Digital Commons Network^™

Asset Based Architectural Design With A Systemic Perspective In Vulnerable Community- Participatory Action Research In Iraq Bersive 2 Refugee Camp, Hei Chan, Peter Hasdell

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Vulnerable communities often lack of basic housing and facilities. However, with more understanding, they not only face housing problem but also with social, economic, environmental, political issues and so on. Traditional building approach often focuses on material needs while the underlying causes could be neglected. In fact, vulnerability is often more in the intangibles: relationships with self, others and environment. With this regard, how could designers develop efficient systemic design strategies responding to the complexity of social systems and empower vulnerable groups to recognize themselves as interrelated actors in community development? Asset based design approach under the community capital framework …

Drs 2024 Ph.D. Consortium, Ryan Bruggeman, Luis Garcia, Alayt Issak, Jules Rochielle Sievert

DRS Biennial Conference Series

No abstract provided.

Using Living Labs To Engage Communities And Stakeholders In The Development And Knowledge Exchange Of Urban Health And Sanitation Solutions In The Global South, Emmanuel Tsekleves, Roger Pickup, Manoj Roy

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Engaging communities and stakeholders in developing user-centred urban health solutions, whilst linking the research to their own development, pose major challenges for design researchers working in the Global South. In a number of circular sanitation projects in a community school in Ghana, we co-designed and installed an anaerobic digester delivering electricity and sanitation improvements. To enhance impact we developed and pilot-tested a Living and physical Lab design approach. One project focussed on hand hygiene. We introduced students to ‘making the invisible visible’ by visualising microbes from their hands and assessing handwashing effects. Our findings suggest that visualisation of microbes not …

What Is Next For Civic Design?, Mike De Kreek, Ferry Ferry Van De Mosselaer, Katrina Newell, Martijn De Waal, Eric Gordon, Vasilis Vlachokyriakos, Andrea Hamm, Gabriele Ferri, Tomasz Jaskiewicz, Wina Smeenk, Jaz Hee-Jeong Choi

DRS Biennial Conference Series

No abstract provided.

Designing From The Plants' Perspective. A Field Case Study In Urban Forest Of “La Goccia”, Francesco Vergani, Fabio Di Liberto

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Designing by engaging more-than-human agents such as plants is a complex chal-lenge, as they have long been regarded as "ontologically inferior" resources pri-marily serving human needs. Emerging studies in the field of Plant Neurobiology are now breaking down knowledge barriers, gathering extraordinary data that recognize plant actions and behaviors guided by a distinct form of intelligence. Considering this breakthrough findings, this paper describes a 10-day workshop involving 52 international design students from Politecnico di Milano University that focused on experiencing plants in a former industrial area within the city borders. Through the years, this area has gone from desolation to …

Historical Evolution Of Age-Friendly Transitions In The Yangfangdian Community In Beijing: A Multi-Level Perspective, Lijun Chen, Vladimír Kočí, Haipeng Tian

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The issue of transition and transformation of communities has a long history. Particularly in today's context of increasing aging trends, cities and communities are facing unprecedented multiple challenges that drive the transition to a more inclusive and sustainable future to enable community stakeholders to have a higher quality of life experience and to fulfil their visions for the future. This paper systemically reveals insights from the past of the ageing issue in the Yangfangdian community in Beijing through a multi- level perspective (MLP) framework created with local residents, a museum and design students to understand the historical foundations of the …

Preferable, Contextual And Sustainable… Climate Futures For Ecological Citizens., Robert Phillips, Sharon Baurley, Emily Boxall, Luke Gooding, Daniel Knox, Charlotte Nordmoen, Alec Shepley, Tom Simmons, Sarah West, Joanna Wright

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The responsibility for sustainable futures extends beyond individual disciplines, necessitating the adoption of diverse approaches across various fields. Water pollution is at epidemic levels, valuable materials go to landfill, ocean detritus grows, many people are disconnected from green space, and biodiversity is plummeting. We need new modes of climate futures, championing citizen agency. Societies require cross-collaborative, inclusive approaches to navigate climate future challenges. We seek to foresee ‘climate futures’ that signpost challenges, unpicking (appropriate) opportunities, benefits, and pitfalls. Through an Ecological Citizenship lens, the authors traverse situations, through preferable futures. It is an entry point for transition design, creating climate …

Show Me What You Mean: The Case For Easy-To-Use 3d Visualizations Of The Built Environment, Noelyn Stephens, Juan Salamanca

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Visual communication, particularly realistic visualization, has been found to be effective for facilitating constructive discussion on issues related to the built environment. Here, we make the case that a browser-based, intuitively designed 3D visualization interface could widen access to such approaches increasing opportunities for co-creation. Using this type of easy-to-access tool could allow community members to own the process of creating a shared vision for their city.

