Landscape Architecture Commons^™

Watershed Amendments: Assembling New Pervious Ground From Landscape Waste, Sophie Kaplan-Bucciarelli

Masters Theses

In Providence, Rhode Island, much of the downtown area is built over a vast historic tidal estuary. Though we no longer see the salt marshes, wooded bluffs, or meadows that once characterized this landscape, we recognize their absence in contemporary crises of urban heat, flooding, polluted soils and stormwater runoff, and habitat loss. These conditions are particularly acute along the city’s industrialized river corridors, where vacant lots and parking areas sit idle, their history paved over and potential constrained by limited imagination and resources.

These lots - already experiments in fill and land building after centuries of disturbance - can …

A Study Of Adaptive Reuse Of A Decommissioned Golf Course Through A Nature-Based Approach: Woodhaven Golf Course, Fort Wort Texas., Justin B. Watson Mr.

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses

Across the nation, golf courses are shutting down due to a lack of demand. Golf course developments began in the United States in the early 1950s During that era, demand for golf courses and housing was high. As golf’s popularity grew, developers saw golf courses in developments as high value-add amenities (Grooms, 2010). During the late 1990s and early 2000s, developers across the country raced to construct as many golf course communities as they could even as the number of golfers leveled out (Downey,2011).

Decommissioned golf courses across Texas are being underutilized as potential amenities for both the local community …

Practical Effectiveness Of Large Language Models In Assisting Landscape Architects In Plant Selection, Paul Gardner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming many industries, but its role in landscape architecture remains relatively unexplored. This study examines how AI, specifically GPT-4, can assist landscape architects in selecting plants for projects. By comparing AI-generated plant lists to those that human experts created, the research evaluates Accuracy, Suitability, Availability, Aesthetics, and Professional Usability.

The results show that AI-generated plant lists were highly efficient, accurately matching site conditions and improving plant availability while significantly reducing selection time. However, human expertise was essential for ensuring aesthetic quality and design intent. While AI can serve as a powerful tool for streamlining plant …

Wetland Rehabilitation Through Interspecies Co-Design, Charanya Rajan Ms.

Masters Theses

This thesis challenges the notion of Human Exceptionalism by examining the agency of the North American Beaver (Castor canadensis) in rehabilitating a 50 acre parcel of land on the Woonasquatucket River watershed, Rhode Island, USA. By reimagining the site without its current commercial and industrial land uses, the project aims to contribute to the nationwide effort of creating and restoring wetlands degraded and damaged over the centuries by human activity. Finally, a pathway running through the site along the river connects to the Woonasquatucket Greenway further down south, with strategically placed look-out points, allowing humans to witness and, therefore, acknowledge …

Assessing Biodiversity For User Experience In Public Parks: Learning From Downtown Dallas, Texas, Amanda A. Esparza

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

Biodiversity loss is a pressing global issue, with far-reaching ecological, social, and cultural consequences (United Nations Environment Programme, 2011). The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) recognizes the biodiversity crisis as equal in urgency to the climate crisis and emphasizes the importance of incorporating biodiversity conservation into design practices (Green, 2024). However, regional experiences of the relationship between biodiversity in designed urban landscapes and user experience remain unexplored. The purpose of this research is to gain a general understanding of the level of biodiversity present in downtown Dallas, Texas, public parks and to assess park users’ perceptions and interactions with …

Demonstrating The Potential Of Biophilic Design, Sustainable Site Initiatives, And Regenerative Landscape Design To Transform Neglected And Underutilized Spaces Into Vibrant, Eco-Friendly Hubs In Mckeesport Pennsylvania., Chinweuba Stephen Kikanme

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

McKeesport is a city located along Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, about 13 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. It is part of the River metropolitan area. McKeesport, once a thriving center of steel production, is now facing significant challenges associated with industrial decline, urban blight, flood hazard, population decline, brownfield sites and environmental degradation. However, the transformation of neglected spaces within the city into sustainable and vibrant urban hubs offers a powerful opportunity for revitalization. By incorporating natural elements such as green roofs, urban agriculture, and native plant restoration, this project seeks to create spaces that not only …

