Urban, Community and Regional Planning Commons^™

The Way Of Water: A Cultural Revival, Mariana Munoz

Architecture Senior Theses

THE WAY OF WATER: A CULTURAL REVIVAL MARIANA MUNOZ:

This thesis aims to address the challenges facing the coastal community of Condado, Puerto Rico, by proposing interventions that protect against floods and restore access to water, while also enhancing daily life and cultural practices. Through an examination of the community’s existing conditions, and answer three research questions: (1) how to mitigate flooding without displacing the community, (2) how to meet the needs of the community during times of emergency, and (3) how to integrate interventions into daily life and existing practices. The proposed interventions include a canal system to redirect …

Perceived Safety And Equitable Access: An Investigation Of The Northwest Arkansas Regional Greenway, Jessica Shearman

Landscape Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

In today’s world, designers, planners, and policymakers are grappling with conflicts of climate change, habitat loss, and increasing diversity all during a migratory trend towards urban areas and higher densities of living. Creating public spaces that are both resilient ecologically and environmentally, while also creating a sense of place is essential for providing a higher quality of life equitably for all citizens. Through case studies and literature review, the public’s safety perceptions when accessing public spaces is key to equitable access. Specifically, differing perceptions of safety based on gender, race, and backgrounds. Perceived safety can be defined as an awareness …

Historic Downtown Streetscape Plan Price City, Utah, Patricia Beckert

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The idea of a small-town Main Street has profound meaning within the American culture that has prevailed for the past two centuries. Historically, Main Street serves as the beating heart of a community, a place where economic, social, cultural, and civic activities are centered (Francaviglia, 1996; Main Street America, n.d.). Since the beginning of the 19th century, many factors have led to the decline of Main Streets, and despite a variety of efforts from different stakeholders, that decline has only intensified in recent decades (Isenberg, 2008; Orvell, 2014 Howard, 2015). In 1980, after a three-year project conducted by the National …

A Healthier Community For Generations To Come: Creating Resilient And Equitable Development On Lower 9th Ward Corridors, Sarah Bechdel, Dov Block, Bailey Bullock, Ellis Combes, Laura Harris, Samuel Mercier, Maya Struhar

Planning and Urban Studies Reports and Presentations

The Healthier Community for Generations to Come report provides Sankofa Community Development Corporation with programmatic recommendations to assist in the revitalization of the Lower Ninth Ward (LNW). This report draws on extensive research in urban planning best practices to propose strategies that promote economic revitalization, housing sustainability, community health, and environmental resilience. The research was guided by an Urban Land Institute (ULI) Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) which engaged the LNW community to inform recommendations. Sustainability analysis, equity planning, resilience planning, market analysis, and GIS analysis methodologies were employed to create the report. The final report recommendations included a site SWOT, …

Investigating Consistency Of Landscape-Scale Green Infrastructure In Local Government Policy, Anna Wilson

All Theses

Planning for Climate Change is multifaceted and requires effort across all scales. Green Infrastructure networks of green spaces, natural lands, reserves, working lands, core habitat, riparian corridors, parks, open spaces, private conservations lands, and other complementary land uses work together to support life on earth and human existence through the ecosystem services provided. Clean air, clean water, carbon sequestration, food production, recreation, pollination, and spiritual and cultural benefits are only a few of the services that natural lands provide society. With climate change occurring due to human actions such as land use, development, and energy use, to name a few, …

Economic Impact Assessment Of Nature-Based Coastal Resilience Solutions In Charleston. Estimating Local Economic Effects With Algorithm-Based Supporting Tool., Oksana Veselkova

All Theses

Coastal cities are at the forefront of the risks induced by climate change. Local communities are adversely affected, but the essential cultural assets and economies are also at risk of damage or destruction. In the efforts to limit hazard risk exposure, local governments are increasingly planning for long-term flood protection. One prospective flood risk mitigation measure is living shorelines or nature-based adaptation. The coastal ecosystems, such as beaches, wetlands, barrier islands, oyster reefs, and salt marshes, deliver multiple benefits to communities, including recreation, natural resources, freshwater, and carbon sequestration. Moreover, when combined with structural solutions, they can effectively reduce water …

We Are Gullah: A Community Approach To Preserving Gullah Geechee Historical Sites Of Significance, Peter Gaytan

