UMD Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3

New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.

More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.

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    EKO RESILIENCE – (RE)DESIGNING RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES THAT ARE RESILIENT FOR THE URBAN POOR IN LAGOS, THE COASTAL CITY.
    (2024) AJAERO, UCHEYA; Simon, Madlen G; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This thesis addresses the urgent need for resilient community housing solutions in Lagos, where there is a growing deficit of well-designed, affordable, and accessible homes, particularly for the low-income population. The research recognizes the challenges of urban decay, transportation issues, and flooding, disproportionately affecting the poor. In Lagos, the complex interdependence of rich and poor social networks is evident, with low-income individuals often residing in slums near high-income neighborhoods or facing long commutes. The thesis aims to go beyond providing shelter and explores how affordable housing can contribute to overall urban resilience. Emphasizing four critical criteria, the research aims to show how affordable housing can support social and economic structures, reduce vulnerability to environmental risks, enhance personal security, and empower communities for self-governance. The thesis adopts a comprehensive approach, considering the broader social, economic, ecological, and political dynamics in the quest for resilient housing solutions.
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    DATA-DRIVEN ASSESSMENT FOR UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACTS OF LOCALIZED HAZARDS
    (2022) Ghaedi, Hamed; Reilly, Allison C.; Civil Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Both the number of disasters in the U.S. and federal outlays following disasters are rising. Thus, evaluating the impact of varying natural hazards on the built environment and communities rapidly and at various spatial scales is of the utmost importance. Many hazards can cause significant and repetitive economic and social damages. This dissertation is a collection of studies that broadly evaluates resilience outcomes in urban areas using data-driven approaches. I do this over three chapters, each of which explores a unique aspect of hazards and their impact on society. The first two chapters are devoted to federal disaster programs aimed at supporting recovery and building resilience. I especially seek to understand how characteristics of hazards intersect with aspects of the physical and social environment to drive federal intervention. The final chapter explores the heterogenous impacts of natural hazards in urban communities and how disparities correlate with various socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. The first two studies examine two major federal disaster programs in the U.S. – FEMA Public Assistance (PA) and FEMA National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) – at varying spatial and temporal scales. Both leverage parametric and non-parametric statistical learning algorithms to understand how measures of hazard intensity and local factors drive federal intervention. These studies could be used by federal/state-level resource managers for planning the level of aid that may be required after a disaster. This study can also potentially be useful for decision-makers to identify the potential causes of increased disaster spending over time. In the final chapter, I evaluate the links between public transit disruptions, socioeconomic characteristics, and precipitation. By analyzing the spatial distribution and clustering of infrastructure disruptions, I identify the area(s) susceptible to a disproportionate amount of disruptions. Additionally, spatial statistical models are developed to investigate the relationship between infrastructure disruptions and the characteristics of the communities by including variables related to socioeconomic, demographics, social vulnerability, traffic volume, transit system, road connectivity, and the built environment characteristics. For the decision-makers with the goal of improving the performance and resilience of the transit system, this study can provide insight to locate critical areas impacted by such disruptions.
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    After the Flood: Designing Land Reuse in New York's Hudson Valley
    (2022) Savio, Hannah L; Ellis, Christopher D; Plant Science and Landscape Architecture (PSLA); Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Flooding is a recurring event in the water cycle that has the potential to devastate what is in its path. Climate change is projected to make flooding worse in the Northeastern United States because of increased intensity of rainfall. An increase in the number of flooded homes where homeowners choose not to rebuild in place can be viewed as a symptom of climate change. These issues take place at the confluence of land and water, the balance of humans and our environment, and what can be learned from the past and from projections and models of the future. How can flooded sites that are not suitable for rebuilding be adaptively reused to leverage their ecological, social, and economic value? This question is assessed through a multi-scalar examination of a series of FEMA buyouts along the Kaaterskill Creek, a rural tributary to the Hudson River in New York.
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    Investigating Metrics Proposed to Prevent the Harvest of Leafy Green Crops Contaminated by Floodwater
    (2015) Callahan, Mary Theresa; Buchanan, Robert L; Food Science; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Pathogens can be transported by water through soil to contaminate distant crops. The California LGMA states that leafy green crops within 30ft of flooded soil should be destroyed due to potential contamination. Previously flooded areas should not be replanted for 60 days. This study investigated the transport of Salmonella enterica and Citrobacter freundii through soil in a model system with a positive slope (uphill). Field trials involving flooding one end of a spinach bed with a negative slope (downhill) with water containing Escherichia coli were also conducted. Soil type, soil moisture content, and slope affected bacterial movement. In field trials, E. coli was quickly transported to the 30ft boundary, and persisted significantly longer in the fall trial than the spring. These data suggest the LGMA metrics need to provide additional parameters to prevent the harvest of leafy green crops potentially contaminated by floodwater.
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    Using the urban regime framework to analyze flood hazard mitigation at the local scale
    (2011) Waite, Jacqueline Leigh; Geores, Martha E; Geography; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The tally of injuries and property losses to extreme weather and flooding seems to be only growing in recent years. Global circulation changes and regional climate changes coupled with land use and land cover changes are creating more potentially hazardous spaces and places. The U.S. federal government sets guidelines for preparing for disasters and provides the bulk of disaster relief and recovery funding. In this country, however, the authority for instituting specific adaptation and hazard mitigation strategies lies with local governments. Local governments are responsible for guiding land-use decisions, for zoning and building codes, and for enforcing other strategies mandated by the federal government, such as the purchasing of flood insurance for homes with federal government-backed mortgages. Much of the research involves how and to what extent hazards policies can be best introduced and applied at local levels given competing economic, infrastructural, and social priorities. What has not been clearly established in the hazards research literature is a connection between established hazard mitigation objectives and urban policy-making in the years following a major disaster. The city of Tulsa, Oklahoma is a test case for deepening our understanding of the relationship between the two. This study uses an expanded version of the urban regime framework to ground data collection and analysis in the framework's three main focus areas: agenda, capacity, and relationships. The framework is expanded to include the environmental and natural resource dimensions of agenda setting, and pays special attention to spatial and locational dimensions of flood control. Planning documents, financial records and print media data sources are coded and analyzed for themes and patterns. Findings suggest that successful implementation of hazard mitigation goals and principles in Tulsa led to new questions about `balanced growth' development, land-use planning, and resource use that have implications for hazard mitigation sustainability. This study finds that some insights offered by the urban regime theory are helpful to this particular question and possibly other questions in the hazards/disaster research agenda.