Landscape Architecture Commons^™

Fairmount Greenway - A Community Initative, Leah H. Bamberger, Liliana Carvajal, Mary F. Dehais, Yuanfang Gong, John E. Hulsey, Eric C. Kells, Kimberley Klosterman, Pamela Jo Landi, Adam G. Monroy, Seth A. Morrow, Bryan O'Bara, Jie Su, Arianna Thompson, Owen M. White

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

This studio was based on the Fairmount Greenway that was developed through a series of public meetings with the neighborhood community and with consultants from the firm Crosby, Schlessinger and Smallridge (CSS). The Fairmount Greenway, while drawing its identity from the traditional greenway model is in fact a reinterpretation of an urban greenway. The greenway path follows along both primary and secondary city streets because of the lack of space along the rail right-of-way. The Fairmount Greenway begins at what will be a new station stop at New Market South Bay near Upham’s Corner in northern Dorchester. The greenway follows …

The State Of Integrated Open Space Planning: Toward Landscape Integrity?, Lindsay Ex

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Open space planning has been present within the United States for over a century. Traditionally, open space planning efforts tend to focus more exclusively on either socially-based (e.g., recreational, scenic, or park planning) or ecologically-based (e.g., preserves, habitat networks or more general conservation planning) planning efforts. This separation of ecological and social frameworks in open space planning is reinforced by a persistent cultural model, where community and conservation are seen as opposing forces instead of partners.

While recent open space planning efforts have begun to integrate social and ecological frameworks into one plan, the majority of our knowledge on integrated …

Interview With Brighton West, Friends Of Trees, 2010 (Audio), Brighton West

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Brighton West by Brigitta Bazso at Portland State University on November 18th, 2010.

The interview index is available for download.

Formerly Urban: Projecting Rust Belt Futures, Mark Robbins, Stephanie Miner, Nancy Cantor, Julia Czerniak, Darren Petrucci, Jane Wolff, Mclain Clutter, Hunter Morrison, Damon Rich, Toni L. Griffin, Don Mitchell

School of Architecture - All Scholarship

A two-day conference on the benefits of creating urbanity in weak-market cities gathers twenty-one international experts in architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design, as well as planning, policy, finance, economics, and real estate development. Participants share strategies for cities whose urban character has devolved radically due to economic, demographic, and physical change - cities that are now considered "formerly urban."

Gloucester Marine Station: Future Development Feasibility Study, Jack F. Ahern, Ben Eli Webb

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

The study commenced in July 2009 with historical research about the site and its context, site analysis, including the existing conditions and development regulations. This analysis included: topography, soils, vegetation, structures, utilities, easements, property deed, and city, state, and federal regulations. From this analysis an assessment of future development potentials was made based on the existing data/documents from UMass files, public records, Mass GIS data, site visits, and interviews with Gloucester, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and other officials and stakeholders. From the assessment we identified potential future uses, building locations, and feasible alternative layouts of the site. These alternatives were summarily …

Insites, 2010, Utah State University

inSites

Magazine of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning

Perceptions And Evaluation Of An Urban Environment For Pedestrian Friendliness: A Case Study, Elizabeth H. Lee

Master's Theses

Public health is an increasingly important issue addressed from both environmental and public health sectors for the future development of urban environments. From a planning perspective, one possible solution is to increase walkability throughout the cities. Many assessment methods are being developed and administered to evaluate the quality of existing urban environments to promote walkable cities/communities. The results from using these methods provide policymakers and stakeholders with valuable information regarding the existing physical conditions of the environment. Although several US cities started to develop and refocus plans toward pedestrian-oriented policies approaches, results from this particular study determined that the quality …

Cultivating A Common Ground: Community Gardens As Urban Infill In Springfield, Massachusetts, Christopher J. Jennette

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

Vacancy, as an actor in our urban landscapes, is growing in importance. As the realities of post-industrialism are making themselves ever clearer in many cities across the country, issues of vacancy are becoming of paramount concern. After all, if the density and centrality characteristic of traditional urban form are the result of forces of production and industrialization, then forces of de-industrialization could be said to have a set of equal, yet opposite results. For many post-industrial cities, these results include job and population losses, and an increase in vacant and abandoned land. The situation has only been worsened by the …

An Exogenous Approach To Circumventing Demolition By Neglect: The Impact Of Agricultural Preservation On Historic Colonial Towns, Galen Newman

