Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, City and Regional Planning

This dissertation presents a comprehensive analytical framework for examining urban green infrastructure and its urban planning implications. Comprised of four essays, this research investigates the concepts, measurement, modeling and implications of urban green spaces and vegetation (UGSV). Leveraging the increasing variety and precision of geospatial big data and techniques, this research characterizes the heterogeneity of UGSV in terms of physical form and functions to inform the effective environmental design of UGSV. The first and second essays present methods for the assessment of spatial patterns of UGSV and their socioeconomic accessibility using various green measures. Remote sensing, GIS and pattern recognition techniques are used to measure UGSV over large geographic areas with fine thematic resolution. The third and fourth essays deal with planning applications, focusing on the relationship between UGSV, sustainable mobility and microclimate moderation. The results imply that urban and suburban neighborhoods experience significant disparities in terms of socioenvironmental benefits provided by UGSV, and the assessment of how and where the inequity occurs varies with green measures and applications. UGSV relates closely to the long-term sustainability of active travel and thermal environment, while the benefits are likely to be spatially and socially limited to certain groups, requiring targeted planning interventions. This dissertation highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary understanding of `greenness' in urban areas, suggesting that divergent understandings in different fields should be integrated to formulate a coherent strategy for green infrastructure planning.

Committee: Jean-Michel Guldmann (Advisor); Gulsah Akar (Advisor); Desheng Liu (Committee Member) Subjects: Urban Planning

MS, Kent State University, 2018, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Earth Sciences

In urban areas, increased runoff from storm events is a significant concern due to flooding, erosion, ecosystem disturbance, and water quality problems. Phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) are key limiting nutrients that lead to eutrophication and harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie and other freshwater systems, and urban landscapes are locally important sources of nutrients to downstream water bodies. Green infrastructure (GI) is one increasingly popular solution being used in urban areas to address the water quantity and quality issues that urban runoff creates. Green roofs and bioretention cells are widely used forms of GI designed to decrease and slow down runoff through evapotranspiration and infiltration. I compared the hydrologic effectiveness of a co-located extensive green roof and two bioretention cells in northeastern Ohio, in order to understand their relative capacities to decrease and slow down stormwater runoff, when subjected to the same weather conditions. I also monitored the green roof to understand its effects on water quality, in terms of P and N. From June 2015 to November 2016, 93 storms from 2.5 to 62 mm, were monitored. To assess the hydrologic performance of each site, I measured rainfall, underdrained outflow, groundwater levels in the bioretention cells, and soil moisture on 1–5 minute intervals. To assess water quality for the green roof, I collected precipitation and samples from the green roof downspout. I measured chloride (Cl-) phosphate (PO43-), total P, nitrate (NO3-), ammonium (NH4+), and total N concentrations using ion chromatography and a colorimetric assay. The bioretention cells performed similarly to each other, despite slightly different designs, and they had superior performance to the green roof. The paved lot bioretention cell showed 77% volumetric and 85% peak flow reduction and the gravel lot bioretention cell showed 78% volumetric and 82% peak flow reduction. The green roof only reduced 59% of its water input and 69% (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Anne Jefferson (Advisor); Lauren Kinsman-Costello (Advisor); Elizabeth Herndon (Committee Member) Subjects: Ecology; Environmental Science; Geology; Hydrology; Sustainability; Water Resource Management

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

As catchments become increasingly impervious, urban stormwater pollutant loads, erosional force, and flooding increases. The practice of stormwater management is critical environmental protection that became regulated by the US federal government in the 1970s. With the need to attenuate peak flow rates and reduce the excess stormwater volumes generated from impervious catchments, stormwater control measures (SCMs) were developed such as stormwater detention basins, retention ponds, drainage ditches, and subsurface stormwater detention. Having a variety of SCMs available provides stakeholders with the ability to target specific aspects of stormwater management, including runoff quantity, runoff quality, or other ecosystem services. Regulations have evolved over time to have a greater emphasis on stormwater quality. As such, SCM design has evolved to address pollutant removal in stormwater. Green infrastructure (GI) practices, also called low impact development (LID) SCMs, have gained popularity for stormwater management since the start of the 21st century and incorporate principles of ecological engineering into stormwater management. Examples of GI include a variety of practices that use infiltration through filter media such as rain gardens, bioretention cells (BRCs), and high rate biofiltration (HRBF), permeable pavements, green roofs, and constructed stormwater wetlands (CSWs). The use of GI has benefits in addition to peak flow, volume, and pollutant reduction such as creating habitat for pollinators, cooling urban spaces, and adding attractive green space. Pollutant removal mechanisms vary between GI practices with some systems providing greater sedimentation and treatment of particulates and some providing greater treatment of dissolved pollutants through microbially-mediated transformation, plant uptake, and/or adsorption. Performance of SCMs varies based on design, site characteristics (e.g. topography, soil texture and infiltration capacity, depth to wa (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ryan Winston (Advisor); Jay Dorsey (Committee Member); James Stagge (Committee Member); Jonathan Witter (Committee Member); Jay Martin (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Engineering; Environmental Management; Environmental Science; Hydrology; Water Resource Management

