Master's Projects

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Master's Projects

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Urban Design Studio: Habersham County Growth Management and Conservation Strategies

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-12) Davis, Nathan ; Davis, Madison ; Scott, Sierra ; Kaufman, Mira ; Raven, Roxanne ; Beduhn, Lauren

Georgia's land cover change over the past 50 years has been documented in an unprecedented study conducted by the Georgia Conservancy and the Georgia Tech Center for Spatial Planning and Visualization (CSPAV). This study has resulted in Georgia Now and Forever initiative, an ambitious undertaking to educate key decision-makers across Georgia as to the study's findings with a message that intentional, thoughtful decisions around the use of Georgia's remaining undeveloped land are inextricably linked to Georgia's future ecological and economic sustainability. item_description: Georgia's land cover change over the past 50 years has been documented in an unprecedented study conducted by the Georgia Conservancy and the Georgia Tech Center for Spatial Planning and Visualization (CSPAV). This study has resulted in Georgia Now and Forever initiative, an ambitious undertaking to educate key decision-makers across Georgia as to the study's findings with a message that intentional, thoughtful decisions around use of Georgia's remaining undeveloped land are inextricably linked to Georgia's future ecological and economic sustainability. Unsurprisingly, but important to have clearly documented, is the role low density development has played in the significant acreage conversion from agricultural land, forested land, and wetlands. These findings from past development patterns have allowed for the identification of plausible future landcover change trends, assuming business-as-usual development approaches. North Georgia is clearly in the path of major landcover change to low density developed land as metro Atlanta proceeds to "move" northward. This is also an area of significant ecological and carbon assets in the form of our mountain and valley forests, as well as agricultural lands. There is keen community interest in welcoming development-especially diverse and affordable housing choices-but alongside serious advancement in the conservation of the natural landscape. Representatives from the Habersham County, the City of Clarkesville and the property manager of a large conservation tract in the area that includes two riverfront miles of the Soquee River requested assistance from the Georgia Conservancy and Georgia Tech to consider how and where development and conservation can and should occur across their home county of Habersham. There is an understanding among this group that the very conditions that draw new residents to the area-the forests, mountains, streams-are at risk without a concerted effort to include conservation alongside land-efficient development. Given the larger situation in Georgia, the public and political will in the Clarkesville/Habersham area to pursue a larger joint development and conservation priority led to this planning process of identifying strategies for managing local resources in a sustainable way.
Urban Design Studio: Faith Based Affordable Housing

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-12) Delargy, Colin ; Cena, Kortney ; McFarlane, Clifton ; Dominguez, Miriam ; Waheed, Jullanar ; Murphy, Ansley

Well known by now, and getting worse by the moment, is Atlanta’s affordable housing crisis. In the Atlanta case, as in “hot” markets all over the country, jurisdictions are trying to come up with strategies that might work. One such tried here and in other cities is to eliminate single family zoning. Early evidence in its usefulness for addressing affordability from Minneapolis, Seattle, and Portland, however, shows that strategy to be failing. It’s not producing density, the investment required is raising property values and taxes, the red hot “build to rent” markets are displacing neighborhoods, particularly Bipoc and low wealth neighborhoods. And its top-down approach is stripping communities of any input into the process. In short, this solutionist strategy does not work. In Atlanta, the city council decisively defeated it in December. item_description: Well known by now, and getting worse by the moment, is Atlanta’s affordable housing crisis. In the Atlanta case, as in “hot” markets all over the country, jurisdictions are trying to come up with strategies that might work. One such tried here and in other cities is to eliminate single family zoning. Early evidence in its usefulness for addressing affordability from Minneapolis, Seattle, and Portland, however, shows that strategy to be failing. It’s not producing density, the investment required is raising property values and taxes, the red hot “build to rent” markets are displacing neighborhoods, particularly Bipoc and low wealth neighborhoods. And its top-down approach is stripping communities of any input into the process. In short, this solutionist strategy does not work. In Atlanta, the city council decisively defeated it in December. Since we and others remain in a state of crisis, though, the context for this studio investigates strategies for what to do instead. These include coming up with the tools and resources to coordinate use of publicly and non-profit owned land; to maximize conservation of existing stock; and to concentrate densification in already dense areas like transit corridors and existing dense areas. For us, we will explore the potential for faith-based property owners to step up, using their land holdings as a way of underwriting the land cost element of an affordability-serving pro forma. This studio explores the issues and ideas from an overview perspective. The studio worked with four faith-based organizations to go deep, developing case studies to further tease out the issues and opportunities. This work was guided by these organizations, possible by nearby affected communities as well. The work product includes both our overview and the findings from the individual case studies. Students worked in group settings, applying their knowledge across the specializations of housing and community development, economic development, and urban design, along with associated regulatory and resource requirements. The studio progressed from data assembly to analysis, to consideration of alternatives, to suggested courses of action, to a final report and presentation. Stakeholder organizations will review each stage of the work. Students utilized their skills in data management, analysis, communication, and presentation in a cross-disciplinary and community engaged process.
Urban Design Studio: Home Park Neighborhood Strategic Planning

