Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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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 give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
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Item Home on 7th and P(2024) Bugbee, Megan; Burke, Juan; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this thesis is to address the on-going homelessness struggles cities face and provide an opportunity to lessen the number of people battling homelessness. Focusing on the DC area, the city has made attempts to end homelessness yet based on the demographics DC’s majority homeless population consist of single male individuals. This is where DC is falling short in the fight to end homelessness by providing for these single individuals. Searching for gaps in the urban fabric typically where these individuals congregate, this thesis aims to provide a solution to add to the existing DC programs to further eliminate homelessness in the area. Proposing a kit of part design solution for a sustainable construction method that can be assembled, dissembled, and transported to new sites depending on need. The kit-of-parts systems include modular wall panels, prefabricated structural frames, roof trusses, and mechanical systems such as HVAC units. By using these standardized components, builders can streamline their processes, reduce costs, and increase efficiency while still maintaining high levels of quality. This thesis can provide necessities to the homeless such as beds, safety and security, medical support, and the ability to learn life skills.Item EDU-SCAPE: Crafting Social Landscapes through Learning within Ivy City and Trinidad(2024) Hernandez, Kevin Alexander; Burke, Juan; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The District of Columbia boasts wonderful neighborhoods of various scales and cultures, with many stemming from the city’s inception. While enriched with life, culture, and community, not all neighborhoods share the same benefits, with several neighborhoods and communities within the district devoid of amenities which are present elsewhere. Ivy City and Trinidad, both historic communities located in Ward 5 have historically been ignored by the city, with several master plans and development campaigns threatening the livelihood of local residents in exchange for economic benefit. This thesis seeks to find ways to design for such communities, while providing enriched social spaces for locals amid threatening campaigns and architecture. By acknowledging the existing academic facilities and institutions located in both neighborhoods, the design of the project focused on utilizing learning facilities and communal design initiatives to provide residents with facilities that provide amenities and communal spaces for lifelong learning and improved quality of life.Item TRACKING TRANSPORT OF ‘CHEMICAL COCKTAILS’ OF TRACE METALS USING SENSORS IN URBAN STREAMS(2020) Morel, Carol; Kaushal, Sujay; Geology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Understanding transport mechanisms and temporal patterns in metals concentrations and fluxes in urban streams are important for developing best management practices and restoration strategies to improve water quality. In some cases, in situ sensors can be used to estimate unknown concentrations and fluxes of trace metals or to interpolate between sampling events. Continuous sensor data from the United States Geological Survey were analyzed to determine statistically significant relationships between lead, copper, zinc, cadmium and mercury with turbidity, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, and discharge for the Hickey Run, Watts Branch, and Rock Creek watersheds in the Washington, D.C. region. At Rock Creek, there were significant negative linear relationships between Hg and Pb and specific conductance (p<0.05). Watershed monitoring approaches using continuous sensor data have the potential to characterize the frequency, magnitude, and composition of pulses in concentrations and loads of trace metals, which could improve management and restoration of urban streams.Item FAREWELL, RFK. HELLO AFFORDABILITY AND PLACE.(2020) Ramirez, Christopher Rudy; Bell, Matthew; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The RFK Stadium is a 50-year-old building that is planned to be demolished by 2021. The building is deteriorating more over time. The cost of maintenance and utilities is 3.5 million dollars per year without creating revenue. But, once the stadium is gone, the entire RFK Campus (190 acres) becomes available. Currently, 167 acres are covered to asphalt. But, despite current plans that propose sport facilities, this thesis explores the dedication of the RFK campus for housing. First, it examines past and present planning efforts in order to draw principles of design. Second, it provides an analysis of the site with its benefits and constraints. Third, it studies successful cases as precedents. Finally, it proposes a master plan for the RFK Campus covering housing, institutional buildings, monuments, and parks.Item SECRETIVE MARSHBIRDS OF URBAN WETLANDS IN THE WASHINGTON, DC METROPOLITAN