Master of Science in Engineering, Youngstown State University, 2024, Department of Civil/Environmental and Chemical Engineering

The Central Lake Erie Basin has been encountering escalating challenges in stormwater management, marked by shifting precipitation patterns and intensified weather extremes due to climate change. Consequently, conventional drainage systems, entrenched in gray infrastructure, have been exacerbating downstream urban flooding, prompting urgent exploration of alternative solutions. Low Impact Development (LID), particularly Green Infrastructure (GI) emerges as a promising avenue to mitigate flooding and enhance stormwater resilience. Since many sustainable stormwater management projects falter due to numerous factors including insufficient community involvement, inadequate consideration of local conditions, and limited resources for maintenance, this study engaged the community extensively to incorporate community input in decision-making for stormwater management. Out of the seven GIs, stakeholders preferred to explore permeable pavement and rain gardens. This study employed a comprehensive approach to evaluate the effectiveness of rain gardens and permeable pavement in stormwater management within the Town of Willoughby. By integrating climate data from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) Phases 5 and 6 datasets with hydrological modeling, the research investigated the impacts of evolving precipitation patterns and climate trajectories on stormwater management practices. The developed PCSWMM model encompassed 54 sub-catchments, with permeable pavement applied to 46 of the sub catchments in the parking lots of commercial buildings and public spaces. Additionally, rain gardens were implemented in 35 sub-catchments with one rain garden allocated per residential house. Through rigorous analysis, the research evaluated GI's capacity to address evolving precipitation patterns and climate trajectories, providing nuanced insights into its potential implications for sustainable stormwater management practices. GI measures such as permeable pavements and ra (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Suresh Sharma PhD (Advisor); Sahar Ehsani PhD (Committee Member); Bradley Shellito PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Civil Engineering

PHD, Kent State University, 2023, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Earth Sciences

Climate change is threatening urban areas, including by exacerbating impacts from stormwater runoff on urban streams. Understanding the uncertainties associated with climate change impacts and the resilience of current adaptation strategies are challenging, but this understanding is the key for effective urban water management. Green infrastructure is commonly used to mitigate the effects of stormwater runoff, and it is considered an important climate adaptation strategy. The hydrologic impacts of green infrastructure are poorly understood at the watershed scale, because most of the decisions relating to stormwater management are not optimized and made on the parcel or neighborhood scale. Therefore, the main aim of this research is to quantify the impacts of climate change under different uncertainties and optimized green infrastructure on the flow regime of urban streams by using numerical modeling approaches, which in turn will be helpful for informing decisions by stormwater managers and policy makers. In this dissertation, I first quantified climate change impacts and compared multiple sources of uncertainty within and between climate and hydrological models for an urban watershed near Cleveland, Ohio. One hundred years continuous streamflow obtained from a distributed hydrological model was divided into historical, initial, mid, and late 21st century shows that there will be an increase in future streamflows with exceedance probabilities of 0.5%-50%. Flood with all return periods will increase through the 21st century for most climate projections and parameter sets. For this watershed, hydrological model parameter uncertainty was large relative to inter-climate model spread, for near term moderate to high flows and for many flood frequencies. Optimizations of bioretention cells, swales, and permeable pavements at 14%, 42% and 70% treatment levels were completed using the simulation-optimization tool OSTRICH-SWMM in two urban watersheds located in Cleveland (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Anne Jefferson (Committee Co-Chair); David Singer (Committee Co-Chair); Kuldeep Singh (Committee Member); David Costello (Committee Member); Aditi Bhaskar (Committee Member) Subjects: Civil Engineering; Climate Change; Geology; Hydrologic Sciences; Hydrology; Water Resource Management

