The Gold Line Foothill Extension represents an unprecedented light rail expansion into the San Gabriel Valley from downtown Los Angeles. In examining its potential for success, transit-oriented development (TOD) appears to be an integral factor and a major opportunity to redraw growth patterns along the corridor. TOD opportunities and challenges are investigated throughout the Foothill Extension, and three towns in particular, Claremont, Monrovia, and Irwindale, are examined on the basis of their varying levels of TOD planning. The corridor features many infill sites with potential for high density development near new Gold Line stations, but implementation of some TOD sites should be delayed until improvements in the economy can create appropriate short-term demand for office and retail space.

This paper is about my experience walking through Los Angeles County. My principal motivations were to explore what it means to be a pedestrian in an urban landscape that generally does not recognize walkers and to give value to often overlooked spaces. The paper includes a brief history of the Los Angeles region, methodology, an analysis of some other art projects that have been done about walking, and a vignette of the experience.

Food insecurity is defined as “a household‐level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food” (USDA Economic Research Service 2009). Low‐income households tend to be food insecure for many reasons. The first and most obvious would be the access to monetary resources. If a household does not have a sufficient income, it is difficult to keep an adequate amount of food for all household members at all times. Another reason would be that many low‐income households cannot afford a car and/or do not have easy access to public transportation or reliable private transportation.

This thesis examines the bicycle cultures found in the United States and the Netherlands. The cities of Claremont, California, San Luis Obispo, California, and Groeningen, Netherlands are used as case studies to compare bicycle policies and infrastructure. Bicycle-friendly cities require bicycle master plans that address accessibility, education and promotion, safe infrastructure, and parking. A successful bicycle culture improves a city’s environmental sustainability, health, equity, and access. Most importantly, a safe and convenient bicycle environment builds community interaction.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [382]-413).

Par l’acte I et l’acte II de la décentralisation, les pouvoirs publics ont fait le choix de transférer des compétences aux collectivités territoriales et par conséquent de prendre en compte le potentiel local offert par les territoires. L’organisation territoriale de la France est aujourd’hui très critiquée. L’évolution législative constante dans ce domaine n’a pas su construire un système efficace. En effet, la répartition des compétences entre l’Etat et les collectivités territoriales et entre les communes et leurs EPCI est devenue synonyme de complexité. Si la volonté du législateur était au départ d’instaurer une décentralisation par blocs de compétences, et de transférer à chaque échelon un bloc de compétences bien défini, la réalité fut toute autre. Aujourd’hui le but de l’intercommunalité est d’instituer une véritable collaboration fondée sur un projet commun de développement au sein de périmètres pertinents. Cependant la mutualisation des services reste difficile et trop peu appliquée. La nécessaire rationalisation dans la répartition des compétences a pour conséquences une réorientation de l’intercommunalité, qui se dirige aujourd’hui vers une coopération intercommunale à deux vitesses qui oppose les territoires ruraux et urbains. Le législateur par la loi de modernisation de l’action publique territoriale et d’affirmation des métropoles du 28 janvier 2014 et la loi du 7 août 2015 portant nouvelle organisation territoriale de la République, a privilégié l’expansion des métropoles, qui apparaissent comme une solution à l’empilement des structures intercommunales / By Act I and Act II of the Decentralization, the public authorities have made the choice to transfer competences to the territorial collectivities, and consequently to take into account the local potential of territories. The territorial organization of France is today very criticized. The constant legislative evolution in this field, did not know how to build an effective system. Indeed, the division of powers between the State and local authorities and between municipalities and their EPCI has become synonymous with complexity. If the will of the legislator was initially to introduce a decentralization by blocks of competences, and to transfer at each level a well-defined block of competences, the reality was quite different. Today, the goal of intercommunality is to establish a real collaboration based on a common project of development within relevant perimeters. However the pooling of services remains difficult and too little applied. The necessary rationalization in the division of powers has led to a reorientation of intercommunality, which is now moving towards a two-tier intermunicipal co-operation between rural and urban areas. The legislator by the law of modernization of the territorial public action and affirmation of the metropolises of January 28, 2014 and the law of August 7, 2015 on the new territorial organization of the Republic, favored the expansion of the metropolises, which appear as a as a solution to the stacking of intercommunal structure

This thesis explores the historic preservation projects in two cities: Suzhou, China, and Pasadena, California, United States. The purpose of investigating the strategies and policies used in each of the historic districts is to discuss whether preservation strategies applied in both cases could represent historic authenticity. The first two chapters focus on the project plan of the two historic districts. By evaluating the preservation policies at both national and regional level, histories of the districts, and approaches adopted by two cities, this thesis discerns the different perceptions of “authenticity” in preservation strategies in two countries. The next part of the thesis compares the two historic districts in terms of their distinctive focuses on preservation approaches. I, therefore, conclude that even though both cases have been deemed as successful models of preservation projects in each country, both historic district has demonstrated different levels of insufficient protection in culture and social sustainability.