AREA(2016) Nielson, Patrice; Bowerman, William; Baldwin, Andrew; Environmental Science and Technology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Secretive marshbirds are in decline across their range and are species of greatest conservation need in state Wildlife Action Plans. However, their secretive nature means there is relatively sparse information available on their ecology. There is demand for this information in the Washington, DC area for updating conservation plans and guiding wetland restoration. Rapid Wetland Assessment Methods are often used to monitor success of restoration but it is unknown how well they indicate marshbird habitat. Using the Standardized North American Marshbird Monitoring Protocol, I surveyed 51 points in 25 marshes in the DC area in 2013 – 2015. I also collected data on marsh area, buffer width, vegetation/water interspersion, vegetation characteristics, flooding, and invertebrates. At each bird survey point I assessed wetland quality using the Floristic Quality Assessment Index (FQAI) and California Rapid Wetland Assessment (CRAM) methods. I used Program Presence to model detection and occupancy probabilities of secretive marshbirds as a function of habitat variables. I found king rails (Rallus elegans) at five survey sites and least bittern (Ixobrychus exilis) at thirteen survey sites. Secretive marshbirds were using both restored and natural marshes, marshes with and without invasive plant species, and marshes with a variety of dominant vegetation species. King rail occupancy was positively correlated with plant diversity and invertebrate abundance and weakly negatively correlated with persistent vegetation. Least bittern occupancy was strongly negatively correlated woody vegetation and invertebrate abundance and weakly positively correlated with persistent vegetation. Species-specific models provided a better fit for the data than generic marshbird models. A comparison model based on important habitat variables in other regions was a very poor fit for the data in all sets of models tested. FQAI was a better indicator of secretive marshbird presence than CRAM, but neither method had very good predictive ability or goodness of fit. These results underscore the importance of having species- and region-specific models for effective conservation. Based on these findings, decreasing woody vegetation and managing for a variety of co-dominant species to avoid monocultures would improve habitat for marshbirds. Rapid Assessment Method scores should be interpreted with caution when applied to marshbird habitat conservation.Item Ledroit Park, A Portrait In Black And White: A Study Of Historic Districts, Social Change, And The Process Of Neighborhood Placemaking(2016) Henry, Christine Rae; Linebaugh, Donald W.; Urban and Regional Planning and Design; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This research examines the process of placemaking in LeDroit Park, a residential Washington, DC, neighborhood with a historic district at its core. Unpacking the entwined physical and social evolution of the small community within the context of the Nation’s Capital, this analysis provides insight into the role of urban design and development as well as historic designation on shaping collective identity. Initially planned and designed in 1873 as a gated suburb just beyond the formal L’Enfant-designed city boundary, LeDroit Park was intended as a retreat for middle and upper-class European Americans from the growing density and social diversity of the city. With a mixture of large romantic revival mansions and smaller frame cottages set on grassy plots evocative of an idealized rural village, the physical design was intentionally inwardly-focused. This feeling of refuge was underscored with a physical fence that surrounded the development, intended to prevent African Americans from nearby Howard University and the surrounding neighborhood, from using the community’s private streets to access the City of Washington. Within two decades of its founding, LeDroit Park was incorporated into the District of Columbia, the surrounding fence was demolished, and the neighborhood was racially integrated. Due to increasingly stringent segregation laws and customs in the city, this period of integration lasted less than twenty years, and LeDroit Park developed into an elite African American enclave, using the urban design as a bulwark against the indignities of a segregated city. Throughout the 20th century housing infill and construction increased density, yet the neighborhood never lost the feeling of security derived from the neighborhood plan. Highlighting the architecture and street design, neighbors successfully received historic district designation in 1974 in order to halt campus expansion. After a stalemate that lasted two decades, the neighborhood began another period of transformation, both racial and socio-economic, catalyzed by a multi-pronged investment program led by Howard University. Through interviews with long-term and new community members, this investigation asserts that the 140-year development history, including recent physical interventions, is integral to placemaking, shaping the material character as well as the social identity of residents.