Architecture Commons^™

An Analysis Of Racially Disparate Impacts On Housing For The City Of Tukwila, Washington, Neil Tabor

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

The housing crisis within the Pacific Northwest of the United States has prompted action from Washington legislators, resulting in Governor Inslee identifying housing as a key priority and the legislature passing a number of forward-thinking bills in the last half decade, requiring the allocation of more resources, and asking more of jurisdictions to address current housing needs and anticipated future growth. Layered within the planning efforts for future growth are concerns and considerations for the potential of new housing development to perpetuate and exacerbate societal inequities built on discriminatory housing policies and practices of generations past and present. In an …

Water Wise Landscape Practices: A Case Study For The City Of Gering, Christina E. Land

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

This professional project is founded on my education, experiences, and networks. I have had the opportunity to use what I have learned thus far and be challenged to look at public planning from a different perspective. In partnership with the City of Gering I was able to get knee deep in the facility planning of the city owned property which is home to the Community Ever Green House. The project reviews how the property is integrated into the community and the impact it has. Then, identifies opportunities to improve overall functionality with a closer look at addressing hazard mitigation using …

Sustainability Of Form-Based Zoning Codes In An Existing Suburb, Elvira Batelaan

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

Most planners and architects agree that the current rate of growth and sprawl in American cities is not sustainable. This thesis will explore how form-based zoning codes can be used to implement policies that increase the sustainability of an existing suburb. Typically, form-based zoning codes are applied to either new subdivisions in a city or to an overlay district in a city which does not get to the heart of the issue. A solution is needed for the rest of the city, such as downtown, industrial areas and existing suburbs, to further increase the sustainability of the entire city. In …

Creating A Web-Based Tool For Determining Drought Acknowledgments In State Plans, Raeanna Hartsgrove

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

Drought is a lingering and costly disaster and can cause billions of dollars of damage throughout the United States. Drought produces social, economic, and environmental impacts which makes it become a disaster. Due to the long-lasting and intense effects, drought research is needed to understand weather and climate more efficiently so that preparedness, mitigation, response recovery, and resilience is more effective. Policies that include drought mitigation are shown to reduce the likelihood that drought become disasters. The National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) has been working on a new web-based tool to identify which plans in a state address key aspects …

Analyzing The Impact Of Incentive Programs On Retention Of Family Practice Providers In Rural Nebraska, Andrew J. Pedley

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

Rural populations in Nebraska are generally older, less affluent and suffer from more chronic diseases than their urban counterparts. To address these disparities, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Office of Rural Health oversees incentive programs that compensate providers for costs associated with education in exchange for time worked in shortage areas. This report examines the impact that these incentive programs have on the retention of family medicine providers in Nebraska using survival analysis methodologies. The findings of this report indicate a positive correlation between participation in incentive programs and workforce retention of family medicine providers.

Advisor: Yunwoo …

An Application Of Economics & Environmental Planning: The Impacts Of Variable Rate Irrigation Technology On Net Farm Income, Hannah Jones, Zhenghong Tang, Karina Schoengold, Yunwoo Nam, Dana Varner

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

Restoring playa wetlands back into predominantly agricultural landscapes has been a pressing issue for decades. The Nebraska Rainwater Basin Joint Venture (RWBJV) and its partners represent a wide variety of private and public groups who are offering solutions to this problem, while helping farmers maximize net farm income. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln partnered with the RWBJV on a project to determine how Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI) technology would impact the profitability of farm management operations, while allowing the preservation of adjacent wetland areas. This study conducted an economic analysis that compared net farm income for producers that had participated in …

Flood Plan Management: An Evaluation Of Nebraska’S Comprehensive Plans For Flooding, Rashad J. Moxey

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

This study examined Comprehensive Plans for 53 Nebraska communities to determine how well 60 indicators of flood risk information were incorporated. The indicators were divided into three categories, factual base information, goals and actions and implementation. The majority of plans were created by independent firms as Nebraska does not require state-level oversight. Detailed review of each community plan identified general areas of weakness and opportunities for improvement. The average number of indicators present in the 53 plans was 4.84. None of the three categories was found to be well represented. Indicators per category showed low overall representation; Factual Base 12.0%, …

Contaminant Source Management Options For Wellhead Protection, Victoria Nelson

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

Before regulations were introduced to protect the general public from waterborne illnesses, it was common for people to become sick and even die from contaminated drinking water. Many rivers and streams in the United States were so polluted that they were uninhabitable for wildlife and dangerous to human health. The pollution and contamination in the surface and groundwater caused a public out-cry for the government to step in and do something about the hazardous water conditions. As the U.S. government started regulating surface water, it realized that the main source of drinking water for half of the U.S. and 95% …

Springfield, Nebraska Urban Design Master Plan, Tonya K. Carlson

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

Sarpy County has been experiencing rapid growth over the past several decades. Seeing the effects of rapid growth in other communities in Sarpy County, Springfield, Nebraska chose to be proactive in shaping the growth and aesthetics of their community. The Urban Design Master Plan is a measure taken by the city to ensure Springfield is fully ready for further growth. The purpose of this professional project is to provide Springfield with a tool that will help guide and influence future development.

