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Item Repurposing Central Avenue SE : a multimodal urban cyclist corridor(2015) Dahl, KeithMany countries, cities, and communities have recently set out new policy frameworks to support growth of non-motorized transportation, creating a multimodal environment. This paper examines the repurpose and redesign of Central Avenue SE in downtown Minneapolis as a primary route for cyclists into the downtown area. Focusing on safety of the cyclists, the research presented looks at the cyclist in a multimodal environment – more specifically, road design and connection characteristics, through a discursive approach. The research indicates that with effective design treatments, cycling can be a safe transportation system as demonstrated through the solution proposed along Central Ave, thereby increasing the public's health benefits.Item Mining the Past: A Celebration of History and Culture in Minnesota's Iron Range(2012) Aasen, MichaelThis project examines how the development of brownfields can benefit local communities and ecologies. Reclamation-based design principles are used to propose remediation of contaminated soils and the adaptive reuse of existing structures and landscapes. The focus lies in the creation of a space that exemplifies history and culture while enriching the lives of local residents and attracting future visitors. By strengthening the bond between the past and present, a stronger sense of identity will be formed along with cultural pride.Item Sensory Overlay: Promoting Inclusivity and Accessibility for Americans with Disabilities along the Midtown Greenway in Uptown Minneapolis(North Dakota State University, 2019) El Tamimi, AlinaUrban spaces are often hostile environments for individuals with disabilities. The bigger American cities grow the harder they become to navigate for those with disabilities as they provide more challenges and obstacles. Cities and public spaces are often designed with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance. Unfortunately, these designs always feel like an afterthought. It feels as though necessities for individuals with disabilities is set aside and are only provided due to the requirements. Individuals with cognitive or sensory disabilities are often completely disregarded. Even though recently more and more urban projects are being designed with amenities for people with disabilities, we still lack those basic needs that accommodate everyone and allow people of all abilities to interact, as well as experience the environment. For years urban greenway systems have been a wonderful and interactive space for many. Greenways can be a recreational space or a source of commute. However, these spaces are restricting as they fail to accommodate everyone. By better understanding those with a physical, sensory and cognitive study we can begin to design better public spaces and environments that would not only accommodate everyone but will also connect a different kind of people together. This thesis will examine how greenway systems can improve day to day life for people of all abilities, how greenways can connect not only people but neighborhoods and how those important connections to amenities can change everyday lives for everyone. This thesis will also explore the possibilities of multiple technological aspects that could be incorporated in the form of light, illustrations, installations and material patterns. By taking an already existing greenway system that already connects the city of Minneapolis together there is room to focus only on accessibility and amenities. Although the Minneapolis midtown greenway is already known as an ADA accessible destination, it misses most main aspects to a sustainable and accessible design. The greenway mainly caterer to cyclists rather than pedestrians and has no room for wheelchair users, more so it has absolutely no amenities for people with sensory or cognitive disabilities. This thesis includes a design for accessible greenway systems that solve these often-overlooked challenges that people with disabilities face in their day to day lives.Item Collision Course: Leveraging Open Space Conservation and Public Education to Minimize Bald Eagle Aircraft Strikes in St. Paul, Minnesota(North Dakota State University, 2018) Potzmann, JosephWhile many of us travel on an airplane day to day, the responsibility that pilots take on from boarding to deboarding is intensely high. Many considerable things could go wrong, and being responsible for many lives puts tremendous pressure upon pilots. Common collisions with wildlife and airplanes have caused many complications. The consideration of airport layouts and their surroundings could help lower the risk of endangering the lives of humans and wildlife. Specifically looking into Bald Eagles at the St. Paul downtown airport, implementing bird habitats around the airport that include human traffic could help control flying and landing patterns of America’s bird while giving more usable space for St. Paul’s citizens. In doing so, yearly collisions between airplanes and the birds may decrease and provide greater safety for humans and birds alike. Understanding the behavior of eagles and how they react to certain types of habitat are important to the design process for this thesis. Implementing hunting grounds and sought after habitat by Bald Eagles in conjunction with the take off and landing patterns of planes attempts to delete the crossing of paths between the two. As a whole, the amount of incidents reported (which are reported as ‘wildlife strikes’) in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area was 115 in 2015, and 126 in 2014 according to the Aviation Safety Network. At the St. Paul Downtown Airport, 5 of those incidents were reported in 2014, and 7 were reported in 2015. Although, the StarTribune newspaper based out of St. Paul, Minnesota wrote that only around 20% of wildlife strikes were actually reported around the United States.Item Returning to Earth: Natural Design for a Cemetery in Otter Tail County, MN(North Dakota State University, 2021) Kronbeck, AmyAs awareness of human impact on the environment grows, ethical concerns are raised over the exploitation of natural resources by traditional cemetery design, and burial practices come into question. America’s parks first began within cemeteries where people enjoyed the serene settings of nature in well-designed rural burial landscapes. In the early 19th century, Mount Auburn Cemetery was built in Massachusetts serving as passive recreational and gathering spaces for a wide variety of users and introducing Americans to the value of public green space. People traveled from the congested city to Mount Auburn’s tranquil rural cemetery setting to enjoy walks and picnics in nature. This opportunity to enjoy the outdoors spurred the profession of landscape architecture and the design of public spaces specifically for the purpose of outdoor recreation. Once cities began to create public parks separate from cemeteries, people frequented cemeteries less and they became sacred, unused spaces. According to the Green Burial Council, the traditional method of burial annually utilizes 20 million board feet of hardwoods (including rainforest woods), 1.6 million tons of concrete, 17,000 tons of copper and bronze, 64,500 tons of steel and 4.3 million gallons of embalming fluid. In addition, cemeteries