Architecture Commons^™

Exploring The Cultural And Infrastructural Impacts Of Consumerism On The New Cuba, Grace Stainback

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

This paper seeks to explore how a shifting economic model and an increasing influx of U.S. tourism, customs, and products will impact consumerism and waste in Cuba. The paper begins by charting the rise of an unwitting conservationist culture among Cubans, built out of necessity as a response to Castro-era economic hardships. This is followed by a discussion of recent Cuban economic reforms and the rise of tourism, private enterprise and material luxury in Cuba. For the emerging autonomous economic class who have shouldered decades of scarcity, the social and economic values of consumerism far outweigh any perceived environmental cost. …

A Research Program For Studying Lams And Community In The Digital Age, Andreas Vårheim, Roswitha Skare, Noah Lenstra, Kiersten F. Latham, Geir Grenersen

Proceedings from the Document Academy

The paper outlines a research effort into the changing representations, policies, strategies, activities, and practices of libraries, archives, and museums (LAMs) in the digital age. Comprehensive social changes including big slow-moving processes, such as aging populations, global migration, technological change, and environmental change, expose communities and LAM institutions to vulnerabilities. How do the institutions handle vulnerabilities, how do they become more resilient, and how do they contribute to building the resilience of their local communities?

Housing For All In India And Its Future In Sustainable Development, Nadia Shah

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The Government of India has been challenged with a growing housing demand for more than half a century, since its independence in 1947. The shift in the country’s population from rural to urban creates an emerging dynamic in the housing gap. While India continues to move forward, already the world’s fastest growing economy, in the realm of manufacturing and services, the housing demand continues to increase. This paper investigates the causes and consequences of the housing shortage in India, by examining the country’s past policies that have been public housing, sites and services, slum upgrading and self-help programs, and …

Strategic Principles For Development Of Marginal Areas In Mecca: Sharae Mujahideen’ Case Study, Moaid Mukhsha, Waleed Alzamil

Emirates Journal for Engineering Research

The phenomenon of squatters is one of the urban problems facing many cities in developing countries. UN-HABITAT statistics estimated that the proportion of people living in such areas is 30 per cent of the total urban population [1]. With growing economic investment and job opportunities in major cities, many of the problems of squatters have emerged to absorbing new immigrants, especially with the lack of housing supply [2]. Locally, Government agencies such as the Government of Mecca Region, the Holy City Municipality and the Mecca Region Development Authority (MRDA) have adopted a number of strategies to develop squatters including removal, …

Habitat For Humanity: A Student-Led Service Trip To Thailand, Amber Reiff

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Amber Reiff started volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in high school and joined the Purdue Student Chapter as a freshman in 2014. During her sophomore year, she became more involved and held the position of Vice President of Development. While serving in this role, she planned on-campus advocacy events and recruited volunteers for Saturday site builds. In 2017, she traveled to Lampang, Thailand, over spring break with a group of like-minded students striving to make a difference. In this article, she shares her experiences on this trip and explores the impact of her participation. Beyond this trip, she has continued …

Gentrifier By John Joe Schlichtman, Jason Patch, And Marc Lamont Hill, Hannah Brais

The Goose

Review of John Joe Schlichtman, Jason Patch, and Marc Lamont Hill's Gentrifier.

Growing A Sustainable City?: The Question Of Urban Agriculture By Christina D. Rosan And Hamil Pearsall, Matthew Zantingh

The Goose

Review of Christina D. Rosan and Hamil Pearsall's Growing a Sustainable City?: The Question of Urban Agriculture.

Comparative Study: Reducing Cost To Manage Accessibility With Existing Data, Claire Chu, Bill Kerneckel, Eric C. Larson, Nathan Mowat, Christopher Woodard

SMU Data Science Review

“Project Sidewalk” is an existing research effort that focuses on mapping accessibility issues for handicapped persons to efficiently plan wheelchair and mobile scooter friendly routes around Washington D.C. As supporters of this project, we utilized the data “Project Sidewalk” collected and used it to confirm predictions about where problem sidewalks exist based on real estate and crime data. We present a study that identifies correlations found between accessibility data and crime and housing statistics in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. We identify the key reasons for increased accessibility and the issues with the current infrastructure management system. After a thorough …

Cartoon Corner

Focus

No abstract provided.

