Architecture, Building and Planning - Theses
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ItemVisual assessment techniques for rural road management(University of Melbourne, 1989)
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ItemCharacteristics of design for sustainable urban settlement( 1999)Most people in the world live in urban settlements, and urban settlements are also the location of many environmentally damaging activities. A sustainable future is dependent on the design of sustainable urban settlements. It is now widely recognised that sustainability theory and practice must deal with the dynamics and uncertainties of the evolving world in which we live. The dynamics of an evolving world present a challenge to design for sustainable urban settlements, when design is viewed in a conventional way. Conventional ideas tend to assume limited and fully determined outcomes from design. However, experience tells us that designed changes have often brought unintended and unexpected consequences for sustainability. It is argued, therefore, that a new concept of design is required with its roots in the cultural and biophysical interactions of evolving urban settlements. Drawing on theories of non-equilibrium,systems,notably on the theory of dissipative structures, the evolutionary dynamics that integrate cultural and biophysical change in an urban settlement, and are the generators of uncertainty, are described by reference to a case study of the Western Suburbs of Melbourne. The links between theory and the case study are established by application of an adapted version of the Slocombe/Gryzbowski method for identifying and describing the evolutionary dynamics of large scale cultural-biophysical systems. With minor modifications, the method's step-by-step procedure, is used to establish relationships between evolutionary change and the sustainability of the urban settlement, and the role of design in both. The case study supports the idea that design is deeply embedded in the evolution of an urban settlement and its sustainability. Drawing on the findings from the case study, a range of new characteristics of design for sustainable urban settlements are proposed. Together these establish a new model of design for sustainable urban settlements, that incorporates the dynamics of evolving systems, and replaces the conventional and purely deterministic model. In the new model, design is found to be an instrument of change and uncertainty. At the same time it has the capacity to endow urban settlements with the flexibility necessary to persist and adapt to new circumstances. As such it is both a risky and experimental activity, but one with which we must engage if we are to ensure a sustainable future
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ItemAn approach to improved housing delivery in large cities of less developed countries( 1999)The world population is increasing very rapidly, overwhelming all efforts to provide adequate housing. The urban population is growing at a much faster rate than the population as a whole. A staggering 93 percent of this increase between 1995 and 2020 is expected to occur in the developing countries. This poses a major challenge to those responsible for the provision of housing and related services. It is reasonably clear that housing delivery systems are deficient in almost all the large cities of less developed countries. The deficiencies are not the same in all cities, but they generally relate to land assembly, development and disposal of developed land, provision of infrastructure, and co-ordination among different implementation agencies. The aim of this research is to suggest an approach to improve housing delivery systems for large cities in developing countries. The heart of the method developed to achieve this aim was to break down the housing delivery system into its various stages: planning; land assembly; implementation; and final disposal of the finished houses. This permitted examination of the problems related to four various stages individually, rather than trying to view a system in toto. A variety of cities from both developed and developing countries were examined to generate sets of alternatives for each of these stages. These alternatives were then tested for the city of Delhi, India, through individual interviews with different actors in the housing delivery system, to observe how different sets of those actors see the strengths and weaknesses of each alternative for each stage. The method used to analyse the responses was both quantitative and qualitative. This produced suggestions for each of the stages of the housing delivery system, appropriate for Delhi. Although the systems in different cities of less developed countries might differ from each other, there are overriding defects that are common to most. Reflection on the alternatives derived for Delhi suggested that for the most part they would be applicable to other cities of less developed countries. However, for some of the stages the political, social or cultural situation in particular cities would require individual selection from the range of possible alternatives. In such cases, the research method developed in this research project can be applied to make an appropriate selection.
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ItemDevelopment ideologies strategies and rural poverty in Thailand : a comparative analysis of rural development strategies( 1999)Rural agricultural communities have played an important role in Thailand's drive for industrialisation. Yet despite the recent rapid economic growth and social transformation they have fallen far behind in economic performance in both relative and absolute terms, and have become areas where low incomes and poverty are prevalent. Their basic community resources and ecosystems have been significantly degraded in the process. This pattern of so-called 'uneven development' is becoming so great that without some radical adjustment to existing values and socio-economic structures, the national drive for industrialisation itself could be undermined by such social and environmental destabilisation. It is clearly worthwhile, therefore, to appraise both the ideological and material responses to change in these rural communities. This study explores and questions the ideas and practices of existing development models, examining in particular the central argument as to whether they can both overcome these problems and provide solutions to the goals of sustainable rural development. To achieve this aim, development ideologies and models are reviewed and selected representative projects are analysed. The approach is thus principally that of comparative case studies. Three rural community development models: market-based, ecological, and moral/ethical - were evaluated. They are seen to be associated with the basic philosophies of either 'individualism or 'totality', which involve policy choices between 'market', 'state', and 'people', or between market-based capitalism, state planning, and a people-centred paradigm. A significant finding suggests that achievement of the goal of sustainable rural community development will depend primarily on the basic philosophy underlying the model adopted. This is because it determines the model's 'trade-off system' between interdependent social values and goals, or the 'correct' balance struck between the different 'spheres' of development. A basic philosophy that recognises the interdependence of all life and things appears to support sustainable rural community development. While most village communities were interested primarily in increasing `family income', others were capable of successfully devising appropriate village organisations and programs to promote 'community empowerment' and 'alternative livelihoods' at the same time. However this desirable synthesis of `family income', `community empowerment', and `alternative livelihoods' has only been demonstrated at regional and local levels: it is too early to claim its application at a national scale
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ItemAustralian flats : a comparison of Melbourne and Sydney flat developments in the interwar period( 1998)The differences between the architecture of flats in Melbourne with flats built in Sydney during the 1920s and 1930s, suggests that these differences were manifest by factors in addition to topography. This study compares the development of architectural forms and expression in the two cities, discussing them in relation to concepts of architectural regionalism and modernism. The planning and urban redevelopment contexts result in differences in number, location, building height, lot size, site coverage, flat size, image, lifestyle and modern technology.
