Environmental Design Commons^™

Study On The Fire-Protection: Characteristics Of Green Spaces In Central Sakai City, Misato Kagioka, Yuji Hara, Kazuaki Tsuchiya

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

The purpose of this study is to include among close-at-hand shelter zones urban green spaces other than parks, and to examine the safety that those spaces provide against fi res in terms of lot size,tree coverage ratio, and the fi re-protection functions of trees. For our study we chose the district in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture. This study found that because the tree coverage ratio, which affects a shelter zone's defense against fi re, is changed by the effect of the tree canopy and not by lot size, it is necessary to use methods which ensure a good crown spread, …

The Future Needs The Past:Problems And Challenges Of Post-Cataclysm Heritage Management In Kotagede, Jogjakarta Special Province, Indonesia, Widjaja Martokusumo

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

In addition to traditional causes of decay, cultural heritage is increasingly threatened by natural disasters. Earthquakes interrupt the historical continuity of place making and create an opportunityto both reconstruct historical fabrics and to create new meanings and functions. As demonstrated in Kotagede, Jogjakarta Special Province, Indonesia, sustainable conservation should evolve with new contemporary needs and not be about making static museum places. Two case studies of post-calamity reconstruction illustrate the utilization of existing urban fabric, in which through redefi nition and reprogramming do not reveal solutions, but demonstrate the challenges in response to the urban dynamics after the 2006 earthquake.

City Of Water:Architecture, Urbanism And The Floods Of Phnom Penh, Shelby Elizabeth Doyle

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

The following is a summary of ongoing research conducted in 2011-2012, funded in part by the Fulbright Program and entitled City of Water: Architecture, Urbanism and the Floods of Phnom Penh. This work documents the relationships between water, architecture, and infrastructure in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The objective of the project is to record the architectural and urban conditions sustained by and subject to the cyclical fl oods of the city's rivers and the challenges faced by Phnom Penh as it rapidly urbanizes in a fl ood plain.

Embankment Settlement In Bangladesh: A Study On The Self-Generated Pattern Of Vernacular Architecture, Masud Ur Rashid, Naimul Aziz

NAKHARA (Journal of Environmental Design and Planning)

Due to the erosion caused by the aggressive river Jamuna in Sirajganj, Bangladesh, every year many villagers have move their homes. The poor, who cannot afford land at a safe distance fromthe aggressive river, generally move to the nearby fl ood protection embankment. Without any land ownership, the embankment settlement in some ways appears as a 'rural slum.' But the embankment settlement differs from traditional rural architecture. Scarcity of land and strong linear direction of the embankment control the total organization of the settlement. This paper is focused on the unique features of fl ood embankment settlement as a self …

Evaluating The Irish Technical Guidance Documents In The Context Of Sustainability, Rosemarie Macsweeney

Theses

Sustainability is more than just a “buzz word” or meaningless jargon; it is what is needed for survival due to the unsustainability of humanity in recent centuries. Sustainable buildings are only one element of the solution, but a very large one in terms of the amount of problems created socially, economically and environmentally by buildings. Humans now spend more and more time in buildings, most of their days in many cases, and so the regulation and policy mechanisms surrounding buildings are critical to the success of sustainability. The Irish Technical Guidance Documents (TGDs), are a set of twelve documents which …

An Empirical Study Of Particulate Matter Exposure For Transit Users At Bus Stop Shelters, Adam Moore

Dissertations and Theses

Congested traffic corridors in dense urban areas are key contributors to the degradation of urban air quality. While waiting at bus stops, transit patrons may be exposed to greater amounts of vehicle-based pollution, including particulate matter, due to their proximity to the roadway. Current guidelines for the location and design of bus stops do not take into account air quality or exposure considerations. This thesis provides a unique contribution to roadside air quality studies and presents an innovative method for the consideration of bus shelter placement. Exposure to roadside pollutants is estimated for transit riders waiting at three-sided bus stop …

Umass Amherst Campus Master Plan, Sustainability Reports & Plans, Dennis Swinford, Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, Alexander Stepanov, Lukasz Czarniecki, Niels La Cour, Simon Raine

Ludmilla D Pavlova

The University of Massachusetts Amherst has a long tradition of campus planning that dates back to 1866 and the first plan for the campus by Frederick Law Olmsted. Successive planning efforts in the modern era have documented strategies for continued development of the campus. Despite this long tradition of planning, development of the campus has at times diverged from the recommendations of successive master plans. The last plan was adopted in 1993 and updated in 2007. The campus is once again growing: UMass is in the midst of a ten-year, billion-dollar capital improvement program that started in 2004. The University …

Holdsworth Retrofit And Renovation, L Carl Fiocchi Jr, Katherine Mccusker, Benjamin S. Weil

L. Carl Fiocchi

Diverse Park Settings And Users' Behaviors And Preferences., Zahra Zamani, Jong Lee, Luis Pippi

Zahra Zamani

This study aimed to provide an insight towards public urban park design. In order to gain deeper understanding of the relationship between user behaviors and diverse settings assoiciated, research was conducted on a neighborhood park named Walnut St. Park, Cary, NC, USA. Read more...

Porous Capsule Irrigation, David A. Bainbridge

David A Bainbridge

Porous capsule irrigation is a modern adaptation of buried clay pot irrigation. Research in Brazil and Mexico has demonstrated its value in improving water use efficiency. Porous capsules are more easily integrated in an irrigation network than buried clay pots.

