Architecture Commons^™

Crash Injury Severity Prediction With Artificial Neural Networks, Rima Abisaad

Dissertations

Motor vehicle crashes are one of our nation's most serious social, economic and health issues. They are the leading cause of death among children and young adults, killing approximately 1.35 million people each year. Providing a safe and efficient transportation system is the primary goal of transportation engineering and planning. To help reduce traffic fatalities and injuries on roadways, crash prediction models are used to forecast the injury severity of potential crashes and apply precautionary countermeasures accordingly. Most of these models are reactive as they use historical crash data to categorize crash-related factors. Recently, advancements have been made in developing …

Ecological Restoration Parks In Xi’An, China: An Evolving Type, Han Yan

Dissertations

This dissertation examines four urban ecological restoration projects used as public spaces in the city of Xi'an, China. The overall goal is to understand the social and ecological implications of the site features at both design and planning scale and define what is ecological restoration in China's urban context. The result of the research shows that the top-down planning initiatives approach for establishing ecological restoration sites in urban areas that meet the need for more public open space in addition to restoring healthy urban ecological systems is very different from the definition of what is traditionally understood as "ecological restoration". …

Recovering Untold Stories: Everyday Lives Of Women In Republican Istanbul, 1930-1960, Zehra Betul Atasoy

Dissertations

This research explores the everyday lives of urban women from various social strata in Istanbul between 1930 and 1960. It designates the implications of the Republican reforms in urban spaces and concentrates on untold stories of women who belonged to varying social settings and professions. The everyday life of the city became more complex with the increase in participation of women during these decades. This research examines the myriad ways in which women asserted themselves in the urban fabric, following three threads. First, women's leisure and economic activities in the newly built public squares are investigated. Then, industrial workers and …

In Partnership? Pedestrian Plazas In New York City, Topal Vardi Topal

Dissertations

Traditional public spaces —such as public parks, streets, and public squares—have long been part of the urban landscape. In today’s congested cities, however, creating such public spaces is difficult because they require capital investment, vacant land, and ongoing maintenance. Possibly in response to these obstacles, new types of urban public spaces have emerged.

Pedestrian plazas, one of these new types, is the topic of this research, with a focus on the New York City Plaza Program, which was the first such program in the U.S. For this research, the design, management, and use characteristics of five completed pedestrian plazas were …

Building The Petro-Polis: Oil Capitalism, Imperialism, And The Making Of Abadan, 1908-1933, Reza Mortaheb

Dissertations

Abadan is the most prominent of all the oil company towns the British Petroleum Company built in Southwest Iran. Located at the border of Iran and present-day Iraq, by the mid twentieth century Abadan not only accommodated the world’s largest refinery, it had also become Iran’s most populous industrial city. This dissertation focuses on the process of urban development on Abadan Island between 1908 and 1933. Drawing on primary archival documents and secondary sources, this dissertation discusses how Abadan’s establishment and its changing urban form and spatial organization were the product of broader historical processes. Imperial intelligence and practical requirements …

Brasilidade In Built Form: Tracing National Identity In Modernist Architecture In Brazil, 1922–1968, Angela Starita

Dissertations

The conceptual framework of Brazilian national identity in built form changed drastically between the 1930s and the 1960s, from the Baroque of colonial-era Brazil to the improvised constructions of the poor. The advocates of these architectural imaginaries were not suggesting that these styles be copied. Instead, they used them as a type of hermeneutic for explicating how Modernism should be deployed in order for it to be authentically Brazilian. The transition from the colonial model to an aesthetics of poverty was a result of a confluence of factors. These included the country’s relatively new struggle to define itself away from …

Urban Food Entrepreneurship, Governance, And Economic Development In The Post-Industrial Cities Of Newark, New Jersey And Dayton, Ohio, John C. Jones

Dissertations

The local governments of post-industrial cities in the US struggle to foster economic development and to find uses for underutilized or abandoned urban land and buildings. Partly in response to growing consumer interest in locally produced foods, food entrepreneurs are increasingly using these underutilized urban properties for farming or for producing value-added food products. However, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally, existing policies and regulatory regimes of local and state governments often restrict the ability of urban food entrepreneurs to grow. This dissertation documents urban food entrepreneurship in the post-industrial communities of greater Newark, New Jersey and greater Dayton, Ohio. The …

A Methodological Framework For Quantifying Impacts Of Truck Traffic On Regional Network With Implications To Transport Policy, Chaitanya Narendra Pathak

Dissertations

Increased global trade has promoted the importance of shipping industry and the introduction of mega-ships has created an opportunity to be more cost-effective. Because of this, the expected change in freight transportation influences the operating regimes and schedules at the port terminals. Trucks being the predominant mode of transportation used to carry the freight transport, there is a growing concern about the impact of trucks in the region. The problems are further expected to grow as the improvements to resolve them are hindered by funding shortfalls. Public agencies are therefore involved in developing comprehensive state freight plans that outline immediate …

