Digital Commons Network^™

Efficacy Of Oil And Gas Production Site Remediation In U.S. Arid/Semi-Arid Regions, Skye Ontiveros

Architecture and Planning ETDs

Oil and gas production (OGP) is expanding, paralleled by its polluting leaks and spills (LS), and outpaced by its waste. This raises the question: Does remediation of LS occur effectively when needed to protect the environment and public, particularly in major producing regions like arid/semi-arid regions (ASAR), which account for approximately 72% of US oil and 42% of gas production? To answer, a review of the eight largest national remedial laws, sourced from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), identified 14 OGP exemptions for remedial determinants (RDs): factors affecting remedial frequency and efficacy (e.g. LS monitoring and chemical disclosure). An …

Pavements And The Urban Heat Island Effect: A Network Analysis Of Research Trends And Knowledge Structure, Fouzieh Rouzmehr, Saman Jamshidi

Architecture Faculty Research

The urban heat island (UHI) effect is one of the most pressing challenges associated with rapid urbanization. It arises primarily from the replacement of natural vegetation with impervious surfaces, alterations in surface energy balance, and heat emissions from human activity. Mitigating these drivers has become a global priority, particularly in fast-growing cities. Pavements play a central role in UHI intensification due to their large surface coverage, low albedo, and capacity to retain heat. This study adopts a bibliometric approach to systematically map the knowledge structure and research trends in pavement-related UHI studies. A dataset of 834 publications from Web of …

Rewilding The Built Environment: Navigating Economic, Political, And Social Barriers To Urban Ecological Restoration, Carly E. Smith

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

Urban rewilding offers a nature-based approach to restoring ecological processes in cities while advancing climate resilience, biodiversity, and public well-being. Unlike conventional green infrastructure, rewilding allows ecosystems to develop with minimal intervention, emphasizing succession, complexity, and long-term adaptability. This paper examines the political, economic, and social factors that frame how rewilding is understood and implemented in urban planning. Governmental frameworks often prioritize order, predictability, and short-term results, making it difficult to accommodate the uncertainty and ecological complexity that rewilding requires. Economic models struggle to capture its long-term value, frequently overlooking ecosystem services or reconciling competing land uses. Social perceptions of …

Practitioners’ Perspectives On Preventing Environmental Gentrification In Chicago, Illinois, Usa, Tania Schusler, Amy Krings

School of Environmental Sustainability: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Pollution cleanup, green space creation, and other improvements to environmental quality in cities are important to urban sustainability. However, because they occur within a political economic context characterized by structural racism, urban greening initiatives can intentionally or unintentionally reproduce racial, economic, and social inequities through environmental gentrification. We explored possibilities for improving environmental quality without displacing or excluding long-term residents including people of color, the poor, and members of other marginalized groups. We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with community organizers, environmental justice advocates, urban planners, housing specialists, and others who held deep expertise through their lived and professional experience in …

A Comparative Study Of Cities To Develop An Assessment Framework For Climate-Resilient Cities, Aya Mohamed Elsawaf, Ayman G. Abdeltawab, Engi Ibrahem El-Darwish, Walaa Abou El-Haggag Mehanna

Journal of Engineering Research

As climate change intensifies, urban areas face increasing hazards from extreme weather events such as rising sea levels, heat waves, and heavy rainfall. Resilient cities—those developed to absorb, recover, and adapt to these shocks—are crucial in protecting residents and infrastructure. This paper explores the concept of urban resilience, highlighting its multifaceted aspect, including recovery, adaptability, and transformation. It focuses on how to solve these climate change challenges by implementing resilience strategies and practices that achieve a number of criteria and indicators to be a climate-resilient city. A collection of global frameworks for measuring resilience in general is discussed in addition …

