Architecture Commons^™

Young Adults In A Costly World: Can Accessory Dwelling Units Serve As An Alternative Form Of Accommodation For Recent College Graduates Amidst The Rising Cost Of Housing And A College Education?, Aaron Schlosser

Landscape Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Over the past few years, young adults have been put in a rather tough situation concerning personal finances. As college tuition has risen, so has student debt accrual, leaving many recent college graduates near-crippled financially. Along with this issue, which is large in and of itself, is the fact that housing prices have risen in many of the metropolitan areas in the United States. Both of these problems, when coupled, lead to a decrease in quality of life for most young adults, and people in general. Because of this, the approach of this thesis is to find an affordable form …

Acknowledgement, Education, Memory: Reframing The Cemetery Landscapes Of The Enslaved, Aubrey L. Phillips

LSU Master's Theses

The landscape holds onto the nearly imperceivable cemeteries of the formerly enslaved population that have been erased through time, development, and censure of historical narratives in Louisiana. Immediate action is necessary to retie censured chronicles of enslavement to the landscape, educating the public on deep-rooted systemic racism in the contemporary environment. This thesis aims to provide reparations to the Black and descendant communities of southern Louisiana. This work acknowledges the remaining cemetery fragments, reframing and knitting them together as a network of spaces that uphold a more holistic memory of the past.

The role of landscape architecture extends beyond site …

Reasons And Remedies To The Dying Plant Walls, Hayley Q. Mcgough

Construction Management

Sustainability in construction has been increasingly popular and detrimental with the state of the planet and climate change. One of the more popular solutions is the addition of plant façades to a building, which are plants that are put on the vertical of a building. The benefits that come with plant facades include and are not limited to: Reduction of the urban heat island effect, improved air quality, local job creation, improved energy efficiency, building structure protection, noise reduction, increased biodiversity, urban agriculture. These benefits are not reaching their full potential because these plant façades keep dying creating a bigger …

Augmenting The Site Analysis Phase Of The Design Process Using Virtual Reality And Drones, Brandon Blauer

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Virtual reality (VR) is a tool that has been utilized by designers for decades now. In most cases, VR has been utilized in the latter part of the design process. More specifically, VR has been used most commonly towards the design review phase of the design process where people are often looking for a final design suggestion. With regards to the design review phase, there have been many reports discussing the effectiveness of VR. However, there has been little to no research regarding the use of VR in the site analysis phase of the design process.

This thesis develops a …

Bookscapes: A Study In The Interconnectivity Of Landscape And Narrative Visualization And Communication In Landscape Architecture, Tonya Randall

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The fields of landscape architecture and literacy have the potential to be linked through a simulated environment. Through this connection, opportunity for education arises. This thesis creates and describes a program called Bookscapes, which presents a narrative inside a simulated landscape for the purpose of communicating landscape architecture/urban planning principles.

Bookscapes is a stand-alone computer program designed using theories in education and guidelines for virtual and restorative environments (including Huang’s elements, Kaplan’s Attention Restoration Theory for restorative environments, constructivist theory of situational learning) and the revolving design process in landscape architecture’s communication to clients through 3D modeling.

This thesis first …

Fluid Urbanism: Connecting The Tennessee River Mega-Region, John D. Koelsch

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Impacts Of Laep Extension At Usu: Development Of A Model Framework, Jason G. Parkinson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Over several decades, USU’s Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning (LAEP) Department and Extension specialists have engaged Utah’s rural communities through several design-based outreach activities. These activities are intended to benefit both community partners interested in learning how design can positively impact the community in tangible ways, and students, who are given the opportunity to engage with real-world projects. This study documents, evaluates, and assesses outcomes of community engagement projects undertaken by LAEP Extension to better understand the program’s impact over time and come up with approaches that will enhance the impact of future community engagement projects.

This research develops a …

Building A Better Batture: A Regional Recreational Enhancement Around The Morganza To The Gulf Levee, Taylor N. Fehmel

LSU Master's Theses

Twenty-five years ago, the existing flood protection levees along the Louisiana coastline were removed and construction was started by Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District on a new project called ‘Morganza to the Gulf’ or MTG. This project was undertaken to construct a new flood protection levee system around Louisiana in the communities in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish. The MTG Levee is one of the first coastal projects in Louisiana to incorporate a risk-based analysis for a double levee system containing both local parish drainage levees and future storm surge levees of MTG. It was designed to protect approximately 250,000 people …

The Corridor Des Arts, Kade M. Jones

LSU Master's Theses

Arnaudville is a small rural town in south central Louisiana with a population of 1200. In 2010, the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) named Arnaudville as one of fourteen cities that were classified as a successful case study of “Creative Placemaking.” The NEA defines creative placemaking as community partnerships that use arts and culture to shape the social, environmental, and economic identity of a place. The NUNU Arts and Culture Collective, a Louisiana Cajun French non-profit arts organization centered in Arnaudville, is the main catalyst of this effort.

