Landscape Architecture Commons^™

Evaluating Satellite Products For Precipitation Estimation In Mountain Regions: A Case Study For Nepal, Nir Y. Krakauer, Soni M. Pradhanang, Tarendra Lakhankar, Ajay K. Jha

Publications and Research

Precipitation in mountain regions is often highly variable and poorly observed, limiting abilities to manage water resource challenges. Here, we evaluate remote sensing and ground station-based gridded precipitation products over Nepal against weather station precipitation observations on a monthly timescale. We find that the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3B-43 precipitation product exhibits little mean bias and reasonable skill in giving precipitation over Nepal. Compared to station observations, the TRMM precipitation product showed an overall Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency of 0.49, which is similar to the skill of the gridded station-based product Asian Precipitation-Highly Resolved Observational Data Integration Towards Evaluation of Water …

Professor Michael Timmons Interview Transcription, Michael Timmons

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning 75th Anniversary

No abstract provided.

Study Of Cultural Landscapes In Texas: An Inquiry For Policy Recommendations, Dorothy Joelle Wright

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

The object of this thesis is to understand the status of preservation of Texas cultural landscapes and encourage policy recommendations. To do this, the thesis examines the procedure for nominating cultural landscapes in Texas for the National Register of Historic Places (NR), a program administered by the National Park Service (NPS) through state-level agencies. In Texas, the Texas Historical Society (THC) administers NR programs under supervision of the State Historic Preservation Officer. In the 1950s, the term cultural landscape rarely appeared in print. However, beginning with the work of J.B. Jackson, an independent writer and landscape scholar, cultural landscape studies …

Study Of Cultural Landscapes In Texas: An Inquiry For Policy Recommendations, Dorothy Joelle Wright

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

The object of this thesis is to understand the status of preservation of Texas cultural landscapes and encourage policy recommendations. To do this, the thesis examines the procedure for nominating cultural landscapes in Texas for the National Register of Historic Places (NR), a program administered by the National Park Service (NPS) through state-level agencies. In Texas, the Texas Historical Society (THC) administers NR programs under supervision of the State Historic Preservation Officer. In the 1950s, the term cultural landscape rarely appeared in print. However, beginning with the work of J.B. Jackson, an independent writer and landscape scholar, cultural landscape studies …

Uses Of Sacred Spaces In Urban Neighborhoods: A Study Of Cemeteries In Uptown Dallas, Huei-Chung Cheng

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

This study examines residents' perceptions regarding potential uses of sacred spaces. It further investigates a cemetery's visual impact on residents in high-density urban environments. Historically, cemeteries have provided open space to urban residents, and have become intertwined with the spaces where humans live and work and they have come to provide historical significance to urban space (Harker and Merolli 2010). As rituals and methods of disposing human remains change, the ways people use cemeteries or burial spaces also change. Specifically as alternative uses for cemetery are emerging, along with changes in attitudes toward commemoration burial sites in contemporary culture (Basmajian …

Crime In Transit Oriented Districts: Learning From Dallas, Texas, Devin D. Guinn

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

Recognizing that the components of the built environment may effect crime in urban areas, emerging transit station areas and Transit Oriented Developments (TOD) and districts (TODT) present new challenges for designers and planners. Transit oriented developments, especially within the past decade, are seen as desirable choices for developing metropolitan areas to accommodate the concerns surrounding population growth (Ozdil et. al, 2012), but very little is known about how the spatial environment impacts delinquency around station areas. More specifically, it is not clear how design and planning might address such issues, and influence future TOD and TODT strategic plans. This research …

Urban Morphology, Open Space Planning And Analysis Tools: Fort Worth Since The 1909 Kessler Plan, Dandan Zhu

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

This thesis focuses on the relationship between the parks system and city growth patterns in Fort Worth, Texas. It describes the evolution of the city's parks as well as the city's urban morphology since the inception of 1909 Kessler city park plan. Throughout Fort Worth's history, open space planning has played a key role in the city's development policies (City of Fort Worth Planning and Development Department 2004). Kessler's 1909 original park plan for the City of Fort Worth still serves as the basis for major park facilities (City of Fort Worth 2012). Evolution of the parks system in Fort …

