Browsing by Subject "Urbanization"
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Item A Comparison of the Demographic Characteristics, Movtiations for Fishing, and Consumptive Orientation of Texas Urban and Rural Anglers(2010-01-16) Wolber, NathanSales of Texas fishing licenses have declined since 1988. Several authors have suggested that this decline is related to changes in the demographic characteristics of the Texas population, including increasing urbanization. As urban residents have been shown to participate in fishing less frequently than rural residents, the population of Texas residents most likely to engage in angling has declined accordingly. Based on these population trends, urban resident anglers (urban anglers) may represent the future of fishing. Information on urban anglers? demographic characteristics, motivations for fishing and consumptive orientation may be used to tailor and modify programs and policies targeting urban anglers. The purpose of this thesis was to identify differences between urban and rural anglers and to determine if the two groups were distinct from so-called average anglers. The thesis utilized data from the 2002 Statewide Survey of Texas Anglers. The independent variable, residency, was determined on the basis of United States Census Bureau criteria. Dependent variables included demographic variables (e.g., gender, age, race/ethnicity, and income), motivations for fishing, and consumptive orientation. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare mean ii scores among the three groups. The study found differences among urban anglers, rural anglers, and anglers in general in terms of their demographic variables, motivations for fishing, and consumptive orientation. The thesis also shows that by managing resources for average anglers, agencies may be ignoring important (and growing) constituencies.Item The city walls of Pompeii : perceptions and expressions of a monumental boundary(2013-05) Van der Graaff, Ivo; Clarke, John R., 1945-; Davies, Penelope J. E., 1964-; Papalexandrou, Athanasio; Taylor, Rabun M.; Riggsby, Andrew M.; Thomas, Michael L.Fortifications often represent the largest and most extensive remains present on archaeological sites. Their massive scale is the primary reason for their survival and reflects the considerable resources that communities invested in their construction. Yet, until recently, they have largely remained underrepresented as monuments in studies on the ancient city. Beyond their defensive function city walls constituted an essential psychological boundary protecting communities from unpredictable elements including war, brigandage, and more elusive natural forces. These factors have led scholars to identify fortifications as playing a distinct role in the definition of a civic identity. Nevertheless, beyond the recognition of some general trends, a definitive diachronic study of their performance within a single urban matrix is still lacking. This dissertation examines the city walls of Pompeii as an active monument rather than a static defensive enclosure. The city preserves one of the most intact set of defenses surviving since antiquity which, in various shapes and forms, served as one its defining elements for over 600 years. Pompeii’s fortifications, through construction techniques, materials, and embellishments, engaged in an explicit architectural dialogue with the city, its urban development, and material culture. Their basic framework changed in response to military developments, but their appearance is also the result of specific political and ideological choices. As a result, the city walls carried aesthetic and ideological associations reflecting the social and political organization of the community. This study is the first of its kind. It provides a diachronic examination of the Pompeian fortifications by assessing their role in the social and architectural definition of the city. The walls were subject to appropriation and change in unison with the ambitions of the citizens of Pompeii. From their original construction through subsequent modifications, the fortifications expressed multivalent political, religious, and social meanings, particular to specific time periods in Pompeii. This analysis reveals a monument in continuous flux that changed its ideological meaning and relationship to civic identity, in response to the major historical and social developments affecting the city.Item Connecting backyard wildlife habitats in Austin, TX : case study of Wildlife Austin(2009-12) Koone, Emily Anna; Dooling, SarahUrbanization is considered one of the leading threats to biodiversity and wildlife habitat (McKinney 2002; Shochat et al. 2006). Urban environments are humandominated systems, yet they support wildlife habitat and provide meaningful ecological functions. Methods to conserve biodiversity and minimize habitat loss and fragmentation in urban environments include utilizing private residential yards and gardens to enhance habitat connectivity. Private residential yards or gardens designed to attract and support wildlife are known as backyard habitats and wildlife gardens. The City of