All Theses

The National Register of Historic Places is an inventory established by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 that identifies architectural and archaeological sites significant to American history. The National Register was created to encourage the documentation, evaluation, and protection of America’s historic resources. Over 96,000 historic properties, sites, and structures are currently listed on the National Register. Despite the number of historic places listed on the National Register there is still an overwhelmingly low number of sites listed on the National Register relating to underrepresented communities. This thesis assessed the definition of significance laid out in the National Register …

La Acequia De La Cuchilla: The Ditch That Runs Uphill, José A. Rivera Ph.D, Thomas F. Glick Ph.D

Faculty Publications

The Río Hondo Valley in Taos County of New Mexico is known for its picturesque setting and the stunning valley floor stretching from Valdez on the eastern edge downstream to Arroyo Hondo just before the Río Grande gorge on its western boundary. Above the valley is a plain known as Des Montes. Each of these communities was settled in the nineteenth century coincident with the building of acequias to sustain village agriculture, the only economy of the time. One of the irrigation systems, La Acequia de la Cuchilla, often is said to be “the ditch that runs uphill.” From …

Green Infrastructure In The Ozarks: Northwest Arkansas Development Policy And The Open Space Plan, Daniel Holtmeyer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Northwest Arkansas regional planning authorities in 2016 released the Northwest Arkansas Open Space Plan, a voluntary document outlining ways to protect and preserve important open spaces even as the region’s population balloons and urban development spreads outward. No one appears to have made a systematic attempt to gauge the Plan’s impact on development decisions, however. In this thesis, I conduct a qualitative survey of several cities and counties’ planning codes and comprehensive plans to determine how much these policies have in common with the Open Space Plan’s essential principles. From that survey, I also conduct two case studies of recent …

Sustainability Of Form-Based Zoning Codes In An Existing Suburb, Elvira Batelaan

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

Most planners and architects agree that the current rate of growth and sprawl in American cities is not sustainable. This thesis will explore how form-based zoning codes can be used to implement policies that increase the sustainability of an existing suburb. Typically, form-based zoning codes are applied to either new subdivisions in a city or to an overlay district in a city which does not get to the heart of the issue. A solution is needed for the rest of the city, such as downtown, industrial areas and existing suburbs, to further increase the sustainability of the entire city. In …

Exploring Methods Of Adaptive Reuse As A Means Of Reviving Abandoned Spaces, Joshua Davids

Honors Projects

This interdisciplinary project explores cases of building abandonment as well as adaptive reuse projects. Building abandonment is analyzed for its causes and influences, with adaptive reuse also discussed as a means to revitalize these abandoned spaces. The end of the project includes a small-scale design concept for the renovation of unused spaces in Bowling Green State University's Founders Hall.

Building Before: Community Resiliency As Emergency Management, Alexandria Rinne

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This project seeks to address gaps in emergency preparedness education related to tornado response. Through an examination of current research about best practices for tornado emergency management response and an examination of the needs of FEMA Regions 7 and 8, the author has identified key strategies and stakeholders to increase positive outcome through building community engagement and resiliency. Three presentations were created for delivery to key community stakeholders—local government officials; non-governmental organizations, social networks, and associations; and individual private citizens. The project offers an overview of background research and provides presentation slide decks, scripts, and discussion guides, all created with …

Law School News: Joyce And Bill Cummings Of Cummings Foundation To Deliver Keynote Address At Rwu Commencement 4-20-2023, Jill Rodrigues

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Property Pillagers: Effects Of Dirty Urbanism, Chase Wilson, Kayli Clark

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

This podcast dives into American urbanism and its associated development targeting certain minority communities; the ill intentions to disrupt specific neighborhoods led us to refer to the practice as “dirty urbanism”. The pair of I-40 and Jefferson Street in north Nashville, alongside similarly treated areas across the United States, exemplify dirty urbanism. Exercising their raw power and ability to cover up to 90% of the costs, the federal government incentivizes the local governments to construct the highway system: a highway system used as a racially motivated tool to sever black-built urban fabrics. With the highways, vehicular space overrides …

Scaling Global Urban Greenspace, Kyra J. Liedtke

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Cites are novel ecosystems. Understanding the complex interactions between urban abiotic and biotic attributes is important for managing future urban expansion. Using urban scaling theory (UST) combined with global datasets raises the prospect of deriving predictive rules for scaling urban greenspace with city size. Aspects of the city, such as greenspace, are influenced by several social and ecological factors that scale with a city's size. Empirical data from European cities showed superlinear scaling, in which greenspace increased disproportionately with city size. However, the comprehension of global greenspace scaling still needs to be understood. A macroecological perspective using a scaling approach …

