Affordable housing and upward mobility : bridging the divide at The Community Builders, Inc.

Oct 26, 2012. Posted by Sandra Elliott

Daniel Yadegar's (MCP '12) this explored an increasing austerity at all levels of government has propelled a heightened focus on more efficient models of housing delivery, human service delivery and community development. One area of increased attention, with minimal empirical research, remains the integration of these three arenas. While the integration of such fields has been proposed conceptually for at least twenty years, there is little record of the challenges faced through integration or the proven benefits of such a model.

Designing an integrated waterfront : responsive redevelopment at the Philadelphia Navy Yard

Oct 26, 2012. Posted by Sandra Elliott

Elizabeth Woods' (MCP '12) thesis explored that over the past half-century, the physical form and primary purpose of the American urban waterfront has profoundly changed. Due to the combined forces of de-industrialization, globalization, and military restructuring, urban waterfronts have transformed from industrial and manufacturing employment centers to tourist destinations, passive recreation areas, and luxury residential and corporate office districts.

Design against nature : flooding, water supply, and public space in Los Angeles

Oct 26, 2012. Posted by Sandra Elliott

Max Thelander's (MCP '12) thesis found that starting in the late 19th century, Southern California saw the first of several waves of explosive population growth that have resulted in today's mega-region. While many early settlers were attracted by the city's famous sunshine, the surging population exceeded locally-available water supplies early on. Los Angeles responded by building a vast system of aqueducts to appropriate waters from across the West.

Cycling infrastructure as a first mile solution for mass transit access in Singapore : a study of MRT ridership in Singapore towns

Oct 26, 2012. Posted by Sandra Elliott

Hengky Tay's (MS '120 thesis focuses on the first and last mile problem of public transport is an area of growing research interest as cities confront challenges to improve public transport alternatives to support urban activities. First and last mile solutions such as cycling are becoming increasingly popular in many cities around the world as a cheap and environmentally friendly solution. Investments in bicycling infrastructure provide cyclists and potential cyclists a safer environment to cycle to work and to public transit nodes.

A new life for plazas : reimagining privately owned public spaces in New York Cityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/73829

Oct 26, 2012. Posted by Sandra Elliott

Richard Suarez's (MCP '12) thesis found that since 1961 the City of New York has allowed buildings to receive added floor area in exchange for privately owned public spaces. These spaces, typically in the form of small outdoor plazas, are spatially clustered in the densest areas of Manhattan and serve as a valuable public amenity for the residents and employees in these areas.

The image has the power : fighting blight in Philadelphia

Oct 26, 2012. Posted by Sandra Elliott

Jonah Stern's (MCP '12) thesis argued that blight has plagued Philadelphia for the better part of a century, though the understanding of blight has changed dramatically over time. Originally used to describe neighborhood overcrowding, the term retained its currency even as once-overcrowded neighborhoods emptied out in the decades after World War II. The agenda of eradicating blight in its various forms has driven successive waves of redevelopment policy since the 1940s, and yet the problem persists to an astonishing degree in neighborhoods throughout the City.

Successful streets : performance measures, community engagement, and urban street design

Oct 26, 2012. Posted by Sandra Elliott

Jeremy Steinemann's (MCP '12) thesis explored that over the past decade, local transportation agencies have increasingly re-designed urban arterials, their cities' major surface streets, to better accommodate a wide range of users. At the same time, a growing number of agencies are using performance measurement, the tracking and reporting of specific transportation-related variables, to evaluate and document their impacts. This report attempts to understand the role that performance measurement plays in design decision-making for urban arterial streets.

Waiting for TOD : developing in the Millbrae BART Station Area

Oct 26, 2012. Posted by Sandra Elliott

Janet Shih's (MCP '12) thesis focused on the suburban terminus station dedicates large amounts of land for parking in order to cater to its driving riders, and causes a trade-off tension between attracting ridership through providing park-and-rides and building transit-oriented development (TOD) within station areas. I focus my research on the Millbrae Intermodal Station, a suburban terminus station in the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system, which is still waiting for a large amount of TOD to occur in its station area.

Sharing local energy infrastructure : organizational models for implementing microgrids and district energy systems in urban commercial districts

Oct 26, 2012. Posted by Sandra Elliott

Rosie Sherman (MCP '12) argues that there is a growing trend in cities toward establishing localized, shared energy infrastructure. As existing energy infrastructure ages and demand increases, cities face rising energy costs and security risks combined with mandates to decrease carbon emissions. Local energy infrastructure provides cities and neighborhoods with greater control over their energy production and consumption, including the ability to lower the cost of energy, move to low-carbon energy technologies, and improve energy reliability and security.

The contemporary International Building Exhibition (IBA) : innovative regeneration strategies in Germany

Oct 26, 2012. Posted by Sandra Elliott

Alice Shay's (MCP '12) thesis explored the Internationale Bauausstellung or International Building Exhibition (IBA) is a planning methodology implemented over the course of the 20th century and into the 21st century in Germany. The IBA is unique and characterized by a mix of seemly contradictory conditions. In composition, IBAs are characterized by being site- and time-specific by a mix of seemly contradictory conditions. In composition.

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