Austin, Texas initiated Wildlife Austin in 2007. Wildlife Austin coordinates backyard habitats in Austin as a National Wildlife Federation Community Wildlife Habitat [trademark]. My research analyzes the goals of the Wildlife Austin from the perspective of landscape ecology and urban ecology; reviews research related to backyard habitats in order to identify ways of enhancing habitat connectivity for bird communities; and provides recommendations for a more scientifically grounded approach and management in the promotion of backyard wildlife habitat.Item The decline of traditional clientelist parties : the case of the Partido da Frente Liberal in Brazil(2012-08) Lloyd, Ryan Samuel; Greene, Kenneth F., 1969-; Dietz, HenryIn this report, I analyze the worldwide decline of traditional clientelist political parties over the past century. To do this, I investigate the collapse of the Partido da Frente Liberal (PFL), a traditional clientelist party in Brazil who has experienced a rapid decline in support over the past decade. I argue that the PFL (renamed the Democratas in 2007) has entered a decline over the past decade because spending on social programs by the Brazilian federal government has reduced extreme poverty considerably over that same period. This reduction of poverty, in turn, has led many poor Brazilians to desert the PFL/D for parties such as the Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT). I conduct multivariate statistical analysis on an original dataset to support my argument.Item Effect of Urbanization and Climate Change on Hydrological Processes over the San Antonio River Basin, Texas(2014-11-18) Zhao, GangWith the rapid population growth and economic development in the State of Texas, a fast urbanization process has occurred over the past several decades. The direct consequences of the increased impervious area are greater surface runoff and higher flood peaks. Meanwhile, climate change has led to more frequent extreme events. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the hydrological processes under urbanization and climate change is indispensable for sustainable water management. In this investigation, a case study was conducted by applying the Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model (DHSVM) to the San Antonio River Basin (SARB), Texas. Hosting the seventh largest city in the U.S. (i.e., City of San Antonio), the SARB is vulnerable to both floods and droughts. A set of historical and future land cover maps were assembled to represent the urbanization process. Two forcing datasets were employed to drive the DHSVM model. The first is a long-term observation based dataset (1915-2011), which was used as inputs for calibrating and validating DHSVM, as well as evaluating the urbanization effect. The second is the statistically downscaled climate simulations (1950-2099) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5), which were applied for understanding impacts related to climate change. Results show that urbanization exerts a much larger influence on streamflow than climate change does. Under the same observed forcings, annual average streamflow increased from 28.12 m^3/s (with 1929 land cover) to 50.34 m^3/s (with 2011 land cover). As for climate change, results suggest that it will exacerbate the drought severity ? with reduced evapotranspiration and soil moisture caused by decreased precipitation. However, the projected future streamflow does not show a clear increasing or decreasing trend. Regarding the combined effect from urbanization and climate change, the results indicate that the seasonal streamflow magnitude will be notably changed. Furthermore, with significantly decreased evapotranspiration and slightly increased soil moisture, more water will be available for streamflow, increasing the possibility of flood risk in the region.Item Highest & best use : strategies for growth management and agriculture and prairie conservation in the SH130 corridor(2008-05) Abee-Taulli, Pamela Jo, 1960-; Butler, Kent S.The population of central Texas is increasing rapidly, and urbanization and suburban development continue amid projections of unprecedented growth to come. How is this affecting the expanses of rich agricultural land and remaining scraps of Blackland Prairie upon which the agricultural industry of east central Texas was built? State Highway 130 is partially complete – providing an urban-area bypass intended to alleviate traffic on I35 between San Marcos and Georgetown. In view of the building of this new transit and development corridor to the east of I35, on the eastern edge of Austin, what can be done to preserve agriculture and native prairie on Austin’s urban fringe? In this PR, I examine this question in terms of two essential components: growth management and land conservation. There are numerous studies on the structures and efficacies of growth management tools and of land conservation strategies, but there is little discussion of the role of growth management in relation specifically to urban and urban-fringe agriculture. I begin with a literature review, surveying the current state of study and practice with