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.

The intention of this study is to analyze the economic impact of redeveloped Major League Baseball stadiums opened between 1991 and 2004. Using two empirical models, including an event study, this impact analysis captures the economic conditions of the cities during the opening year of the stadium, as well as the prior conditions leading up to the opening of the stadium, along with any lingering effects or gradual changes in conditions. The impact was measured in relation to the Metropolitan Statistical Areas corresponding to the 18 ballparks included, specifically looking at the impact on employment rates and per capita personal income. The common assumption is that stadium redevelopment will provide a positive impact on the surrounding community, initiating revitalization of urban neighborhoods as well as increasing job opportunities, income levels, and city revenues. While previous research on the effects of stadium development have mostly concluded that there is no positive or significant quantitative impact resulting from stadiums, this study shows that the boom of ballpark redevelopment may actually have positive effects, contrasting this prior research. With the results showing small, yet positive effects, the recent boom period may actually have been so far effective in initiating new development and revitalized culture in urban areas, and will therefore be useful in further developing future plans for modernizing and redeveloping baseball stadiums.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Lee R. Skabelund / College and university campuses have the potential to organize buildings, outdoor spaces, pedestrian corridors, roadways, parking lots, and infrastructure all within one cohesive and unified place. Dynamic but unified spaces are typically the result of thoughtful architecture, landscape architecture, and years of planning. Recognizable design styles, material use, and plant palettes work together to create something bigger than simply a collection of buildings, transportation corridors, and outdoor spaces. Each building, group of buildings, series of spaces, transportation feature, and infrastructural component needs to be designed and implemented with the entire campus in mind to be truly successful. When planned correctly, a unified campus can harbor innovation, provide inspiration, and initiate interaction. Stouffer Place Apartments has evolved into a secluded housing development within the midst of the busy University of Kansas (KU) campus. Apartments are only available to graduate students, international students, students with families, non-traditional students, and post-doctoral researchers. Stouffer Place has maintained a quiet and peaceful atmosphere at the corner of 19th and Iowa in Lawrence, Kansas since 1957. Like so many of the university housing developments built after World War II, Stouffer Place is full of aging infrastructure, providing the basis for a discussion of a new or renovated development on the site (Casey-Powell 1999, 86). Not only are the aging Stouffer Place buildings an eyesore to many people in the community, but their existing arrangement limits community interaction and shared space. Additionally, many of the Stouffer Place apartment buildings are near the end of their lifetime, but they can they be recycled, reused, and deconstructed to create dynamic spaces for the residents. In short, Stouffer Place can be redeveloped to create a new model of affordable, sustainable, and self-sufficient on-campus apartments that attract and retain students as well as create a higher quality of life. With the growing trend of sustainable building practices, KU’s Department of Student Housing (DSH) has an immense opportunity to transform this student community into a model for other universities nationwide. By implementing a design strategy that successfully reuses and phases out the existing built infrastructure of the site, a place that facilitates sustainable living and community interaction will be created. Through this project, the culture and identity of Stouffer Place is revealed and catalyzed, using the missions of KU and DSH to create a plan that supports, sustains, and creates.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / John W. Keller / This report reviews pertinent knowledge regarding brownfield redevelopment, specifically the processes and issues involved. It addresses such topics as the type of brownfield sites, steps to remediation, types of remediation and barriers to redevelopment. Finally, a precedent study of Wellston, MO is presented. This study examines the impact that the development of two abandoned brownfield sites, Wellston Electrical Company and ABEX Foundry, had on the entire community. It was found that the onset of the development of these sites spurred the revitalization of the whole city of Wellston, having a positive influence across the city and surrounding area.

The study aims to explore different aspects of urban public space. It does so through the case study of the medial debate concerning the planned redevelopment of Heden, an open central publicly owned area in Gothenburg, Sweden. The case study revealed the highly contested meanings of Heden, as well as different understandings of public space. The study also points to the dilemma of making urban public space readable and convivial, while maintaining it inclusive and open for everyone. The medial debate circles around the newly publicized redevelopment plan for Heden. In the plan the local government proposes the addition of more activities and functions to Heden. Thereby, they wish to attract new target groups to Heden. This proposal has met with some approval in the medial debate, but also with harsh critique. Some critics voice the concern of to whom public space is redeveloped. Other critics want to see more extensive redevelopment of Heden, to cover it with “inner city”. Others yet wish a future Heden to have a more explicit focus on sports. The study examines these differing opinions and their possible consequences for the “publicness” of urban public space.

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

published_or_final_version / Real Estate and Construction / Master / Master of Science in Real Estate and Construction Development

The success of independent rock music ("indie rock"), once a marginalized sub-genre of the rock idiom and now a globally recognized cultural force, has impacted the urban landscape of Omaha, Nebraska via the mixed-use urban redevelopment project, "Slowdown" - a result of cultural production by the city's successful indie rock business entities. While geographic research has previously analyzed urban redevelopment initiated by fine artists, the event of indie rock music being a catalyst for urban redevelopment has never been considered in a geographic scope. By examining the topics of affordable technological tools, Omaha's reduced cost-of-living, and cooperative efforts by city leaders, insight into how an indie rock "scene" can become a successful urban redevelopment catalyst is gained.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional & Community Planning / Jessica Canfield / The Kansas City downtown area is experiencing a population influx, which is projected to increase over the next few decades, requiring new residential areas and increased parkland in the downtown. The Kansas City West Bottoms, located between the downtowns of Kansas City Missouri and Kansas City Kansas, is an urban district plagued by vast tracts of underutilized land, poor connectivity, and vulnerability to flooding. To address the issues of the West Bottoms and the area’s need for new urban development, this project proposes the implementation of a new urban park that both supports and is supported by a new urban district. In order to transform the West Bottoms into a vibrant mixed-use community, the park and redevelopment will be phased in over a period of 33 years. Intermediate natures, landscapes that temporarily occupy and improve parts of the city undergoing transformation, will be used to preserve current open space, which will later transition into parkland as the district grows. Ultimately, West Bottoms 2048 will draw users and activity to the district while generating a lasting environmental and economic impact on the downtown area.

Since Hurricane Katrina, targeting redevelopment has become the dominant municipal strategy for neighborhood and city-wide revitalization. Since 2009, this strategy has been adopted and is currently being implemented by the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority in several New Orleans neighborhoods. One such area includes the commercial corridor of the Central City neighborhood, Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard (OC Haley). This thesis describes and assesses NORA‘s strategy for revitalizing OC Haley with regards to impacts on Central City‘s economic development and affordable housing—two of the area‘s greatest challenges. Although NORA‘s targeting strategy is proving effective in many respects, it is not without its limitations including creating a gentrifying environment. To address this foreseeable impact, this thesis recommends the incorporation of a Community Land Trust (CLT) into NORA‘s Central City Strategy to aid in effectively revitalizing the neighborhood without compromising affordability.