Adaptive Reuse Of Frosty Morn, Veronika Kalugina, Rebecca Tonguis, Heidi Gabriel, Peyton Kauffman

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Frosty Morn, a former meat packing facility in Clarksville, TN, is now abandoned, dilapidated, and partially demolished. The site sits within the Red River District neighborhood, which consists of a diverse community of artists. The Red River District has been identified by the Clarksville Mayor’s Office as an area with potential for growth, catalyzed by repurposing the Frosty Morn building as an icon and beacon of the community. Highest and best use research, in addition to community voices, indicated programmatic needs of a farmer’s market, makerspaces, small business incubators, park space, and live/work units. Our presentation will describe how this …

Biodiversidad De Plantas En La Reserva Natural Urbana Punta Popper En Río Grande: Una Propuesta Para Senderos Para La Gestión De La Conservación Y Métodos De Campo Replicables En Un Etorno Educativo, Lili Weir

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Patagonian Steppe is an ecoregion that is rich in plant biodiversity (both native and introduced), and the Urban Nature Reserves like Punta Popper in Río Grande provide an opportunity to preserve these sensitive species and educate the public, especially students, about the value of this trophic level. However, many beautiful species are being affected by human activities in the Reserve: such as the mismanagement of the trail systems which has led to erosion of the sand dunes, and the pressures of rapid urban expansion contributing to trash pollution. It is essential that stakeholder communities have access to information and …

Crpl 400/800: Introduction To Planning—A First Project Benchmark Portfolio, Abigail L. Cochran

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

In this benchmark portfolio, I reflect on course design and assess student learning in a cross-listed course that serves as a core, introductory course for all undergraduate minor and graduate major students in the Community and Regional Planning (CRP) program, CRPL 400/800: Introduction to Planning. CRPL 400/800 is a survey course intended to introduce students to the discipline of community and regional planning. I taught this course fully online in the spring of 2023, which represented a new format for the class (it is typically taught in person) and a new format of instruction for me. Content wise, this course …

Transmountain Diversion In The Forest Wilderness: Natural History Is Human History, José A. Rivera Ph.D

Faculty Publications

The case study details how an adjudication involving the water rights of Indigenous pueblos downstream of rights held by Hispano irrigators led to a prolonged conflict not with the pueblos but between Cuba valley farmers and the United States Forest Service. It happened that an adjudication decree in federal court mandated the Nacimiento Community Ditch Association to replace its diversion located in a wilderness forest with a modern structure to partition water equitably among all users on the Jémez River. The transmountain diversion, as it was called, took water out of the Jémez basin and dropped it to a canyon …

Travels In El Levante Spain: Field Notes And Reflections Summer Of 1999, José A. Rivera Ph.D

Faculty Publications

In the summer of 1999, I traveled to eastern Spain to observe the irrigated landscapes of the region known as huertas. I had recently completed a book about the community acequias of the upper Río Grande and set out to compare them with counterpart systems of Valencia, Murcia, and Lorca. In Valencia the highlights included a session of the fabled Water Court, the Tribunal de las Aguas de Valencia, and a tour of huertas within the urbanized portion of city. In Murcia I visited the office of the Junta de Hacendados and from there made it a point to …

The Zanjeras Of Ilocos In The Northern Philippines: A Legacy Of Sustainable Resource Management, José A. Rivera Ph.D

Faculty Publications

Zanjeras are farmer-managed irrigation systems that have endured for centuries in the Ilocos region of northern Luzon in the Philippines. These cooperative irrigation societies emerged during the Spanish regime when Augustinians were deployed to congregate indigenous populations into pueblos, convert them to Christianity, and raise tributes for the Crown. Zanjeras evolved from a blending of two traditions: the Iberian model of irrigation and indigenized practices of water-for-land exchanges with landowners and atar-holdings to distribute shares among the members. Like other community-based irrigation systems in Southeast Asia and globally, zanjeras are self-governed, long-enduring, and serve as exemplary models of …

Gentrifying While Black: Exploring The Concept Of An African Homeland Through Gentrification In Accra, Ghana, Amaya Davis

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

No abstract provided.