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2022, Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Polluted water is a pressing burden for civilization. Management and treatment of polluted water is a costly but necessary process for the health of the environment and the humans that live in it. Demand for novel, inexpensive, and effective treatment options is constant, and further insight on their use and impacts are as important as ever for our changing world. Two such sources of polluted water are analyzed in this document: acid mine drainage and urban stormwater runoff. Acid mine drainage (AMD), a negative consequence of the mining industry resulting from interaction between water, oxygen, and exposed bedrock, is prevalent worldwide and requires expensive and perpetual treatment. The Wilds, an animal reserve in southeastern Ohio situated on a retired strip mine site, has partnered with OSU to address AMD discharging into streams and ponds on its property. Pervious concrete has shown potential in neutralizing AMD, and this study was developed to determine the effectiveness of pervious concrete at removing heavy metals and neutralizing acid from an AMD source. Using various mix designs of pervious concrete, the individual removal behavior of aluminum, manganese, iron, and copper from natural and synthetic AMD sources was tracked. Pervious concrete cylinders were also used to model the length of a permeable reactive barrier to treat field-scale AMD. Furthermore, acid neutralization ability and durability of six concrete mixes were tested when exposed to a year of acidic conditions. Experimentation revealed the concrete removes >95% of aluminum, iron and copper, and ~30% of manganese in natural AMD over 24 hours. Column testing indicated permeable reactive barriers of 4-8 meters in length are recommended to treat Al, Fe, and Cu. Pervious concrete compressive strength withstood a year of acid attack without significant decline, and results show a promising argument for the use of porous concrete in acid mine drainage treatment at field scale. Lakes and river (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jay Martin (Committee Member); Lisa Burris (Advisor); Ryan Winston (Advisor) Subjects: Civil Engineering; Environmental Education; Management; Water Resource Management

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Ohio University, 2022, Environmental Studies

The research conducts a detailed analysis of neighborhood change, eviction, and displacement in Cincinnati as a result of recent investment projects under the names of neighborhood improvements, revitalization and green public spaces. I have examined how waves of gentrification have shifted demographic characteristics of residents in the Over-The-Rhine neighborhood of Downtown Cincinnati, and a growing shortage of affordable rental homes for low-income households. Over-The-Rhine is promoted as a success story as it has attracted new developments, businesses and young professionals. However, many old communities of this gentrifying neighborhood have been displaced and evicted during the pandemic. This displacement has affected both residents and small business owners, primarily within the last 15 years. Class, ethnicity, and age of residents/business owners are crucial aspects of this current issue.

Committee: YeongHyun Kim (Advisor) Subjects: Environmental Studies; Geography

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2021, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

With the ever-increasing threat of water scarcity due to climate change, the way in which humans distribute, manage, treat, and perceive freshwater resources poses great significance when building efficient water infrastructure. In an era of technological breakthroughs in sustainability and green infrastructure, combined with a rise in environmental activism and awareness, developing infrastructure that protects, preserves, and enhances our relationship with water is not only possible but also promising. However, various problems stem from poor water infrastructure, the most pressing including flooding, hard path water systems, stormwater runoff, and combined sewage overflows (COS's). Sustainably improving water infrastructure has a personal incentive to me because problems resulting from inadequate water infrastructure are more prevalent in my home state. For example, throughout the entire US, the worst flooded basement problems are all in Ohio, in order of Toledo, Cincinnati, and Columbus. This research paper proposes that “naturalizing,” or the process of integrating natural water systems into existing industrialized water infrastructure, can be a solution to improving failures in our current water systems, which contribute to the exacerbation of climate change. It is important to state, the traditional denotation of the word architecture refers to designing a building or structure, however for the sake of this paper, architecture applies to a large geographic region, which includes buildings and structures as part of the overall water infrastructure. The master plan involves the naturalization of a 2.25-mile concrete channel of West Fork Mill Creek in Cincinnati, Ohio, which runs along I74. There are eight total sites of intervention within the master plan. The need for the naturalization process is highlighted by a critical analysis of each site's water infrastructure failures. When supporting the argument of naturalizing systems, a series of techniques for (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Vincent Sansalone (Committee Member); Michael McInturf M.Arch. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Architecture