Members of NUNU have identified five other rural towns within close …

Sustainable Sites Initiative Certification In Texas: Obstacles And Benefits Affecting Stakeholder Perception, Jamie Chism Leonie

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses

The purpose of this research is to examine perceptions of key stakeholders involved in three SITES®-certified pilot projects in Texas to determine the obstacles and benefits they experienced in certifying the projects. The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES®) is a sustainability-focused framework that guides landscape architects, engineers and others toward practices that protect ecosystems and enhance the mosaic of benefits they continuously provide our communities, such as climate regulation, carbon storage and flood mitigation. SITES® is the culmination of years of research and development by leading professionals in the fields of soil, water, vegetation, materials and human health (GBCI, 2017). A …

Landscape Architecture Education: A Study Of Patterns, Tanya Rice

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research is focused on analyzing landscape architecture education of accredited bachelor programs in the U.S. The primary intent was to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the current state of landscape architecture education and the direction in which it is heading. This was conducted through an evaluation of each landscape architecture program’s course offerings. The objectives were to explore the degree of coherence and dispersion of course requirements among programs, compare similarities and differences and identify current patterns, trends, strengths and emphases of the programs. Then design course descriptions were analyzed for identification of word families and cluster networks to …

A Cultural Landscape Assessment Of Glen Garden Country Club In Fort Worth, Texas, Anthony Joseph Wade

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses

In 2014, having just been sold, Glen Garden Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas closed for the final time having been open for over 100 years also producing two of the top ten golfers in PGA history, Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson. This research presents a study in assessing Glen Garden as a cultural landscape. This research seeks to answer two question: Was Glen Garden Country Club a cultural landscape? What is the perception of responsibility for advocacy efforts? This case study was adapted from the Francis model and designed to fit the unique context of Glen Garden Country Club …

Recreation Community Branding: A Comparative Analysis Within Utah’S Wasatch Front, Lynda D. D. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study demonstrates the role recreational amenities play in contributing to the brand identity and sense of place in Utah master planned communities (MPCs). These MPCs are designed to enable residents to live, work, and play within close proximity within a styled built environment. While the built environment is often branded with a particular identity, these identities resonates with other attributes of the community, including recreation amenities. The study focused on MPCs along the Wasatch Front in Utah, since Utah’s population, along the Wasatch Front, is expected to double by 2050 (Envision Utah, n.d.). Many of the developments being built …

Mass Incarceration By Design: The Impacts Of Urban Renewal And Landscape Architecture's Absence On The Prison Industrial Complex And The Use Of Landscape Architecture As An Antidote To Mass Incarceration, Abigail P. Phillips

LSU Master's Theses

The work of landscape architects has both positive and negative social impacts and landscape architects can strive to intentionally design for positive social impact. This paper utilizes mass incarceration as a lens for discussing the social impact of landscape architecture. The crossroads of mass incarceration and design offer a unique opportunity for Landscape Architects to examine the impact of many urban renewal efforts on marginalized communities, the benefits of landscape architectural involvement in prison design, and the use of design as protest against inhumane structures. This paper is separated into three sections, one detailing the history of social justice and …

Park Politics: Political Influences On Frederick Law Olmsted & The Creation Of Central Park, Kathryn Chow

Honors Theses

Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. (1822-1903), renowned landscape architect and journalist, was also a political activist who saw urban parks as a way to facilitate social reform. This study focuses on Olmsted’s role as Superintendent of Central Park (1858-1861), evaluating the impacts of politics throughout his campaign for Superintendent and during the construction of Central Park. Politics, in this study, refers to both the interactions between Republican and Democratic parties, and the interactions between Olmsted and his constituents, in both the government and the intellectual sphere. This study will provide readers with a fuller understanding of how local political disputes, ideas …

Adaptive Golf Course Redevelopment: Identity And Balance, Timothy Joseph Lysett

Masters Theses

Unknown to much of the general public, the golf industry is currently in a state of ongoing retraction. One of the many outcomes of this retraction is the closing of hundreds of golf courses across the country, leaving many residential communities that where designed around these open green spaces lacking an integral part of their identity. The Calusa Country Club Community of Kendall Florida, is one such place.