Theses And Professional Projects: 2016/2017 Ay

Focus

For fulfilment of the MCRP degree at Cal Poly’s CRP department, the student may choose between developing a thesis or a professional project, or a specific individual project in a final planning studio.

The following abstracts are from master’s theses and projects defended in the 2016/2017 AY. They are available to download from Cal Poly’s Kennedy Library at http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses.

Learning From California: Highlights From Crp Studios 2016/2017 Ay

Focus

These are some highlights of the studio projects from both BSCRP and MCRP programs during the 2016-17 academic year. The studios are fundamental in the learn-by-doing pedagogy embraced by the department, and help shaping students into professionals that are fully engaged with their communities.

Conversations With Alumni - Back To Basics: Planning In The Peace Corps, Rwanda, Michael Heater

Focus

Before studying planning, Michael worked as a professional photographer, primarily in the newspaper industry. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer from 2014-2016 in Rwanda with his wife. He is now working as a Realty Specialist with the General Services Administration. He and his wife currently live in Philadelphia with their adopted Rwandan cat. Check out Michael’s article with Brian Harrington “Creating more than a Snapshot: Photography for Planning and Design”, in FOCUS 9 (2012).

Conversations With Alumni: Nadege Dubuisson, Nadege Dubuisson

Focus

No abstract provided.

Developing A Resiliency Index For Csu Campuses, William Siembieda

Focus

Sustainability and resilience have become intrinsic to good planning and are particularly important to Cal Poly's Master Plan. Professor William Siembieda discusses his interdisciplinary elective Hazard Mitigation Planning and Design, and describes the students' efforts in developing an index to measure campus resiliency.

Urban Design Visions For Riverside, Paso Robles, Vicente Del Rio, Hemalata C. Dandekar

Focus

Following the CRP Department's tradition of community-oriented projects with real clients, the authors discuss their studio work for the City of Paso Robles Community Development Department. The students explored development scenarios and urban design ideas for the area between the Salinas River and the railroad tracks, including more memorable, walkable and livable spaces, and stronger connections to the downtown and the rest of the city.

Shaping A Vision For Old Town Newark, Hemalata C. Dandekar, David Christie, Gabriel Ward

Focus

This article describes the MCRP first-year studio project for Newark's Old Town, considered by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) as one of the region's Priority Development Areas. In collaboration with the city's Community Development Department, the proposal includes a vision and a development strategy to revitalize Old Town through mixed-use, development opportunities, and vibrant and memorable environments.

Sketching In The Crp Department, Vicente Del Rio

Focus

In this article, Vicente del Rio reflects on the importance of sketching for planners and urban designers, and reports on an elective offered in the CRP department in 2017. Sketching is understood as a skill and a tool to help observe, analyse, represent, and conceptualize spaces and places, as well as to communicate with other professionals, the clients, and the public.

Successful Planner/Developer Collaborations For “Workforce” Housing In California, Hemalata C. Dandekar

Focus

Housing affordability is a significant barrier to social and economic growth in California. In this article, Dr. Hemalata Dandekar reports on her research on successful housing projects for low and moderate-income families by private sector and non-profit developers in collaboration with city and county planning departments. The research was funded by the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

Deconstructing Howard Through The Lens Of Hall: Lessons From The Garden City Reformer, William W. Riggs

Focus

In this provocative essay, William Riggs discusses the lasting legacy of Ebenezer Howard's and Sir Peter Hall's work and who it challenges us to think our solutions and deal with familiar issues like protecting green belts, equitable jobs and housing. The author notes that the resurgence of a stronger focus on physical design and the sustainability and eco-towns movements will help us move towards a Howard-inspired "Peaceful Path to Real Reform".