Towards Empowering Cohousing Communities: Finding Balance With A Group Of Users-Clients Throughout The Architectural Process, Audrey Mertens, Louise Coniasse, Catherine Elsen

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper explores the evolving role of architects in cohousing projects in response to environmental, economic, and social challenges. This research incorporates insights from semi-structured interviews in three Belgian case studies. The foundations and values of cohousing communities are tackled, highlighting shifts in architects' roles and challenges in working with groups of user-clients. In these cohousing processes, we found that the representatives of these user-client groups may not always share the full breadth of their negotiations with architects. Architects seem to miss out on some of the nuances, and some participants found that this approach left their voices unheard. Amidst …

Values-Based Systemic Design: A Conversation About Systems Change Across Institutions, Maura Shea, Candace Moore, Cory Stevenson, Craig Stevenson, Symone Fogg, Weslynne Ashton

DRS Biennial Conference Series

No abstract provided.

Island-Wide Characterization Of Agricultural Production Challenges The Demographic Collapse Hypothesis For Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Dylan S. Davis, Robert Dinapoli, Gina Pakarati, Carl P. Lipo

Anthropology Faculty Scholarship

Communities in resource-poor areas face health, food production, sustainability, and overall survival challenges. Consequently, they are commonly featured in global debates surrounding societal collapse. Rapa Nui (Easter Is- land) is often used as an example of how overexploitation of limited resources resulted in a catastrophic popula- tion collapse. A vital component of this narrative is that the rapid rise and fall of pre-contact Rapanui population growth rates was driven by the construction and overexploitation of once extensive rock gardens. However, the extent of island-wide rock gardening, while key for understanding food systems and demography, must be better understood. Here, we …

Island-Wide Characterization Of Agricultural Production Challenges The Demographic Collapse Hypothesis For Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Dylan Davis, Robert J. Dinapoli, Gina Pakarati, Terry L. Hunt, Carl P. Lipo

Anthropology Faculty Scholarship

Communities in resource-poor areas face health, food production, sustainability, and overall survival challenges. Consequently, they are commonly featured in global debates surrounding societal collapse. Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is often used as an example of how overexploitation of limited resources resulted in a catastrophic population collapse. A vital component of this narrative is that the rapid rise and fall of pre-contact Rapanui population growth rates was driven by the construction and overexploitation of once extensive rock gardens. However, the extent of island-wide rock gardening, while key for understanding food systems and demography, must be better understood. Here, we use shortwave …

Engaging Chemistry Educators Through Virtual Roundtables: How The Covid-19 Pandemic Led To A Community-Wide Initiative, M. Taylor Haynes, Justin M. Pratt, Matthew A. Cranswick, Kyle A. Grice, Chip Nataro, Sarah E. Shaner, Kari Stone, Meghan Porter, Jeffrey R. Raker

Chemistry Department Faculty Articles

Members of the Interactive Online Network of Inorganic Chemists (IONiC) report the development and sustained efforts to provide virtual professional development sessions: Supporting Learning with Interactive Teaching: a Hosted, Engaging Roundtable (SLiThEr). SLiThEr’s emerged from a community need at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic; since then, SLiThEr’s have become a standard event for the IONiC community. SLiThEr’s are real- time virtual community events, after which a recording of the SLiThEr is posted on the IONiC YouTube channel. In this paper, an overview of the structure, format, and emergence of SLiThEr’s is reported, followed by evaluation of SLiThEr offerings, a …

The Ecosystem As Super-Organ/Ism, Revisited: Scaling Hydraulics To Forests Under Climate Change, Jeffrey D. Wood, Matteo Detto, Marvin Browne, Nathan J.B. Kraft, Alexandra G. Konings, Joshua B. Fisher, Gregory R. Quetin, Anna T. Trugman, Troy S. Magney, Camila D. Medeiros, Nidhi Vinod, Thomas N. Buckley, Lawren Sack

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Classic debates in community ecology focused on the complexities of considering an ecosystem as a super-organ or organism. New consideration of such perspectives could clarify mechanisms underlying the dynamics of forest carbon dioxide (CO₂) uptake and water vapor loss, important for predicting and managing the future of Earth's ecosystems and climate system. Here, we provide a rubric for considering ecosystem traits as aggregated, systemic, or emergent, i.e., representing the ecosystem as an aggregate of its individuals, or as a metaphorical or literal super-organ or organism. We review recent approaches to scaling-up plant water relations (hydraulics) concepts developed for …

Comprehensive Planning In Small Communities, Peter B. Lamont Jr.

