Architecture Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2743
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Item Enhancing Ellicott City: Introducing Resiliency to a Damaged Community(2022) Toth, Austin Robert; Kelly, Brian; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The historic Main Street area of Ellicott City has suffered massive hardships over the last several years, with two devastating floods causing considerable damage to the vibrant small business community. The county has already begun implementing their flood mitigation development plan which features a tunnel system to divert water from Main Street. While this solves some of the flooding issues, a redesign of the area is crucial to the restoration of the once prosperous community. With small businesses struggling, bringing more people into Ellicott City is important for its vitality. Currently, Main Street is seen as a destination, rather than a living space, even though it contains many of the amenities needed to foster a commercially vibrant and resilient neighborhood. Through tactical urbanism, there are many opportunities to infuse the city with new community spaces, higher density housing, and sustainable interventions, with the goal of creating an economically resilient community.Item The Promise of Small Cities: Connecting Urban Residents with the Environment and Their Community in Portland, Maine(2012) Meyer, Louise Parlin; Koliji, Hooman; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)As modern American society has progressed, the need to live less expansively, more conscientiously, and more sustainably has become increasingly clear. Meanwhile, reliance on technology has driven urban residents to become further distanced from the environment, and further dissociated from their communities and local cultural traditions. Over the last 50 years, those interested in maintaining and fostering connections to the outdoors and a specific community have largely sought fulfillment in the suburban landscape. While, in recent decades, it has been recognized that the suburban residential model cannot be sustained, urban housing remains deficient. In order to acknowledge both the value of urban living and the potential for learning from the appeal of suburbia, it is incumbent upon designers to explore housing and amenities that better address the needs of the 21st century multi-family resident. This thesis aims to restore situational awareness of climate, community, and cultural traditions, by marrying opportunities for building community with higher density residences that have a strong emphasis on outdoor spaces.