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

There is an urgent need to increase the habitat value of cities, both for human health and for conservation. Constructed Green Infrastructure (GI), which uses vegetated areas to solve engineering problems such as stormwater mitigation, is an attractive option for habitat creation, and ecological engineers, with their stated goal to design for both human and natural benefit, should be key players in its design and implementation. However, ecological engineers are hampered by the lack of a suitable reference by which to evaluate the ecological goals of the GI which they design. They are further hampered by the lack of information about the ecology of many common GI practices. Bioretention cells (BRCs) are the most common form of green infrastructure used for stormwater management. Much work has been done to evaluate the hydrological and pollutant-removal capabilities of BRCs, but there has been comparatively little investigation of the ecological properties of these systems. This is a critical gap in knowledge, as ecological design of BRCs could not only increase their functioning as stormwater infrastructure but could also contribute ecological value to urban areas. Investigation of the habitat value of BRCs could lead to design techniques that subsidize and/or prioritize habitat creation in tandem with stormwater management, allowing ecological engineers to capitalize on the current popularity of this practice to improve urban habitat for both humans and non-humans. I address this gap in knowledge with a multi-taxon survey of biodiversity in BRCs installed as part of a large-scale retrofit of GI in Columbus, OH. I developed and validated a protocol to survey birds with automated acoustic monitoring – a first in an urban area – and determined that BRCs affected bird community composition during spring migration but not during the summer breeding period. BRCs did not generally harbor more species than lawns, but nearby remnant ravines appeared to increase species (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jay Martin PhD, PE (Advisor); Mary Gardiner PhD (Committee Member); Stephen Matthews PhD (Committee Member); Ryan Winston PhD, PE (Committee Member) Subjects: Ecology; Environmental Engineering

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Ohio University, 2020, Environmental Studies

Due to increases in impervious areas and the effects of climate change, many cities are coping with increased flooding. Rain gardens have been increasing in popularity as one of the best management practicing (BMP) technique for stormwater management. Many research studies focus on the water quality aspects of rain gardens but tend to neglect the potential water management and infiltration benefits. By evaluating the soil properties, drainage area, and plant benefits, a rain garden could offer a more efficient stormwater BMP. This thesis produced a preliminary procedure to properly create a mass balance of an established rain garden to explore a rain garden's stormwater management properties.

Committee: R. Guy Riefler (Advisor) Subjects: Civil Engineering; Environmental Engineering; Environmental Studies

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

About 4.5 billion people across the world accessed the Internet in 2019. Every second, 63,000 searches occur on Google, over 8,600 tweets are sent, and roughly 940 photos are uploaded to Instagram. As we move toward a digital age, our economy and society continue to shift towards increased digital information management. This digital information is stored in data centers which have become ever present – they are found in nearly every sector of the economy – and are essential to the function of communication, business, academics, and governmental systems. These facilities can range from small, closet-sized rooms to massive warehouses full of thousands of servers. While we continue to embrace the digital world, the majority of us do not consider the physical ramifications data centers have. They are high-energy consuming typologies and collectively account for approximately 2% of the total electricity usage in the United States. As our country's appetite for data continues to grow, so does the demand for data centers. So, to what degree can architecture further develop the sustainability of data centers? Data centers produce heat, and a lot of it, which creates an opportunity to recapture that energy and use it to power the local communities they inhabit. Through architecture, their environmental impacts can be mitigated by transforming these high-energy consuming typologies into energy-producing resources. And how can architecture change the way we interact with these typologies? By incorporating new programs with the data, it will create a hub of technology and community spaces that reintroduce a human touch back into the otherwise mechanical and digitalized data center. As we continue to create more data, the demand for storage increases and it's time to talk about the physicality of “the cloud” and the impact it has on the communities it inhabits.

