MS, University of Cincinnati, 2013, Engineering and Applied Science: Civil Engineering

Global warming is a result of most of increasing contaminant components in our atmosphere, many of them generated by motor vehicles. It causes harm to human health, not only to individuals but to communities and towns as a whole. Increasing heat, extreme cold, rising sea levels and flood plains damage each habitat's equilibrium. It has been proven that public transit leads to more walking and biking. Surveys report that 63% and 68% of pedestrians and bikers walk at least once a day, respectively. Public transit commuters walk more than car commuters. Walking to those neighborhood destinations accounts for higher frequencies than public transit does. Integration between land use areas, enhancing mixed-use parcels are a complement and support to a public transportation network that includes pedestrians and bikers. Biking infrastructure comparisons have been made among cities and countries; unfortunately, there aren't many studies that compare and analyze characteristics in metropolitan areas. This lack of analysis explains the gap of infrastructure improvements in cities where using bicycles as active modes of transportation is barely at its beginnings. Bicycle infrastructure innovation is often related to Master Plans as those quantify the needs of pedestrians and bikers at different levels (city, region, state). As a result of some studies, there are prioritized lists of pedestrian and bicycle corridors according to need and importance to generate an enhanced and improved master plan. Household travel surveys (HTS) supply multi-level information regarding travel patterns per day. They provide information regarding the purpose of the trips, mode choice, trip length, location of activities and, most importantly for this research, routes taken. A large-scale HTS was been developed for the Cincinnati Metropolitan Area between the months of August 2009 and August 2010. GPS units were given to each participant household member 12 years or older to carry all day (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Heng Wei Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Richard Miller Ph.D. (Committee Member); Danilo Palazzo Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Civil Engineering

MFA, Kent State University, 2016, College of Communication and Information / School of Visual Communication Design

Post-industrial cities today are experiencing an influx of new generations moving into local urban communities. Street culture and walkable downtowns and districts are progressively developing in these urban areas, and the need is present for safer and interconnected bicycle infrastructure. Research has proven that the success of a walkable and bikeable environment plays a significant role in the comprehensive sustainability of a city. Therein lies an opportunity for design to help foster environmental experiences involving the urban streetscape. Experiential, or environmental, graphic design elements can improve the safety and connectivity of bicycle pathways for the betterment of the city as a whole. This investigation explores the value that environmental graphic design elements can contribute to the development of safer bicycle pathways, and further examines the role of wayfinding increasing the connectivity of urban bicycle networks. A case-study design investigation was executed involving districts and roadways in the near-west downtown Cleveland, Ohio area. The location is a primary link connecting west side neighborhoods to downtown Cleveland spanning three urban districts, making it a relevant area of study. This study uses design research tactics and prototypes to further understand how design can improve the user experience of Cleveland's bicycle pathways.

Committee: Ken Visocky O'Grady MFA (Advisor); Jessica Barness MFA (Committee Member); David Middleton MFA (Committee Member) Subjects: Design

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2015, Antioch New England: Environmental Studies

How can we make cities more livable? Los Angeles, in particular, is a notably challenging place to live. For many, it is hard to see Los Angeles—city or county—as anything other than a huge, sprawling, and some would say placeless place. Los Angeles is known by many as the place that tore up more than 1,000 miles of streetcar lines to make way for millions of cars and hundreds of miles of freeways. Because of this, Los Angeles is also known for its poor air quality and jammed freeways. Those who live in Los Angeles know that it can be a very real challenge to get around. But Los Angeles is also a city of possibilities. It is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. It is mostly flat. It seldom rains. Surprisingly, Los Angeles has an alternative bike culture that has emerged and rapidly matured over the last nineteen years. It has gone from a rowdy and radical culture of bike messengers gathering for night rides to a substantial and growing community of riders, do-it-yourself bike mechanics, and homegrown transportation activists and advocates who have influenced the way bikes and riders are perceived and even how regional transportation policy is developed and implemented. How and why has that come to pass? In answering these questions, this dissertation seeks to describe the recent history of bike culture in Los Angeles through the eyes of its originators and ongoing participants. This is a narrative account of the recent past and the present in Los Angeles, California, in which a collection of bicycle-related phenomena appear to be transforming the land in ways that many might agree constitute a form of revitalization. The electronic version of this Dissertation is at Ohiolink ETDCenter, http://etd.ohiolink.edu and AURA, http://aura.antioch.edu/. An MP4 video introduction by the author accompanies this document.

Committee: Joy Ackerman PhD (Committee Chair); Mitchell Thomashow EdD (Committee Member); Jenny Price PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies; Climate Change; Ecology; Environmental Studies; Recreation; Sustainability; Urban Planning

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2005, Geography (Arts and Sciences)

Half of America lives in suburban neighborhoods that were designed to facilitate the movement of automobiles, while limiting the mobility of pedestrians. The dependence of people on cars has impacted the environment in terms of air quality and land use, and public health in terms of physical fitness, social interaction, and equity of access to destinations. This thesis is a case study of three communities in suburban Cincinnati, Ohio: the City of Mason and Deerfield Township in Warren County, and West Chester Township in Butler County. I have synthesized a variety of methods used to measure pedestrian accessibility and infrastructure distribution. Using GIS, I have added to existing quantitative measures the concept of pedestrian impedance. This metric is combined with measurements of route distance and directness, and analyzed in conjunction with site maps and field observations, providing a comprehensive method for analyzing pedestrian accessibility, and targeting areas for infrastructure improvements.

Committee: Christopher Boone (Advisor) Subjects: Geography