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

The conservation of freshwater resources is fundamental in supporting modern society and preserving natural habitats and ecosystems. Deterioration of water quality in urban landscapes and loss of municipal water to leaky water distribution infrastructure are two substantial challenges to water-resource sustainability. I examine the geochemistry of streamwater, municipal water, wastewater, soil, and bedrock from the Bull Creek watershed, a rapidly urbanizing watershed in Austin, Texas, to achieve a better understanding of the processes of geochemical evolution as anthropogenically-sourced water recharges natural systems. Urbanization patterns in the Bull Creek watershed have created a contiguous expanse of urban development that covers roughly two thirds of the watershed, whereas the remaining third is rural, enabling direct comparison between urban and rural streamwater from a single watershed. Results indicate that Na, Cl, K, and SO₄ in urban springs and tributaries are elevated more than two-fold in comparison with rural springs and tributaries. A comparison of Sr concentration and Sr isotopic composition for spring and tributary samples indicates that municipal water and wastewater provide a substantial contribution to the urbanized stream branches of Bull Creek. This water is reactive in the subsurface after it leaks from the municipal system, evolving via a pathway of water-rock interaction with limestone. / text

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The rapid growth of secondary cities in Kenya is explored through an analysis of various factors related to development. Through a shift-share analysis of employment figures it is shown that, while employment expansion and diversification has occurred in some of the secondary cities, this does not fully explain the population growth which has taken place. Road improvements facilitated rural out-migration while perceived employment opportunities encouraged in-migration to smaller urban centers. While these factors do not fully correspond to the growth which has taken place, it is suggested that they do reveal certain growth patterns which are occurring. Finally, it is suggested that the growth of Kenyan secondary cities is a positive step towards a more equitable and efficient spatial distribution of the population and that, through their development, secondary cities can play an important role in diminishing rural-urban differences and unifying Kenya's space economy. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)

Aboriginal urbanization has increased dramatically in Canada over the last half century. Aboriginal rights may be an important factor in shaping Aboriginal peoples’ experiences of urbanization, as they are largely restricted to those living on reserves. Through their impacts on social determinants of health, these differences in spatial access to Aboriginal rights may have implications for the health of Aboriginal peoples living in urban areas. Using mixed quantitative (statistical analysis of the Aboriginal Peoples Survey) and qualitative (in-depth interviews with Aboriginal women and men in Toronto) methods, this thesis explores relationships between Aboriginal urbanization and Aboriginal rights, focusing on how they may differentially impact the health of Aboriginal women and men living in urban areas. Findings suggest that the perceived lack of respect for Aboriginal rights in urban areas is negatively related to health, and that Aboriginal women and men may experience these impacts differently.

Urban landscapes have become the dominant form ofliving environments around the world. It is now estimated that over half the world's population live in a city or urban landscape, with this figure constantly increasing (World Bank Group; 2005). Cities now dominate as economic, social and political hubs, featuring as the central core for essential functions of daily life. Because of the prominence and the ever-increasing importance cities play, they have become focal sites for future developmental interventions and opportunities. The dominance of urban living has brought with it both positive and negative consequences, as cities are the sites of great growth opportunities, but also of dire poverty and inequality challenges. Inner cities generally feature as the central focal area of urban environments, the core region of the city, and as a consequence of numerous impacting factors, are increasingly exhibiting compounded difficulties. Cities in both the North and the developing South are increasingly being placed at the front line in the international developmental arena, as sites for potential improvement and beneficial welfare. This is evident in the campaigns lead by most prominent international development agencies concentrating on urban populations and problems. They are priority sites for the eradication of growing challenges such as poverty and inequality, and for enhancing developmental opportunities. Due to the sheer number ofproblems and complicated interactions, it is increasingly evident that cities are complex entities in need of effective, efficient, equitable management and development. These are the main issues explored throughout this research. The concerns will be viewed from an international perspective, looking at current trends and debates, as well as a more detailed investigation into how they play out in the South Africa urban context. The research makes use of a case study example, Newtown Cultural Precinct in Johannesburg, to examine nuanced, localised urban complexities and possible regeneration strategies to counter them. The aim is to explore concerns and issues within a specific case study example and examine what implications these understandings may offer for other urban contexts. Numerous key findings and important conclusions were reached through the case study investigations, which hold vital lessons for future inner city regeneration projects, as well as issues pertinent to dynamic and changing urban environments. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2008.