require demanding levels of maintenance and land that further consume resources without regard for necessity. While individuals are beginning to make decisions that will positively impact the environment in their everyday lives, as well as deaths, alternatives to traditional burial, such as natural burial, columbaria, and scatter gardens, are gaining in popularity. Natural burials do not require the deceased to be embalmed and rather place the body in the ground wrapped in a shroud or biodegradable casket leaving a considerably smaller carbon footprint than traditional burial. Columbaria offer a land conserving above ground option for the interment of cremated remains. Scatter gardens are beautiful, peaceful spaces designated for cremated remains to be connected more directly with nature. Individual desires towards greener burial methods warrant the examination of current cemetery practices. The future of cemetery design is expanding to include sustainable on-site practices, such as stormwater collection and retention systems and the utilization of native plantings. These methods increase sustainability by improving water quality, eliminating the need for irrigation and fertilizer, and reducing maintenance requirements. Through historical analysis, exploration and scrutiny of how cemeteries fit within the framework of landscape architecture will result in a better understanding of how future cemetery design should be approached. Supplemental assessments of existing cemeteries, such as Lakewood Cemetery, De Nieuwe Ooster, Hofheide Crematorium, and Askim Memorial Grove, will help develop a comprehensive list of program elements to be implemented within the sustainable design alternatives to traditional cemeteries.Item Reconnecting to a Forgotten River: An Ecological Solution(2012) Hanson, AaronWaterways are a vital and productive resource to our environment. Rivers provide a variety of amenities and services to communities across the world such as drinking water, food, travel, recreation, wildlife habitat, connection to place, aesthetic appeal, economic development, etc. This thesis project examines the importance of the Mississippi River to its urban community and how riverfront design can function as a unifying element for the city center and its ecosystem. Over half of the world’s future population will be living in urban environments by 2030, which will dramatically increase the stress on a vulnerable network of water systems. A restoration of a river can bring awareness to people while improving physical and ecological corridor connections (Bernhardt &Palmer, 2007).Item The Transitional Community: Integrating Students into the Community of St. Joseph, MN(2013) Krueger, KyleCommunity design’s primary benefactors are the home owners and children forgetting about the young adults of the community. In some towns, but especially college towns, the population of young adults is the majority and not having these young adults interacting with the community can have a negative effect. By integrating young adults into the St. Joseph, MN urban landscape they will improve the city’s cultural identity as well as their own self efficacy. Through case study analysis and observations this study will attempt to integrate young adults within their communities utilizing their full potential.Item In the Loop: Making Historically Conscious Pedestrian Connections(2016) Tomkinson, ChristopherConnecting green spaces, and providing meaningful and convenient pedestrian passage are two ideas that push sustainability, encourage community activity, and create a more enjoyable environment for the users. This is the thought process behind the proposal to redevelop the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes Regional Park. Currently all pedestrians walking through the park (from Lake Calhoun to Lake of the Isles) are forced underneath Lake St. on a single sidewalk that is only accessible near the North East corner of Lake Calhoun, and the nearest alternative crossing is a stop light located more than a block away. This research explores the different solutions that have been used to unite public spaces, and provide useful and convenient pedestrian trails. The park was initially designed as part of a system of parks that wind through the city of Minneapolis called the Grand Rounds, Horace William Shaler Cleveland was the designer, and his philosophy was to create a city that is a work of art. (Nadenicek, p.5). The park system is very successful for recreational purposes but could be updated to accommodate more utilitarian (non-recreational) trips. Manny cultural destinations around the park were not present when Cleveland designed the grand rounds and more meaningful and useful connections can be made to the neighborhood. A process of inventory and analysis will help determine the right solution to fit the site. The aim of this study is to provide updated connections to the neighborhood and motivate more people to walk or bike. Success of this will be determined by the number of pedestrians using the park system for non-recreational trips, and travel time from one end of the park to the other.Item Designed Desirable: Deteriorating Urban Communities Renewed(2012) Hyllested, RyanThis thesis studies how designers and planners can create a desirable community in the deteriorating urban communities affected by urban sprawl. By its nature this project is a community planning effort. The results of this research are guided by the idea that society would benefit from transforming deteriorating urban neighborhood districts into desirable communities for a variety of people. Creating desirable urban communities will solve problems such as disparity between groups in the city and suburbs, pollution from fossil fuel, and reduction in the consumption of Greenfield sites. This project takes the principles and ideas of creating a desirable community and applies them to the Payne-Phalen neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota.Item Urban Transitions: making connections between transportation to the livable environment(2013) Olson, AdamThe dependence on personal vehicles for transportation continues to grow for Americans. This has changed the shape of our cities toward automobile oriented transportation over the past decades. In return cities have been designed to be vehicle friendly causing higher automobile traffic and lower pedestrian oriented neighborhoods; resulting in the expansion of the cities beyond the sustainable boundaries which depletes more agricultural lands and natural resources. This study explores the potential options available to reduce the automobile dependency and enhance multi-modal transportation within urban cores. This has been done by evaluating various case studies and their relevant implementations. This research evaluates case studies in transportation oriented developments along with revitalizing streets to hypothesize that redesigning core urban neighborhoods around public transportation will reinforce sustainable livable communities. The case studies are analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively in order to make comparisons on the design elements. The elements analyzed include land use, public transportation, and street composition. This research concludes with the discussing different options cities can adopt, and what elements have been proven to create more sustainable livable communities.