Committee: Elizabeth Riorden M.Arch. (Committee Chair); Michael McInturf M.Arch. (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Bioretention is an increasingly prevalent green infrastructure practice for urban and suburban stormwater management. While research has shown the ability of this technology to reduce stormwater volume and improve stormwater quality, there is a gap in knowledge regarding long term performance. Additionally, hydrocarbons are an important but understudied stormwater pollutant. Column studies indicate bioretention is an effective treatment technology for reducing hydrocarbons in stormwater flows, but there is limited research confirming this performance in field settings. To address both of these concerns, simultaneous studies were performed evaluating the hydrological performance and hydrocarbon removal of a bioretention cell six years post installation. Nine simulated storms (3.5 mm equivalent storm) were conducted, with eight of those sampled for hydrocarbon concentrations. Despite an apparent increase in preferential flow as indicated by rapid bromide tracer breakthrough and accelerated water table response rates, there was no significant difference in volume reduction between 2011 (average 53%) measurements and those done in this study (2015-2016: average 69%), after accounting for runoff volume differences. These results indicate continued effective operation of this facility, at least during small events. The effective operation was possibly due to location (suburban neighborhood) and maintenance (~monthly sediment removal). Hydrocarbon mass reductions in bioretention tests (83%), measured as total petroleum hydrocarbons, were similar to other studies while concentration reductions were lower (53%), possibly due to low input concentrations (0.58 mg/L). Hydrocarbon concentrations in the soil were higher in the upslope cell, indicating historical accumulations. However, within each cell, concentrations did not vary significantly over the year of study, indicating steady state conditions iv and no accumulation during the period of study. Comparisons of hydrocarb (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jay Martin PhD (Advisor); Winston Ryan PhD (Committee Member); Kalcic Margaret PhD (Committee Member); Gabor Rachel PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Biogeochemistry; Environmental Engineering; Sustainability

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

The prevailing view towards infrastructure over the last century has been to hide or push to the periphery the systems, creating inefficiencies and disconnects between the public and the infrastructure that ensures their way of life. Instead of dividing, cutting off, and reducing the quality of life in specific areas, infrastructure has the ability to stitch together and improve the social environment of neighborhoods. Infrastructure can provide sustainable alternatives to the community that the inhabitants and organizations individually do not have the technical skills or means to achieve on their own. With a specific focus on the water infrastructure of Cincinnati, this thesis will propose alternate solutions to the city's combined sewer overflow problem that go beyond widening pipes and improving treatment plants. Sited along the Mill Creek neighborhoods that have been negatively affected by past infrastructure elements, these alternate solutions will draw from existing precedents of infrastructure systems as well as researching opportunities to combine different programs together to create unique infrastructure hybrids that respond to the surrounding context and urban fabric. The proposed public infrastructure interventions will collect rainwater so that it does not enter the sewer system, and then using that resource, support supplemental programs and public amenity spaces. This creates a scenario where the infrastructure systems would not be hidden from the public, but rather reveal the processes to the community while also providing new public amenities and services. This understanding of how infrastructure works will also create greater awareness for sustainable living among the population and reduce their impact on the environment. As the existing infrastructure in the country continues to age and near its end of life it is imperative that the next generation of infrastructure improves on the current system, providing benefits for the comm (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Aarati Kanekar Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Leah Hollstein Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2018, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Community Planning

Is there a nexus between soil science and green infrastructure planning? Through a literature review of fifteen recent (2005-2016) green infrastructure (GI) plans, 87% of examined GI plans mention the importance of soil properties in siting GI and 55% of plans incorporated the National Resources Conservation Service's Soil Survey Geodatabase (SSURGO) soils layer in their suitability analyses. However, the SSURGO database lacks information on urban soils which comprise urban landscapes. Planning entities, which are aware of SSURGO's dearth of information, still fail to assess the hydrology of potential green infrastructure sites. This research investigates the need for a site-level soil assessment. This research examines the accuracy of SSURGO's infiltration and drainage estimations by comparing estimations to actual soil measurements collected in Cleveland, OH, USA (Shuster, et al. 2014 and Herrmann, Shuster, Garmestani 2017). The results conclude that SSURGO's Hydrologic Soil Groups (classifications used to predict infiltration) accurately predicted infiltration in 52% of the measurements; accurate measurements are, however, limited to a mapped, undisturbed context. Further, measurements undertaken in unclassified areas (urban soil complexes) show a wide range of variability and typically had poor infiltration rates. SSURGO's saturated hydraulic conductivity (drainage) estimates overestimate measured drainage rates and showed a high amount of error when compared to actual measurements. Thus, a soil assessment methodology is proposed with municipal planning considerations to offer a scientific solution that addresses the lack of information and high variability in infiltration and drainage estimations. Municipalities frequently cite fiscal austerity and risk aversion as reasons why soil assessment is impractical. However, with a small capital investment in sampling equipment, risk aversion can be directly addressed with discovered knowledge from a site assessment. (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Leah Hollstein Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Dustin Herrmann Ph.D. (Committee Member); William Shuster Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Urban Planning