All Dissertations

The effects of city decentralization and counter-urbanization of the American landscape have resulted in simultaneous negative impacts on both historic structures and agricultural landscapes. Rapid conversion of farmland has helped to facilitate the relocation of both populations and commercial activities in communities across the United States, leaving inner cities replete with functionless, unused, and unmaintained heritage structures. As civic core areas have become shells of their former selves, many once-vital structures have been removed while others have been abandoned and left to decay--a process known as demolition by neglect. While historic preservation efforts have attempted to salvage these historic structures, …

Rethinking Greenways Design In Context Of Sustainable Development: Towards Landscape Synergism, Archana Sharma

Architecture Publications and Other Works

Greenways design and planning has been largely framed as a multi-functional, multi-objective approach to address socio-cultural and ecological concerns (Fabos,2004; Hough 2004, Steiner, 2002; Fabos, 1995, Ahern, 1995; Ndubisi, 1995; Forman,1995). Social well-being, identity and memory have been predominant socio-cultural concerns while biodiversity preservation and natural resources conservation have been key ecological concerns. These concerns have now been superseded by the more urgent concerns of sustainable development such as availability of energy resources, both food and fuel. Whether and how the design and practice of greenways meets these sustainable development challenges is the primary question raised through this paper.

The …

Architecture Of Population Flows | Localizing Tourism In The Inside Passage, Jennifer Tamblin

Architecture Thesis Prep

"This thesis focuses on a problem that arises due to the specific flows of tourists and migrant workers into the south east Alaskan Inside Passage. Because of these population flows, situations have emerged in the small town communities that create a need for an intervention designed to cater to the specific circumstances surrounding each individual group of people, and how they coexist with one another."

Greywater As A Method Of Water Conservation In Arroyo Grande, Danielle Castle

Master's Theses

The purpose of this professional project is to address the practical implications of decentralized greywater usage in the City of Arroyo Grande. This professional project consists of two products: a brief greywater guide for the City and a background report. The greywater guide is intended for city planners to use for general information about greywater systems. The guide addresses Arroyo Grande’s potable water shortage; what greywater is; advantages and concerns about greywater use; plants that are tolerant and intolerant of greywater irrigation; appropriate detergents to use with a greywater system; and a summary of California greywater law. The background report …

Landscape Urbanism For The Highway City Of Springfield North End, Piyawut Inthasorn

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Honors Projects

The expansions of the transportation and roadway have made many cities in the United States having the interstates or highways cut through the city center. Springfield’s North End is one of them. The Interstate highway I-91 from Chicopee to South Spring has separated three North End neighborhoods into two sides; Liberty Height, Memorial Square, and Brightwood. The separation has not only changed community relation but also created many dramatic problems and consequences to the neighborhoods such as having disconnected access to the Connecticut River or the Van Horn Park, creating some pollution in water, air, sound, and other health issues. …

Pluzina: The Issues Of Documenting A Vernacular Landscape, Elizabeth Brabec, Kristina Molnarova

Elizabeth Brabec

This paper studies the remnants of medieval pluzina, a historical Central European field pattern dating to the 13th or 14th century A.D. In medieval Czech, pluzina meant the crop fields, meadows, pastures and roads belonging to one village. Today, pluzinas are visible as patterns of long, narrow fields defined by hedgerows. Due to the hedgerows making the pattern visible, pluzinas are attractive parts of farming landscapes, similar to bocage landscapes found in Northern England, Scotland or Brittany. During the last 150 years, the majority of these landscape structures have vanished, owing either to the intensification of agriculture, or abandonment to …

Identifying Cultural Attitudes And Values In Community Landscapes, Elizabeth Brabec

Elizabeth Brabec

Understanding culture and its attitudes and values towards space, place and nature is a critical aspect in determining appropriate approaches to a wide variety of planning actions. Actions such as gaining support for protected areas, designing new developments, and integrating tourism facilities in existing communities all depend on an understanding of cultural norms and values for their success. But understanding the relationship between cultural attitudes and culturally defined space can be difficult, falling prey to the observer’s own cultural norms and biases. This project uses a method based on individual interviews and expert observation of physical traces, to develop an …

Local Surface Water Policy Under Conditions Of Climate Change, Elizabeth Brabec, Elisabeth Hamin, Chingwen Cheng

Elizabeth Brabec

Climate change means two things for local stormwater managers – that storm events will become more severe, and rainfall will, in many instances, become more erratic, causing enhanced periods of drought and flood. Two approaches are needed to deal with the eventualities: mitigation and adaptation.

