Landscape Architecture Commons^™

An Assessment Of The Effects Of Desertification In Yobe State, Nigeria, Jibril Musa Phd

Confluence Journal Environmental Studies (CJES), Kogi State University, Nigeria

Desertification is one of the most serious environmental and socio-economic problems of our time. Desertification describes circumstances of land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions resulting from the climatic variation and human activities. The fundamental goal of this thesis was to assess the effects of desertification in Yobe State, Nigeria. The present threat of desertification in the sahel has reached an alarming stage where crops cultivation and animal rearing/grazing are no more productive, soil has lost its nutrient/fertility, various infrastructure had given way because of windstorm from the neighbouring Niger Republic and sand dunes had taken over. The …

Using Remote Sensing Data To Improve Rice Production In Kutigi, Niger State, Nigeria, Jibril Musa Phd, M B. Yunusa

Confluence Journal Environmental Studies (CJES), Kogi State University, Nigeria

This research work looked in the used of Remote Sensing to improve Agricultural production in Kutigi, Niger State. The aim of the study is to use remote sensing to improve rice farming activities in Kutigi, Niger State. It is very important to identify such methods to improve Agricultural production because experts are always interested in new researches and findings to better the standard of living in any environment. In view of this, Remotely-sensed data could be used or employed to elevate most of these agricultural problems in Kutigi through the following objectives: Using Landsat imagery to assess the present landuse …

Climate Change Adaptation Chapter: Marshfield, Massachusetts, Joshua H. Chase, Jonathan G. Cooper, Rory Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Filipe Antunes Lima, Sally R. Miller, Toni Marie Pignatelli

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

Climate change, understood as a statistically significant variation in the mean state of the climate or its variability, is the greatest environmental challenge of this generation (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2001). Marshfield is already being affected by changes in the climate that will have a profound effect on the town’s economy, public health, coastal resources, natural features, water systems, and public and private infrastructure. Adaptation strategies have been widely recognized as playing an important role in improving a community’s ability to respond to climate stressors by resisting damage and recovering quickly.

Based on review of climate projections for the …

"Lost Shadows", Julle Oksanen

Masters Theses

There are thousands of pages of technical argumentation on lighting. We could say that there is already a legacy of technical lighting. It is the result of the activity of technically oriented people. In the 1900, CIE was founded to research oil socks and their properties. Standardization got a huge boost in 1931 when CIE introduced international trichromatic colorimetry system, known as “CIE System”. Engineers became active in illumination engineering societies. Sadly, the more visual skills of the lighting designer started to ebb. The lighting design work shifted from the hands of visually oriented people to the hands of technically …

Can The Application Of A Landscape Designed Learning Environment Enhance Education?, Virginia Bailey

All Theses

There is a need for a restructuring the way that a child's learning environment is designed. Currently, the mainstream educational design process ignores the notion that children have different ways of learning. Furthermore, when there are so many distractions, how we successfully reach a child's mind has become a challenge. The current school system is structured in a manner that does not address the presence of these distractions, often causing overstimulation and inattentiveness. Designing for children should be approached in a way that all senses are engaged. Having opportunities for hands-on learning inside and outside of the classroom is important …

Contextualizing The Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site (40wg59): Understanding Landscape Change At An Upland South Farmstead., Daniel Whitaker Howard Brock

Masters Theses

This thesis focuses on a contextual archaeological approach to investigate the historic landscape of the Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site. Tipton-Haynes is a late eighteenth- through twentieth-century upland south farmstead located in Johnson City, TN. Home to two prominent Tennessee families and occupied until acquired by the state in the 1960s, the site has experienced many alterations to the landscape over time. The analysis presented views the landscape as material culture investigated through a multidisciplinary approach including historic research, architectural survey, geophysical survey, dendrochronology, and archaeology. To make sense of the complex nature of the Tipton-Haynes site, multiple methods were used …

The Development Of Accessible Design In Malaysia: Built Environment And Transportation, Hazreena Hussein, Naziaty Mohd Yaacob

Hazreena Hussein

No abstract provided.