From the futuristic Jewel at Changi Airport, the healing gardens at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital in Yishun to School of the Arts at Orchard Road, greenery has sprouted in buildings vertically and horizontally in Singapore, painting a growing green canopy for the dense, high rise city. This paper combines both analyses from first-hand site visits and case studies from external scholar studies to examine the performance of existing Green Building Infrastructures (BGIs) within Singapore’s unique urban context. The study reveals that the success of BGIs is highly dependent on the programming (i.e. thermal comfort design, accessibility, amenity facilities etc.), as well as the function and users of the existing building. Designs and planning that take those factors into consideration while being in line with the city’s general development goals, such as storm water management and pervasive greenery, are likely to bring out the most benefits in BGIs. To demonstrate, this paper also proposed several policy and planning recommendations that included several sets of rudimentary yet relevant parameters. Future research is encouraged to explore more complex combinations of considerations, their incorporation in design and policy making process, as well as a scientific and systematic method to evaluate BGI performance that includes both objective environmental impacts and subjective user experience that might be achieved through smart city developments.

Established communities pursue revitalization to transform struggling downtowns into vibrant hubs and walkable neighborhoods. Vacant and underused parcels can help communities grow sustainably by using excess capacity in existing infrastructure. However, many communities experience limited urban infill activity due to persistent bias favoring low-density development at the community’s edges. In small communities perceptions and processes can favor low-density growth. Infill development can be complicated due to site conditions and neighborhood context, yet planners work with ad hoc techniques and limited staff time. There is a need for efficient ways to identify suitable sites and generate information to use for community decision-making around redevelopment. The primary aim of this research is to develop an Urban Infill Assessment Framework (UIAF). It is organized around three questions: Can the framework assess infill’s potential in a small post-industrial downtown? Is it replicable? Does the framework change how local stakeholders perceive infill potential? To answer these questions this study will develop and test a UIAF in Turners Falls, MA, then test resulting information through stakeholder interviews. The framework uses mixed-methods to integrate social values, fiscal efficiency, and spatial awareness through procedures organized in three Phases. Phase I examines quantitative and qualitative information (e.g., local planning documents, tax data, site visits, and consultations with local experts) to produce mapped context data, and local building typologies with corresponding tax yield per acre. In Phase II these components are used in scenario building, to calculate composite capacity of infill acreage and annual tax yield for defined areas. Finally, interviews with ten stakeholders test how the information influences perceptions of infill in Turners Falls. As a result of this research, planners should be able to replicate the framework. Based on preliminary results, the relevance of an infill assessment tool to planning practice is threefold: It promotes strategic land-use planning by generating information to compare development projects across diverse locations, scales, and spatial configurations. It supports structured application of concepts uniquely suited to managing urban environments. Improved redevelopment tools and expertise can offset procedural and perceptual factors that favor low-density growth and sprawl.

The focus of this thesis is the creation of a series of architectural installations, bridges and gardens that link together via a pedestrian/bike path to connect the urban center of Main St. in Brattleboro, Vermont with the municipal park on the western end of town known as Memorial Park. This thesis argues that the vast majority of community interactions take place along the sidewalks of the urban downtown, and in certain centers of activity in and around the area, such as Memorial Park. Thus, these two places have been chosen to test whether architecture can be used to bridge the distance between two locations, and link them. Through an in-depth study of the town's network of pathways, traffic patterns, and sidewalk conditions, it was discovered that the main areas of community gathering have no safe method of connection except via automobile. However, the very nature of the automobile tends to isolate individuals and limit community interaction. Therefore, by combining the desire to increase a sense of community interaction, this thesis creates a community pathway that connects Main St and Memorial Park. The route will have a series of small outdoor architectural installations including a swimming hole, music amphitheater, and open-air movie theater, that will be linked via walkways and bridges along the Whetstone Brook that runs from west to east through the center of Brattleboro.