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-12) Master, Michaela ; Yohanis, Samrawit ; Hudson, Joel ; Noe, John ; Lieu, Seung Jae ; Neaves, Thomas ; Yuxiang, Zhao ; Rollins, Miles

Nestled between Georgia Tech and Atlantic Station (and between the Connector and Northside Drive), Home Park neighborhood leadership has provided planning frameworks through the years, ultimately approved and incorporated into the City of Atlanta’s own plans, that aim at maintaining neighborhood integrity and quality of life for its residents amidst change forces all around. This update will respond to these challenges by exploring their impact on neighborhood futures and also provide recommended short-term actions that signal reassertion or reimagining of neighborhood values. As such, students will be called upon to work in group settings, applying their knowledge across all specializations, emphasizing syntheses among them. The neighborhood will provide forums for reviewing and providing feedback to our progress and shaping these interests. Their organization is committed to carry out a long-term, inclusive, transparent, and community-engaged program. item_description: Nestled between Georgia Tech and Atlantic Station (and between the Connector and Northside Drive), Home Park neighborhood leadership has provided planning frameworks through the years, ultimately approved and incorporated into the City of Atlanta’s own plans, that aim at maintaining neighborhood integrity and quality of life for its residents amidst change forces all around. This update will respond to these challenges by exploring their impact on neighborhood futures and also provide recommended short-term actions that signal reassertion or reimagining of neighborhood values. As such, students will be called upon to work in group settings, applying their knowledge across all specializations, emphasizing syntheses among them. The neighborhood will provide forums for reviewing and providing feedback to our progress and shaping these interests. Their organization is committed to carry out a long-term, inclusive, transparent, and community-engaged program. Examples of the neighborhood’s range of interests include; o Reviewing useful proposals from earlier planning work o Tackling housing-related issues like conservation, affordable housing options, and impacts of short-term rentals o Framing development options along corridors (10th Street, 14th Street, Hemphill, and Northside Drive), including traffic control options o Exploring urban design initiatives for strengthening neighborhood identity, ped/bike-oriented streetscape, and connectivity and SPI-8 parking priorities o Analyzing, as an empirical matter, how closely the City follows neighborhood master plans, with an eye towards strengthening the influence of those plans The studio work includes data assembly and analysis, the consideration of alternatives, suggested courses of action, and a final report and presentation. Community stakeholders were intimately involved in each stage of the work. As a framework planning/urban design exercise, the studio covered issues and opportunities across the full spectrum of planning specializations including: data collection, recordation, analysis, visualization and presentation in a cross-disciplinary and community involved processes, transportation planning, land use planning, open space planning, urban design and zoning.
Tokyo Smart City Studio at Nihonbashi – Spring 2022

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-05) Yang, Perry Pei-Ju ; Arsam, Muhammad ; Buchanan, Regan ; Chen, Lu ; Conschafter, Stephen ; Clowse, Maddy ; Foxley, Sebastian ; Franco-Pinilla, Rossana ; Garcia, Mirna ; Nicolson, Maggie ; Manitius, Natalie ; Snedaker, Tasha ; Wineski, Olivia

The studio's mission is to enhance the Nihonbashi neighborhood through carbon neutrality, climate resiliency, and post-Covid-19 consciousness. The studio focused on: 1. Celebrating the progress and history of the neighborhood 2. Engaging stakeholders across social, cultural, and geographic distances 3. Ensuring that future development supports climate resiliency and livable- and people-focused communities 4. Adding open spaces that support synergy between blue and green systems 5. Designing streetscapes and transit that makes movement enjoyable and accessible 6. Helping the neighborhood become more resilient to shocks such as Covid-19 or natural disasters 7. Anticipating trends and needs of population changes with land use 8. Harnessing smart technologies to enhance quality of life and economic opportunity, as well as our designs and processes 9. Catalyzing Tokyo's pursuit of carbon neutrality by using Nihonbashi as an example
Augmenting the Impact of Community Organizations

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-05) Al-Khayyal, Sarah ; Allgaier, Orion ; Amahrir, Safae ; Mers, Bianca ; Wagliardo, Nathan ; Webber, Noel ; Wright, Janelle ; Yandell, Izzy

Based on a philosophy of community-based planning that centers community needs which are supported by external partners, the 2022 studio worked to leverage a planning skillset to bolster the organizational capacity of this year’s partner organization, Impacto Juventud. Building off the work of the 2019 and 2020 Georgia Tech studios in Puerto Rico, the 2022 studio recognizes that global studios can be mutually beneficial for students to broader than perspectives and for partners to increase access to additional resources. In the context of this studio, this was best accomplished by building the capacity of community organizations to support their outreach and activism. The studio’s sub-focuses included community asset mapping, renewable energy, and non-profit communications.
Preservation of African American Spaces: Case Study of Sweet Auburn Neighborhood of Atlanta,Georgia

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-05) White, Reginald Jr.