A Critical Assessment Of Tiny Urban Forest Methodologies And Their Regional Adaptation For North Central Texas, Michael E. Moore

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

Urbanization has led to significant environmental and social challenges, including biodiversity loss, resource depletion, and climate concerns (McDonald et al., 2008). In response to these issues, innovative methods such as Tiny Urban Forest Systems (TUFS) have gained attention. TUFS are densely planted clusters of trees and shrubs designed to emulate the structure and ecological functions of natural early successional forests (Lewis, 2021). For this study, TUFS are defined as small, high-density green spaces incorporating multi-layered native woody trees and shrub species within rapidly urbanizing areas, offering both environmental and social benefits (SUGi, 2023). This research examines the feasibility of implementing …

A Systematic Review On The Ecosystem Services Provided By Green Infrastructure, Daniel Jato-Espino, Fabio Capra-Ribeiro, Vanessa Moscardó, Leticia Bartolome Del Pino, Fernando Mayor-Vitoria, Laura Gallardo, Patricia Carracedo, Kristin Dietrich

Faculty Publications

Urbanization and climate change are endangering the sustainability of public spaces through increased land artificialization, ecological fragmentation, reduced resource availability, and limited accessibility to natural and seminatural areas. Properly managing Green Infrastructure (GI) can contribute to mitigating these challenges by delivering multiple provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural Ecosystem Services (ES). This would facilitate the implementation of strategically planned GI networks in cities for urban regeneration purposes. In this context, this study developed a systematic review on the ES provided by GI using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The analysis of 199 eligible articles indicated …

Paradigm Of The Post Natural: Critiquing Capitalist Ideals Through Environmental Degradation, Andrea De Haro, Charlotte Bascombe

Architecture Thesis Prep

There is an unspoken value in the destructiveness caused by design that is exposed through the exploitation of natural resources. This thesis seeks to exemplify the aesthetic value inherent within these newly defined environments. Nature is a source for human consumption, and as such it has developed into a commodity. By now it should be made evident that humanity’s presence is everywhere. There is no ecosystem left unturned by human manipulation Iin this respect, nature is dead. Deforested sites of oil fracking leave mile long toxic ponds highlighting the destructive pursuits that capitalism creates. Chernobyl showcases how human errors in …

How Do Designers Of The Built Environment Attempt To Make Ecological Sustainability Sensory Legible?, Carly L. Bartow

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper attempts to provide a theoretical framework for making ecosystem function and ecologically sustainable design more perceptible or sensible to people through architecture and the built environment. Design features of the Bertschi School Science Wing and the Bullitt Center in Seattle, Washington are incorporated to illustrate the sensory legibility of ecological sustainability criteria.The criteria are available to designers to help educate a building's occupants on environmentally sustainable design and motivate more sustainable behavior.

Aesthetics For Green Roofs And Green Walls, Richard K. Sutton

Landscape Architecture Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Do green roofs and green walls have aesthetic benefits? Most green roof proponents would say so. But what are they and how do they relate to green roof design in terms of species selection, planting arrangement, viewable context, access, maintenance and other factors? Aesthetics according to the Green Roof Design 101 Manual 2^nd Ed (GRHC 2006) provides “pleasure- and psycho-physiologically-oriented benefits” but, this narrow understanding suggests that the aesthetic potential of green roofs is limited to what one might experience looking upon any garden. We suggest other ways that need exploring to make aesthetics more relevant and understandable to …

Seeding Green Roofs With Native Grasses, Richard K. Sutton

Landscape Architecture Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

During six years of native grass establishment and growth on four green roofs, we sought to understand appropriate seeding seasons and spacing, the amount of time to reach the industry 80% coverage threshold (FLL 2008), the seed yield projections for volunteer plant infill. We also produced and tested methods for successfully and inexpensively seeding and determined “as needed” irrigation protocols. The suite of techniques examined improves and enhances the use, establishment, and management of native grasses on green roofs and reduces green roof costs.

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 …