Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

The Role Of Regional Planning In Ecosystem Conservation And Tools For Collaboration, Lindsey Britt

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

The 20th century witnessed a staggering growth in the population of the United States along with urban migration, climate change, development of resource intensive lifestyles, and low-density residential and commercial development. All of these factors put pressure on the ecosystem services humans are dependent upon for their wellbeing and their enjoyment.1(Ecogystems are "a complex set of relationships among the living resources, habitats, and residents of an area" [Michigan Technological University School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science n.d.]. An ecosystem "includes plants, trees, animals, fish, birds, micro-organisms, water, soil, and people" and, very importantly, "everything that lives within an ecosystem …

A Methodology To Measure Emissions Generated By Automobile Trips To Schools Participating In Safe Routes To School, Joshua C. Rickman

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

Vehicular emissions in close proximity to schools can have detrimental health effects on children. The Safe Routes to School program claims to improve air quality through implementation due to reduced volume of traffic generated to schools. While a reduced volume of traffic may reduce the amount of emitted pollutants, the program lacks the ability to quantitatively track this air quality improvement. A school participating in the Safe Routes to School program was selected based off of health risks associated with a high vehicular volume and the proximity of that traffic to the school. A survey was utilized to generate a …

Adaptive Reuse Of Former Catholic Churches As A Community Asset, Linnea Cara Duckworth

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

The Catholic Church has experienced changes in the past half-century that have resulted in the restructuring of many dioceses, especially in the Midwest and Northeast, which, due to the consolidation of parishes, has left many church buildings in disuse. Because the architecture and design of many of these buildings are unique to the use of a church, adaptive reuse strategies are challenging to implement but, due to their place in the vernacular of their respective neighborhoods and their ties to cultural heritage, the loss of the building is generally deemed tragic. Trends in the adaptive reuse of church buildings have …

The Impacts Of Casino Development On Demographic And Land Use Changes Over Time: Planning For Palmer Massachusetts, Erin E. Wilson

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

This project uses spatial analysis tools to examine the impact of casino development on the demographic make-up of local communities. This was conducted in order to inform future casino communities as to how their communities may be impacted by casino development. First, this project uses Geographic Information System (GIS) based methods of descriptive spatial analysis to analyze demographic changes over time to see what, if any, economic and demographic impacts may likely occur around a casino. Second, this project also interviews key local officials in casino communities to gain on the ground incite regarding the impacts of casinos. While the …

The Process And Issues Of Creating A Cohousing Development With Affordable Units In An Affluent Community: Stamford, Connecticut, Jennifer M. Siciliano

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

This project examines the process of creating a cohousing development with affordable units in the United States. It looks specifically at an affluent community, Stamford, Connecticut and analyzes its many aspects to form a framework to build this type of community within the municipality. Additionally, the project provides a model for affluent communities similar to Stamford to create a cohousing community with affordable units.

This project includes a cohousing literature review, interviews with affordable housing professionals, an analysis of Stamford's history, demographics, real estate, zoning and affordable housing environment and two case sCohousing in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts in Martha's Vineyard …

Making The Case For Transit-Oriented Development In Downtown Holyoke, Massachusetts, John Hersey

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

This report serves to inform the City of Holyoke about compelling features in its downtown district as they would pertain to the creation and management of a transit-oriented development district around the recently created Intermodal Transportation Center, a hub for bus service between Holyoke and other communities in the Pioneer Valley. These features were developed through literature and interview surveys and are described in a SWOT analysis, identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats as existing and future advantages and disadvantages related to transit-oriented development.

Some of the more compelling strengths include a municipal reputation for attracting planning grants for large-scale …

Learning From Worcester Union Station: An Istea Success Story, Michael Di Pasquale

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

The passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 represented a major shift in federal transportation policy. ISTEA recognizes the interrelated nature of the country's transportation network, and the benefits of coordinating multiple transportation modes. More importantly, for the first time states could spend their share of federal transportation money (raised from gasoline taxes) on public transportation projects.

The ISTEA legislation gave priority to transportation projects that could spur economic development. In Massachusetts and across the country intermodal transportation centers were planned to facilitate efficient transit connections and to help revitalize cities and towns. Intermodal transportation centers …

At-Home Workers And Home-Based Business Owners In The Pioneer Valley Of Western Massachusetts: A Demographic And Economic Analysis, Theresa M. Perrone

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

During the past several years, economists and other researchers have speculated about the rise in alternative work situations and the expansion of home-based work. Data from the 2000 U.S. Census indicate that more than 12 million Americans (10 percent of the workforce) reported earning some form of self-employment income (as opposed to traditional wage and salary income), totaling more than $350 billion. In 2001, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that approximately nine million Americans had a formal arrangement with their employers to be compensated for work done from home or considered themselves self-employed. Not insignificantly, here in the Pioneer …

Eastern Pioneer Valley Greenway/Greenspace Planning: The Applications Of Geographic Information Systems To The Regional Greenway/Greenspace Planning Process, Yongbin Sun

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

The public agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGO) have made major stride in acquiring, planning and managing of valuable public lands in Eastern Pioneer Valley Region. The nine communities of the region have recognized that they need to coordinate and perhaps integrate their efforts to increase mutual benefits from such integration. Indeed, these towns are poised to create a unique greenway network which could maximize nature protection, outdoor recreation and historic preservation.

The purpose of the study is to integrate each town's effort to create the Eastern Pioneer Valley Region greenway/greenspace system or network that links the nine communities, protects the …

The Survival Of Sporting Camps - Planning For The Preservation Of A Cultural Resource, Stephen A. Cole

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

In 1989, I was asked to research the origins of the Rangeley Lakes boat by the Rockport Apprenticeshop, a boatbuilding school in midcoast Maine. The apprentice boatbuilders were completing one of these wooden, lapstraked craft for a sportsman who had fished the Rangeley Lakes in the western mountains of Maine for years. Along with his Rangeley, the gentleman wanted to know when and how this boat designed for pursuing brook trout and landlocked salmon had evolved. My search for the Rangeley's origins lead me to a backwoods institution I had not previously been aware of: the sporting camp. A sporting …

Manual Of Build-Out Analysis, Jeffrey R. Lacy

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

This manual introduces the planning tool of build-out analysis, and describes, in a step-wise fashion, the data requirements, materials, and techniques necessary to complete both the graphic and numerical portions of the analysis.

The target users of this manual are planning boards and commissions, conservation and citizen groups concerned with growth management, and professionals in the fields of administration and planning. Although written for use in Massachusetts, it is equally applicable anywhere the needed data can be assembled.

Completion of a build-out analysis results in information that reveals visually what the landscape could look like, and numerically what the resulting …