Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2010. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 116-123). / As WEB DuBois notes in his seminal work, The Souls of Black Folk, "it is a peculiar sensation, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by the tape of the world that looks on in amused contempt and pity [...]." The Black person wishes to merge the double-consciousness, but "would not Africanize America, for America has too much to teach the world and Africa. He would not bleach his Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism, for he knows that Negro blood has a message for the world. He simply wishes to make it possible for a man to be both a Negro and an American...". And, hence, it is within this space, in the chasm created by double-consciousness, within which Black Urbanism aims to draw from. A Black Urbanism discourse assumes there is a latent genius in that space, untapped by contemporary design and planning literature and practice. My thesis aims to develop a theory of "Black Urbanism," and derive a set of employable design principles. Black communities contribute greatly to the liveliness and culture of cities, however, their contributions are seldom engaged meaningfully by planners/designers; the framework is intended to fold Black Urban principles into a larger understanding of how cities function and thrive and to develop a tool not only for analysis, but also for the active role of designing new spaces. In light of the search for a sustainable urbanism, the retrofitting of America's urban landscapes offers a major opportunity to apply this approach, as much of what is considered "wasted landscape" may be disproportionately located in communities of color. I explore the history of the federal interstate system, its disproportionate construction in Black neighborhoods, and the growing argument for the removal of elevated expressways in cities' urban core. In New Orleans, the Claiborne Expressway, a spur off of Interstate 10 planned by Robert Moses, runs through the heart of what is considered America's first Black neighborhood, and the neighborhood that birthed jazz. I explore the local manifestations of Black Urbanism on the street and describe the opportunities for a Black Urban design strategy to revive the sense of place and scale should the freeway be removed. / by Sara Zewde. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2011. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references. / BRT is a new type of bus transit with high speed and capacity. With its advantages and benefits, BRT is getting popular in the world, including China. Since BRT and urban rail transit (URT) are both rapid public transports, the comparisons between the two will be inevitable. Generally speaking, BRT could theoretically reach the speed and capacity of light rail, but there is still a gap in abilities between BRT and metro. Though for construction investment, BRT is much lower-cost than the same-length metro, if considering the land value and exclusive effects altogether, the total cost of a BRT system could increase faster with the raise in passenger numbers. Therefore, depending on different development stages, cities should choose the right mode with highest efficiency as the dominant public transit. Sometimes, both of the systems should work in corporation for the best effectiveness. Though there are competition and substitution between BRT and URT, compatibility and complementarity also exist. The integration between the two will bring us a new understanding on the developments of the urban transit system. For integration of BRT and URT, thoughtful network planning is the first step. Second, the service quality and efficiency of transfers between the systems should be emphasized. Also important, a cooperative management will be necessary. At the same time, land development opportunities should be considered with this integration trend. / by Yun Zhan. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1986. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH / Bibliography: leaves 129-137. / by Shih-Liang Tu. / M.C.P.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1984. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography: leaves 208-223. / by Hugh Emrys Evans. / Ph.D.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-75). / Social networks in the Vietnamese nail salon industry were studied for their utility in addressing occupational health risks. Major findings include heavy reliance on family networks for fundamental needs, an extensive industry network effective in spreading information, and a sparse community network. Practitioners hoping to work with this population are directed to the opportunities and challenges to taking action, particularly the potential for greater cooperation and the lack of weak-bridging ties. / by Tam Minh-Thi Doan. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-107). / by Kenji Mitsui. / M.C.P.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning. Thesis. 1973. M.C.P. / Bibliography: leaves 100-105. / M.C.P.

Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2018. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 89-97). / In September 2017, two severe earthquakes hit Mexico, killing hundreds of people and destroying thousand of structures, including houses, schools, churches, and other buildings. As a consequence, 18,851 settlements were declared disaster areas (DOF. 2017); 96% of those settlements are rancherías -- rural settlements and smallest geo-political unit in Mexico (INEGI. 2010). Because they tend to be very poor, the Mexican federal government intervened to assist affected families by utilizing national savings to provide conditional cash transfers for self-building, with the aim of facilitating housing reconstruction. However, this federal program, like other development programs used by the Mexican government, uses a top-down approach that has been criticized as a one-size-fits-all-solution that does not address the overwhelming needs of those living in earthquake-affected rancherías. This thesis studies the Mexican post-earthquake house reconstruction program at national, state, ranchería and household levels, with the objective of (1) examining the post-earthquake housing development program implemented by the Mexican government, (2) analyzing how national reconstruction plans can be made more efficient at local level, and (3) making recommendations to increase program efficiency through the proposal of a new policy initiative. In order to understand the reconstruction process, I first studied the protocols deployed at national and state levels. I then visited families in the midst of their reconstruction process in three rancherías -- La Nopalera in Yautepec, Morelos; Acatzingo de la Piedra in Tenancingo, Estado de Mexico; and San Juan Tlacotompa in Ecatzingo, Estado de México. This fieldwork permitted discovering that reconstruction is being led by external agents that fail to understand rural needs, consequently imposing urban housing solutions on a rural setting, thereby creating financial, structural and health risks. At the same time, capacity building training is concentrated on these external, urban-oriented agents, leaving local communities with minimal involvement or training in reconstruction efforts. Based on these findings, this thesis provides recommendations on how to address the misdirection of reconstruction efforts and proposes the creation of a university network for Rural Risk Reduction, so as to decentralise the technical capacity, currently concentrated in Mexican cities, while integrating local knowledge regarding rural-specific needs. / by Akemi Sato Matsumoto Miranda. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2003. / "September 2003." / Includes bibliographical references (p. 99-101). / by Alex Ricardo Jiménez Cruz. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-108). / by Mark Llewellyn Bixby. / M.S.