Between The One And The Other, Aruane Garzedin

Focus

The contemporary city is a polarized environment with increasingly strong divides between the public and the private realms. Public space has lost quality and does not stimulate new social practices; there is little surprise and diversity in the landscape. Aruane Garzedin has been using art interventions to provoke new urban perceptions and public engagement, encouraging a different city poetic.

The Culture Of Windows, Ivor Samuels

Focus

Windows are a fundamental element for both architecture and urban design. Ivor Samuels discusses the impact of daylight on housing practice, particularly in the United Kingdom. He claims that while the focus of research and regulations seem to be on sustainability and energy conservation, cultural context, privacy, and surveillance are equally important in planning and urban design. He calls for more interdisciplinary work in the study of the relationships between daylight, architecture and urban form.

Home Sharing: An Important Housing Option For Us Cities, Anne Wyatt

Focus

The housing crisis in the US is fundamentally an affordability crisis, particularly in larger cities and in expensive real estate markets. Planner Anne Wyatt has been a strong advocate for affordable housing in San Luis Obispo for many years. In this article, she discusses the importance of home sharing in helping to tackle the affordability crisis, its advantages, the problems that may rise, and the need to include it as a formal option in the General Plan's Housing Element and in affordable housing action plans.

The Rio Games Legacy In Mobility: Challenges Beyond Infrastructure, Simone C.R. Silva, Carlos E.G. Maiolino, Jacqueline A. Torres

Focus

The City of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a city of 6.5 million inhabitants, had several years to plan, invest, and prepare for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. A significant part of these efforts were in mobility infrastructure and operations, as they would become a fundamental legacy for the city. Silva, Maiolino and Torres, who were involved in these efforts in various capacities, discuss this experience and some of the challenges that go beyond investments in infrastructure such as behavior and operational changes.

From Downtown To The Inner Harbor: Baltimore's Sustainable Revitalization - Part 2: The Inner Harbor Plan (1967 To 2005), Vicente Del Rio

Focus

Baltimore's effective revitalization efforts are internationally recognized in planning and urban design. After the successful Charles Center redevelopment plan in the late 1950s, Baltimore's efforts expanded to its Inner Harbor and waterfront. In this sequel to a two-part article that started in FOCUS 13, Vicente del Rio discusses these later efforts, and how Baltimore ensured a process for sustainable economic, social, and cultural revitalization.

Urban Economics By Design: Thinking From Down Under, Kobus Mentz, Susannah Goble

Focus

Based on their experience in Australasia, Kobus Mentz and Susannah Goble discuss how, by considering urban economics, urban design, and local governance concurrently, greater efficiency, prosperity and social equity can be delivered at differing levels of city scale. The authors are, respectively, director and planner of Urbanismplus, one of New Zealand's most respected and awarded planning and urban design private firms.

Broadband Applications For Digitally Based Public Transportation In The Smart City, Evandro C. Santos

Focus

Inevitably, cities are becoming more interconnected and dependent on smart wireless computer systems and networks. In this paper, Evandro Santos discusses broadband applications in generating Big Data, and the role of technology and communication in the efficiency of urban functions and services. He argues that digital and mobile technologies are making the connections between transportation service providers and users tighter, faster, and more personal to greater collective and individual b enefits.

Active Transportation And Perceptions Of Safety: A Case Study Of A Regional Trail And A Transit Corridor In Salt Lake City, Utah., Ivis Garcia Zambrana, Shabnam Khan

Focus

In this article, Garcia and Ara Khan discuss their study on the relationship between perceptions of safety from crime and active transportation with a regional bike and pedestrian trail system in Salt Lake City. Based on community surveys and focus group discussions, the study concludes on important suggestions on how to increase the perception of safety in low-income neighborhoods that go beyond streetscape improvements.

The Conversable Scale Of Cities, Lineu Castello

Focus

One of the usual criticisms of the contemporary metropolis is that it is fragmented by mega-projects run by private sector interests. In this provocative article, Castello notes the positive outcomes of this phenomenon as long as the fragments result in places of a type and scale appropriate for public engagement and social conversation.

Cartoon Corner

Focus

No abstract provided.

3rd California Climate Action Planning Conference

Focus

No abstract provided.