Date of Award:

12-2022

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning

Committee Chair(s)

Keunhyun Park

Committee

Keunhyun Park

Committee

Carlos Licon

Committee

Patrick Singleton

Abstract

Growing population and urbanization have escalated the inclination in today’s societies to live in the suburbs. In the United States, urban development has had a suburbanization pattern since World War II. People living in such areas must use their cars to reach their destination and commute to work. Sprawl retrofitting is a term introduced by planners and researchers to overcome urban sprawl's negative impacts on mobility, transportation, and the environment. This approach is used to densify and change the built environment to make daily trips easier, shorten daily travels, and enhance pedestrian activity in places dealing with sprawl. Sprawl retrofitting has been more frequently researched over the past few decades. It has attracted a great deal of attention among planners to utilize different tools in urban design and city planning to overcome the fast-growing sprawl. However, there are not many studies examining the aftermath.

This study attempts to analyze and compare the changes after sprawl retrofitting projects' completion. By using national demographic data and built environment changes, such as population density, block size fluctuations, and green space development, this research examines the difference in changes before and after the projects. The results are based on 59 sprawl retrofitting case studies throughout the United States chosen by the criteria, including size and completion date of the projects and other built environment factors, such as land use, that defined each project site. Results show an increase in population, job density, and the density of intersections in the project sites. By comparing the results, this study will inform future research about the implications of sprawl retrofitting and the current impacts they can have on the population and the built environment.

Checksum

f3c8292f9384ae16b2b79e3c9bc91995

Download

Share

COinS

Copyright for this work is retained by the student. If you have any questions regarding the inclusion of this work in the Digital Commons, please email us at .