Variations In Climatic Parameters And Food Crop Yields: Implications On Food Security In Benue State, Nigeria., Emmanuel Adamgbe, Fanan Ujoh

Confluence Journal Environmental Studies (CJES), Kogi State University, Nigeria

Agricultural production in Nigeria like in other developing countries is highly vulnerable to variations in climatic parameters which may have inverse or direct effect on the performance of food crops. This paper examines the patterns and trends of the variations in the climatic parameters and the implications of such variations on efficient yield rates of some food crops in Benue State using data on climatic variables (rainfall, temperature, sunshine) and the yield of some crops per hectare for 25 years (1986-2010). Data on the climatic variables were collected from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, AirForce Base, Makurdi while the data on …

Prelude To A Master Plan: Ware, Massachusetts, Belen Alfaro, Bruno Carneiro, Margaret Engesser, Kathryn E. Fox, Evadne R. Friedman, Timothy Inacio, Anita Lockesmith, Christina Mills, Stephanie Molden, Meagen Mulherin, Russell Pandres, Vinicius Pereira, Brian Reid, Pedro Soto, Jennifer Stromsten

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

Prelude to a Master Plan offers ideas, recommendations, and a toolkit to help the town chart its own path towards that future. While the teams and individual students worked to ‘drill down’ into specific topic areas, the Studio defined three basic areas in order to think about how the various assets, challenges and ideas undermine or reinforce one another. The report is loosely organized in those terms: addressing the outlying rural areas and issues specific to these places, considering one of the key growth areas that has extended from town and the conflicts that arise from the many uses occurring …

Drinking Water Resource Directory, New England Environmental Finance Center

Sustainable Communities Capacity Building

This document is intended to help local and regional planning agencies, and their constituent water utilities, integrate drinking water infrastructure planning and investments into plans for sustainable development. Resources listed here provide guidance on making land use decisions that protect water resources, setting adequate and sustainable drinking water rates, controlling water loss, funding water infrastructure projects, and managing water utilities.

The directory was developed by the Environmental Finance Center Network through the Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency. Through this program, EFCN is providing capacity …

Re-Thinking The Green Belt: Sustainability And Development In Growing Cities, Maria Saavedra

Architecture Thesis Prep

"One of the major goals of this research is to study the relationship between nature and technology as urban generators. I agree with Lisa Tilder and Beth Bostein, who state that instead of using architectural technology to return nature to some impossible, pre-human pristine state, we should consider fully employing the power of architecture to produce new forms of nature. Instead of thinking about the River’s edge as a natural and physical barrier between the water and the city, we should consider it as an opportunity to challenge the image of nature, exploring how it limits or furthers our social …

Park Avenue & Us 50 Redevelopment Streetscape Performance Benefits Assessment, Bo Yang, Yue Zhang, Pamela Blackmore

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Faculty Publications

The town of South Lake Tahoe experienced undisciplined development, which created traffic congestion, limited connectivity to recreational assets, and negatively impacted the scenic and environmental quality of Lake Tahoe and the region. In response, strict environmental regulations were developed, which subsequently ceased development activities. Faced with serious environmental and economic problems, residents, officials, and developers jointly revised development regulations and worked to strategically deploy development monies to give the town a new future. Today, the town's Park Avenue Corridor with its wide sidewalks, interconnected plazas, consistent architecture, gondola, intermodal transit center, street furniture, and integrated stormwater management is a national …

Preferred Iconography For Development Of New Garden Identity, Mina Kaboudarahangi, Osman Mohd Tahir, Mustafa Kamal M.S

Mina Kaboudarahangi

The intention of this study is to highlight the importance of garden in creating national landscape identity. Malaysia with great interest and potential with three main ethnic groups was selected as a case study. It is presumed that people with divers cultural backgrounds would have difference opinions about gardens. With the attention to the visual and artistic quality of gardens, an iconographic method dealing with both art and history was selected in this study. It concluded that garden iconography should be understood as a collection of stimuli that is open to perception, interpretation, and judgment. Consequently, four gardens among well …

Freeway Capping: Capping Nashville's I-40 South Loop To Connect Downtown And Midtown, Michael Joel Payne

Masters Theses

In 1956, the U.S. federal government enacted the Federal Highway Act, and the interstate system would change the face of cities across the nation. (Weingroff, 1996) These highways were great opportunities to rapidly bring people to and from the city (Kreyling, 2005). While the interstate system does serve an important transportation role in today’s automobile reliant economy, it also functions as a great divider of the urban fabric in many cities. During the planning of the interstates, many people argued that they should not run through cities. They argued that the highways would divide neighborhoods, bring unwanted pollution and noise, …

Charles City Permeable Streetscape Phase I Landscape Performance Benefits Assessment, Bo Yang, Yue Zhang, Pamela Blackmore

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Faculty Publications

The Charles City, Iowa, Green Street project addressed serious issues with street deterioration and nuisance street and adjacent yard flooding for a 16-block residential area. The project combines durable permeable paving materials with sustainable stormwater Best Management Practices, while maintaining the historical character of the neighborhood. By integrating stormwater management, the City was able to leverage additional funding that would not be available for conventional street reconstruction. Because of the success and the lessons learned in design and maintenance, the project has spurred additional phases in adjacent neighborhoods and serves as an important blueprint for others considering similar sustainable stormwater …