Certified Public Manager® Applied Research

The comprehensive plan is a vital tool in any city’s toolbox. It serves first and foremost as the general guide for a city’s development. Consisting of multiple parts, history, demographics, land use planning, transportation planning, and goals and objectives, it is the plan that all other plans should relate back to. Any growth and development decisions should be reviewed through the lens of the comprehensive plan. Proper planning has many benefits, especially in small, developing communities. These benefits include promoting sustainability, fostering a sense of community, enhancing quality of life, promoting economic development and managing new growth and infill. However, …

Climate Justice Issues, Urban Heat Island Effect, And Trees As The Solution In Portland, Oregon, Cleo Needham

University Honors Theses

Portland, Oregon, is experiencing rising temperatures caused by climate change and urban heat island effect. High heat disproportionately impacts vulnerable communities in Portland, causing harm to physical and mental health. Trees are a solution that reduces temperatures in urban environments. A strategy called 3-30-300 helps create a structure for where to place trees to help people receive the benefits. There are challenges with trees, such as the space required, the significant cost, and the time it takes to mature. Using trees as a solution can support and protect vulnerable communities in Portland, Oregon.

Using Video Modeling To Improve Hygiene Practices For Students With Significant Cognitive Disabilities, Allison Hovey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of instruction delivered by video to teach hygiene skills to students with significant cognitive disabilities. The independent variable in this study is personal hygiene instruction delivered by a video model. The dependent variable in this study is the ability of a participant to complete a multi-step hygiene task. The dependent variable will be measured during each data session of intervention by two scorers using the same measures and procedures across phases. Visual analysis demonstrated a functional relationship between the hygiene skill video model intervention and an increase in the percentage …

From Australia To Nebraska: Researching Social Value, Marilyn R. Schlake, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Jean Ann Fischer, Michelle Krehbiel, Randy Saner

Cornhusker Economics

Globally, there is a growing body of research on social capital through the lens of social value, or how the social connections translate into actions with tangible outcomes impacting livelihoods and well-being. In the United States, social value is a relatively new perspective that will add to the social capital discussion.

Initial Assessment And Floral Inventory Of V Ascular Plant Species In Angat Dam Watershed, Barangay Kabayunan, Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan, Angela Mae Y. Coloma, Hannah Jelyn P. De Chavez, Ma. Hanielyn Q. Gadin, Sophia Ysabel A. Ronas

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

The Philippines faces significant environmental challenges leading to rapid biodiversity loss. The Angat Watershed, vital for unique fauna and flora, maintains water quality for the Angat Hydroelectric Dam, supplying Metro Manila and nearby provinces. However, its flora is understudied, hindering plant protection. This study aims to assess and inventory vascular flora in Barangay Kabayunan, Angat Watershed, Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan. Using purposive sampling and morphological assessment, 41 species (22 shrubs, 11 herbs, five trees, three epiphytes) from 38 genera and 24 families were collected, including 12 Philippine endemics, 20 natives, and one naturalized species. They were preserved in herbarium sheets …

Gold In Agricultural Waste: Sugarcane (S. Officinarum L.) Bagasse Cellulose As A Component For Starch-Based Bioplastic, Ellyza Marie C. Violante, Mayleen A. Alvarez

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

Hailing as the largest crop by volume of production in the Philippines, sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is consequently one of the nation’s topmost sources of agricultural residue. Unfortunately, the recovery efforts to employ sugarcane bagasse (SCB) as a biofuel were nullified due to the costliness of the proposition. Hence, sugar mill subsidiaries persisted with the improper aquatic disposal of SCB in Batangas. In response to this, the researchers harnessed the high cellulose content of this biomass in a bioplastic film, with the objective of establishing a research ground for SCB recycling, whilst promoting the relentless pursuit of sustainable communities. This …

A Critical Book Review Of The Work Edited By Alfred, M. V., Robinson, Petra, A., & Roumell, E.A. (Eds.) (2021). Advancing The Global Agenda For Human Rights, Vulnerable Populations, And Environmental Sustainability: Adult Education As Strategic Partner., Sharon V. Gardiner-Taylor

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

ABSTRACT

This critical book review is an overview of the work edited by Alfred, M. V., Robinson, Petra, A., & Roumell, E.A. (Eds.) (2021), Advancing the global agenda for human rights, vulnerable populations, and environmental sustainability: Adult education as strategic partner. This review introduces each author, discusses the content, and concisely evaluates the work. Alfred, Robinson, and Roumell use a global perspective to explore how adult education influences considerations for marginalized persons with low literacy levels. Further, they write that people should focus on learning, not capital gain, but also contend that one does not have to operate at the …

Black Spiny-Tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura Similis) Use Of Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus) Burrows In Buckingham, Florida, Josie Rivero, Andrew M. Durso

Florida Field Naturalist

No abstract provided.