Master of Science, University of Toledo, 2018, Civil Engineering

Since the industrial revolution and the mass migration of the population into urban centers, the need for impervious surfaces, roads, parking lots, and houses, has risen exponentially. While this construction is necessary, the environmental reproductions are a detriment to the human quality of life. One of the most pronounced deleterious effects of this urbanization is the man-made stormwater collection and conveyance systems. The method for handling stormwater runoff has been to capture, redirect, and release all water that enters the network. While this technique is effective in controlling flooding in areas directly adjacent to the collection points it deteriorates water quality as a whole; inhibits aquifer recharge; increases flooding downstream; and is extremely costly to construct and maintain. Implementation of green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) has become an attractive option to help mitigate these negative side effects. This project demonstrates that GSI, specifically rain gardens, can be accepted by the residents and implemented at multifamily housing units to reduce runoff. As well as providing a step by step process of how to successfully gather community input, find local champions, generate support for the project, and how to install GSI at low income multifamily housing units.

Committee: Cyndee Gruden P.E., Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Brian Randolph P.E., Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Ashok Kumar P.E., Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Civil Engineering; Environmental Engineering

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2018, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Community Planning

Today many communities are trying to find different solutions for mitigating the negative impacts of growth, impervious surfaces, and stormwater runoff on the environment. Sustainable stormwater management is a challenge for cities but there is also opportunity. The purpose of this research was to explore an environmentally positive scenario to how Autonomous Vehicles will impact communities. The research attempted to gain insight about Autonomous Vehicles and their impact on the built environment, trees, and stormwater. For this report three methods of research were used: background experience, four case studies, and a site selected scenario case study. With the idea that Autonomous Vehicle adoption is going to occur in the next 10-30 years this is going to change not only the way we travel but also create changes to the built environment. Autonomous Vehicles can have positive implications to communities by allowing new ways to incorporate trees as green infrastructure and to reduce impervious surface leading to stormwater problems. Autonomous Vehicle technology has the potential to create available spaces in our communities. The built environment changes would most affect street design width and surface parking lots. The study revealed new areas of analysis to be researched in terms of stormwater and Autonomous Vehicles. Green infrastructure implementation, particularly tree planting, can be used to mitigate stormwater runoff in cities due to changes to the built environment resulting from the adoption of Autonomous Vehicles.

Committee: David Edelman Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Leah Hollstein Ph.D. (Committee Member); Travis Miller MCP (Committee Member) Subjects: Urban Planning

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2017, Environmental Studies (Voinovich)

In November 2009, severe flooding in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia took 100 lives and damaged billions of dollars worth of infrastructure, housing, and property. Environmental factors such as topography and rainfall patterns, and man-made factors such as poor planning, impervious surface, and poor infrastructure maintenance contributed to the flood. After the flood, the municipality started updating old and damaged water systems in Jeddah and building dams and warning systems for future events. Another option for fast-growing Jeddah is green infrastructure. Green infrastructure uses green space to slow and absorb storm water and provides additional environmental and health benefits to society. But green infrastructure is understudied in arid areas like Jeddah. This study uses semi-structured interviews with people in infrastructure-related fields such as researchers and engineers to examine the need for more flood mitigation in Jeddah, and green infrastructure and green roofs as feasible options for this arid region. The study concludes that Jeddah needs more discharge channels, but highlights potential for greening them, and suggests that green roofs on schools and commercial buildings would be a good way to enhance the city's green infrastructure. It also suggests that collaboration could lead to better flood mitigation solutions.