Amending The Building Code Of The City Of New York: Exploring Forces That Influenced Change, Dolores Spivack

Dissertations

This study seeks to understand the forces that influenced changes (i.e., amendments) to the Building Code of New York City over an approximately one hundred and ten year period spanning from 1898, the year of the city’s consolidation, through 2008, the year of the major code amendment following September 11, 2001. Although the emphasis is on this period, building codes specific to New York City since 1625 are researched to cultivate a broader understanding of the changes to building codes throughout the city’s history. In particular, the focus is on the building issues that the amendments sought to change and …

Light Rail And Changing Development Patterns In Dallas, San Diego And Jersey City, Joseph S. Buga

Dissertations

Between 1985 and 2014, 19 metropolitan areas in the United States built new light rail systems at a cost of over $30 billion. The US Department of Transportation funded a major share of the costs, with support from state and local public funding sources. This dissertation begins by providing an introduction to this era of light rail projects by placing them in the historical context of surface transit improvements in the United States. A compendium of the 1985 to 2014 light rail systems is then presented. Also included is a review of the various federal laws that have spurred light …

Rationalizing Everyday Life In Late Nineteenth Century Istanbul C. 1900, Ersin Altin

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the rationalizing process of everyday life in late nineteenth century Istanbul, within the framework of the modernization agendas that swept the Ottoman Empire from the 1830s on. Starting with the period known as Tanzimat (literally ‘the reforms’), the study covers the Hamidian period (1876-1909), Second Constitutional Era (1908-1918) and first seven years of the Turkish Republic (1923-1930) noting the complexities of shifts and novelties by looking at daily practices and discourses, as well as the relationships between them.

Within this historic framework, the main focus is the changing relationship between everyday objects and behavioral patterns of the …

Green Vs. Sustainable: Analyzing And Expanding Leed (Leadership In Energy And Environmental Design), Sonay Aykan

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the possibility of including new socio-economic indicators in green building rating systems in order to promote innovative practices in the building planning, design, construction and operations by introducing a broader definition of sustainability in the building industry. It provides a comparative analysis of the frameworks, indicators and measurement methods of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), which is a voluntary green building rating system, and the reporting guidelines of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) by examining several selected socio-economic indicators from GRI and questioning the possibility of introducing similar indicators (credits) in LEED. By doing so, it …

Is The Public Invited? Design, Management And Use Of Privately Owned Public Spaces In New York City, Te-Sheng Huang

Dissertations

Researchers in urban planning, urban design, landscape architecture and sociology often criticize the increasing privatization of public space in the US for limiting the diversity of uses and users. Privately owned public spaces in New York City have received this critique. However, careful empirical research, with onsite observations of specific spaces and interviews with building managers, architects and city officials, is still largely lacking. Nor have researchers systematically investigated the full range of design features and management regulations and practices that do, or do not, serve to exclude certain kinds of activities and occupants. This study does precisely that as …

Community Composition, Demographic Change, And The Impact Of Spatial Proximity To Disadvantage On Violence And Gang Presence In New Jersey Municipalities, Brian Engelmann

Dissertations

Neighborhood composition, change, and disadvantage have been shown to influence crime and gang presence in communities. There is a dearth of research, however, that explores whether spatial proximity to disadvantaged areas affects crime and gang presence in nearby locations. Through maps and spatial analysis, this study investigates how neighborhood demographics may vary and may have changed by community type in New Jersey municipalities. Through quantitative analysis and interviews with school and law enforcement officials, the study then analyzes how such community-based phenomena, coupled with proximity to disadvantaged areas, may affect crime, violence, and gang presence in towns and schools.

Findings …

Port Of Call Or Port Of Conflict: The Evolution Of The Port Of New York And New Jersey, Port-City Relationships, And The Potential For Land Use Conflicts On The Newark Bay Waterfront, Colette Santasieri

Dissertations

This dissertation, a case study of the Port of New York and New Jersey, covers three major research topics: 1) the evolution of the port spanning a period of over 200 years; 2) the relationship between the port (and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey) and five municipalities on Newark Bay; and 3) the potential for land use conflicts between the commercial port operations and redeveloping waterfronts for non-industrial uses.

Research about the historical evolution of the Port of New York and New Jersey centers exclusively on the waterfronts and facilities on the Hudson and East Rivers …

From "The Projects" To Houses : Physical Redevelopment, Poverty Deconcentration, And Resident Self-Sufficiency Impacts On Public Housing Residents At Hope Iv Developments In Camden, New Jersey, Michael C. Brown

Dissertations

Since 1992, public housing authorities (PHAs) throughout the United States have been building public housing rental and owner-occupied housing in place of demolished or rehabilitated distressed public housing and simultaneously attempting to deconcentrate poverty and improve self-sufficiency among the affected residents. The distressed housing is usually dilapidated, poorly designed, poorly constructed, poorly maintained, and poorly managed; the residents are very poor, are in constant fear of crime and violence, and have little hope. Previous attempts to address these problems have been piecemeal and often inadequate.