While urbanization increases stormwater runoff and decreases the lag time of stormwater discharge, there is also a resulting lack of infiltration and reduction in evapotranspiration (Brunke and Gonser 1997). Stormwater detention, retention and infiltration have attempted to compensate, resulting in the concentrated point location infiltration of stormwater, which replenishes groundwater and baseflow. Equally important to …

Western Woburn Greenway Study, Jennifer H. Masters, Bryan C. Aldeghi, Eric C. Kells, Maureen C. Pollock, Rebekah Lynne Decourcey, Carol Waag, Youjin Kwon, Kathryn E. Ostermier, Patrick T. Mcgeough, Ryan Patrick Ball

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

In spring 2010, the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts Amherst was asked to complete a landscape planning study, the “Western Woburn Greenway Study” for the City of Woburn, MA. The study was undertaken by a team of graduate students, supervised by Professor Jack Ahern. The goals of that study are as follows.

The City of Woburn currently has two large parcel groups of undeveloped land, Whispering Hill (the north focus area) and Winning/Shannon Farms (the south focus area) that are, or may become, available for acquisition (see “Scope of Project” below). The first …

The Soundscape Planning Of Mountain Park In Holyoke, Massachusetts, Brian Clayton Giggey

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

The soundscape of a place is simply its acoustic environment, with the listener situated within the center of the sonic landscape (Porteous and Mastin, 1985). Soundscapes can be adjusted with proper planning, site analysis and design. Often overlooked by design and planning professionals, sounds are a part of the biological, social and spiritual context which needs to be considered if good outdoor environments are to be provided (Hedfors, 2003). With its close proximity to the Whiting Street Reservoir and Holyoke Range, Mountain Park provides a terrific opportunity for an outdoor amphitheater, a cultural resource deeply needed in Western Massachusetts. Significant …

The Architecture Of Terroir: A Phenomenological Approach To The Design Of A Winery, Marina Gabriela Betti Albiero Brink

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The process of winemaking is a complex one that engages all the senses. Grapes are harvested at their optimal point for making wine. This is determined by the human touching of the grape still on the vine. In fermentation, the temperature of the room is critical in determining the quality of the wine produced. While aging, the smell and color engage the senses in testing the wine’s development. Tasting is not only a final step but also one that occurs throughout the winemaking process. In most instances, the sensory experience associated with winemaking is exclusive to the winemaker. I am …

Distributed Renewable Energy Generation And Landscape Architecture: A Critical Review, Osmer Devon Beck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Governments and utility organizations around the world have mandated and provided incentives for new distributed renewable energy generation (DREG) capacity, and market projections indicate strong growth in distributed renewable energy generation installations in the coming years. New distributed renewable energy generation utilities, by definition, will be primarily located in built environments near consumers; these utilities are often planned and designed by landscape architects, yet no evidence-based, distributed renewable energy generation research is explicitly done by landscape architects or recognizes the role landscape architects play in planning and designing these spaces. The research and analysis provided by this study indicates that …

The Impact Of The Physical Environment On The Social Integration Of Individuals With Disabilities In Community, Keith M. Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Social integration in community is especially important for individuals with disabilities well-being. Although individuals with disabilities reside within the community's physical environment, they are often marginalized in the social environment. This may be the result of individuals with disabilities residing in physical environments that negatively affect opportunities for integration in the social environment. However, there has been little investigation to understand the impact of the physical environment on the social integration of individuals with disabilities in community.

The purpose of this investigation was to (a) examine the current body of evidence concerning the impact of a community's physical environment on …

Planning For Closure Of The Logan City/Cache County Landfill And Surrounding Landscape, Kristofor Lee Kvarfordt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Planning for closure requires in depth analysis into many operational, environmental, and social factors. Ideally, the planning process should resolve as many of the technical, social, and aesthetic requirements as possible by systematically addressing the various elements that influence the final design. This research identified the significant issues related to planning for the end use of the current Logan landfill after it reaches capacity in 18-20 years and the associated lagoons and wetlands. The current closure plan calls for simply recontouring the landfill to stabilize the slopes, then revegetating. The location of the site has serious implications for environmental impact …

Historical Restoration Of Usu's Passive Recreation Garden, Jeremy Nelson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Laval Morris was the founder of the Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning

department at USU. He is an important figure in the history of our university the state and

intermountain region. One of the last remaining landscapes that he designed for the university is

USU’s Passive Recreation Garden.