The Sweet Auburn neighborhood has some of the richest histories for the African American community in the City of Atlanta. Many famous businessmen and women, lawyers, priests, and civil rights leaders for Atlanta all have connections or bases in this neighborhood. Leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr, Alonzo Herndon, and Madam C.J Walker to name a few. Unfortunately, like many African American neighborhoods over the years and post-urban-renewal, this community had seen a lot of disinvestment and neglect. Today, the significance of the neighborhood’s location in relation to the downtown district and the Atlanta BeltLine are major reasons this neighborhood is now becoming a premier community for people to live, work, visit, and invest. The core of this report will be the importance of preserving African American spaces not only physically but culturally as well. This will be done by reviewing the history of Sweet Auburn, examining the barriers and value of preserving historically African American spaces, and how past events have created a perfect storm for redevelopment, gentrification, and cultural change.
Drawing Connections between Railway Station Ridership and Adjacent Urban Form

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-04) Maurer, Colin

This paper identifies and comparatively analyzes land use and urban design surrounding railway stations in the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), and Japan. The objective is to identify land use and urban design patterns that are associated with higher railway ridership. The analysis first focuses on descriptively analyzing aspects of urban form and land use that correlate with stronger ridership. Following analysis of previous research, four potential design and land use factors potentially contributing to ridership are investigated using case studies selected from comparable urban and suburban areas in the three countries. Patterns that correspond with higher overall ridership are then recommended for consideration in future transit-oriented development.
Fighting Small Business Displacement with Public Land: Commercial Community Land Trusts in the City of Atlanta

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-04) Oliverio, Gabrielle

This option aimed explored the community land trust model for commercial purposes and where publicly owned land could be leveraged to help combat small business displacement in the City of Atlanta.
The Chattahoochee Brick Company Studio: Envisioning a Commemorative Future

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021-12-05) Abel, Hunter ; Carnell, Phillip ; Coutinho, Pedro ; Hopkins, Alison ; Nyman, Tanning ; Oliverio, Gabrielle ; Roth, Grace ; White, Reginald ; Xie, Ray

Our report aims to function as a vision plan for the development potential of the Chattahoochee Brick Company site and its opportunities for reparative justice. item_description: Our report aims to function as a vision plan for the development potential of the Chattahoochee Brick Company site and its opportunities for reparative justice • Background • Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis • Conversations with various stakeholders in the community and wider surrounding area to determine visions: • Greenspace • Industrial (I-Mix) • Housing/Commercial • Analysis of proposals that includes examples and impacts **Now that the City of Atlanta is starting the process to begin possible acquisition, some of the visions are more likely to occur than others.
Maximizing Opportunity in Atlanta's Housing Opportunity Bond

(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021-08) Thompson, Brock

The affordable housing crisis burdens the nation and America’s largest cities, in particular. In the absence of comprehensive federal action to provide residents adequate housing, local governments (cities and counties) are employing massive general obligation bonds for the purpose of providing residents affordable housing (“municipal housing bonds or MHBs”). From Asheville & Charlotte to Denver, San Francisco, & Portland, governments have pledged hundreds of millions over the last two decades alone to address the issue (see “Other References Not Cited”)1. Direct public provision of housing, site acquisition, gap financing for private development, and owner-occupied rehabs are among the most common uses of funds. To date, cities using housing bonds have taken different approaches to spending with little documentation about the extent to which that approach addresses needs. Some have focused on public housing while others aim to leverage private funding; some have committed funds mainly to assist the lowest-income households while others look to expand higher-AMI workforce housing (see “Other References Not Cited”). In the context of Atlanta’s proposed $100M 2020 housing bond (Pendered, 2020a), this paper is aimed at developing a spending strategy for City of Atlanta housing bonds. Goals include maximizing the number of households served in the near term and prospects of long-term affordability. This paper looks to reconcile the (1) Current and projected demand for affordable housing units in the City of Atlanta (by AMI and household size), with the (2) Costs required to supply affordable units of various types for each of those groups. A pro forma will model the impact of various housing strategies on the existing and projected housing gap relative to their costs. The spending strategies of other cities will serve as a benchmark.