Uses Of Sacred Spaces In Urban Neighborhoods: A Study Of Cemeteries In Uptown Dallas, Huei-Chung Cheng

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

This study examines residents' perceptions regarding potential uses of sacred spaces. It further investigates a cemetery's visual impact on residents in high-density urban environments. Historically, cemeteries have provided open space to urban residents, and have become intertwined with the spaces where humans live and work and they have come to provide historical significance to urban space (Harker and Merolli 2010). As rituals and methods of disposing human remains change, the ways people use cemeteries or burial spaces also change. Specifically as alternative uses for cemetery are emerging, along with changes in attitudes toward commemoration burial sites in contemporary culture (Basmajian …

Urban Morphology, Open Space Planning And Analysis Tools: Fort Worth Since The 1909 Kessler Plan, Dandan Zhu

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

This thesis focuses on the relationship between the parks system and city growth patterns in Fort Worth, Texas. It describes the evolution of the city's parks as well as the city's urban morphology since the inception of 1909 Kessler city park plan. Throughout Fort Worth's history, open space planning has played a key role in the city's development policies (City of Fort Worth Planning and Development Department 2004). Kessler's 1909 original park plan for the City of Fort Worth still serves as the basis for major park facilities (City of Fort Worth 2012). Evolution of the parks system in Fort …

Urban Agriculture Stormwater Management In California Cities, Rachel L. Cohen

Master's Theses

Cities within California are beginning to incorporate urban agriculture into their land use designations. Prompted by residents and local organizations, cities are hoping to capture the benefits that urban agriculture provides. Research has shown that urban agriculture renews and beautifies neighborhoods, provides healthy food choices, increases public health, has the potential to help with stormwater runoff, creates jobs, and fosters community. In the last few years, several California cities have made headlines as they have adopted new zoning codes that include urban agriculture.

In reviewing these new zoning codes and exploring the topic of urban agriculture, it became evident that …

Play In Place: The Role Of Site-Specific Playgrounds In Community Space, Allison Nkwocha

Scripps Senior Theses

Playgrounds do not have to be static sites, but safety standards should not be the only force that guides their evolution over time. Just as the ongoing transformation of any city is a product of many interwoven factors, the collection of smaller sites that delineates one city from another should reflect the same holistic influences. This is not an argument for the abandonment of the safety standards that influence playground design. Instead, it is an argument for the adoption of and stronger adherence to community standards that influence city design. This paper argues that a park area (and more generally, …

Trees Nestled Among Skyscrapers: Frederick Law Olmsted And The Creation Of Central Park, Matisse Murray

Library Research Prize Student Works

In the remarkable degree of scholarship that has been written on Frederick Law Olmsted since a resurgence of interest in his life during the early 1970s, there have been a number of varying interpretations regarding the social attitudes with which he approached his first major project, New York’s Central Park. Following a classic pendulum pattern, study has vacillated between emphasizing his democratic vision for the park to placing more of a focus upon his esteem for gentility. In the former, scholars such as biographer Laura Wood Roper described Olmsted’s idea of Central Park as a place for Americans of all …

Gardens Are A Physical Manifestation Of Culture: Postmodern Public Parks Of The Twenty-First Century Will Be Built On The Infrastructure Of The Industrial Age, Steven W. Grant

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

Gardens are not simply arranged trees, lawns, walkways, fountains and ponds. They are a physical expression of the values and beliefs of culture. Adapting industrial age infrastructure into public parks is a reflection of culture in the postmodern age as much as the cloister garden expressed theology in the middle-ages, the sensuous garden expressed the humanism of the Renaissance, the Baroque garden expressed autocratic power, the neo-classical garden expressed reason, and the picturesque garden expressed awe of nature. The postmodern postindustrial public park of today is being built on the infrastructure of the industrial age; it is an expression of …

A Critical Examination Of The Stormwater Education, Based On Sites Parameters, In Landscape Architecture Departments In The Sec, Brandon Doss

