Plant Science & Landscape Architecture Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2797
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Item IMPROVING TREE CANOPY COVER WITHIN SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL FRONT YARDS AND THE CASE FOR NEIGHBORHOOD TREES CASE STUDY: GALWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT(2023) Bentley, Daniel; Myers, David DM; Plant Science and Landscape Architecture (PSLA); Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Trees contribute to many social and health benefits for citizens when trees areplanted appropriately and maintained into maturity. A healthy tree canopy cover layer should be enjoyed by all residents no matter their location or income level. While many communities and organizations have developed robust tree program and provide free trees, homeowners have difficulty imagining what mature trees might look like and what the benefits of the trees would be to them. This thesis strives to develop design methods to support homeowner decision-making for tree planting . A case study focused on the selected front yards of residential homes in the Galway Elementary School walk zone will be used to document these methods. The research is focused on how to demonstrate tree placement to homeowners, tree benefits and but also bring to their attention the opportunities offered to make the process simple and rewarding for the future of their children and the neighborhood.Item Applying Vegetation Dynamics Theory to the Long-Term Ecological Design and Management of Urban Public Parks: Upper Long Branch Stream Valley, Maryland(2021) Podietz, Emma; Myers, David N; Plant Science and Landscape Architecture (PSLA); Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Calls for ecological applications in landscape architecture have increased as the world faces compounding crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and human disconnection with natural systems. Landscape architects are uniquely situated to address these crises as practitioners who engage at multiple scales with ecological systems, placemaking, and land use planning. A sustainability ethic exists within the discipline, but ecological principles and theory are inconsistently applied in built work. Vegetation dynamics theory generalizes the mechanisms of plant community change over time, and presents a useful framework for the planting design, long-term adaptive management, and stewardship of urban parks. The principles of the theory can be interwoven with ecological and aesthetic goals of designed landscapes. This thesis demonstrates how centering vegetation dynamics theory in urban park design can enhance ecological function of urban landscapes, create heightened place attachment through aesthetic and interpretive experience, and guide the long-term management and stewardship of urban ecosystems in the Mid-Atlantic United States.Item A Wildlife Crossing Model for the Golden Lion Tamarin(2020) Turner, Sarah Elizabeth; Ellis, Christopher; Plant Science and Landscape Architecture (PSLA); Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The golden lion tamarin is an endangered species endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. In the 1970’s, their population was only a few hundred individuals due to anthropogenic reasons, such as fragmentation, deforestation, poaching and hunting. Over time with conservation measures, their population grew, and is currently around 2,516 individuals. This number, however, is not stable. As a major highway, BR-101, continues to widen, populations of golden lion tamarins continue to be isolated, resulting in inbreeding and lack of allele transfer. Golden lion tamarins are known to avoid crossing roads, so an alternate solution must be implemented. That alternate solution is a wildlife crossing. Building a wildlife crossing over BR-101 to connect currently isolated populations of golden lion tamarins will allow for genetic exchange and will eventually stabilize the golden lion tamarin population.Item Shifting Gears: Exploring Parametric Design to Renovate an Urban Waterfront(2014) Jester, Paul Edward; Cook, Kelly D; Plant Science and Landscape Architecture (PSLA); Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)A powerful tool currently being used by architects and planners, parametric design has yet to be embraced by landscape architects. Through research and design, this thesis seeks to answer two questions: what is parametric design and how can it benefit the field of landscape architecture? Looking at historical and present-day sources, the evolution of computer aided design has been drawn out leading to the emergence of parametric design. An explanation and analysis of parametric tools, including a series of case studies, has been conducted to show how these tools are presently being utilized by designers. Utilizing parametric methods and tools, a design proposal was created to renovate a waterfront site in Baltimore, MD that focused on highlighting the city history and promoting health for the local residents and inner harbor.