Fairmount Greenway - A Community Initative, Leah H. Bamberger, Liliana Carvajal, Mary F. Dehais, Yuanfang Gong, John E. Hulsey, Eric C. Kells, Kimberley Klosterman, Pamela Jo Landi, Adam G. Monroy, Seth A. Morrow, Bryan O'Bara, Jie Su, Arianna Thompson, Owen M. White

jie su

This studio was based on the Fairmount Greenway that was developed through a series of public meetings with the neighborhood community and with consultants from the firm Crosby, Schlessinger and Smallridge (CSS). The Fairmount Greenway, while drawing its identity from the traditional greenway model is in fact a reinterpretation of an urban greenway. The greenway path follows along both primary and secondary city streets because of the lack of space along the rail right-of-way. The Fairmount Greenway begins at what will be a new station stop at New Market South Bay near Upham’s Corner in northern Dorchester. The greenway follows …

From The Quadrangle To The River: Revitalizing The Heart Of Downtown Springfield, Mary F. Dehais, Yuanfang Gong, John E. Hulsey, Pamela Jo Landi, Adam G. Monroy, Seth A. Morrow, Alexander G. Seib, Jie Su, Kate A. Tooke, Owen M. White, Emily S. Wright, Kuang Xin, Xiao Zhou

jie su

This studio report explores community service learning in the graduate urban design studio taught in the in Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and instructed by Professor Frank Sleegers. The project will began with a visioning workshop, conducted to engage community members in the shaping of project goals and objectives within the project area of downtown Springfield. These findings were brought to the studio and guided the design process and outcomes. Five design teams developed five alternative master plans for the core area of downtown Springfield with focus on the revitalization of open …

Exploratory Case Study: How The Inclusion Of Nature In The Design Of Learning Environments Affects Learning Among Children, Cheryl Knodel

Interior Design Program: Theses

The theoretical framework of Stephen R. Kellert linking nature and the built environment was used as the basis for this research. This case study research was conducted to describe the effect nature had on learning among children 3 to 6 years of age attending two north central Florida Montessori learning environments. Methods were examined by which this phenomenon might be studied in more detail in order to: (a) provide verification of the independent and dependent variables, (b) establish the empirical measure of learning outcomes, and (c) provide the refinement of the variable learning outcomes as influenced by nature.

A qualitative …

Life Cycle Costing Template (Excel), Dermot Kehily

Reports

No abstract provided.

The Potential Of Iconography As A Method In The Development Of A New Garden Identity, Mina Kaboudarahangi, Osman Mohd Tahir, Mustafa Kamal M.S

Mina Kaboudarahangi

Garden design has been described as a category of fine arts and, it has a long time interrelationship with the art of painting. Gardens can be defined as works of art due to their artistic values. Therefore, like other artifacts, they can be studied and recognized by their specific icons. Numerous famous historical gardens in the world are recognized through their individual icons. However, newly developing gardens do not yet posses any icons that represent them. Nevertheless, these new gardens should be developed, recognized and identified through their particular icons, to exhibit their exclusive identities. Hence, this paper will discuss …

Preferred Iconography In Developing Garden Identity For Malaysia, Mina Kaboudarahangi

Mina Kaboudarahangi

Malaysia has always been proud of her unique natural environment and cultural heritages, but still is searching for an exclusive identity of its own gardens. There is a great potential for development of a garden identity for the country, based on her rich legacy in traditions, cultures and beliefs, through which she could identify herself. The nation has a complex population composed of Malay, Chinese and Indian races. Hence, the icon, form, quality and appearance that are going to be introduced for Malaysian gardens should be appreciated, valued and respected by the Malaysian publics with diverse culture and preferences. This …

Experiential Interior Design: Branding Entertainment And Nightlife For The Postmodern Young Urban Professional, Niccole S. Skomal

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

Past study on Interior Design has been primarily looked at through the lenses of aesthetics and functionality. Only recently have scholars begun to see the influence marketing, in the form of branding, can have on the Interior Design process in targeting specific lifestyle groups. The purpose of this research is to understand the fabric of the postmodern Young Urban Professional lifestyle as a marketing tool for branding and designing services in the form of entertainment and nightlife. With an increasing lack of community and social connectedness in today’s postmodern society, Young Urban Professionals tend to consume entertainment and nightlife as …

A Health Impact Assessment Of Mixed Use Redevelopment Nodes And Corridors In Lincoln, Nebraska, Katie Clear

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Obesity is a growing threat to America’s health. The national rate of obesity is 34% (Health Consequences, 2011), and Lincoln, Nebraska is not far behind that trend at 20.7% (BRFSS, 2011). Increasing physical activity is one way to reduce weight gain, (Edwards, 2008) and further studies show that small changes to the built environment can induce people to use alternative and more active forms of transportation such as biking, walking, and public transportation (Edwards, 2008; Zheng, 2008). The 2040 Comprehensive Plan for Lincoln, NE includes language to create a more walkable community. The proposal is to redevelop existing areas within …

The Urban Fabric Of The Great Plains, Andrew Becker

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

To most Americans the Great Plains region of North America is mysterious place. There are disagreements when defining its limits, and some people just refer to it as the Midwest. The Great Plains has been a place under an ocean, a place under glaciers, and a place on fire. It was once dubbed “the Great American Desert,” but is now known for its agricultural viability. The Great Plains sparks imagination because it is so massive and was one of the final frontiers for Euro-American settlement. The Great Plains is seen as a rural place but the majority of the region’s …

Factors The Cause Growth And Development In The City Of Lincoln, Ne, Kaylene Tegtmeier

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This qualitative study looks at what factors may contribute to the outward growth and development of the city of Lincoln, Nebraska. The two main factors the study discusses are the Lincoln Public School planners and their placement of schools in the city, and the “American dream” of the people, looking at where the people of Lincoln want to be living throughout the city and what some of their daily habits are. This study also discusses some of the main visions of the city of Lincoln’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan how the plan’s ambitions may affect the two factors looked at in …