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- All Subjects: urban planning
- Creators: School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning
- Creators: School of Politics and Global Studies
Description
Adopting smart city tactics is important because it allows cities to develop sustainable communities through efficient policy initiatives. This study exemplifies how data analytics enables planners within smart cities to gain a better understanding of their population, and can make more informed choices based on these consumer choices. As a rising share of the millennial generation enters the workforce, cities across the world are developing policy initiatives in the hopes of attracting these highly educated individuals. Due to this generation's strength in driving regional economic vitality directly and indirectly, it is in the best interests of city planners to understand the preferences of millennials so this information can be used to improve the attractiveness of communities for this high-purchasing power, productive segment of the population. Past research has revealed a tendency within this demographic to make location decisions based on the degree of ‘livability’ in an area. This degree represents a holistic approach at defining quality of life through the interconnectedness of both the built and social environments in cities.
Due to the importance of millennials to cities around the globe, this study uses 2010 ZIP code area data and the Phoenix metropolitan area as a case study to test the relationships between thirteen parameters of livability and the presence of millennials after controlling for other correlates of millennial preference.
The results of a multiple regression model indicated a positive linear association between livability parameters within smart cities and the presence of millennials. Therefore, the selected parameters of livability within smart cities are significant measures in influencing location decisions made by millennials. Urban planners can consequently increase the likelihood in which millennials will choose to live in a given area by improving livability across the parameters exemplified in this study. This mutually beneficial relationship provides added support to the notion that planners should develop solutions to improve livability within smart cities.
Due to the importance of millennials to cities around the globe, this study uses 2010 ZIP code area data and the Phoenix metropolitan area as a case study to test the relationships between thirteen parameters of livability and the presence of millennials after controlling for other correlates of millennial preference.
The results of a multiple regression model indicated a positive linear association between livability parameters within smart cities and the presence of millennials. Therefore, the selected parameters of livability within smart cities are significant measures in influencing location decisions made by millennials. Urban planners can consequently increase the likelihood in which millennials will choose to live in a given area by improving livability across the parameters exemplified in this study. This mutually beneficial relationship provides added support to the notion that planners should develop solutions to improve livability within smart cities.
ContributorsBobman, Mitchell Cole (Author) / Mack, Elizabeth (Thesis director) / Koschinsky, Julia (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Defines the concept of the arcology as conceived by architect Paolo Soleri. Arcology combines "architecture" and "ecology" and explores a visionary notion of a self-contained urban community that has agricultural, commercial, and residential facilities under one roof. Two real-world examples of these projects are explored: Arcosanti, AZ and Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Key aspects of the arcology that could be applied to an existing urban fabric are identified, such as urban design fostering social interaction, reduction of automobile dependency, and a development pattern that combats sprawl. Through interviews with local representatives, a holistic approach to applying arcology concepts to the Phoenix Metro Area is devised.
ContributorsSpencer, Sarah Anne (Author) / Manuel-Navarrete, David (Thesis director) / Salon, Deborah (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
In this project I analyze Paolo Soleri's concept of arcology \u2014 the combination of architecture and ecology \u2014 from a theoretical, symbolic, and physical perspective. I utilize these three viewpoints to determine what aspects of his theories are most effective for urban design. While his ideas are based on building "arcologies" from the ground up, I will be using the Phoenix Metropolitan area to determine how we could apply his ideas to existing cities without having to rebuild entirely. This past summer I participated in the 5-week construction workshop the Cosanti Foundation offers at the physical prototypical city of Arcosanti in Mayer, Arizona during which time I studied Soleri's work and participated in the construction of the city while also participating in the community dynamic there. I have found that while not all components of Soleri's theories translated well into Arcosanti, there are certainly some ideas that could be applied help to improve the City of Phoenix. I propose improvements to the pedestrian realm and an increase public space with an emphasis on utilizing the infrastructure and land that is already present for future development.
ContributorsIbsen, Bronte Elizabeth (Author) / Manuel-Navarrete, David (Thesis director) / Kelley, Jason (Committee member) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This thesis explores the wide-ranging urban renovations of Paris that the Second Empire, led by Emperor Napoleon III, commissioned from 1853-1870. The complex nature of redesigning the French capital required the oversight of the prefect of the Seine under Napoleon III, Georges-Eugène Haussmann, a man who popularized not only the appearance of Paris as it is known today but also the innovative means of financing projects of such large magnitudes. Ordering for wider streets to accommodate the flow of traffic from a rapidly growing population in the nineteenth century, the city government of Paris saw an opportunity to modernize completely its urban area in a functional manner by implementing new water and sewer systems, municipal parks, street lighting, and uniform façades. The comprehensive nature of this undertaking constituted one of the first instances of modern urban planning. While the massive construction projects did displace many of the residents of the city's core, they fundamentally transformed Paris from a medieval town notorious for its malodorous stench, overcrowding, and disease to one of the world's most celebrated and visited cities.