Where Pipes Meet The Water: Urban Infrastructure In Tijuana, Joab Barrientos

McNair Summer Research Program

Tijuana's rapid urban growth and industrial development have placed significant pressure on its water infrastructure, resulting in ongoing pollution concerns in the Tijuana River Watershed and elsewhere in and beyond the city. In many areas of the city, rapid urban growth has outpaced the building of critical infrastructure like sewage and stormwater systems. These factors have left neighborhoods at risk for a long time. At the same time, industrial growth has often relied on old infrastructure or happened without the right systems in place. Although poor water quality has been a problem for years, few studies have used spatial analysis …

Measuring What Matters: Optimizing Usd’S Campus Spaces For Equity, Sustainability, And Impact, Briana Burton

McNair Summer Research Program

In alignment with Goal #3 of the University of San Diego’s Lighting the Way to 2030 strategic plan (Responsible Stewardship), the university initiated the Campus Space Study-- a comprehensive, data-driven assessment of academic and administrative space usage. This project aims to optimize resource allocation, reduce environmental impact, and improve the educational experience by leveraging cutting-edge sensor technology and strategic planning tools.

As the sole student representative on the 18-member Steering Committee, I contribute a student-focused lens to this institutional initiative. Through my McNair research, I actively participate in the implementation of the study, supporting the installation and calibration of over …

Coal Mining Reclamation: Lessons Learned From Tropical And Subtropical Countries, Priyaji Agung Pambudi, Suyud Warno Utomo, Roni Setyo Handoko

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

This study addresses the persistent environmental challenges associated with coal mining in tropical and subtropical regions, where complex microclimates and ecological variability hinder effective reclamation. Despite the increasing global coal demand, comparative cross-country insights remain limited. This research fills the gap by evaluating the best practices. This study employs a qualitative methodology with a comparative case study design, uses systematic literature review to evaluate ecology based reclamation policies and implementation practices. Data were sourced from peer-reviewed journals from Scopus and the Web of Science database and institutional reports, and analyzed using McHarg’s landscape ecology theory to evaluate reclamation policies, ecological …

Strategic Development Plan – San Pedro Dr. Main Street Corridor, Adrian N. Carver

Student Publications

The San Pedro MainStreet Strategic Development Plan is a place-based, community-driven roadmap for revitalizing the San Pedro Drive corridor in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The corridor sits at the intersection of historical significance and present-day opportunity—bridging the old and new alignments of Route 66 while serving a diverse, working-class population. Drawing from urban planning theory, spatial analysis, and community input, this plan identifies challenges and assets related to land use, infrastructure, business development, housing, and cultural identity. Special attention is given to past and ongoing patterns of racialized disinvestment and displacement, with strategies proposed to ensure equitable reinvestment and climate resilience. …

Community Members’ Perspectives On A Community-Engaged Process For Supporting Vibrant Greenspaces In Detroit, Alysha D. Matthews, Guilherme Hebling Costa, Karl Erickson, Karin A. Pfeiffer, Amber L. Pearson, Benjamin V. Dougherty

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Greenspaces provide several well-being (Dinnie et al., 2013) and psychosocial benefits (Addy et al., 2004). Community-engaged research affords community partners a voice in the project (Cushman et al., 2004). This study assessed Detroit community members’ perceived benefits of and suggestions for engaging with the community to support greenspaces. Through qualitative analysis, a three-step process for community-engaged planning was revealed. Findings highlight strategies that involve community members in this process to enhance community engagement and well-being.

Adaptation Planning To Mitigate Flood Risk: Bellevue, Nebraska As A Case Study, Michael Nti Ababio

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

Flooding remains one of the most pressing natural hazards in the United States, with increasing frequency and intensity driven by climate change. This thesis explores the adaptation planning strategies employed to mitigate flood risks in Bellevue, Nebraska, a city significantly impacted by the 2019 floods in eastern Nebraska. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines quantitative analysis of flood vulnerability with a critical review of local planning policies using documents, zoning ordinances and institutional frameworks. Spatial analytical tools such as Global Moran’s I and Hot Spot Analysis (Getis-Ord Gi*) were used to detect clustering of inundated buildings during the 2019 …