In the last few decades protection of the environment has moved to the forefront of earth science research. Sustainable development is becoming more important to rapidly growing communities throughout southern Ontario including the City of Waterloo which has adopted an ecosystem planning approach toward future urban expansion. The City of Waterloo is located in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo which relies mainly on local groundwater resources for its drinking water supply. The Waterloo West Side is a collective name for several new developments occurring at the western limit of the City of Waterloo. Development of the Waterloo West Side is encroaching on a potential regional groundwater recharge area. Recent studies have recommended that some of these developments will require artificial infiltration facilities to augment the reduction in infiltration rates at the post-development stage. For this study, the pre-development groundwater flow system was characterized using a three-dimensional finite element model (WATFLOW). The regional Waterloo Moraine Model (approximately 750 km2) was refined in the study area (approximately 25 km2) so as to include the regional-scale influence on the local-scale groundwater flow. In addition, to approximate the complex groundwater flow system, within the study area, modifications were made to the current conceptual model. Several existing techniques were utilized in the numerical approach including three-dimensional parameterization and automated calibration methods. Simulations were completed to steady-state therefore results are averaged on a yearly basis. The potential impact of urbanization on the groundwater flow system was investigated by modifying the surficial boundary condition to simulate post-development infiltration rates (increased runoff) in areas where development will occur. The impact to local surface water was investigated for each post-development scenario. In addition, the effect on the regional and local groundwater flow systems were compared for each scenario.

Urbanization has been associated with the degradation of streams, and a consequence of forest to urban land transition is a change in streamflow. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to examine the impacts of land-cover change in ten different watersheds in the rapidly urbanizing Atlanta, GA USA metropolitan area. Streamflow and precipitation data for a 30-year period (1986-2016) were analyzed in conjunction with land cover data from 1992, 2001, and 2011. Big Creek and Suwanee Creek experienced the most urbanization and increases (20%) in streamflow and runoff, and high flow (>95th percentile of flow) days doubled and increased 85%, respectively. Precipitation-adjusted streamflow for Peachtree Creek and Flint River decreased about 17%. Runoff ratios for South River were the highest among all watersheds, even the Etowah River, which remained moderately forested and had the most precipitation and slope.

This practicum is an exploration of the meaning of resiliency within the discourse of the Landscape Architecture discipline. Its significance to ecological thinking and its conjunction to engineering solutions are examined for developing of an integrated approach towards flood mitigation strategies. Although not the only hazard experienced in the Philippines, floods are the most pervasive. The severity of this natural event and the corresponding disaster is augmented by factors produced within the socio-economic realm. To measure the increasing frequency of disasters from floods, the inherent vulnerability of the study area, Metropolitan Manila and historical reports of said events are considered. To further comprehend the role of Landscape Architecture within an integrated framework the three types of resiliency organized by Dovers and Handmer are examined and applied at various scale (regional, local, and micro) pertaining to the study area. This part of the practicum explores methods of resiliency in conventional response as well as ecological resiliency to flood events. / October 2016

The purpose of this thesis will be to explore conceptions of waste in Nepal’s rural village of Simigaau to understand what constitutes waste and in what ways it is critical to the community’s physical and cultural survival. Due to the contribution of many aspects of daily life in the creation of “waste” in Simigaau –what it is and what it means – I hope to use a whole systems approach to understand the multitude of factors that affect how villagers view waste and whether its value can provide insight into a local way of life. Moreover, I aim to explore whether a community’s waste – seen and unseen – provide insight into a local way of life and if so, how this insight may be applied to both Nepal at large and connotations of “waste” in the West.