Building Engineering Feasibility Study: Herreshoff Marine Museum

Our design team was supplied with a dozen architectural designs from the students of the Roger Williams University Architectural School. After discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each our team was able to narrow our choices down to one base design to conduct our feasibility and structural integrity analysis. Currently, the structural integrity of the proposed building addition has been examined by determining the wind and the snow loads, the green roof requirements, and the column and beam loads. The feasibility of the chosen design was assessed by researching Bristol zoning regulations and developing a path through the required zoning variances, which will help in the construction phase

Libbie & Grove Urban Design Plan

This plan was created for the City of Richmond Department of Planning and Development Review to serve as a recommendation for urban design improvements and suggested changes to zoning ordinances for the Libbie and Grove commercial area located in the Westhampton neighborhood. To begin, an in-depth demographic analysis was conducted for the Westhampton neighborhood. Special attention was paid to socioeconomic factors and trends in census tracts directly surrounding the Libbie and Grove commercial corridor. Based on these analyses and new development occurring in the Libbie and Grove commercial corridor, we were able to allocate six sites or “study areas” as candidates for redevelopment. All of these sites represent valuable areas within the Libbie and Grove commercial corridor. The sites were selected and designed with different intentions, but aim to create a complete streetscape for the commercial area. Based on this analysis and study, it is our recommendation that a new zoning code be implemented for the Libbie and Grove commercial area in order to codify form based design requirements in order to preserve and enhance a village feel at Grove and Libbie and promote compatible future development

Spartan Daily, September 20, 1977

Volume 69, Issue 11https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/6234/thumbnail.jp

Buffer Projects in the Town of Wakefield and City of Somersworth

Participants in the Wakefield Buffer Project include SRPC staff, members of the Acton Wakefield Watershed Alliance (AWWA), local board and commission members, and the Wakefield Town Planner, Kathy Menici. AWWA members included: Linda Schier, Carol Lafond, Marge Kimball and Adam Soukimas. Town Staff included Joe Fluet (Planning board Chair) and Nancy Spencer Smith (Conservation Commission). The goals of AWWA are to educate and inform shoreland property owners about the harmful effects of erosion and uncontrolled stormwater runoff on water quality of its lakes and ponds. AWWA focuses their on- the-ground efforts to repair, restore and preserve healthy functioning buffers and to prevent erosion problems. This project addressed these goals by developing education and outreach materials for shoreland property owners in the communities of Wakefield, NH and Acton, ME. A Buffer Evaluation Form and Fact Sheet were developed for this purpose. Because of a change in direction for the project mid-year, SRPC staff intends to continue working with this group in January to refine the Buffer Evaluation Form and Fact Sheet to ensure that if meets the needs of AWWA. A final copy of these materials will be provided to NHEP when completed

Main Street Revitalization: Woonsocket, RI

A healthy environment that utilizes local urban ecologies will positively impact the health and well being of the community. It is important to create an environment that will foster understanding and inspire learning about native plants and animals, how to care for them, and how to protect them

Increasing Access to Food: A Comprehensive Report on Food Supply Options

Access to food is one of the most important aspects of a healthy, sustainable community. Grocery stores and other suppliers can serve as an economic anchor to provide social benefits to communities. Unfortunately, many communities do not have convenient and/or affordable access to grocery items, particularly fresh produce. As part of Virginia Commonwealth University\u27s Fall 2019 graduate course on Urban Commercial Revitalization, class members researched 13 retail and other food access options, which are described in this report. Each chapter covers a food access option and provides basic information that will be useful to individuals, organizations, or government agencies that wish to attract and/or develop grocery operations in their communities

Open Space Acquisitions and Management Opportunities in the City of Atlanta and Adjacent Jurisdictions

The great cities of the world are distinguished by their public parks. The urban fabric of New York, Barcelona, Berlin, Moscow, Paris, Rome, Sydney, and Shanghai are all woven around great parks. Yet, with all of Atlanta's outstanding achievements, the City and the region have a notably undistinguished park system. In a study conducted by the Trust for Public Land and the Urban Land Institute, Atlanta ranks near the bottom of the nation's largest 25 cities in acreage of parkland per capita with 7.3 acres for every 1,000 residents. Compare that to Austin, Texas' 39 acres per 1,000 residents or Oklahoma City's 43 acres per 1,000 residents and it becomes clear that something is amiss in metro Atlanta.This study identifies the obstacles to acquiring and maintaining open and green spaces in the metro Atlanta region. Addressing open space shortages in metro Atlanta is a sizable task. This study could be considered the first step in a larger process. Time spent researching the various obstacles and opportunities regarding open space acquisition raised many questions that are beyond the scope of this project. A second phase might test the recommendations made in this phase by working with local officials on a few select projects, and begin to identify critical pieces of property in metro Atlanta that must be protected from development. A detailed inventory of significant open space and natural resources in the metro area that includes the existing inventory of land inside of Interstate 285 should be considered either as a separate study or included in this recommended second phase

Kept in the Dark: Poor Reporting on New York City's Recovery Zone Bond Deals

In June 2009, the "Recover NYC" program was unveiled to help select projects that applied for Recovery Zone Facility Bonds (RZFB), a bond program authorized as part of the Recovery Act. While the program seemed to have good intentions, the vague requirements related to job quality, how the projects were to assist unemployed or underemployed New Yorkers, and how the projects would help the city's sustainability efforts, made it difficult to measure the program's success. Indeed, the objectives were so vague that merely allocating the bonds became a benchmark of success by economic development officials.This report details RZFB projects and is a real-life example of how projects receiving discretionary subsidies make their way through the public -- and not so public -- application process. Accountability begins with transparency, an area that is lacking in the RZFB program. We conclude that economic development officials need to make the process of allocating subsidies more accessible to New Yorkers, to encourage more public participation in future projects, and to hold these projects accountable for creating good jobs