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- All Subjects: landscape architecture
- Creators: The Design School
- Member of: Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
one’s self-reported measure of well-being and is thought of as having a high level of positive affect, low level of negative affect, and high degree of life satisfaction (Diener, 1984).
This study was conducted to assess the interrelationships between affective experiences, SWB, and usage of campus outdoor spaces in order to learn how outdoor spaces on the Arizona State University (ASU) Tempe campus can be enhanced to increase SWB and usage. In total, 832 students completed a survey questionnaire 1,140 times for six campus outdoor spaces. The results showed that students experience the greatest amount of happiness in the Secret Garden
and James Turrell ASU Skyspace, relaxation/restoration is the affective experience most strongly related to SWB, and SWB is negatively correlated with frequency of visits but positively link with duration of visits. To improve student happiness and usage of outdoor spaces on campuses, planners and designers should work on increasing the relaxing/restorative qualities of existing
locations, creating new spaces for relaxation/restoration around campus, reducing the perception of crowding and noise in large spaces, increasing fun/excitement by adding stimuli and/or opportunities for activity and entertainment, and adding equipment necessary for students to perform the activities they want. In addition to the ASU Tempe campus, the methodology and
findings of this research could be used to improve outdoor spaces on other college and university campuses and other types of outdoor environments.
A study of nature through juxtaposition of Horton's Creek and Tempe Beach Park.
This project was inspired by Dr. Kelli L. Larson’s research which disproved three common landscaping misconceptions in the Phoenix Valley. The first misconception states that newcomers, not long-time Phoenicians more often have and prefer grassy lawns instead of xeric, desert-adapted landscapes when actually the opposite is true. Secondly, the rise in xeric landscapes is not due to personal choice but rather a variety of other factors such as developer decisions. Finally, Dr. Larson’s research also disproves the assumption that people who possess pro-environmental attitudes correspondingly demonstrate sustainable landscaping behavior, and finds that people with those attitudes actually tend to irrigate more frequently in the winter months. Debunking these misconceptions is important because the long-term impacts of global climate change could have effects on water use in the desert southwest, and promoting water conservation in urban residential landscaping is an important step in the creation of sustainable water use policy. <br/><br/>The goal of my project was to make this information more accessible to broader public audiences who may not have access to it outside of research circles. I decided to create a zine, a small batch, hand-made mini-magazine, centered around disproving these myths so that the information could be distributed to broader audiences. I conducted informal stakeholder interviews to inform my design in order to appeal to those audiences, and constructed a 16-page booklet which debunked the myths and encouraged critical thinking about individual water use and urban landscaping habits. The zine included hand-painted illustrations and was constructed as a physical copy with the intention of eventually copying and distributing both a physical and digital version. The purpose of this project is to create a way of accessing reliable information about urban landscaping for residents of the Phoenix Valley, where the climate and geography necessitate water conservation.
There are unfortunately very few curricular guides that focus on community engagement within the higher education of landscape architecture. A Beginner’s Guide to Community Engagement in the Curriculum of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning to Improve Social Justice and Sustainability helps resolve this issue and serves as a resource to students, educators, designers, and more. The guide centralizes a diverse collection of resources, guides students through learning materials, shares insight, and proposes potential community engagement methods. The booklet aims to help readers understand the importance of community engagement in design and shares different curricular approaches to introduce the work to students.
have on the environment and how to enhance the sense of place by investigating
ecoregional design for now and for the future. The specific site where examples of
sustainable design will be implemented is at the proposed new Arizona State University
Track and field that will be relocated as part of the Novus Innovation Corridor Athletic
Village. First, we will discuss the impact sports have on our health and culture and why
athletics matters to society. Understanding the history of track and field and the
evolution of track stadiums and looking at current designs of stadiums will provide
insight for future track designs. Next, we will look at some existing track stadiums
around the United States and how each design is adjusted to the climate and weather of
the region to help the stadium last longer and be more sustainable. After that, we will
look at what is working for the existing Sun Angel Stadium and what should be improved
and implemented in the new design. Lastly, we will explore a proposed design for the
new Sun Angel Track Stadium and how it will benefit the student athletes, spectators,
and the environment.
The project is divided into four sections. The first section explores what Sensory Processing Disorder is, how Occupational Therapy with Sensory Integration positively impacts healing processes, and how designers can expand this processing into the natural healing environment of the great outdoors in a toxic and urbanized world. The second section discusses the vision, goals and objectives for implementation of Sensory Design Guidelines as discussed in the third section. And finally, the fourth section provides a conceptual example of what SDG would look like when applied to a physical site along a natural corridor in a densely urbanized landscape.
The final example of SDG implementation is applied to a site along the Salt River (Rio Salado) Corridor in Phoenix, Arizona. The Corridor is the subject of a coordinated inter-agency public/private restoration initiative spanning more than fifty-five miles along the Salt River that has been strongly supported by former U.S. Senator John McCain and greatly influenced by active involvement from Arizona State University students. The designated example site is designed as one site to be utilized in a larger network of easily accessible Sensory sites, each to be designed with a different approach to sensory development, as well as variation in challenges based on age and sensory abilities. Guidelines are intended to work in conjunction with future local projects promoting social and ecological growth and wellbeing, such as the Phoenix site is intended to work in conjunction with future Rio Re-imagined projects.
The findings, guidelines, and examples provided throughout the paper are focused on re-inventing the relationship between the built and natural environments in the urbanized landscape into one of daily nature-engagement and can be applied to any group living within an urban setting. By designing for society’s most vulnerable populations, design application benefits not only the individual, but creates a resilient, healthy environment for the entire urban population today, and for future generations.