Like many closed golf courses throughout the United States, Calusa is currently caught in a state of limbo. As the centerpiece of a master-planned residential community developed in 1970, the golf course …

An Evaluation Of Current Applications Of 3d Visualization Software In Landscape Architecture, Jie Yan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The design process is important to all landscape architects. It helps generate ideas to solve problems in an efficient amount of time and insure that all stages of a project are completed. Generally, a design process includes project acquisition, inventory and site analysis, conflicts identification, public involvement, draft products, and final presentation. Among these elements, public involvement has been recognized as one of the most important elements in the landscape design process. It not only helps professionals get projects done smoothly, but it also helps with long-term client retention. Traditional two-dimensional communication methods using renderings, design plans, and maps have …

The History Of The Department Of Landscape Architecture And Environmental Planning At Utah State University, Aaron Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study presents an examination of the history of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning. The study uses both qualitative and quantitative methods to produce a holistic view of the events that influenced change with the Department and it is presented through a social constructionist lens. The qualitative methods were primarily driven by oral history interviews with former faculty, as well as analysis by the author of historical documents. The quantitative analysis involved the use of an alumni survey to measure changes in demographics, values, predispositions, and perceptions regarding the LAEP Department amongst the student body, and how …

Prioritizing Stormwater Management: Comparing Integrated Best Management Practices In Urban And Suburban Neighborhoods, Danielle Kathleen Norman

Masters Theses

This thesis demonstrates a comparison of two design proposals that integrate Best Management Practices to address stormwater runoff volumes in urban and suburban neighborhoods. The thesis investigation includes the selection and comparison of two diverse neighborhoods to inform design decisions. It then assesses the environmental, social and economic implications of the design proposal in each neighborhood.

The site selection process is a method that overlays specific criterion such as residential land use, topographic features, and median household income (3) nested scales; the watershed scale, the sub-watershed scale, and the neighborhood scale. For the purposes of this paper, nested scales are …

Breaking The Fast Food Chain: Introducing Urban Agriculture To Foster Healthy Eating Habits In America, Justin Dean Bruno

Masters Theses

Americans today know food well, but few fully understand where it comes from, the processes involved in its production and distribution, or the issues of unequal access to it. It is encouraging to see the presence of healthy food and sustainability as hot topics in our society, but we have not yet given everyone equal access to these benefits. Farmers’ markets, agritourism, and organic farms have begun to inspire a new generation about the advantages of healthy food, but the presence of food deserts haunts urban areas throughout the country. The lack of access to healthy food in the city …

Parametric Design And Artificial Wetlands’ Adaption In Landscape Design, Xi Wang

Masters Theses

The philosophy of sustainable development and design has become a widely accepted idea by today’s landscape architects. One of the most recent examples of a sustainable design trend is the application of the constructed wetland in an urban environment. By providing a water purification system for damaged water bodies and potential habitats for wildlife, artificial wetlands are considered as panacea to many cities challenged by water pollution and other ecological crisis. Yet artificial wetlands have obvious disadvantages and further improvements could still be made to them.

This Thesis will introduce basic information about artificial wetlands, their typology, advantages and disadvantages, …

We're Still Here: Culturally Sensitive Design And Planning, Ezekiel Craig Cooper

Masters Theses

“In the 1700’s it was impossible to visit what is now known as western North Carolina without encountering the Cherokee. For the well traveled, it still is.”

In 2007, the above quote was used in a marketing campaign by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to attract tourists to the town of Cherokee, NC. Beginning in the early 1900’s, Cherokee evolved into a tourist destination because of the beautiful location, the historical importance and the offering of authentic cultural attractions. Millions of people traveled to Cherokee throughout the 1900’s just to get a glimpse of Cherokee life and be exposed …

A Healthy Community In Burlington Neighborhood, Maudy Indriani Budipradigdo

Masters Theses

Studies have shown that the rising rate of adverse physical, social and mental conditions are tightly related to a lack of physical activity, poor eating habits, and the lack of social interaction. Unlike health problems centuries ago which were often caused by lethal diseases, the contemporary health problems in the United States relate to peoples' lifestyles and built environments. Vehicle-oriented community design has caused limited physical activity and unhealthful eating habits that increase obesity and other related health problems. Modern built environments often unintentionally discourage social interactions and present unintended obstacles to physical activities which causes social and mental health …

