Digital Commons Network^™

Portable Housing For Mexican Migrant Workers, Janet Corzo

Theses

A capable migrant labor force is critical in sustaining the United States' agriculture industry. Yet, migrant farm workers are among the most economically disadvantaged people in the United States (NCFH). The housing available to migrant workers in the United States is typically substandard and subject to other factors, such as local availability, social stigmas and legal status. While housing is usually provided by a grower (on-the-farm) or acquired by the migrant worker himself (off-the-farm), there seem to exist no examples of portable housing that a worker can transport from job to job. This study seeks to explore the viability of …

Corporate Social Responsibility For Solving The Housing Problem For The Poor In South Africa, Ayman Ahmed Ezzat Othman, Basheera Mia

Architectural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Deliberative Democratic Practices In Tourism Planning: Towards A Model Of Participatory Community Tourism Planning, Oksana Grybovych

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast the current practices of citizen involvement in community tourism planning with the framework of deliberative democracy. The goal of this study was to expand the literature on tourism planning which currently lacks a working framework for participatory community tourism planning. Drawing from political philosophy, democratic theory, and planning literature, this study utilized the framework of deliberative democracy and planning as communicative action, in order to contribute to the development of a model of participatory community tourism planning.

The current practices of citizen involvement in community tourism planning were examined in …

Concurrent Panel Session 1: Sustainability In Community Development And Architecture In Las Vegas, Alfredo Fernandez-Gonzalez, Craig Galati, Mary Kay Peck, Jeff Roberts, Suzanne Sanders, Richard Serfas

Shaping the Future of Southern Nevada: Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability

Moderator: David Frommer, AIA, UNLV Planning & Construction Scribe: Michael Spurr, UNLV Department of History Conference white paper & Full summary of panel session, 5 pages

A Water-Efficient Landscape: Public Lands Center, Montrose, Co, Marcus Pulsipher

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The problem of water-wasting landscapes is prevalent throughout the western United States. For decades western settlers struggled to turn their arid lands into the more familiar settings of lush vegetation found in their native New England and Western Europe. This mind set has been passed down through generations and has transformed into the basis of the current western water crisis (Brundin and Pearson 2001). Only in the last few decades has this mentality been challenged and we've seen the emergence of several water-efficient landscape models. Through careful application of water-efficient landscape principles, western communities can greatly extend the life of …

Design Response To Humanitarian Crisis: An Analysis Of Low-Income Labor Camps In Doha, Qatar In The Context Of A Student Charrette, Holly Murdock

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

"Imagine a future where design can alter the quality of life." So began the instructions for "Charrette: A 48 hour Design Challenge" hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University's School of the Arts in Qatar. ("Charrette," 2007.) Combining sustainable design solutions with issues of human rights, an experiment in design education was created to challenge students to improve the quality of life for some of the world's most disadvantaged workers.

The Integration Of Historical And Green Planning In Commercial Development, A Study For The Potential Use Of The Historical Canada Packers Site In Edmonton, Alberta, T. David Murray

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The Canada Packers meat packing plant stood as a symbol of the agricultural heritage and formed part of the collective memory in the city of Edmonton throughout much of the twentieth century. Abandoned in 1994, the site has remained undeveloped and neglected for over a decade, while new development has expanded in every direction of the city. The development of the site is inevitable as property values skyrocket and the booming oil economy continues throughout Alberta. Currently the site is owned by RONA, a large Canadian home improvement store, and will be developed in the next few years. It is …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of Quality Of Life, Sense Of Community, And Life Satisfaction Among Elderly Residents In Schuyler And Crete, Nebraska, Rodrigo Cantarero, James J. Potter, Christina K. Leach

Architecture Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

The purpose of this study is to identify key indicators affecting the elderly population's perception of Quality of Life (QoL) in two rural Nebraska communities--Crete and Schuyler. It also explores QoL indicators affecting their sense of satisfaction with living in the community and their perception of the town's sense of community. The current analysis is based on data obtained in two prior studies conducted by the authors. The results indicate that a majority of the elderly were satisfied. We also corroborated other studies' findings in which stress is negatively related to QoL. Finally, we confirmed a positive relation between strong …

New Dollars/New Partners: The Partners For Sacred Places Michigan Initiative, Chris Beyer

Historic Preservation Final Projects

No abstract provided.