Committee: Amy Lynch (Committee Chair); Geoffery Dabelko (Committee Member); Geoffery Buckley (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Science; Environmental Studies; Geography

Master of Science in Civil Engineering, Cleveland State University, 2017, Washkewicz College of Engineering

Urbanization causes a serious impact on storm water systems by expansion of impervious surfaces. Low Impact Development (LID) is a technique growing in popularity to solve the issue of storm water management. However, to evaluate the benefits of LIDs is a difficult task due to realistic parametrization of LIDs and subcatchments for modeling. The goals of this study are: a) to provide a practical guideline to parameterize and simulate LIDs (bio-retention and rain barrels) in residential areas; and b) to evaluate the resulting effect on the current drainage system under various design storms. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Storm Water Management Model 5 (SWMM5) was used to simulate the hydrologic performance of LID controls and their effects on reducing direct runoff from a residential area, Klusner Avenue in Parma, Ohio. This study conceptualized the study site in reasonable detail, including house, garage, backyard, tree lawn, driveway, sidewalk, and street, so that the performance of LID controls could be identified easily. Specifically, a street catchment was carefully modeled using an open-conduit routing option, which simulated the street drainage systems more effectively. SWMM5 parameters were calibrated using the observed rainfall-runoff data which was collected before implementing LID practices at Klusner Avenue. The Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) had a value of 0.69 for the calibrated model which indicates a strong fit between the output and observed data. Finally, the calibrated model was used to add LID controls to evaluate its effects under various design storms, 1-year, 2-year, 5-year, 10-year, 25-year, and 50-year return periods. The results show that two types of LID controls, bio-retention cell and rain barrel installed in the study site reduced the total runoff volume from 9 to 13% and the peak flow by from 11 to 15% depending on rainfall intensities. The analysis of results suggested that the performance of LID controls should be based on n (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ung Tae Kim Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Jacqueline Jenkins Ph.D. (Committee Member); Yung Tse Hung Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Civil Engineering

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2017, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Community Planning

The imminent effects of climate change pose a great threat to the livelihood of social, ecological, and built environments. An important aspect of those environments is tangible cultural heritage. Cultural heritage is not a relic of the past. It has historic and aesthetic value for contemporary and future societies; however, it is currently threatened by the changing climate. This research explores how heritage sites can build resilience in the face of climate change threats using green infrastructure, while preserving their authenticity and integrity. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ile de Saint-Louis, Senegal, is examined as a case study. The Ile de Saint-Louis is remarkable for its architecture, town plan, and unique landscape in a river delta. Its location in the middle of the Senegal River, proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, and dense urban fabric make it vulnerable to climate change. The very future of the heritage site is contingent upon building climate change resilience, requiring a preservation approach that extends beyond the restoration of individual buildings. This research uses mixed methodologies to answer its research question: “In light of the climate change threats facing heritage sites, how can climate change planning in heritage sites use green infrastructure?” The case study methodology includes an in-depth study of site components and current and future climate risks faced by the site. Following this study, a vulnerability analysis is conducted for each block on the island using composite variables of sensitivity and exposure to climate. The results of the vulnerability analysis are combined with opportunity for green infrastructure variables to create a weighted suitability for green infrastructure intervention analysis. This analysis identifies blocks on the island most suitable for green infrastructure intervention. Informant interviews are used to illuminate threats to and characteristics of the heritage site. Finally, a SWOT (Strengt (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Leah Hollstein Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Elizabeth Riorden M.Arch. (Committee Member) Subjects: Urban Planning

Master of Science, Miami University, 2016, Environmental Sciences

Debt-finance is a growing opportunity to fund environmental solutions. Green Bonds are being used by investors wishing to improve their Corporate Social Responsibility positions while maintaining valid returns on their investments. Based on the well-established bond-finance model, Green Bonds put money into diverse environmental projects addressing impacts from climate changes, depletion of natural resources, biodiversity loss, and pollution control. “Green” is a voluntary designation, based on a set of guidelines known as the Green Bond Principles. With varying degrees of clarity regarding their use and environmental impact and whether they are a viable solution to climate damages or merely a “greenwashed” ploy used by some issuers to appear more sustainable were questions examined as part of this research. A concise summary briefing (Appendix A), case study draft, and targeted public engagements were completed. Adaptability and responsiveness, sustainability, credibility, legitimacy, and opportunity for social transformation through the use of Green Bonds were reviewed using a case study analysis method. A unique pool of investment capital being mobilized by Green Bonds is emerging through motivated environmental investment coalitions. A review of the integrated impacts of Green Bonds as well as practical knowledge for their issuance is described here.

Committee: Steven Elliott Dr. (Advisor); Sarah Dumyahn Dr. (Committee Member); David Prytherch Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Alternative Energy; Atmospheric Sciences; Climate Change; Environmental Justice; Environmental Management; Environmental Science; Environmental Studies; Finance; Natural Resource Management; Sustainability; Urban Planning