Just Distribution Of Tree Canopy? A Digital Approach To Tree Equity, Alexandra G. Ponette-González, Matthew Fry, Daniella Hirschfeld, Jeff Rose, Evan Elderbrock

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Faculty Publications

Trees in U.S. cities are unevenly and inequitably distributed. To address this challenge, planners increasingly use digital tools to prioritize areas and communities for tree projects. The goal is to achieve tree equity wherein all populations have access to the benefits of urban trees. Here we identify limitations and opportunities in the operationalization of the tree equity concept via digital platforms. We call on planners using digital tools in urban forest planning to (1) incorporate data that capture the heterogeneity of spaces in which urban trees grow, (2) include and support marginalized communities in urban forest planning, and (3) couple …

A Fifty-Year Assessment Of Historical Planning Processes And Green Space Distribution (1975-2025): A Case Study Of Portland, Or, Usa, Quadri Olatunbosun Taiwo

Dissertations and Theses

The Portland study examined past planning regulations and greenspace distribution over the period of fifty years, with particular attention given to neighborhood differences between invested and non-invested neighborhoods. This research utilized a mixed-methods approach through the synthesis of qualitative themes from oral narratives and archival records. Furthermore, I examined spatial greenspace using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) imagery. I tested the study hypothesis using the GIS Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression test to predict how key sociodemographic characteristics affect the provision of greenspace in non-white disinvested neighborhoods. The key findings indicated a consistent trend of inequity in greenspace, heavily shaped …

Re-Imagining As Re-Empowering, Zheyun Chen

Masters Theses

While landscapes designed have been shown to effectively promote healing, foster community, and facilitate social empowerment, the landscapes of domestic violence shelters are woefully understudied.

This thesis explores the potential of integrating and combining existing design elements into the landscape to create a system that fosters a “safe place” within an urban context.

In this thesis, I developed a series of typologies based on existing landscape elements that are not necessarily connected with trauma-informed care or a healing landscape. I examined these in an urban context, specifically at Casa Myrna, a domestic violence shelter in Roxbury, Boston, MA.

Through the …

More Than Her Othering Narrative, Jiayi Zhang

Masters Theses

Following feminist theory and spatial critique, this thesis challenges the kitchen’s traditional function as an enclosed site of invisible domestic labor. It reclaims the kitchen as an open, public, and empowering space. In so doing, it reframes it as a critical site of collective resistance, care, and community building.

Fall River, MA is a post-industrial city marked by disinvestment and food insecurity. This thesis integrates existing food pantries and public landscapes into a network of community kitchens using repurposed vacant lots and an existing bike path. These multi-functional spaces where food is grown, cooked, and shared, become an infrastructure of …

Pulped Landscapes, Allison P. Abrams

Masters Theses

Large corporations control intensive and extractive industrial land use practices through acts of dumping, capping, and neglect. The abandonment of industrial sites is increasing as well as the environmental consequences of such actions. How can impacted communities proactively engage in remediation processes while post-industrial sites sit in limbo?

With the former Foley Cellulose Plant in Perry, Florida (closed in 2023) as a case study, this thesis researches and speculates on potentials of phytoremediation experimentation and harvesting of plant fibers on contaminated soils. The site is a pulped landscape: land directly impacted by intensive, large corporation-led pulp production practices that is …

Integrating A Stakeholder-Centric Approach Into Dynamic Adaptation Policy Pathways For Equitable Coastal Flood Risk Management In East Boston, Shailee M. Desai

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This research aims to illustrate a methodology incorporating diverse stakeholder values in adaptation planning to promote equitable outcomes using a hypothetical case study of the Lower Border Street area in East Boston, using the Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways (DAPP) framework for managing coastal flood risk. It offers three significant contributions to the field of adaptation planning: (i) It demonstrates how to integrate a stakeholder-specific assessment within the DAPP framework and illustrates individual impacts to a variety of stakeholders, including high- and low-income residents, commercial actors, government actors, and coastal landowners hoping that the planning process remains transparent and motivates local …

Passive Envelope Retrofits As Climate Justice Infrastructure Against Extreme Heat: A Gis-Guided Approach For Outdated Single-Family Homes In Urban California, Mert Oztekin Mr.