Based on recommendations by the National Commission on Severely Distressed Public Housing in 1992, the …

Experiences Of Pregnancy, Childbirth And Post-Partem Period In Urban And Suburban Immigrant Pakistani Women, Rubab I. Qureshi

Dissertations

A body of research suggests that immigrants arrive in the U.S. in good health, a healthy immigrant effect. As immigrants acculturate and absorb dominant cultural norms (measured by proxy variables such as language preference, employment, smoking and alcohol consumption), their health status deteriorates. There is a need to understand how immigrants adapt to a changed social and cultural environment and how this may influence health.

A study of pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period in immigrant Pakistani women living in New Jersey explored the interface of culture, immigration and health. The study employed a three pronged approach. Census data were …

Noxious Odor In Residential Environments : Coping In Reactive And Proactive Ways In Three New Jersey Communities, Maria Beatriz Yabur

Dissertations

Currently little is known about the effects of noxious odor on people's daily lives. This lack of knowledge is apparent in the rules and regulations concerning odor. This dissertation addresses this lack of knowledge by looking at the effects of current noxious odor on residents' lives in three residential communities in northern New Jersey: West Caldwell, Newark's North Ward and Garfield- Lafayette in Jersey City. The research examines the coping process residents adopt to deal with this environmental annoyance.

In this study I explore two ways residents cope with odor: reactively (trying to keep the odor out of their homes) …

Safe Haven Infant Protection : Incidence Of Use And Characteristics Of Surrendered Infants And Relinquishing Users, Sallie Anne Porter

Dissertations

Background: Safe Haven Infant Protection (SHIP) laws are variously-titled state-level laws that permit infants to be surrendered to designated persons and/or places in a generally anonymous fashion with prescribed limits on prosecution.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the number of infants surrendered under SHIP laws in the United States, detail the characteristics of surrendered Safe Haven (SH) infants and relinquishing users, and directly compare the SH infant/relinquishing user population and the discarded infant/discarding mother populations.

Methods: Non-profit reports and communications, government documents and communications, and media reports provided the basis of the national SH estimate. Data …

Accessibility In Metropolitan Transportation Planning : Visualizing A Gis-Based Measure For Collaborative Planning, Aditi Sarkar

Dissertations

Passed by the US Congress in 1995, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), requires Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to further the trend of collaboration by employing visualization techniques for Transportation Improvement Programs (TIPs). In the first part of this two-part research, three New Jersey MPOs are investigated to understand how accessibility is considered by their organizations, how TIPs are evaluated, and how collaborative planning and visualization techniques are used to evaluate TIPs. In the second part of this study, a small segment of a MPO's jurisdiction is selected to develop a visualization of …

Dynamics Of School Playground Use In Low-Income Neighborhoods : Four Case Studies From Newark, New Jersey, Caryn Schneider Yaacov

Dissertations

Physical activity during youth contributes to enhanced health and development, and time spent outdoors is a positive correlate of children's physical activity levels. Despite the importance currently attached to building healthy communities, children in the United States from economically disadvantaged urban neighborhoods often lack access to quality open space. In response to insufficient outdoor play options for children in Newark, New Jersey, several existing inner-city elementary school playgrounds have been rebuilt through public-private partnerships involving the municipal government, school district, and nonprofit agencies. This study explores the extent to which neighborhood children use these renovated playgrounds outside of school hours. …

Determinants Of Risky Sexual Behaviors Of Kenyan Immigrant Men In The Us And During Visits In Kenya, Japheth K. Kaluyu

Dissertations

Kenyan immigrant men originate from sub-Saharan Africa with the highest HIV prevalence in the world. The study hypotheses were: 1) Attitude towards condom use differs between Kenya and the US, 2) Condom use behavior with primary sex partners differ between Kenya and the US, 3) Condom use behavior with casual sex partners differ between Kenya and the US, 4) Sexual behaviors with casual partners differ between Kenya and the US, 5)Age affects risky sexual behaviors in the US, 6) Age affects risky sexual behaviors during visits in Kenya, 7) Income affects risky sexual behaviors in the US, 8) Income affects …

The Impact Of Combined Maternal Alcohol And Tobacco Use On Low Birth Weight In Singleton Pregnancies : A Population Based Study In The Us, 2003, Della A. Campbell

Dissertations

Background: The Black-White disparity in birth outcomes in the United States remains embedded. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines low birth weight (LBW) as birthweight less than 2500 grams/5.5 pounds or below the 10th percentile for gestational age. LBW is a frequent marker of poor maternal/infant health outcome. A reduction in the incidence of LBW is a major public health initiative in the US. Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the magnitude of risk for low birth weight, defined in this study as neonatal birth weight less than 2500 grams, in relation to combined maternal alcohol and …