where you have dinner. Not only the room temperature, your company, your table neighbors, the restaurant staff, the expectations of the coming weekend but more important the dimensions of the space that make it feel grand or intimate, the way sound sticks to the walls or bounces off them giving life to the space, or the way a single beam of light can show you the beauty of colors and materials. / Master of Architecture

An examination of Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, applying modern theories of gender and sexuality to the textual analysis of a selection of primary written works and biographical works, in order to determine the roles that they play, not only in the case of these two saints of the Catholic Church, but also within the mystical tradition as a whole.