The project begins by researching the history of Springfield. The community has remained relatively small in population, compared to …

Non-Structural Program To Limit E. Coli Within Antelope Creek Lincoln, Nebraska, Jeffrey Polkowski

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

Beginning in 2008, The City of Lincoln, Nebraska set forth efforts to reduce pollutant loads within Antelope Creek below U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) criteria with the goal of eventually having segments of the stream removed from the Clean Water Act 303(d) list of impaired waters. Early efforts focus on channel improvements made as part of the Antelope Valley Project to increase the flood carrying capacity of the Creek. However, additional funding is being provided through an intergovernmental agreement between the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality and the City of Lincoln (Grant Number: 56-1283) to allow the City of Lincoln’s …

An Interpretive Plan Guide For Wilderness Park In Lincoln, Nebraska, Rachel J. Ward

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

Wilderness Park, located in Lancaster County, Nebraska, is a public park of unique ecological and historical value to the city of Lincoln and to the surrounding region. The natural and historical features of the park present an opportunity to communicate environmental and historical topics that are relevant on local, national, and global levels, as well as inspire a lively sense of pride in the community. The problem is that many topics relevant to Wilderness Park are not currently being interpreted at the park, and that there are relatively few interpretive resources available to park visitors.

The purpose of this project …

Exploring The Neighborhood Preferences Of A Segment Of Millennials In Omaha, Nebraska, Aaron Kloke

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

In 2010, Millennials, or those between 18 and 34, surpassed the Baby Boomers in population size. Today, Millennials, also known as Generation Y, make up over 25 percent of the United States’ population. In Omaha, they make up 26.9 percent of the population. The next largest generation in Omaha, the Baby Boomers, make for 19.2 percent of the population. Clearly, this emerging demographic has the ability to change the way we create and design our built environment if it so chooses.

To review how this generation may choose to change the way we design our future neighborhoods, national trends were …

Analysis Of Feasibility Of Lincoln's West O Area For Redevelopment, Adam E. Brown

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

This project assessed the feasibility of redevelopment of the area around the West O Street & Sun Valley Boulevard Intersection. The project provides information about the area, including specifics about its location, the zoning currently in use, the population of the area and the surrounding areas, housing characteristics, as well as information about mixed use development pertinent to this project and the study areas relation to the City of Lincoln’s Comprehensive Plan, known as LPlan 2040.

The project’s goal was to research and compile relevant information for review by the Lincoln / Lancaster County Planning Department in regards to the …

Planning For Student Veteran And Military Member Support Programs At The University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Daniel D. Moseman

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) has recognized the importance of its student veteran and military member population and is undertaking a planning process to develop or improve its student veteran programs. The goal of this professional project is to present UNL with options and alternatives that could be used to develop these student veteran programs. The research associated with this project is timely and prudent, given the current reduction in military force size and the anticipated return of many thousand service members into post-secondary education.

This professional project provides information on three topics. First, research from credible sources determines the …

An Update Of The 1984 Haymarket Redevelopment Plan: Lincoln, Nebraska, Stephanie Rouse

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

In 1984, Lincoln, Nebraska committed resources to renovating the Haymarket District to change it from a decayed manufacturing center into a viable business district. They successfully created a historic landmark district, commissioned a blight study and declared the area blighted, and then created a redevelopment plan. The 1984 Haymarket Redevelopment Plan examined the thencurrent district conditions and proposed future development that would support a thriving business district. Twenty-eight years later, that plan is being re-examined to determine what parts of the plan were realized, what the current district looks like, and how the current environment creates the need for an …

North Bottoms: A Participatory Redevelopment & Sustainable Community Engagement Process, Andrea C. Koerner

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

This project addressed the economic, social, and environmental ill effects occurring in the North Bottoms in Lincoln, Nebraska. This neighborhood requires the use of innovative community engagement to counteract minimal resources, civic engagement, and social capital in order to accomplish sustainable redevelopment when traditional methods have been unsuccessful. The initial goal of the project was to involve citizens in the design process to create an effective and development strategy and design project for the neighborhood.

Although traditional methods were sufficient to develop a comprehensive approach to sustainable development, it became obvious through engagement with citizens and civic officials that a …

Assessing Impermeable Surface Area Impacts On Modeling: Implications For The Combined Sewer Overflow Long Term Control Plan In Omaha, Nebraska, Andrew D. Szatko

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

The report looks at assessing the accuracy of estimating impervious surface areas (ISAs) by zoning code, the method utilized by the City of Omaha, Nebraska. A 101 acre subcatchment had all ISAs manually digitized and compared the actual with the estimated value. The subcatchment was then modeled with 10 percent decreases of ISAs to establish the relationship with peak flow rates and total volume in the combined sewer service area. The results show a significant relationship between the two that may provide insights into a new approach to manage CSO events with the integration of green infrastructure.

Sioux Falls Downtown Design Guidelines: Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Colin Punt

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

In the late 1980s, Sioux Falls, South Dakota recommitted to its downtown, removed a dead pedestrian mall, and joined the National Main Street program. The city‘s downtown revival efforts have been largely successful in the past twenty-some years, but this success has rendered the current downtown design guidelines from the early 1990s both function-ally and aesthetically outdated. The original city ordinance written in conjunction with the design guidelines has given both the City Planning Department and the Downtown Design Review Committee, which is appointed by the Director of Planning and administered by Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc., very little power to …

Targeted Updates To The Bicycle Plan For The University Of Georgia Main Campus, Athens, Georgia, Srikanth Yamala

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

Through this Professional Project, the author examines circulation and suitability pertaining to bicycle planning on a college campus, in the real-world setting of the University of Georgia (UGA) main campus located in Athens, Georgia.

Based on existing on-campus activity, bicycle circulation is established. Using an analytical tool, namely the bicycle level of service (BLOS) analysis, roadway segments within the study area are evaluated for suitability with respect to adjacent motor vehicle traffic. Several improvements are suggested throughout the project to enhance the existing BLOS, and in turn enhance the bicycling conditions. Most of the suggestions are based on traditional improvements, …