ContributorsSifferman, Steven Tyler (Author) / Shaeffer, J. Duncan (Thesis director) / Hopkins, Richard (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
City planners often use bicycle friendly rating schemes as tools to guide them in their efforts to establish a bicycle community. However, the criteria and methodologies used vary from program to program and often do not encapsulate all of the necessary elements that comprise true bicycle friendliness. This report documents the important elements, strategies, and best practices that well-established Dutch, Danish, and German bike friendly cities exhibit to create a baseline standard for bicycle friendliness. Not all rating programs' criteria and methodologies align perfectly within this understanding of bicycle friendliness. City planners should use these programs as tools while keeping their limitations in consideration. The City of Tempe currently uses the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly Community program and BikeScore.com. By understanding the limitations associated with these programs, Tempe should move forward in their pursuit of bicycle friendliness by using multiple rating programs simultaneously and by looking at top-rated cities' strategies to enhance their infrastructure, network, urban form, and biking culture.
ContributorsTrombino, Frank Michael (Author) / Golub, Aaron (Thesis director) / Kelley, Jason (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Changes in Latino neighborhoods in Tucson, Arizona that occurred between 1990 and 2010 were studied. The overall Latino population increased substantially within the larger metropolitan area during the target time period. Neighborhoods were selected that had changed to become predominantly Latino during the target time period based on maps measuring ethnic clusters. Research was designed to characterize Latino neighborhoods in Tucson in terms of transformation. Methodology for comparison between changed and unchanged neighborhoods was developed. Observations were made in the three new neighborhoods, as well as in three historically Latino neighborhoods that experienced little change during the same time period. Interviews were conducted with residents from each neighborhood. Exploratory findings were made regarding the transformation of the neighborhoods with increased Latino populations. Findings showed that two areas of transformation increased largely because of the rise of higher density rental housing while one area transformed because two new affordable subdivisions were created within the studied time period. One new neighborhood's physical domain changed from an undeveloped land to a neighborhood with tract style houses. The historical areas have transformed in different ways including a decrease in crime and an increase in the younger population. The historical areas have experienced little change in the physical domain. All neighborhoods studied had evidences of a Spanish speaking population, and have businesses that cater to the surrounding Hispanic population.
ContributorsLeavitt, Isabella Maish (Author) / Lara-Valencia, Francisco (Thesis director) / Velez-Ibanez, Carlos (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Transborder Studies (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
"Phoenix as Refuge: A Photographic Exploration of Refugees Within the City" was a creative thesis project that aimed to bridge the gap between divided communities by creating awareness of refugees within the city of Phoenix. Through an IRB approved research study, multiple refugee families were interviewed and photographed. The project documented refugees and their stories and then made those interviews accessible to the greater Phoenix community. The purpose was to make the Phoenix community more aware of refugees in the hopes that this awareness would increase community activism and advocacy for this resilient yet vulnerable minority group. This paper explains the refugee resettlement process and addresses the social and economic implications of refugee resettlement and advocacy within an urban area. Many inhabitants of Phoenix are unaware the refugees that live in their city because of the geographic divide between social classes and ethnic groups. In highly urbanized communities, the geographic layout of the city leads to a more individualistic and segregated society. This notion leads to a discussion of Robert Putnam's theory of social capital, which argued that by improving and fostering social connections, one could increase social well-being and even make the economy more efficient. This paper then applies Putnam's ideas to the interaction between refugees and non-refugees, using space as a determining factor in measuring the social capital of the Phoenix community. As evident in the study of Phoenix's geographic divide between social and economic classes, Phoenix, like many urban cities, is not designed in a way that fosters social capital. Therefore, advocacy must go beyond people and into advocacy for a different kind of city and place that sets up refugees, and non-refugees alike, to succeed. In this way, rethinking the city through urban planning becomes integral to making new social networks possible, building social capital, and increasing social welfare in urban spaces.
ContributorsRutledge, Chloe Grace (Author) / Sivak, Henry (Thesis director) / Larson, Elizabeth (Committee member) / School of Art (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
Midwestern cities are in decline, with shrinking populations and corresponding disinvestment. Many organizations and city governments are working on addressing the problem of vacancy while bringing these urban areas into the global economy. The EcoBlock Organization (EBO), a St. Louis-based non-profit, proposes block-level redevelopment as a method of fostering community and economic development while minimizing the impact on the environment. The EcoCode is a block-level form-based code describing the vision of the EBO and its implementation. This vision is centered around eight key design principles: energy, public health, social, urban design, water, transportation, resilience, and landscape. It manifests as an EcoBlock: a block of buildings surrounding a shared green space, connected by an energy grid and a shared geothermal loop with the goal of net-zero energy. The residences are a mix of building types for a variety of incomes and some building space will be designated for shared use, all physically reflecting the historic design of houses in the city in which the EcoBlock is implemented. Specifications like design, building placement, and mechanisms by which to strive towards net-zero energy and water will be determined in each location in which the EcoBlock is developed. The EcoCode describes the process and the desired outcome, providing a framework for this implementation.