Creative Connections: Building Empathy To Foster Ecoliteracy Through Art Education, Jocelyn Salim

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates the potential positive impact of fostering empathy and understanding for the natural world through art education. Through action research, this study examines various teaching approaches, such as incorporating scientific knowledge, employing literature to discuss ecological themes, and engaging in participatory storytelling activities to cultivate empathy among elementary school children. The objective of this thesis is to explore empathy as a potential pathway to encourage children to foster connections with the natural world and develop compassionate traits, attitudes, and behaviors towards nature as they grow. The findings of this study reveal that children exhibit high levels of enthusiasm …

Cultivating A Sustainable Tomorrow: Community Gardens And Food Security In The City Of Santa Clara, Chrislyn Brandon

Silicon Valley Power Sustainable Futures Program

The City of Santa Clara faces significant challenges in ensuring equitable access to food for its residents, particularly amid rising living costs and economic disparities. Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted approach that tackles immediate food security concerns, broader environmental sustainability issues, and overall community well-being.

Santa Clara is a dynamic community characterized by diversity and innovation. It is uniquely positioned with several resources that need better dissemination. Enhancing support for residents' food security needs through increased knowledge sharing and resource provision in community areas stands out as an efficient strategy to address two key focus areas in Santa Clara's …

Enhancing Cycling Access In Santa Clara: Uncovering Residents’ Motivations And Reducing Inequities, Sally Walsh

Silicon Valley Power Sustainable Futures Program

To increase cycling in Santa Clara, it is critical to understand the current motivations of Santa Clara residents and what prevents citizens from using current resources. This effort will increase current infrastructure usage and optimize the implementation of high-quality infrastructure.

Community members of the City of Santa Clara voiced three opportunity areas for improvement, which could increase cycling rates and improve public health:

1.Respondents’ main concerns relate to safety, both when riding and bike thefts when parked

2.Respondents want more on-street cycling paths separated from car traffic by parked cars or a curb

3.Respondents see major opportunities for improvements along …

A Comparative Study Of The Npm, Pypi, Maven, And Rubygems Open-Source Communities, Saurav Gupta

Master's Theses

Open-source software (OSS) ecosystems, defined as environments composed of package managers and programming languages (e.g., NPM for JavaScript), are essential for software development and foster collaboration and innovation. Although their significance is acknowledged, understanding what makes OSS communities healthy and sustainable requires further exploration. This thesis quantitatively assesses the health of OSS projects and communities within the NPM, PyPI, Maven, and RubyGems ecosystems. We explore five research questions addressing project standards, community responsiveness, contribution distribution, contributor retention, and newcomer integration strategies. Our analysis shows varied documentation practices, insider engagement levels, and contribution patterns. Our findings highlight both strengths and different …

Military Climate Emissions, Nadia B. Ahmad

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Sacrifice Zones, Jonathan Rosenbloom

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

At The Intersection Of Environmental Justice And Sustainability Lies A More Equitable, Healthy Future For U.S. Communities, Alexandra Dapolito Dunn

UMKC Law Review

This Article offers a brief and recent history of the environmental justice and sustainability movements, with a decidedly U.S. focused approach necessary due to the breadth of the subject matter. This Article then offers examples of how the movements are coming together, in U.S. federal and state law and policy, judicial decisions, and in community applications. This Article then shows how the alignment of environmental justice and sustainability is serving to advance equity and a healthier future for many U.S. communities. This Article concludes that the continued intersection of these movements will serve to benefit our nation and its residents …

Southeast Asian American Tongues: The Sustainability And Growth Of A Vietnamese Dual Language Immersion Program In The Wake Of California’S Proposition 58, A Qualitative Study, Joseph Matthew Marquéz Manluco

Social Justice in Educational Leadership EdD Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the sustainability and growth of a VDLI program in Silicon Valley. The program was established in response to the 2016 passage of California’s Proposition 58, which reversed restrictions that inhibited the implementation of K12 bilingual programs. The study explored concepts related to the initial diaspora, linguistic experience, cultivation of an identity fostering a bilingual love of language, and community linguistic networks that sustained the bilingualism for research participants. Participants revealed their personal stories leading them to the VDLI from their own independent journeys in sheltering, preserving, and maintaining their linguistic heritage. The VDLI stands as a testament …