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ItemSimulating recreation behaviour in complex wilderness landscapes using spatially-explicit autonomous agents( 1998)This work introduces and explores the potential of using intelligent agent based modeling and simulation as a tool for examining the complex interactions between recreators and the environment, and interactions between recreators as a means to improving the our understanding of the recreational use of wildland settings. In this research the concept of rule driven autonomous agents as surrogates for human visitors is introduced. Agents are designed to represent the actions of the individual recreators (hiking, mountain bike riding, and pink jeep tour outfitters). Behavioural rules are derived from visitor surveys and interviews conducted in Broken Arrow Canyon, Arizona. The autonomous agents can be seen to dynamically move over a GIS based model of the Broken Arrow landscape. Line-of-sight calculations determine whether an individual agent is able to 'see' other agents and are used as method to record 'actual' and 'perceived' encounters with other agents. Using agent location maps combined with the underlying GIS data the agents can be observed moving across the landscape, pausing, changing pace, lingering at a view-point etc. A discussion focuses on analysing the resulting behaviours found in these simulations and additionally to explore the influence of alternative trail alignments on recreator movement, congestion and crowding. Some potential future directions for this research are discussed.
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ItemEquitable and sustainable development in less developed countries( 1997)There has been a perception among development planners that if economic progress continues economic efficiency and market forces will even out any inequality problems through the 'trickle-down' effect. However, in many LDCs (less developed countries) this assumption does not seem to hold. Moreover, it seems that persistent poverty and income inequality are also reflected in environmental degradation in many parts of the world. This leads to unsustainable development, both in the equitability and the environmental contexts. The aim of the research is to explore development policy for LDCs that is both equitable and environmentally sustainable, within the context of the current market economy. Two research approaches were used. First, a statistical cross-country analysis of 40 LDCs was employed. The objective was to provide a general picture of income equality and development attributes, namely: 'level of development'; 'orientation of development'; and 'balanced urbanisation' as an indicator of the spatial distribution of development. Second, a detailed analysis of development over the last few decades was made for two LDCs, Indonesia and Thailand. This was to verify the relationship between development, balanced urbanisation and income equality and to explore the relationship between balanced urbanisation and environmental conservation. The findings were then linked to decentralisation policy in the two countries. Income equality was found to have a negative relationship with level of development and a positive relationship with orientation,of development-export-led growth strategy. It also had a positive relationship with balanced urbanisation. The detailed study of Indonesia and Thailand revealed that when urbanisation was unbalanced, regional disparities in manufacturing, GDP and per capita income and environmental degradation were likely to be high. This indicates that if a government wishes to create equitable growth, one approach is to undertake regional development, targeting on balanced urbanisation. To achieve this, the government should take action on decentralisation policy. Although the findings were mostly specific to Indonesia and Thailand, the following major findings are likely to hold for other LDCs: (1) national development with little attention to equitability is neither socially nor environmentally sustainable; (2) equitable development is likely to be achieved by regional development aimed at balanced urbanisation through fiscal and political decentralisation; (3) the form of development advocated in (2) needs central government intervention although the degree of decentralisation will depend upon the particular country's conditions.