Cherry Creek North Improvements And Fillmore Plaza Landscape Performance Benefits Assessment, Bo Yang, Yue Zhang

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Faculty Publications

The 16-block Cherry Creek North retail district was designed to be Denver's premier outdoor shopping area. Yet deteriorating infrastructure, tired aesthetics and competition from an adjacent indoor mall had led to steady decline. Fillmore Plaza in the heart of the district was no longer a desirable public space since being closed to vehicular traffic in 1987. The new streetscape strengthens the retail environment, preserves the district's history and character, improves identity, beautifies the area, provides new lighting, improves signage, and adds 20 "Art and Garden Places" for shoppers to relax and linger. The redesigned Fillmore Plaza is now a vibrant …

[Re]Connection, Taylor Hahn

Masters Theses

In this thesis, I argue for a place where people can go to regain perspective, and to reevaluate their interactions, both with other people and their environment. This proposal explores ways in which architectural design creates a setting where the built environment is intrinsically connected to systems and forms of the natural environment. The design project consists of a facility in McLean, Virginia, just west of Washington, DC, on the southern bank of the Potomac River, for the temporary stay of people suffering from depression: who feel alienated in a world full of connections. Cases of depression are higher than …

Addressing Imbalance In Park Distribution And Accessibility In Disadvantaged Neighborhoods, Erin M. Tharp

Masters Theses

This thesis will critically study the issue of socio-economic class based inequitable distribution of landscape / recreational resources and the ways in which the principles of environmental justice can be used as a tool by landscape architects in the planning process to amend this.

A preliminary study indicates that the zip code of 37915, located in Knox County, Tennessee proves to be a suitable case study. High levels of poverty and a greater percentage of minorities as shown by the U.S. Census, add to the undesirability of this neighborhood. The city has located pocket parks with playgrounds and basketball courts …

Communicating Sustainable Design Through Visual Dynamics, Phillip Walter Zawarus

Masters Theses

My thesis is the exploration of dynamic methods to eff ectively visualize and communicate sustainable designpractices. Every site consists of temporal conditions (climate, vegetation growth, hydrology, comfort, aesthetics)that require dynamic representation of it’s progressive state. By understanding both the quantitative and qualitivemeasures of a site’s content, designers can begin to create guidelines and adaptive responses to the changingconditions. Th is can be achieved by fi rst understanding the intergrated relationship of those conditions, as oneelement has a direct or indirect impact on another. Th e design, in turn, cannot be a static implimentation butrather an evolutionary application.

Socio-Economic Revitalization Through Brownfield Reclamation, Corrin James Breeding

Masters Theses

Brownfields are defined as real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant (epa.gov). Brownfield remediation is land rehabilitation.

There are many brownfield sites that exist around the world today. These locations are nuisances because of their effect on the environment. They can be eyesores, riddled with dilapidated structures and debris that put chemicals into the soil, affect local watersheds, become prime areas for violence and/or other activities viewed as unsafe, etc. The impact these areas have on the health of living organisms is a …

Disappearing Vistas, Jessica Christine Bundy

Masters Theses

National parks have historically used long distance scenic views, known as vistas, to reveal iconic American landscapes to auto tourists. However, decades of budget constraints and inadequate management have prevented National Parks from maintaining vistas as originally intended. Many important vistas are disappearing due to encroaching vegetation. As a result, numerous complaints and concerns have been expressed by park visitors, especially within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Vistas still play an intricate role in the visitor experience of national parks – an experience worth protecting. In an effort to conserve this experience, ecologically sustainable vistas must be established that are …

The Career Of Gary Robinette In The Contemporary History Of Landscape Architecture, Jason Lackey

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses

Gary Robinette has practiced landscape architecture since 1963. During that time he has overseen policy and research that affects landscape architects in the United States and those in countries who model their regulatory system after the United States. His career has taken him through administration of the leading professional organizations, into the private sector, and the better part of his time he spent in the field of academy or scholarship teaching at The University of Wisconsin at Madison and The University of Texas at Arlington. He has contributed to the landscape architecture body of knowledge through his prolific writing with …

The Career Of Gary Robinette In The Contemporary History Of Landscape Architecture, Jason Lackey

