Architecture, Building and Planning - Theses
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ItemEvaluating cultural learning in virtual environments( 2006)There is still a great deal of opportunity for research on contextual interactive immersion in virtual heritage environments. The general failure of virtual environment technology to create engaging and educational experiences may be attributable not just to deficiencies in technology or in visual fidelity, but also to a lack of contextual and performative-based interaction, such as that found in games. This thesis will suggest improvements will result from more research on the below issues: 1. Place versus Cyberspace: What creates a sensation of place (as a cultural site) in a virtual environment in contradistinction to a sensation of a virtual environment as a collection of objects and spaces? 2. Cultural Presence versus Social Presence and Presence: Which factors help immerse people spatially and thematically into a cultural learning experience? 3. Realism versus Interpretation: Does an attempt to perfect fidelity to sources and to realism improve or hinder the cultural learning experience? 4. Education versus Entertainment: Does an attempt to make the experience engaging improve or hinder the cultural learning experience? This doctoral thesis outlines a theoretical definition of place, culture, and presence that may become a matrix for virtual environment design as well as a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of appropriating game-style interaction to enhance engagement. A virtual environment was built using Adobe Atmosphere to test whether cultural understanding and engagement can be linked to the type of interaction offered. The thesis also includes a survey of evaluation mechanisms that may be specifically suitable for virtual heritage environments. In its review of appropriate methodology, the thesis suggests new terms and criteria to assess the contextual appropriateness of various evaluation methods, and provides seven schematic examples of game-style plot devices that lend themselves to evaluation. The test-bed is the evaluation of a virtual archaeology project in Palenqué Mexico using theories of cultural immersion as well as computer game technology and techniques. The case study of Palenqué involved five types of evaluation specifically chosen to assess cultural awareness and understanding gained from different forms of interaction in a virtual heritage environment.
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Item'Nature Conservation' and Materialist Theory(University of Melbourne, 1984)The environmental consciousness leading to a widespread belief in the existence of an 'environmental crisis' has been spreading through western societies since the late 1960s. A materialist view of society, based on the belief in the importance of the economic base in the political and social evolution and structure of societies, has been present for even longer. Paradigmatic debates relating to the appropriateness of the materialist viewpoint have been apparent in discussions of environmental problems as with other social issues. For some time, however, the materialist debate ignored environmental problems, for two main reasons: because it was felt that the social principles of primary concern to those within the materialist paradigm were incompatible with concern for environmental problems; and because environmental problems were seen to be peculiar to capitalist conditions This paper takes the view that environmental problems have an objective reality which must be debated within the materialist paradigm. The aim is to take a first step towards an analysis of the role of "nature conservation" - one type of environmental issue - in a materialist theory of society. The method used is to examine nature conservation issues in Victoria using materialist concepts or theoretical tools. The main concept used is the materialist theory of the state, but other concepts such as surplus value extracted from the environment, the commodification of natural values, and the role of nature appreciation as 'culture', are also discussed. Throughout the paper, the previously-mentioned themes of the elitism of environmental concerns, and the particular relationship between environmental problems and capitalist society, are highlighted, in an attempt to end the argument that the materialist viewpoint and the environmental viewpoint are incompatible.
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ItemA method for assessing river recreation capability -: case study : Upper Yarra River(University of Melbourne, 1980)
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ItemRegional shopping centre redevelopment(University of Melbourne, 1996)
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ItemIntroducing safe city planning into China(University of Melbourne, 2006)
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ItemBeyond inner urban intensification : facilitating increased dwelling densities in Melbourne's growth corridors(University of Melbourne, 2008)
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ItemMelbourne's inner area -: a location for industry ?(University of Melbourne, 1986)The decline of manufacturing industry within Melbourne's inner region has adverse social and economic implications. Indicators of the viability of the inner city as a location for manufacturing activity are investigated by this research to suggest the feasibility of attempting to arrest this decline. Analysis of the structure of manufacturing industry operating within the central area and identification of the region's attributes and constraints, suggest the firm types most compatible with this location and futhermore, the features of the inner area which provide a comparative advantage to such industries. Ultimately, this research formulates planning recommendations based upon the preceding analysis, with the objective of retaining and promoting manufacturing activity within the inner region.
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ItemDesign programme and proposition.: Victorian College of the Arts(University of Melbourne, 1987)