Master's Projects and Capstones

I examined the opportunities to enhance equity in energy performance, climate resilience, and environmental adaptation through climate-resilient envelope retrofitting and spatially guided implementation strategies (via mappings of the Urban Heat Island -UHI- and socio-economic vulnerability indicators). Passive envelope retrofits of attic insulation; high-performance windows; cool roofs; and green roofs / walls, are examined across multiple climate zones of California' aged single-family housing stock, focusing on the Disadvantaged Communities (DACs). Through spatial analysis, strong overlap between Urban Heat Island(UHI) exposure; pre-1980 housing; socioeconomic disadvantage, and thus the need for spatially-directed action is underlined. The policy landscape analysis provides confirmation of the …

Identifying Predictors And Scorecard Ranking Systems For Deck Park Development, Archer J. Morrow

Planning Masters Professional Reports - Archive

This report uses geographic data to identify development predictors and assemble site-ranking scorecards for deck park development. Deck parks are an increasingly popular, if understudied, urban intervention often used to mitigate the effects of highway development, pedestrianized urban areas, and promote development. This research collected data from 19 parks across the United States using the American Community Survey and observed Geospatial Features to develop predictors that relate to deck park implementation measured in $/ft^2. Predictors were analyzed using Pearson correlation testing to assess if there was a significant correlation between certain variables. If a correlation was found, predictors were moved …

Urban Eden, Establishing The Groundwork For A More Resilient City, Max R. Oliva

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Cities account for over 70% of Global C02 emissions and as these areas grow over time their Carbon Footprint will grow in turn. In order to offset this imbalance I propose to design Performative Skins & Building Modules to not only reduce the carbon footprint in these cities, but also recover their connection to Nature contributing not only to energy efficiency and air quality, but also to urban aesthetics, the inclusion of these systems could go so far as to help mitigate the heat island effect and in the long term help establish a more resilient and sustainable city

Road Rage Or Road Cage: A Study Of The Ecological Impacts Of Roads On Wildlife Corridors And The Resultant Habitat Fragmentation, Addie Bagot

Design Research

As global road networks continue to expand, the resulting habitat fragmentation poses a significant threat to wildlife populations and ecological connectivity. In the United States, wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) account for approximately 10 million animal deaths and 40,000 human fatalities annually, with incidents increasing by 50% over the past 15 years. This research investigates the ecological impacts of transportation infrastructure through a case study of Interstate 10 in Louisiana, specifically a 15-mile segment between Sorrento and LaPlace that cuts through the Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area. This forested wetland, home to a rich diversity of species including the American alligator, has …

Lack Of Infrastructure: Addressing Water Scarcity And Housing Needs In Sand Branch, Yannet A. Mercado

2025 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

In the outskirts of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (DFW), unincorporated communities like Sand Branch face unstable living conditions. Sand Branch, one of the poorest communities in North Texas, has struggled with water insecurity for decades due to the lack of municipal water infrastructure. Residents often rely on donations from nonprofit organizations to meet their basic water needs. This paper explores how implementing a Rainwater Harvesting System (RWH) could enhance their independence and resilience by providing a more sustainable water source. This research examines Sullivan’s work on sustainable housing policies for low-income self-built communities and evaluates the feasibility of RWH as …

Silence In The Sound: Impacts Of Sound Exposure In Greenville, South Carolina, Grace Bowar

All Theses

The known environmental and health concerns have always been air, water, and dirt. Over time, human settlement introduced sound, impacting the environment and those within it. Transportation and daily interactions have continued to contribute to generated noise that is now an ever-present force. With urban planning grounded in health, safety, and well-being, the impact of sound on public health remains under recognized. This research explores the relationship between sound, health, and residential land use, with a focus on Greenville, South Carolina. This study seeks to address the gap between these variables by investigating whether elevated sound levels are present in …