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses

Gary Robinette has practiced landscape architecture since 1963. During that time he has overseen policy and research that affects landscape architects in the United States and those in countries who model their regulatory system after the United States. His career has taken him through administration of the leading professional organizations, into the private sector, and the better part of his time he spent in the field of academy or scholarship teaching at The University of Wisconsin at Madison and The University of Texas at Arlington. He has contributed to the landscape architecture body of knowledge through his prolific writing with …

The "Pedestrian Realm" As A Genesis Of Commerce: Bazaars Of The East And Mixed-Use Centers Of The West, Zoha Niazi

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses

Commerce is an ancient economical framework that enables establishment of social ties, improving cultural relationships, and trading values as well as commodities (Edgu et al., 2012). Different trends have taken place throughout history in this revenue based area, from the old Silk Road trading system to new department stores of this era. At the same time, exponential rise of the pressure of motorized traffic into the open public urban space has made non-motorized users such as pedestrians uncomfortable, but recently they started to be given more attention (Morgan, 1996), through mixed used environment especially in western cultures. The review of …

Design And Implementation Processes Of Low Impact Development In The Dallas - Fort Worth Area, Alice Cameron Holmes

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses

In 1999, The EPA published The Stormwater Phase II rule, which instituted the implementation of "techniques, measures or structural control to manage and improve the quality of stormwater runoff" otherwise known as Best Management Practices (BMP). These strategies are designed to address one or more of three factors; flow control, pollutant removal, and pollutant source removal. As part of the list of techniques associated with BMP's, one in particular has become a more strategic approach that mimics predevelopment hydrology (EPA, 2012). This approach is known as Low Impact Development. Low Impact Development (LID) practices have emerged as the new alternative …

The "Pedestrian Realm" As A Genesis Of Commerce: Bazaars Of The East And Mixed-Use Centers Of The West, Zoha Niazi

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses

Commerce is an ancient economical framework that enables establishment of social ties, improving cultural relationships, and trading values as well as commodities (Edgu et al., 2012). Different trends have taken place throughout history in this revenue based area, from the old Silk Road trading system to new department stores of this era. At the same time, exponential rise of the pressure of motorized traffic into the open public urban space has made non-motorized users such as pedestrians uncomfortable, but recently they started to be given more attention (Morgan, 1996), through mixed used environment especially in western cultures. The review of …

Design And Implementation Processes Of Low Impact Development In The Dallas - Fort Worth Area, Alice Cameron Holmes

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses

In 1999, The EPA published The Stormwater Phase II rule, which instituted the implementation of "techniques, measures or structural control to manage and improve the quality of stormwater runoff" otherwise known as Best Management Practices (BMP). These strategies are designed to address one or more of three factors; flow control, pollutant removal, and pollutant source removal. As part of the list of techniques associated with BMP's, one in particular has become a more strategic approach that mimics predevelopment hydrology (EPA, 2012). This approach is known as Low Impact Development. Low Impact Development (LID) practices have emerged as the new alternative …

South Hadley Falls: Report On The Public Process, Elizabeth Brabec, Mark Hamin

Elizabeth Brabec

The goals of this design and visioning process were:

• to identify a common vision for the future of South Hadley Falls;

• to identify opportunities for future growth, change and development that are appropriate to the vision; and

• to consider creative visions to identify alternative outcomes.

Spread over a period of months from September 2011 through February 2012, the process was composed of four activities:

1. an initial information gathering phase of documentary research into the history, background and demographics of the community;

2. a visit to and discussions with residents;

3. a community design charrette to discuss …

Using Locative Media In Heritage Landscapes: A Review Of Current Practice, Elizabeth Brabec, Gordon Mclennan

Elizabeth Brabec

Locative media projects are beginning to be recognized in various arts and humanities disciplines as a portal through which interpretive information can be connected to location. Projects can be accessed from two different perspectives: in front of a computer screen or on the ground with the aid of a GPS enabled smart phone. In either format, content in the form of narrative, video, images, historic documents, etc., can be connected with a specific GPS point location on a map or on a real site. However, while locative media holds the potential to create a visitor experience without negatively impacting the …

Green Infrastructure Resource Directory, New England Environmental Finance Center

Sustainable Communities Capacity Building

Green infrastructure is an approach for managing stormwater that uses vegetation and soils to capture and treat rainwater where it falls. Unlike single-purpose gray infrastructure, green infrastructure realizes multiple benefits at once, including flood mitigation, improved water and air quality, community beautification, provision of recreational opportunities, and energy and cost savings. This resource directory is intended to help communities design, implement, fund, and monitor green infrastructure practices and programs. It was compiled by the Environmental Finance Center Network through the Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities program funded by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. …