The intent of this thesis is to investigate whether there is a place for low-income residents in gentrified neighborhoods by examining how the housing needs of these households are provided. Affordable housing development and maintenance are key components for preserving a place for low-income residents in gentrified communities. This paper investigates the provision of affordable housing through the renovation of the historic Whitelaw Hotel in Washington, D.C. by recreating the renovation events from interviews with participants in the project to document the obstacles to and benefits of the success of these projects. The paper also examines the issue of affordability and sustainability of affordable housing projects. Affordable is a subjective term. Local jurisdictions determine the income criteria that establish eligibility for affordable units. In many cities such as Washington, D.C., the area median income (AMI) used to determine eligibility is higher than the median income of the neighborhoods in which the affordable housing is located. A high AMI increases the number of households eligible for subsidized housing, which heightens competition for these units pitting very low-income households against households earning almost twice their income. Also, the sustainability of affordable units is contingent on many factors. There are mechanisms for preserving affordability and many limitations, including personal decisions, which impact their longevity. This paper found that while the renovation project successfully created affordable housing there was little consensus by interview participants on the definition of affordability or whether the project is sustainable as affordable housing after the low-income housing tax credits expires. / Master of Science

This thesis is concerned with the social impacts of urban design. It responds to the extensive history of race-based and class-based exclusion in American cities and offers a critique of postmodern planning strategies that seek to encourage social diversity but often undermine it. The Braddock Metro Neighborhood in Alexandria, Virginia, encompasses the historic community of Uptown, at one time the largest African-American community in Alexandria. Uptown, like most African-American urban neighborhoods in the United States, has been shaped by the forces of racism, segregation, displacement, public housing, white flight, economic disinvestment, crime, historic districting, and - recently - redevelopment and gentrification. The Braddock Metro Neighborhood Plan, a small-area master plan for accommodating transit-oriented redevelopment while affirming neighborhood character and connecting diverse residents, serves as the foundational document for neighborhood redevelopment. Central to the Neighborhood Plan is the replacement of public housing projects with mixed-income communities. These communities, which accommodate an influx of middle-income residents while retaining a percentage of low-income residents, are expressing a new type of residential diversity in the neighborhood, particularly in terms of the spatial proximity of different social groups. Proponents of mixed-income communities cite the potential for the formation of Bridging Social Capital (i.e., benefits, such as improved educational or employment opportunities, shared via casual ties among residents of different social groups). However, researchers have observed self-segregation occurring among residents of mixed-income communities, suggesting that spatial proximity alone does not guarantee the mixture of different social groups. This thesis posits that social mixing in diverse neighborhoods depends upon the presence of carefully designed social spaces, and it offers a set of streetscape interventions intended to support the formation of Bridging Social Capital in the Braddock Metro Neighborhood. The selected site consists of two historic street segments that are not yet fully redeveloped or gentrified. Design decisions are grounded in a careful assessment of site conditions, including existing social conditions, and supported by academic research in history, sociology, urban planning, and social-space design theory. Precise, small-scale interventions engage edges, affirm site character, and encourage residents to linger, sense one another, and tolerate challenging conditions of diversity. Design elements also accommodate the City of Alexandria's guidelines for street safety, mobility, accessibility, stormwater management, and historic preservation. / Master of Landscape Architecture / This thesis is concerned with the social impacts of urban design. It responds to the extensive history of race-based and class-based exclusion in American cities and offers a critique of postmodern planning strategies that seek to encourage social diversity but often undermine it. The Braddock Metro Neighborhood in Alexandria, Virginia, encompasses the historic community of Uptown, at one time the largest African-American community in Alexandria. Uptown, like most African-American urban neighborhoods in the United States, has been shaped by the forces of racism, segregation, displacement, public housing, white flight, economic disinvestment, crime, historic districting, and - recently - redevelopment and gentrification. The Braddock Metro Neighborhood Plan, a small-area master plan for accommodating transit-oriented redevelopment while affirming neighborhood character and connecting diverse residents, serves as the foundational document for neighborhood redevelopment. Central to the Neighborhood Plan is the replacement of public housing projects with mixed-income communities. These communities, which accommodate an influx of middle-income residents while retaining a percentage of low-income residents, are expressing a new type of residential diversity in the neighborhood, particularly in terms of the spatial proximity of different social groups. Proponents of mixed-income communities cite the potential for the formation of Bridging Social Capital (i.e., benefits, such as improved educational or employment opportunities, shared via casual ties among residents of different social groups). However, researchers have observed self-segregation occurring among residents of mixed-income communities, suggesting that spatial proximity alone does not guarantee the mixture of different social groups. This thesis posits that social mixing in diverse neighborhoods depends upon the presence of carefully designed social spaces, and it offers a set of streetscape interventions intended to support the formation of Bridging Social Capital in the Braddock Metro Neighborhood. The selected site consists of two historic street segments that are not yet fully redeveloped or gentrified. Design decisions are grounded in a careful assessment of site conditions, including existing social conditions, and supported by academic research in history, sociology, urban planning, and social-space design theory. Precise, small-scale interventions engage edges, affirm site character, and encourage residents to linger, sense one another, and tolerate challenging conditions of diversity. Design elements also accommodate the City of Alexandria's guidelines for street safety, mobility, accessibility, stormwater management, and historic preservation.