Planning Growth - Preserving Character, Nathan Daniel Oliver

Masters Theses

Gateway communities are the towns, cities, and communities that border public lands such as national and state parks, wildlife refuges, forests, historic sites, wilderness areas, national forests, and other public lands. They offer scenic beauty and a high quality of life that attracts millions of Americans looking to escape traffic congestion, fast tempo and uniformity of cities and suburbs. Gateway communities provide food, lodging, and business for Americans on their way to public lands. They serve as portals to public lands and therefore play an important role in defining the park, forest, or wilderness experience for many visitors. Their beauty, …

A Study Of The Biltmore Estate's Ramble: Researching Design Intent, Evaluating Change Over Time, And Proposing A Rehabilitation Plan, Owen Mclaughlin

All Theses

The purpose of this study is to propose a historically appropriate rehabilitation plan for the Biltmore Estate's Ramble based upon Olmsted's original design intent. In order to ascertain Frederick Law Olmsted's original design intent for the Ramble, an extensive review of Victorian Era garden design, cultural landscapes, the U.S. Horticultural Industry, and possible design influences on Olmsted as he designed the site was performed. Using primary archival materials and secondary sources, the developmental history of the Ramble from 1890 to present was studied. From that work, design intent was determined by analyzing character-defining features from the original 1893 planting plan …

Distributed Renewable Energy Generation And Landscape Architecture: A Critical Review, Osmer Devon Beck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Governments and utility organizations around the world have mandated and provided incentives for new distributed renewable energy generation (DREG) capacity, and market projections indicate strong growth in distributed renewable energy generation installations in the coming years. New distributed renewable energy generation utilities, by definition, will be primarily located in built environments near consumers; these utilities are often planned and designed by landscape architects, yet no evidence-based, distributed renewable energy generation research is explicitly done by landscape architects or recognizes the role landscape architects play in planning and designing these spaces. The research and analysis provided by this study indicates that …

Design Guidelines For The Historic Downtown Of The City Of St. George, Utah, Bronson Ron Tatton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This document proposes historic preservation guidelines for the downtown area of the City of St. George, Utah. It grew from a summer internship with the city where I took inventory of the streetscape in the Historic Downtown and prepared recommendations in the form of a PowerPoint Presentation that was given to the city council. This paper summarizes the summer internship and introduces a more appropriate approach based on reflection of the internship. The new approach involves a thorough inventory of the historic character, in-depth research of the historic elements that contribute to the historic character, development of design guidelines and …

Art Landforms A Study Of How Designers Are Using The Landscape, Rachelle Jones

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

By examining the past and present forms of landscape designs, this report will establish a basis to understand one of the core elements of the Landscape Architecture profession. Using the land as a medium for expressing ones art and passions has been used for centuries. Fletcher Steele, Robert Smithson, Alan Sonfist, and George Hargreaves are all designers which have used land as a vital part for the creation of their designs and/or environmental art pieces. They all, in their own way, have been instrumental in how contemporary designers use and understanding of the land has changed and evolved over time. …

The Legal Environment For Landscape Architecture In Utah, Jeffrey J. Scarborough

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This paper explores and delineates the legal environment for the practice of landscape architecture in Utah. The national, state, and local (city and county), codes that apply to landscape architecture and the related professions of architecture, engineering, and land surveying are documented, as is pertinent case law. Figures allow comparisons to be made between the various government levels to demonstrate contradictions and congruencies, as well as the clarity of the ordinances. Major findings include significant differences among the city and county regulations of landscape architecture and the related professions, and weaknesses in the state law for landscape architecture. Major recommendations …

Landscape Architecture History: A Critical Review Of Its Curriculum And Teaching Methodology, Robert L. Marshall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this thesis is to develop criteria for establishing an effective course in teaching history of landscape architecture. Believing that professors, students and practicing landscape architects all have justifiable concerns and comments as to the way history of landscape architecture should be taught, questionnaires were sent to each of these groups across the country. Based on the responses to the questionnaires, coupled with information gleaned from a review of literature and the author's personal teaching experiences, the course criteria is established.

The research showed that it is important that the instructor be able to select historic periods and …