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ItemOccult dwellings : architecture, anthropology & the possibilities of a postcolonial sublime( 1997)This thesis addresses questions of intercultural relations as they are theorized in the field of postcolonial criticism, and seeks to explore the ways in which architecture is implicated in these relations. Architecture's traditional engagement with cultural difference is shown to be negotiated through the conceptual and methodological devices of another discipline, anthropology; as a consequence the thesis exploration is developed along inter-disciplinary lines. This institutional negotiation is investigated in terms of two specific historical moments: eighteenth century Enlightenment and early-twentieth century colonial. The first moment is exemplified by the well-known relationship between the architectural theory of Marc-Antoine Laugier and Antoine Chrysostome Quatremere de Quincy, and the letter's engagement with the anthropology of Joseph-FranVois Lafitau. The second moment is exemplified by the little-known architectural theory of two colonial Dutch architects working in Indonesia in the early twentieth century, Henri Maclaine Pont and Charles Wolff Schoemaker. Their work is explored with reference to contemporary anthropology through the theory and practice of James Frazer and Bronislaw Malinowski. In different ways the negotiation between anthropology and architecture is shown to alleviate a threat of cultural difference, leaving a legacy which remains unchallenged in contemporary debates on architecture and cultural difference. The thesis argues that this negotiation is underpinned by developments in Enlightenment aesthetics. However, it reads the latent workings of a sublime aesthetic in this institutional relationship, and seeks to exploit the more radical possibilities of this aesthetic in order to offer a mode of architectural invention which might more effectively address the cultural demands of contemporary postcolonial contexts.
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ItemManagement of coastal aquaculture in Thailand( 1998)Intensive shrimp farming r Thailand has developed significantly since the 1980s. The industry has played an important role in the Thai economy. However, the high profit from shrimp farming has driven the industry into unsustainable development. The indiscriminate and rapid expansion of shrimp farming has created many environmental problems, such as the destruction of mangrove forest, salt water intrusion, conflicts with other uses, water pollution and land abandonment. To solve these problems, the present study aimed to answer two questions. Firstly, how can we identify potential areas for developing shrimp farms as well as other types of aquaculture which minimize environmental problems and conflicts with other uses? Secondly, how can we calculate an upper Iimit to the area of shrimp farms to avoid creating adverse impacts on the receiving environment? Based on these questions, the main goal of this research was to initiate an appropriate planning approach to sustainable aquaculture. Two models were developed: a model for the assessment of suitability of sites using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) together with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP); and a model for the assessment of carrying capacity. GIS was found to be a very useful tool for the first model. Although GIS alone cannot deal with the relative importance of factors, it provides a mechanism whereby weighting can be assigned, calculated and updated. The incorporation of AHP provides an effective method for dealing with complex situations involving many factors, such as aquaculture. The assessment of site suitability deals mainly with the problems on the landward side of the coastal zone, but not with the problems of the seaward impacts such as water pollution in the receiving water. Therefore, the assessment of the carrying capacity of the receiving environment was also needed to properly address the problems of coastal zone management. Although, both models need improvements in data acquisition and further research to improve the analysis methods, the integration of the two models provides the basis for a greatly improved method for making decisions about the development of sustainable aquaculture in the coastal zone.
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ItemParticipative techniques for urban environmental improvement( 1997)The aim of this research is to discover the characteristics for a successful participative bottom-up technique for urban environmental improvement. As we are nearing the end of the second millennium, the state of the environment is gradually being recognised as everyone's concern. Problems of air and water pollution, and rising population are even more acute in urban areas. Urban regions and urban people are facing environmental crises, some more severe than others. In some instances, urban people have responded to specific environmental problems at the local scale and have achieved some success. But often such responses tend to be ad hoc, and do not ensure continuity. Businesses and other structured organisations have used participative techniques to allow changes to take place at the lower levels of the organisational hierarchy. They have been used for several decades in the world of business, and have achieved some success. A review of different participative management techniques showed that some are structured, and some are not. Most of them rely on group interaction. It was found that two of the business techniques reviewed could be transferred to the community. They are the suggestion scheme and the quality circle techniques. The suggestion scheme is an unstructured technique and is based on individual initiative, whereas the quality circle is a structured technique and it is group-based. These techniques were adapted to the community, and were called the Community Suggestion Scheme and the Community Quality Circle. Since a trial would determine the effectiveness of the techniques in the community, a case study approach was used. The Community Suggestion Scheme and the Community Quality Circle were trialed in the community over a period of three years. The Habitat project in Western Melbourne was used as the umbrella organisation to carry out the trial. The Community Suggestion Scheme was trialed first, and was partly successful. It acted as a feeder for the Community Quality Circle. The Community Quality Circle was an unqualified success. The first Community Quality Circle formed - Habitat: Mount St. Josephs Community Quality Circle is still in operation showing that it is capable of being independent and self-managing. Certain characteristics for successful participative bottom-up environmental improvement processes emerged from the trials. Techniques need to be flexible and open to change and learning. They must take diverse approaches to problem-solving. Techniques that are group-based are more likely to succeed than individual-based techniques. Their structure should be flexible, not rigid, and techniques must be capable of self-perpetuation and self-management. The members should be given the opportunity to become familiar with each other. The support of an overarching umbrella organisation is essential for techniques to be successful in the community. Incorporating these characteristics allows the development of future participative methods for environmental improvement. The research shows that participative techniques can be used as a potent medium to instigate environmental improvement in urban areas.