Sustainable Urban Wastewater Systems and Greywater Policy

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Description
This dissertation focuses on three studies related to sustainable urban wastewater systems and greywater policy. The research aims to address technical, regulatory, and social gaps in sustainable urban wastewater systems and greywater policy through research and innovation, adopting a holistic,…

This dissertation focuses on three studies related to sustainable urban wastewater systems and greywater policy. The research aims to address technical, regulatory, and social gaps in sustainable urban wastewater systems and greywater policy through research and innovation, adopting a holistic, systems perspective to realize the water security, environmental, and social benefits of greywater reuse. The main research question is: How can greywater treatment technologies and greywater reuse policies contribute to sustainable urban water systems based on the SETs (Social-Ecological-Technological Systems) framework?The first study conducted a systematic literature review of urban wastewater, covering historical sources, treatment technologies, recycling, and reuse. It summarized the theoretical framework based on the review and developed a conceptual framework for greywater treatment technologies based on the SETs framework, which can support the development of sustainable cities. The second study focused on the public perception of greywater reuse in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Using a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods, the study found that city residents have a strong positive perception of and support for greywater reuse, suggesting that the barriers and challenges of public perception can be overcome. The third study examined greywater reuse policies in Arizona and California. It interviewed residents and policymakers and conducted a policy analysis to reveal the implementation benefits, management obstacles, technical restrictions, and challenges of greywater reuse policies in the two states. The study provides recommendations for redesigning greywater policies and improving greywater reuse policies. The dissertation concludes that greywater reuse policies should be informed by the new knowledge from the three studies to establish sustainable water use practices and design greywater reuse regulations and technologies that encourage safe and responsible greywater reuse in urban design. It emphasizes the need to increase economic data on greywater use and public investment to provide better economic costs and benefits, which can help shift interest towards more supportive greywater policy changes. The dissertation highlights that greywater policy is a key factor affecting the sustainability of urban water systems and that greywater treatment technologies and policies can contribute to sustainable urban water systems by addressing the social, ecological, and technological aspects of urban water challenges, supporting the vision of resilient, inclusive, livable, and sustainable water-smart cities.
Date Created
2024
Agent

Managing Urban Forests for Distributive, Procedural, and Recognition Justice

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Description
City governments have an opportunity to address historic environmental injustices through the management of their urban forests. When applying environmental justice to the management of urban trees, the common approach is to plant new trees in areas with high proportions…

City governments have an opportunity to address historic environmental injustices through the management of their urban forests. When applying environmental justice to the management of urban trees, the common approach is to plant new trees in areas with high proportions of underserved residents and low tree canopy. This is the approach taken by many programs, such as the MillionTrees programs in Los Angeles and New York City. However, these initiatives do not always result in just outcomes and, in some cases, exacerbate existing inequities. This suggests the need for a model of urban tree canopy (UTC) justice that encapsulates distributive, procedural, and recognition justice. In this thesis, I suggest such a model of UTC justice that incorporates ecosystem services and disservices to understand resident satisfaction with neighborhood trees. I then apply the model to the case of the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area by assessing local UTC plans for mentions of environmental justice. Finally, I use multiple regression analysis to identify the relationship between neighborhood tree canopy percentage and resident satisfaction with neighborhood trees. Results indicate that tree canopy is a statistically insignificant determinant of resident satisfaction in 23 of 30 models. This supports my model of UTC justice in that it suggests that there is a confounding variable between UTC provisioning and resident satisfaction. This thesis culminates in recommendations for city governments, including the use of longitudinal socioecological surveys to evaluate the need for and success of UTC plans for environmental justice.
Date Created
2024
Agent

Harvesting Water Saving Potential Outdoors:
A Guide To Incorporating Xeriscape And Passive Rainwater Harvesting Techniques For Residents in Phoenix, Arizona

Description
This project is a collaboration between Arizona State University Project Cities, The Design School, and the City of Phoenix’s Water Services Department. The thesis is an exploration and analysis of feedback from Phoenix residents used to create an educational resource,…

This project is a collaboration between Arizona State University Project Cities, The Design School, and the City of Phoenix’s Water Services Department. The thesis is an exploration and analysis of feedback from Phoenix residents used to create an educational resource, which is intended to give Phoenix homeowners inspiration on how to successfully modify their front yard using xeriscape and rainwater harvesting methods intended to help them save water and keep their landscape drought resilient.
Date Created
2024-05
Agent

Community Engagement: A Curricular Approach to Improve Social Justice and Sustainability in the fields of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning

Description

There are unfortunately very few curricular guides that focus on community engagement within the higher education of landscape architecture. A Beginner’s Guide to Community Engagement in the Curriculum of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning to Improve Social Justice and Sustainability…

There are unfortunately very few curricular guides that focus on community engagement within the higher education of landscape architecture. A Beginner’s Guide to Community Engagement in the Curriculum of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning to Improve Social Justice and Sustainability helps resolve this issue and serves as a resource to students, educators, designers, and more. The guide centralizes a diverse collection of resources, guides students through learning materials, shares insight, and proposes potential community engagement methods. The booklet aims to help readers understand the importance of community engagement in design and shares different curricular approaches to introduce the work to students.

