Theses and Dissertations
This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students.
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- All Subjects: urban planning
Description
In urban planning and design, creating emotional bonds, known as place identity, between people and their surroundings is paramount to improving the well-being of those who reside there. However, determining how to alter the built environment in order to increase place identity is a difficult task to achieve. Walkability is a good mechanistic link between the built environment and place identity. Walkability is comprised of a suite of factors that take into consideration both the natural and built environment. This thesis aims to determine if walkability is positively correlated with place identity in an extreme climate such as Phoenix. To test this, ecosystem services and disservices are used as factors to measure overall walkability. We found that access to recreational opportunities, aesthetic features of the pathway, and safety were all significant predictors of place identity. This has positive implications for walkable infrastructure to be strengthened in desert cities.
ContributorsSiefert, Janelle (Author) / Larson, Kelli (Thesis director) / Kelley, Jason (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
City governments have an opportunity to address historic environmental injustices through the management of their urban forests. When applying environmental justice to the management of urban trees, the common approach is to plant new trees in areas with high proportions of underserved residents and low tree canopy. This is the approach taken by many programs, such as the MillionTrees programs in Los Angeles and New York City. However, these initiatives do not always result in just outcomes and, in some cases, exacerbate existing inequities. This suggests the need for a model of urban tree canopy (UTC) justice that encapsulates distributive, procedural, and recognition justice. In this thesis, I suggest such a model of UTC justice that incorporates ecosystem services and disservices to understand resident satisfaction with neighborhood trees. I then apply the model to the case of the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area by assessing local UTC plans for mentions of environmental justice. Finally, I use multiple regression analysis to identify the relationship between neighborhood tree canopy percentage and resident satisfaction with neighborhood trees. Results indicate that tree canopy is a statistically insignificant determinant of resident satisfaction in 23 of 30 models. This supports my model of UTC justice in that it suggests that there is a confounding variable between UTC provisioning and resident satisfaction. This thesis culminates in recommendations for city governments, including the use of longitudinal socioecological surveys to evaluate the need for and success of UTC plans for environmental justice.
ContributorsCrichlow, Timara (Author) / DesRoches, Tyler (Thesis advisor) / Coseo, Paul (Thesis advisor) / Melnick, Rob (Committee member) / Pataki, Diane (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
Higher education is widely recognized as a pathway out of poverty. However, its unintended consequences, such as brain drain—where students leave their hometowns and do not return—can exacerbate poverty in those regions. This dissertation explores the dynamics between higher education and hometown retention, emphasizing the overlooked aspect of graduate migration and its contributions to regional economic disparities and the distribution of intellectual wealth.Addressing this critical issue, the current exploratory research investigates how interactions with one’s hometown during college affect attitudes toward returning and contributing to these communities post-graduation. Central to this investigation is the hypothesis that increased interaction with one's hometown during college years can mitigate brain drain in the long run by strengthening community ties among students. To explore this hypothesis, the study utilized an online questionnaire completed by 95 students from a public university during the 2020-2021 academic year. It provides a detailed analysis of these interactions. Findings suggest that while college education is transformative, it does not necessarily change students' intentions to return to their hometowns. However, increased interaction significantly enhances the likelihood of returning by 15% and involvement in local development by 27%, highlighting the critical role of maintaining connections during college years.
The results also reveal notable differences among student groups. First-generation, Hispanic, and Native students are more likely to return and engage with their hometowns compared to their White and African American counterparts. Factors such as higher income levels, employment status, and relationship commitments are identified as competing priorities that diminish the likelihood of returning.
In conclusion, the study suggests that fostering connections between students and their hometowns can counteract the effects of brain drain. Targeted strategies that cater to diverse student groups may effectively encourage return and engagement post-graduation, supporting the revitalization of underprivileged communities and positioning education as a potent tool for equitable development across regions. This work enriches scholarly discourse on geographic disparities and graduate migration and offers critical insights into potential policy implications for educational and community planning.
ContributorsHolmes, Tasha (Author) / Knopf, Richard C (Thesis advisor) / Larsen, Dale L (Committee member) / Saenz, Delia S (Committee member) / Smith, Sharon D (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024
Description
Since urban sustainable development involves dynamic and complex systems, tools, and models to aid urban sustainable development must also reflect dynamism and complexity to foster resilience. System dynamics allows for an iterative and robust approach when studying complex problems. This approach applies both quantitative and qualitative data to help unveil the interconnected components and dependencies within a specific city or community. This study approaches urban sustainable development in terms of its environmental, social, and economic dimensions to holistically look at the different components of the system at various levels. Using Tempe, Arizona as a case study, this research and tool provides a conceptual framework in making strides towards dynamic and interconnected thinking that can be taken further to extend into different communities and levels.
ContributorsMendoza, America (Author) / Roseland, Mark (Thesis director) / Kucukozyigit, Ali (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Industrial, Systems & Operations Engineering Prgm (Contributor) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor)
Created2024-05