The EcoCode resembles a typical form-based code in structure, but at a smaller geographic scale. General Provisions describes the context of the surrounding area that must be assessed before choosing to create an EcoBlock. Development and Adoption strategy explains the evolving role of the EBO and how the realization of this design is currently envisioned. Regulating Block, Block Development Standards, Building Envelope Standards, and Building Development Standards describe the detail that will need to be developed for the physical aspects of each block. Streetscape Standards describe the vision of the EBO as applicable to the streets surrounding an EcoBlock. Finally, the Sustainability Standards contain the contribution of each board member of the EBO with their unique expertise on implementing the design principles.
As a supplement to The EcoCode itself, this document contains three topics for case studies looking into the feasibility of the EcoBlock as a whole: shared space, net-zero energy, and mixed-income housing. Shared space development and management uses Montgomery Park in Boston to show the potential of community-based organization while warning against gentrification. The West Village campus of the University of California in Davis shows the technical possibility and the financial challenges of a net-zero community. Brogården, an affordable housing community in Sweden, demonstrates the possibility for decreasing energy consumption in public housing. Finally, Via Verde in New York City is an example of combining health, green space, and affordability in a mixed-income housing development. Though there is not yet an example of a fully implemented EcoBlock, these case studies speak to the challenges and the facilitators that the EBO will likely face.
The EcoCode resembles a typical form-based code in structure, but at a smaller geographic scale. General Provisions describes the context of the surrounding area that must be assessed before choosing to create an EcoBlock. Development and Adoption strategy explains the evolving role of the EBO and how the realization of this design is currently envisioned. Regulating Block, Block Development Standards, Building Envelope Standards, and Building Development Standards describe the detail that will need to be developed for the physical aspects of each block. Streetscape Standards describe the vision of the EBO as applicable to the streets surrounding an EcoBlock. Finally, the Sustainability Standards contain the contribution of each board member of the EBO with their unique expertise on implementing the design principles.
As a supplement to The EcoCode itself, this document contains three topics for case studies looking into the feasibility of the EcoBlock as a whole: shared space, net-zero energy, and mixed-income housing. Shared space development and management uses Montgomery Park in Boston to show the potential of community-based organization while warning against gentrification. The West Village campus of the University of California in Davis shows the technical possibility and the financial challenges of a net-zero community. Brogården, an affordable housing community in Sweden, demonstrates the possibility for decreasing energy consumption in public housing. Finally, Via Verde in New York City is an example of combining health, green space, and affordability in a mixed-income housing development. Though there is not yet an example of a fully implemented EcoBlock, these case studies speak to the challenges and the facilitators that the EBO will likely face.
ContributorsJohn, Raveena Susan (Author) / Allenby, Braden (Thesis director) / Redman, Charles (Committee member) / Garcia, Margaret (Committee member) / Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Program (Contributor) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
As urban areas continue to grow with an increasing amount of population growth and influx, prudent planning for developed and developing cities has never been as important as it is today. Currently, about 54% of the world's population lives in urban areas while that number is expected to increase to 66% by 2050 (United Nations 2014). This being said, planners, politicians, and policymakers among others need to be able to anticipate the ideal urban infrastructure needed with the most effective layout and design for creating and maintaining a high quality of life. The purpose of this research is to identify a potential link between neighborhood-scale urban form criteria that are believed to improve quality of life and the perceived quality of life of people who live in neighborhoods that display these specific urban form criteria. This study looked at three neighborhoods that each exhibited differences in neighborhood urban form such as: community-oriented design, high walkability, and close proximity to nature. A non-scientific preliminary survey was conducted in each of these three neighborhoods to identify potential differences in urban form preference targeting different demographics. The scope of this study is a preliminary assessment to gain an idea of which neighborhood-scale urban form factors, if any, are important for improving quality of life from the point of view of the resident. These results may lead to future study that could determine the relationship between availability of infrastructure and residential preference for certain infrastructure. This could also lead to a guide for planners on important criteria to consider for future neighborhood development in an urban setting as well as areas to focus on in the urban retrofitting process.
ContributorsZipperer, Michael James (Author) / Pijawka, David (Thesis director) / Talen, Emily (Committee member) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Located in the Putuo District of Shanghai, Caoyang New Village is an anomaly of sorts from the perspective of contemporary Chinese urban planning. With a history dating back to the early Mao era, the village has long been a symbol of socialist urban imagery that seems ahead of its time because in many ways it displays contemporary "new urbanism" elements. This paper discusses the origins and history of Caoyang Workers' Village, moving forward to its present conditions and recent role as an urban site for participatory planning. It also considers future redevelopment plans for Caoyang New Village, touching upon current conflict over the preservation of its cultural heritage and the need to address its housing issues. In analyzing the past and present of Caoyang New Village, questions of its future as a unique entity within modernity-seeking Shanghai arise.
ContributorsCristelli, Gabrielle Elizabeth (Author) / Webster, Douglas (Thesis director) / Sivak, Henry (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05