School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/1607
The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations.
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Item Healing Places(2021) Majidi, Nusheen; Bell, Matthew; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The earth and its inhabitants are experiencing a rapid decline in physical, mental, social, and environmental health. The built environment directly affects each of these factors, and therefore has the ability to improve them. Baltimore City, Maryland is a clear example of the dialectic relationship between a built environment and its community. Plagued by vacant and dilapidated buildings, raging crime rates, inequality and divisiveness, and poor physical and social health, Baltimore City is in dire need of regeneration. This thesis proposes an urban intervention in Oldtown, Baltimore City, Maryland that employs active design, sustainable design, and specialized programming to alleviate the specific health, social, and environmental problems of this community. This thesis ultimately asserts that healing social and environmental issues can start with healing the built environment.Item Adaptable Housing: A Sustainable Architectural Solution to Informal Settlements in the Caribbean(2020) Reid , Shanek; Bell, Matthew; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis explores design challenges and conceptual solutions as they relate to residential building forms within urban slum environments- specifically those found in the Caribbean region. It examines the roles of the house, form, and culture surrounding the place and people of Jamaica; using a comparative analysis of historical and current housing models to inform anew, this thesis proposes an economically and socially sustainable redevelopment plan for the house and the block in Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica. This culminating graduate project raises questions about the potential to formally design for informality, about the role of the architect in the community, and about the preservation of cultural identities made evident through the tangibility of the built environment. Above all else, this thesis advocates for the socio-economic growth of individuals and communities residing below the poverty rate, using architectural design and urban planning as a catalyst for advancement.Item The City Symbiotic: Integrating Architecture and Hydrology in the Public Realm(2021) Piltz, Shayne Michelle; Bell, Matthew J; Hendricks, Marccus; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis approaches climate resilience through a comprehensive urban-scale system that incorporates integrated stormwater management to address sea-level rise and urban flooding, while leveraging the power of community as a tool for environmental stewardship. The City Symbiotic has dual notions. At its core, the concept alludes to a mutually beneficial relationship between the built and natural environment. This thesis will be an exploration of designing with water through the lens of climate resilience. Built structures will incorporate an integrated stormwater management network for capturing, filtering, storing, and reusing water, bettering our understanding of the symbiotic relationship between the built and natural environment by blurring the line between the two. The City Symbiotic is also a reference to the relationship between people and their environment. In this respect, this thesis approaches climate resilience through community and connection. Climate change exacerbates existing vulnerabilities that are the result of historical planning failures like Euclidean and exclusionary zoning, urban disinvestment, car-centric planning, environmental racism, and displacement. Reimagining the civic commons as a more inclusive and resilient center of public life can help redress marginalization and inspire environmental stewardship. The outcome of this thesis will demonstrate the value of symbiotic urban design, connecting the built, natural, and human environments to build resilience to water-related impacts of climate change.Item CREATING A WEAVING URBANISM FOR THE WEAVERS WHO WEAVE FOR LIVELIHOOD(2019) Dobariya, Mohit Ramniklal; Vandergoot, Jana Kristina; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis proposes that the holistic traditions and ancient way of life of weavers in the village of Sualkuchi, Assam, India are a forward-thinking model for sustainable urbanism. And will explore strategies to revitalize the traditional weaving heritage of a village (Sualkuchi, Assam, India) by providing a more robust platform to generate economic opportunities. The approach chosen for the benefit of the weavers’ community by taking inspirations from the past and implementing in the future, thus increasing potential. It is an institution within itself which benefits the entire complex as one unified whole. This handloom center, informal and accommodating of the weavers’ language is an interactive platform for the welfare of the weavers’ community, and for understanding of the entire country. The main objective of the project is to promote the development and sustainability of the traditional textiles and its products by creating a handloom element for the weavers of the country with proper civic arrangements and functions. It is an attempt to preserve the rich heritage of the textiles of India and save it from the clutches of extinction.