published_or_final_version / Law / Master / Master of Laws

Thesis (M. Sc. (Urb. Plan.))--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 175-178).

Thesis (L.L.M.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Diss.--Zürich. / Vita. Bibliography: p. xiii-xviii.

No description available.

The Piedras Blancas Motel is a 1950’s era roadside motel comprised of 11 lodging units, plus a cafe, laundry room, manager’s apartment, and adjacent storage area. It is located seven miles north of San Simeon and nine miles south of the San Luis Obispo/Monterey County line. In 2005, the property was purchased using State, Federal, and private funds, and then transferred to the California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks). Although it has been closed to the public since 2005, the Site offers day-use parking and convenient beach access. This professional project, under contract with the California Coastal Conservancy, provides information necessary for the future redevelopment of the Piedras Blancas Motel. It demonstrates the feasibility of a preferred development alternative through several analyses including: a structural analysis of the existing building(s), a constraints analysis, an evaluation of regulatory requirements, and an assessment of redevelopment options based on preliminary market research and financial analysis. The primary objective of the Coastal Conservancy and State Parks is to provide low-cost overnight lodging and visitor services along the Big Sur Coast. The Motel would serve as an alternative to existing expensive lodges or resorts as well as existing tent or RV camping that may not serve as an option for some visitors.

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

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Blake Belanger / Anticipating a thirty five percent population increase over the next thirty years, the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) developed the Creating Sustainable Places: A Regional Plan for Sustainable Development in Greater Kansas City (CSP) as a comprehensive strategy to guide the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Region (KC Metro) to grow sustainably into the future. The Rock Island Corridor (RIC) is one of six key corridors identified by the Smart Moves Regional Transit Vision Alternatives Analysis to be redeveloped with the first phase extending seventeen miles from Downtown Kansas City, MO to Pleasant Hill, MO. Phase one will include a mixed use trail and commuter rail line with the second phase planning to extend the mixed use trail to Windsor, MO; becoming the primary link between the KC Metro and the 238 mile long Missouri Katy Trail State Park. Reactivating the RIC, having zero gateways and untouched for thirty years, suggests the corridor communities will require a true collaboration to develop the gateways as destinations at the proposed commuter rail stations. Involving an artist(s) with the interdisciplinary professionals during the entire gateway development project will allow public art to be more successfully integrated into the proposal from the onset. Proposing collaborative gateway design process guidelines, with background information on public art and the collaborative process, will guide the corridor communities in creating a destination for the RIC and the individual communities “achieving the shared vision of creating more vibrant, connected and green centers and corridors” (MARC CSP 2011, 1). Raytown, Missouri is used as an example demonstrating the materials which should be discussed during the initial design meeting in the collaborative gateway design process between the Consultant Team and the Design Advisory Council. Thinking of the RIC as an alternative transit amenity, establishing a collaborative design process and a general understanding of its components will allow for a true collaborative process to develop a destination for the community, the RIC, and KC Metro. Including public art in the collaborative design process will encourage more community involvement, potentially fostering a greater sense of ownership in the gateway, and personal investment in the community; engaging the residents to establish the foundation for a sustainable community capable of developing socially and economically over time.