Over time the garden has become degraded, overrun by invasive plants and was almost

completely destroyed in 2004. It is important to preserve and restore this garden because of its

importance to Laval and to the history LAEP at Utah State University.

My thesis is a documentation of the gardens importance and …

From The Quadrangle To The River: Revitalizing The Heart Of Downtown Springfield, Mary F. Dehais, Yuanfang Gong, John E. Hulsey, Pamela Jo Landi, Adam G. Monroy, Seth A. Morrow, Alexander G. Seib, Jie Su, Kate A. Tooke, Owen M. White, Emily S. Wright, Kuang Xin, Xiao Zhou

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

This studio report explores community service learning in the graduate urban design studio taught in the in Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and instructed by Professor Frank Sleegers.

The project will began with a visioning workshop, conducted to engage community members in the shaping of project goals and objectives within the project area of downtown Springfield. These findings were brought to the studio and guided the design process and outcomes.

Five design teams developed five alternative master plans for the core area of downtown Springfield with focus on the revitalization of open …

Springfield`S Upper Lyman Warehouse District - Visions For Revitalization, Jane Alexanderr, Andre Belperron, Matt Bent, Nick Betts, Anthony Brow, Will Bunker, Tanya Chesnell, Julie Goodwin, Henry Hess, Christopher Johnson, Ryan Kemmerich, Wes Lomax, Nick Mastroianni, Carl Mccrae, Phil Morrison, James Rebello, Sage Sluter

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

This report documents the work of the Senior Urban Design Studio in Springfield’s Upper Lyman District in downtown Springfield. It is part of the Metro Center neighborhood and adjacent to the Union Station that will be revitalized in 2016. The district is challenged by high vacancies and general abandonment. Housing opportunities and market-rate housing in particular are very low. The primary goal of the project was to develop a staged vision to revitalize and rediscover the Upper Lyman Warehouse District and to improve livability in the heart of downtown Springfield for employers, employees, residents, and visitors. The following recommendations can …

Butte Mine Revitalization Masterplan, Garrett Wolf

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Campus [Re]Connected: Research, Housing, And Recreation Campus In The Pristine Northern Woods Of Wisconsin, David A. Franknecht Jr.

Architecture Senior Theses

"People are becoming more and more removed from the natural world through the development of modern technologies and lifestyles... Reconnecting people with the natural environment will enable a realization of our reliance on the natural environment and its success in the future. Campus design and landscape architecture can come together to interpret the way we interact with the environment and further this connection in a positive way."

City Of Davis Greenbelt Master Plan, Brandon Haydu

Master's Theses

The City of Davis is currently updating its Parks and Recreation Facilities Master Plan. During the update, greenbelts were identified as a highly used and desired facility. This Greenbelt Master Plan serves as a plan focused on the opportunities greenbelts can provide as recreational and transportation facilities. This report has analyzed community feedback, greenbelt coverage, greenbelt capacity, and existing local, state, and federal design guidelines. The final plan is a set of goals, objectives, policies, and programs, along with a greenbelt map, which is aimed at improving the greenbelt infrastructure in Davis through the year 2020.

The Caspian Coastal Greenway Vision Plan, Andrey C. Boskhomdzhiev

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

The purpose of this project is to develop a greenway vision plan for the Caspian Coastal Greenway that would go from Astrakhan city in Russia, to Rasht in Iran, passing through diverse landscapes, populations and jurisdictions. The main concentration of this project would be on the section of the greenway that is within the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation. The greenway would follow an ancient trading route that passes through and used to connect Russia, Persia and India. The development of a greenway in this area would promote and reestablish cultural and trade based connections and link diverse areas. Another …

A Re-Design Of The Native Orchid House At The Belize Botanic Gardens, Jill A. Weissman

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Masters Projects

This project focuses on the re-design of The Native Orchid House (NOH) at The Belize Botanic Gardens (San Ignacio, Cayo District, Belize, Central America). The project question is: What is the research/design process associated with creating a collection display at a public [botanical] garden? More specifically, how can this process be applied to re-design the Native Orchid House at The Belize Botanic Gardens?