Date Created
2023-05
Agent

Energy Efficient Buildings in Hot Arid Climates - Micro Campus Design for San Carlos Community College

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Description
This is an applied research paper, where a micro campus was designed for the San Carlos Apache Community with a goal of meeting requirements for at least three petals of Living Building Challenge. The end goal was to submit recommendations…

This is an applied research paper, where a micro campus was designed for the San Carlos Apache Community with a goal of meeting requirements for at least three petals of Living Building Challenge. The end goal was to submit recommendations for attaining the petal certifications. The process of design not only included following spatial requirements of designing the building, but also including a wider perspective of construction and energy management in it. The first step of the research was getting to know the community and their requirements and priorities. This was done in 1st semester as a part of an applied class Indigenous Project Delivery. The second part of the research was to design a micro campus for the community that is in sync with the main campus. The intent of design is to respect the community’s culture and help them pass it on to the next generation while abiding by the Living Building Challenge standards. The third step of this research was to back up the design with recommendations for petal certifications.
Date Created
2022
Agent

Guía para planificar acciones contra el calor para los vecindarios de la zona metropolitana de Phoenix: crear soluciones al calor urbano en el Valle del Sol (versión de baja resolución)

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Date Created
2022
Agent

Guía para planificar acciones contra el calor para los vecindarios de la zona metropolitana de Phoenix: crear soluciones al calor urbano en el Valle del Sol (versión de alta resolución)

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Date Created
2022
Agent

Guía para planificar acciones contra el calor para los vecindarios de la zona metropolitana de Phoenix: crear soluciones al calor urbano en el Valle del Sol

Description

En la zona metropolitana de Phoenix, el calor urbano está afectando la salud, la seguridad y la economía y se espera que estos impactos empeoren con el tiempo. Se prevé que el número de días por encima de 110˚F aumentará…

En la zona metropolitana de Phoenix, el calor urbano está afectando la salud, la seguridad y la economía y se espera que estos impactos empeoren con el tiempo. Se prevé que el número de días por encima de 110˚F aumentará más del doble para el 2060. En mayo de 2017, The Nature Conservancy, el Departamento de Salud Pública del condado de Maricopa, Central Arizona Conservation Alliance, la Red de Investigación en Sostenibilidad sobre la Resiliencia Urbana a Eventos Extremos, el Centro de Investigación del Clima Urbano de Arizona State University y el Center for Whole Communities lanzaron un proceso participativo de planificación de acciones contra el calor para identificar tanto estrategias de mitigación como de adaptación a fin de reducir directamente el calor y mejorar la capacidad de los residentes para lidiar con el calor. Las organizaciones comunitarias con relaciones existentes en tres vecindarios seleccionados para la planificación de acciones contra el calor se unieron más tarde al equipo del proyecto: Phoenix Revitalization Corporation, RAILMesa y Puente Movement. Más allá de construir un plan de acción comunitario contra el calor y completar proyectos de demostración, este proceso participativo fue diseñado para desarrollar conciencia, iniciativa y cohesión social en las comunidades subrepresentadas. Asimismo el proceso de planificación de acciones contra el calor fue diseñado para servir como modelo para esfuerzos futuros de resiliencia al calor y crear una visión local, contextual y culturalmente apropiada de un futuro más seguro y saludable. El método iterativo de planificación y participación utilizado por el equipo del proyecto fortaleció las relaciones dentro y entre los vecindarios, las organizaciones comunitarias, los responsables de la toma de decisiones y el equipo núcleo, y combinó la sabiduría de la narración de historias y la evidencia científica para comprender mejor los desafíos actuales y futuros que enfrentan los residentes durante eventos de calor extremo. Como resultado de tres talleres en cada comunidad, los residentes presentaron ideas que quieren ver implementadas para aumentar su comodidad y seguridad térmica durante los días de calor extremo.