Multifunctional Rural Landscapes: Economic, Environmental, Policy, And Social Impacts Of Land Use Changes In Nebraska, Twyla M. Hansen, Charles A. Francis, J. Dixon Esseks, J. Allen Williams Jr.

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The conversion of farmland near cities to other human uses is a global trend that challenges our long-term capacity to provide food, fiber, and ecosystem services to a growing world population. If current trends continue in the United States, the population will reach 450 million by the year 2050. At the same time, an accelerating change in land use will reduce today’s two acres per person of farmland to less than one acre per person. This is scarcely enough to produce food for our domestic population, without any food available for export – even assuming advances in technology. We need …

Edra 38: Bibliography Of Books On Display, Kathleen Demsky

Bibliographies

edra 38 | Building Sustainable Communities | Sacramento, CA

Baugruppe - Lessons From Freiburg On Cooperative Housing : Lessons From Freiburg On Cooperative Housing, Joseph Little

Articles

Creating Sustainable Communities in the UK and Ireland

The Genesis of Quartier Vauban

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Mapping And Estimation Of Impervious Surfaces, Vrunda Patki

All Theses

No abstract provided.

Changing Maine, 1960-2010: Teaching Guide, Richard Barringer, New England Environmental Finance Center

Maine History & Policy Development

Unlike forty years ago, none of us is now certain what the future holds for Maine – except that it will be different. Maine has been transformed by the events of the recent decades. We have come into a new world, a new time – a new historical era, if you will. This new era, like previous eras in Maine history, will require of us new ways of thinking, new ways of understanding, new ways of organizing ourselves as a community of people, if the values and culture we share and cherish are to endure and flourish.

Sustainability And Interdisciplinary Education: Planning And The Caed Sustainable Environments Program, Paul Wack

City and Regional Planning

For the past fifteen years, through an interdepartmental effort, the College of Architecture and Environmental Design has been offering an interdisciplinary minor on Sustainable Environments. CRP professor Paul Wack, a devoted co-founder and one of its most popular instructors, writes about this unique and popular initiative which recently received a national educational award from the American Institute of Architects.

Promoting Low Impact Development In Your Community, New England Environmental Finance Center

Planning

Low Impact Development (LID) is an approach to stormwater management and site development that is gaining popularity throughout the country. Its attractiveness lies in its potential to lessen off-site stormwater impacts, reduce costs to municipalities and developers, and promote development that is “softer on the land” compared with typical traditional development. The approach, which is applicable to residential, commercial and industrial projects, and in urban, suburban and rural settings, often is linked with efforts by governments and citizens to foster more sustainable communities.

Insites, 2006, Utah State University

inSites

The Annual Newsletter of The Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning

The Competitive Global City 2030: A Futures Approach, Ruth Kelly, John Ratcliffe, Julie Gannon

Articles

In an increasingly globalising and competitive world, cities are facing unparalleled challenges relating to such forces as economic restructuring and fiscal stress, national security, institutional relationships and the changing role of governance, environmental degradation, social and cultural transformation and rising exclusion. In May 2005, The Futures Academy, Technological University Dublin, in collaboration with the Urban Land Institute (ULI), embarked on a joint initiative to stimulate thinking and encourage informed discussions concerning the future trajectory and sustainable development of the competitive ‘global city’. As part of this study, The Academy undertook in-depth background research including a comprehensive questionnaire survey; an interactive …

Smart Growth: A Buffer Zone Between Decentrist And Centrist Theory?, Dorothy Stewart, Lorcan Sirr, Ruth Kelly

Articles

The context for planning at the turn of the 19th century, in a newly industrialized world, was based on the need to find solutions to overcrowding and dire urban conditions. Planning decisions made in the post-World War II period were primarily motivated by the desire to reconstruct war torn cities. The forces of influence for planning and development in modern advanced capitalist societies are arguably set within the context of sustainable development. Many developed countries have witnessed a dramatic change in their territorial structures. Urban centres are extending into rural areas and surrounding hinterland, where large tracts of land are …

Architecture Of The Wilderness: Understanding Culture And Ecology In The Sandhills Of Nebraska Through Design, Patrick J. Moore