Landscape Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

The amount of accessible natural resources is dwindling and water could be the next world crisis. One response to this issue is the creation of methodologies which evaluate sustainability of new land development. A system to address the issues is the Sustainable Sites Initiative. This method was created in 2009 by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the United States Botanic Garden. Their primary goal was to create a metric for rating development to encourage a more sustainable approach. A piece of this evaluation is water management. Landscape architecture is poised to address …

(In)Formal Distinction In Urban Istanbul: Evaluating Spatial Performance, Hannah Breshears

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

As globalization continues to draw the cities of the world into closer economic and intellectual dependence, Istanbul stands as bridge between two continents and a city poised for urban transformation. Massive tracts of informally designed communities are being cleared to accommodate the structure of the modern, tourism driven city. The attempt to purge the city of its squatter heritage is startling and raises questions of cultural and architectural integrity in urban development. Istanbul’s desire for expanded global investment and tourism is particularly apparent in the industrial district of Kartal, whose blended development is the subject of this study. Jane Jacobs …

Transforming Urban Brownfields: Creating Natural Communities Through Successful Stormwater Management And Bioremediation Strategy, Yang Song

All Theses

Brownfields are a crucial issue for the 21century's urban development. To successfully restore brownfields and transform them into comfortable and enjoyable environments, we have to study how to mitigate contamination issues related to soil and stormwater. Three bodies of knowledge are studied in the literature: natural community restoration, urban brownfield restoration, storm-water management. Then, these areas are researched through case studies focusing on topography design, plant adaptation, and treatment wetland. The findings are in the form of descriptive design guidelines addressing six factors: spatial experience, stormwater collecting, natural succession, plant and species diversity, habitat creation, treatment, and cleaning. The recommendations …

Generating Recreation, Transforming Communities: Utilizing Transmission Power Line Corridors In Regional Greenway Design, John Pay

All Theses

Utilizing existing transmission power line corridors and increasing their uses through the implementation of an infrastructural recreational element helps to preserve existing natural areas while increasing the recreation amenities in the areas. These corridors, often considered an eyesore to many, provide an opportunity to become beautiful public greenspaces which can act as recreational amenities, economic drivers, and providers of alternative transportation infrastructure. With the use of transmission lines being a necessity in supplying the energy needs of nearly all regions of the United States, the adaptability of this greenway system, model can be adapted by other communities throughout the country …

Holding The Process Accountable: An Exploration Of New Housing Developments And Place In Cukurcayir, Turkey, Beyza Sen

All Theses

Housing environments are the places where its residents spend most of their time in. In Turkey, housing types that have been built in the past have over time. Especially during the past decade, due to the concentration of people in the city centers and the nations goals on housing developments have resulted in dense and tall apartment buildings to be built in newly developing cities. This study exemplifies the current planning practices and its effects on housing environments and place. The reasons why this study is focusing on the housing environments are: housing environments represent the culture and society, people …

Cultivating America's Working Lands: A Study Of The Sociocultural Value Of Family Farms, Katherine Lloyd

All Theses

Our ability to produce food in a sustainable, healthy and humane manner is threatened, both in the United States and on the global scale. This difficulty is exacerbated by expected population growth, creating a need for 60% more food worldwide by 2050 to feed a population of 9.3 billion (United Nations Chronicle, 2012). How we produce food affects local economies, the cultural vitality of communities, and the health of regional ecosystems. Industrial or conventional agriculture is damaging all three of these systems, by draining local economies through corporate business practices, isolating farmers and attributing to rural population losses, while depleting …

Beyond Drawing The Line: A Study Of The Edge Structure Of Boston's Emerald Necklace, Priyanka Vankina

All Theses

Landscapes are mosaics of patches and corridors which are formed by hills, different soils types, vegetation patchiness, natural disturbances and human activities. As humans have developed, the patches and corridors have become fragmented and edges have been created. These edges become the critical points of interaction for wildlife with their surroundings. This is especially true in urban areas where development has created harsh edge environments.
This study investigates the edge structure of Olmsted's Emerald Necklace to understand how edges can be designed to create habitat for wildlife in urban areas. The Emerald Necklace is located in Boston, MA and was …