Como se muestra a continuación, las ideas de los residentes se interceptaron en torno a conceptos similares, pero las soluciones específicas variaron entre los vecindarios. Por ejemplo, a todos los vecindarios les gustaría agregar sombra a sus corredores peatonales, pero variaron las preferencias para la ubicación de las mejoras para dar sombra. Algunos vecindarios priorizaron las rutas de transporte público, otros priorizaron las rutas utilizadas por los niños en su camino a la escuela y otros quieren paradas de descanso con sombra en lugares clave. Surgieron cuatro temas estratégicos generales en los tres vecindarios: promover y educar; mejorar la comodidad/capacidad de afrontamiento; mejorar la seguridad; fortalecer la capacidad. Estos temas señalan que existen serios desafíos de seguridad contra el calor en la vida diaria de los residentes y que la comunidad, los negocios y los sectores responsables de la toma de decisión deben abordar esos desafíos.

Los elementos del plan de acción contra el calor están diseñados para incorporarse a otros esfuerzos para aliviar el calor, crear ciudades resilientes al clima y brindar salud y seguridad pública. Los socios de implementación del plan de acción contra el calor provienen de la región de la zona metropolitana de Phoenix, y se brindan recomendaciones para apoyar la transformación a una ciudad más fresca.

Para ampliar la escala de este enfoque, los miembros del equipo del proyecto recomiendan a) compromiso continuo e inversiones en estos vecindarios para implementar el cambio señalado como vital por los residentes, b) repetir el proceso de planificación de acción contra el calor con líderes comunitarios en otros vecindarios, y c) trabajar con las ciudades, los planificadores urbanos y otras partes interesadas para institucionalizar este proceso, apoyando las políticas y el uso de las métricas propuestas para crear comunidades más frescas.

Date Created
2022
Agent

The Regenerative Confluence of Water

Description

The intent of this study is to develop a new eco-cultural design model of development for the Salt River watershed and surrounding areas with renewed respect for the land in modern society. It includes both conceptual and practical community guides…

The intent of this study is to develop a new eco-cultural design model of development for the Salt River watershed and surrounding areas with renewed respect for the land in modern society. It includes both conceptual and practical community guides to facilitate and catalyze a new community-driven typology of planning prepared for rapid community change and climate challenges. This study includes the review of prominent existing projects, both regionally and globally, with expertise in the areas of urban development, culture and place keeping/making, ecology and water management. This study aims to exhibit the diverse components of urbanism and its effects on the Salt River corridor, surrounding urban ecosystems and climate. This thesis argues for simultaneous and codependent cultural and ecological growth and healing, and its necessity for sustainable urban development. Lastly, an urban revitalization framework is manifested in a community-oriented handbook based on key findings to produce a unified vision executed by watershed community co-design of the Phoenix metropolitan area.

Date Created
2021-05
Agent

Investigating the Impact of Psychological Factors on Thermal Perception and Walking Experience

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Description
This dissertation focuses on thermal comfort and walking as an experiential phenomenon in outdoor urban environments. The goal of the study is to provide a better understanding of the impact of psychological adaptation factors on thermal comfort. The main research…

This dissertation focuses on thermal comfort and walking as an experiential phenomenon in outdoor urban environments. The goal of the study is to provide a better understanding of the impact of psychological adaptation factors on thermal comfort. The main research questions included the impact of psychological factors on outdoor thermal comfort as well as the impact of long-term thermal perception on momentary thermal sensation. My research follows a concurrent triangulation strategy as a mixed-method approach, which consisted of a simultaneous collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. Research consisted of five rounds of data collection in different locations beginning February 2018 and continuing through December 2019. During the qualitative phase, I gathered data in the form of an open-ended questionnaire but importantly, self-walking interviews where participants narrated their experience of the environment while recording one-minute long videos. The visual and audible information was first processed using thematic analysis and then further analyzed via Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). During the quantitative phase, I gathered information from participants in the form of three-step survey questionnaires, that data was analyzed using T-Test regression analysis in STATA. The quantitative data helped explore and address the initial research questions, while the qualitative data helped in addressing and explaining the trends and the experiential aspects of thermal environment.

Results revealed that spatial familiarity (as a psychological adaptation factor) has a significant relationship for both overall comfort and thermal comfort within outdoor environments. Moreover, long term thermal memory influences momentary thermal sensation. The results of qualitative and quantitative data were combined, compared, and contrasted to generate new insights in the design of outdoor urban environments. The depth and breadth of the qualitative data set consisting of more than a thousand minute-long of narrated video segments along with hundreds of pages of transcribed text, demonstrated the subjective aspects of thermal comfort. This research highlights the importance of context-based and human-centric design in any evidence-based design approach for outdoor environments. The implications of the study can provide new insights not only for architects and urban designers, but also for city planners, stakeholders, public officials, and policymakers.
Date Created
2020
Agent
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