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

How might one—in creating a built environment—educate others about the natural environment, restore commerce to a dying community, and touch the earth as lightly as possible in the process? The intent of this project is to create an interpretive center for a proposed regional tourism network in a rural Nebraska County. The design will be based on issues of sustainability, including resource conservation, socio-economic improvement, and environmental protection. Specific issues addressed include: Green Buildings, Biomimicry, Mechanical Systems, Construction Methods, Biology and Geology Research and Education, Regional Planning, and Vernacular Buildings. This project, explores how architecture can be used in a …

State [Fair] Park: Nebraska Vernacular, Andrew Charles Peterson

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

Each year the Nebraska State Fair comes and goes; however, the abandoned fairgrounds remain causing a void in Lincoln’s urban fabric. This project proposes a remedy to the fairground’s wavering between programmatic solidity and impermanence by redeveloping and renaming the site. The new State [Fair] Park will function as a park for 51 weeks out of the year and a fair for one. The result is a recreational nucleus for the city of Lincoln showcasing Nebraska’s historically agricultural economy and character. State [Fair] Park is designed according to “a single, unifying ideal”—to showcase Nebraska’s farmland vernacular.1 Utilizing this principle during …

Village Homes, Davis, California: A Learning Lab For Future Planners, Paul Wack

City and Regional Planning

Built in the 1970s, Village Homes is an extremely successful housing development in Davis, California, and considered a model of sustainable community design. Energy-conscious houses are organized around a system of pedestrian-friendly streets and open spaces, with community facilities, shared gardens, orchards, and vineyards, all managed by residents. Professor Paul Wack, a founder of the Sustainable Environments minor in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design, has been adopting it as a case-study for his classes for several years.

Templeton 2030 Community Plan, Crp 410/ 411 Community Planning Lab

CRP 410/411 Community Planning Laboratory I & II

No abstract provided.

An "Ecolodge" In Thailand: A Site Design Based Upon The Local Vernacular Village, Pudtan Chantarangkul

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis began from my interest in using indigenous architectural and dwelling patterns of fishing villages in coastal Thailand as a model for a new sustainable community. The provincial government has a policy promoting longstay tourism for affluent retirees from other countries, enabling them to experience the natural, historical, and cultural heritage of the area at an economical cost. To fulfill the local government's policy and my intention to design such a facility, this thesis proposes to design an international "ecolodge" for a site near Yisan Village. The area is very peaceful yet it is not so far from downtown …

New Zealand's Search For Sustainability: Ideas For California Planning, Paul Wack

City and Regional Planning

New Zealand, or Aotearoa to the native Maori, is a small island nation of 4 million people and 47 million sheep, located across the Tasman Sea from Australia. The home of the Kiwi (an endangered bird, a popular fruit, and the friendly people) is about the size of Colorado, although the shape of the north and south islands would approximate the elongated length of California.

Much of New Zealand would remind us of Oregon and the Sierras with their majestic Southern Alps. Overall, New Zealand reminds me of California during the 1950’s, before urban sprawl kicked in with a vengeance. …

Edra 35: Bibliography Of Books On Display, Kathleen Demsky

Bibliographies

edra 35 | Design with Spirit | Albuquerque, NM

Futures Thinking To Achieve Sustainable Development At Local Level In Ireland, Lorcan Sirr, Ruth Kelly, John Ratcliffe

Reports

We are living in times of unprecedented global change and upheaval and over the next ten to 20 years governments, organisations and individuals will face increasing difficulties in an environment of growing complexity, heightened uncertainty and a quickening pace of change. The concept of sustainable development implies the reconciliation of long-term socio-economic development, environmental protection and quality of life; essentially it is concerned with the future. Unfortunately, the potential for linking “futures thinking” to debates about sustainable development at local and regional government levels is relatively undeveloped, particularly in Ireland. Responding to this challenge, The Futures Academy at Technological University …

Futures Thinking For The Built And Human Environment, Lorcan Sirr, John Ratcliffe

Reports

We are currently living through an era where we can, and need to, create exciting new possibilities in the way we think about, plan, design and build new places and spaces for working and living. At the same time, two irresistible forces – change and complexity – face decision-makers charged with framing and executing future policy and practice for the built and human environment. This paper generally argues the case for employing a ‘prospective’ process through scenario thinking for strategic planning and management in the urban arena. It does not attempt to identify or explore the advances made in planning …