A Comparative Analysis Of Cultural Preservation Focused Land-Use Regulations Within The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Of South Carolina, Nolly C. Swan

All Theses

This thesis is an analysis of three land-use regulations: conservation easements and fee simple ownership by conservation land trust, an area specific zoning overlay, and a town-wide ordinance, all aimed at protecting cultural heritage on different islands within the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor (GGCHC) of South Carolina: Edisto Island, St. Helena Island, and Hilton Head Island. The lower sea islands of South Carolina have a unique natural and cultural landscape under threat of loss, both tangible and intangible heritage is vulnerable. This study provides an individual and comparative analysis of goals for land-use regulations. The purpose statements of the …

Edra 56: Bibliography, Tamara Karr

Bibliographies

EDRA 56: Designing Communities for Climate Action and Resilience

Urban Planning For Regional Food Equity, Miriam Caroline Sullivan

City and Regional Planning

47 million people, including 14 million children, face food insecurity in the United States of America annually. Defined by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as: when people don’t have enough to eat and don’t know where their next meal will come from. Food insecurity is a systemic issue caused by systems greater than any individual failure. Poverty and unemployment, lack of affordable housing, chronic public health issues, racism and discrimination all play a role in the state of American food security (Feeding America, n.d.). A tenet of this research and project development is the right of all people, …

Urban Agriculture Technical Advisory, Katherine Rose Ivanjack, Kylie J. Preciado

City and Regional Planning

This project serves as a senior capstone, aimed at exploring the potential of urban agriculture to address critical challenges in sustainability, food security, and community development within California cities. This project highlights practical and innovative approaches to urban farming that can be adopted or adapted to suit the unique needs of urban areas across the state.

Balancing Construction Costs And Environmental And Social Performances In High-Rise Urban Development: A Generative Urban Design Approach, Peng Du, Geoffrey Little, Erick Romero

College of Architecture and the Built Environment Faculty Papers

The urban design process is complex and interdisciplinary, especially in the context of high-density cities with high-rise buildings. The design of high-rise buildings requires input from a variety of stakeholders in the city, who often represent conflicting requirements and interests. However, conventional design approaches struggle to address this complexity. This study introduced a generative urban design approach and applied it to a case study for high-rise urban development in Guangzhou, China. Specifically, 7500 urban forms were generated with variables such as street networks, block offset, building typology, and green space, and then were evaluated and optimized via multi-objective evolutionary algorithms. …

Streets Of Belonging: Reimagining Bataan Street As A Demonstration Project For Cultural Preservation In La Bajada, Avigail Gutierrez

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

The objective of this research is to examine how landscape architecture can be used to preserve cultural identity and community life in neighborhoods experiencing gentrification. The study focuses on the La Bajada community in West Dallas and explores how design can help protect the neighborhood’s character and history while improving comfort, safety, and accessibility in public spaces. The research investigates the role of Bataan Street and its traffic islands as social and cultural anchors within the community. It evaluates how landscape architecture can strengthen belonging and resilience against displacement. The study is guided by a research question: How can the …

Visions Of The Garden: Transforming The Former Claremont Golf Course Into The Coastal Sage Mosaic, Ella C. Kim

Pitzer Senior Theses

A thirty-three-acre parcel of land sits at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains at a vulnerable wildland-urban interface (WUI), raising key ecological concerns. This parcel, a former golf course, is the focused site for this conceptual landscape and restoration plan. The now-neglected site has no proposed plans for restoration or development yet holds significant potential for transformation. Stakeholders’ conflicting visions range from land preservation, ecological restoration, Indigenous land rights, commodification for revenue and development, and prioritizing the needs of the natural environment in coexistence with modern human enjoyment. The conceptual plan addresses these critical considerations in verbal and visual …