Youth Perceptions And Constructions Of Urban Space In Morocco, Hadwynne Gross

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Moroccan urban spaces are influenced by 800 years of history, and in particular, legacies of colonialism. This research seeks to examine urban space in Morocco through the lens of youth between the ages of 18 and 25 in the capital city of Rabat. Inspired by the book The Image of the City by Kevin Lynch, this research uses a variety of qualitative methods, namely a semi- structured interview and two mental mapping exercises, to explore how youth in Rabat perceive the city’s ability to both adhere to its historical roots and adapt to a rapidly changing world. Exploring urban geography …

Biomimicry As An Urban Challenge In Shaping The Future Of Cultural Communities, Nora M. Rehan

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

The cultural identity of urban communities is the main expression of historical privacy and shapes societies’ past, present, and future. It is an entity of cultural and knowledge accumulation stemming from the community's traditions and customs, which help to consolidate the social fabric and play an important role in the lives of individuals and the planning and development processes. Urban areas with cultural and heritage values are the most important competitive advantages of urban cities that are considered as a primary nucleus for achieving sustainability on a broader scale for the neighboring regions. One of the most important of those …

Urban Waterfront Revitalization Through Landscape Design Enhancing Social-Cultural Conditions Of El-Mina, Tripoli, Chirine Traboulsi, Mostafa Khalifa, Eslam El Samahy, Khaled El-Daghar, Mary Felix

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

The concept of waterfront revitalization has been a prominent notion in the field of urban planning and is considered an effective strategy to enhance deteriorated sites and inspire the identity and authenticity of communities. Nevertheless, there is no definite prescription for success when it comes to linking waterfront landscape design with improving the social and cultural site conditions in a deteriorating historical area. This paper examines the revitalization of the waterfront through greenway design in El-Mina, Tripoli, Lebanon in order to put emphasis on the local culture of the city and create socio-cultural opportunities for the area of study and …

Towards A New Paradigm In The Lebanese Urban Management System For Enhanced Master Plans’ Generation, Ali Srour, Baher I. Farahat

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

With the fact that 88% of the population living in urban areas, Lebanon is a highly urbanized country. However, this high urbanization undergoes the severe lack of the proper urban planning methodologies and approaches resulting in the sprawl along infrastructure paths. The weakness or even the complete absence of the plans escorting the urban growth made every city or town a single urban area confronted by plenty of challenges. Decentralization has been a recurrent theme in Lebanese politics for many years, yet it’s now limited by an administrative scale, and at the municipal level only. This administrative decentralization affects the …

Effect Of Green Facade On The Urban Microclimate With Different Street Canyon, Aya Mostafa Hassoun, Mary Felix

Architecture and Planning Journal (APJ)

Using simulation tools, this study investigates the effect of green walls (GWs) on the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon within different street sizes. It can be planted without taking up more area and could enhance the microclimate environment, which is why it has a wide range of use potential in urban areas. Because Mina City has a threat of UHI, it was chosen for this study. The temperature within various street sizes in the research region was evaluated using only software called ENVI-met that simulates climate, and three common scenarios were chosen. In the first experiment, green walls extending over …

Sustainable Small House Project, Mollie Jo George

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The Sustainable Small House Project was developed in cooperation with UNO/UNL Engineering, UNO Gerontology, and Metro Community College. This project merges both sustainable living with the small house movement to promote aging-in-place for older adults. This presentation describes the journey of Dr. Bing Chen as he envisioned the Sustainable Small House Project to its development and finally to implementation at its current location--west of Baxter Arena or adjacent to the UNO ballfield.

From a gerontological lens, the project focuses on principles of universal design which allows for aging-in-place, fall-detection and prevention using smart technologies such as Nobi, and voice-activated technologies …

Architecture And New Urbanism’S Relationship To Biomimicry And Floral Design, Alycia Timmerman

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The craft of floral design is classified as an art and a science. Similarly, architecture is rooted in the two disciplines. After conducting research and exploring biomimicry through the design process, it became evident that the process of design for architecture and floral design are similar. This relationship can also be extended into the field of planning and the New Urbanism movement. This study explores the integration of floral design and biomimicry with architecture and New Urbanism at the scale of the building and city block.

Planning, Preserving, And Increasing Accessibility: A Reflection On Going “Car-Free”, Abigail J. Weizer

City and Regional Planning

This paper studies the accessibility of car-free areas to those with mobility impairments by examining three car-free and car-lite experiments in California. Whether slowly converted to car-free with long-term, careful planning, or expeditiously changed to car-free during the COVID-19 pandemic, these three car-free experiments show the shortcomings of planning for accessibility in car-free spaces, and how instead of improving accessibility, current planning practice often hinders it. This paper offers a deep-dive into the drawbacks and benefits of going car-free and the ethical and legal reasons why urban planners, designers, and policymakers must consider the accessibility of a space before planning …