regard to growth management and open space & agricultural land conservation. This is followed by a case study of state-level open space conservation policy in Georgia, from which I draw lessons relevant to my case. The next step is to frame the potential management and conservation policies presented win the literature review and case study within the context of local practices, thus narrowing the focus of analysis to the confines of my study area: an approximately 20-mile wide, 58-mile long corridor along a portion of SH130. To gauge the possibilities for management and conservation within the study area, I have produced a matrix of jurisdictions and policy options, and an inventory of vacant land. Using the matrix I analyze, on the one hand, the relevant legal codes available to each jurisdiction, and on the other hand, local attitudes toward growth and agriculture. The land inventory is a graphic presentation – through GIS mapping – of factors critical to the potential preservation of open space. The final operation is to sketch a larger proposal within which this study would fit as a preliminary step. Here I suggest an implementation plan, based on the Envision Central Texas model, and recommend directions for future research.Item Identification and quantification of municipal water sources contributing to urban streamflow in the Austin, Texas area(2013-05) Snatic, Jonathan Wells; Banner, Jay L.; Sharp, John Malcolm, Jr., 1944-Previous studies have shown that municipal water can provide a substantial surface water and groundwater recharge source for the Edwards aquifer in central Texas. Knowledge of how water sources to urban watersheds change with urbanization is essential for sustainable water resource management. The range for 87Sr/86Sr values for Austin municipal water (0.7086–0.7094) is distinct from that of naturally occurring phreatic groundwater (0.7076-0.7079) and stream discharge in many rural watersheds (0.7077– 0.7084). Many streams in urbanized Austin watersheds have elevated 87Sr/86Sr values (0.7085–0.7088) relative to these rural streams. These differences demonstrate the potential for Sr isotopes to serve as a tracer of municipal water inputs to urban streamflow. A few urban streams and springs, however, have 87Sr/86Sr values higher than those of municipal water. Soil is the likely source of these elevated values. Spatial variability in the distribution of high 87Sr/86Sr soil and temporal variability in soil-exchangeable Sr contributions to groundwater may result in naturally high streamflow 87Sr/86Sr values, making the identification and quantification of municipal water as a streamflow source using Sr isotopes unreliable in some instances. Temporal variability in climatic conditions and resulting changes in effective moisture can result in distinct natural groundwater 87Sr/86Sr and Mg/Ca ratio variations, due to differences in overall groundwater residence times and water-rock interaction. Unlike natural water sources, municipal water inputs to urban watersheds peak during the summer (and periods of drought) when natural recharge inputs (precipitation) are minimal or nonexistent. Thus, proportions of natural vs. municipal water sources in the streamflow of some highly urbanized streams vary seasonally, resulting in distinct 87Sr/86Sr and Mg/Ca temporal trends, based on the recharge source. In some urban watersheds, municipal water appears to be a significant streamflow component during dry periods. However, temporal variation in natural Sr inputs to vadose and phreatic groundwater may result in the overestimation of municipal water contributions to streamflow and groundwater recharge during relatively wet periods.Item Investigating Rainwater Harvesting as a Stormwater Best Management Practice and as a Function of Irrigation Water Use(2012-02-14) Shannak, Sa'D Abdel-HalimStormwater runoff has negative impacts on water resources, human health and environment. In this research the effectiveness of Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) systems is examined as a stormwater Best Management Practice (BMP). Time-based, evapotranspiration-based, and soil moisture-based irrigation scheduling methods in conjunction with RWH and a control site without RWH were simulated to determine the effect of RWH as a BMP on a single-family residence scale. The effects of each irrigation scheduling method on minimizing water runoff leaving the plots and potable water input for irrigation were compared. The scenario that reflects urban development was simulated and compared to other RWH-irrigation scheduling systems by a control treatment without a RWH component. Four soil types (sand, sandy loam, loamy sand, silty clay) and four cistern sizes (208L, 416L, 624L, 833L) were evaluated in the urban development scenario. To achieve the purpose of this study; a model was developed to simulate daily water balance for the three treatments. Irrigation volumes and water runoff were compared for four soil types and four cistern sizes. Comparisons between total volumes of water runoff were estimated by utilizing different soil types, while comparisons between total potable water used for irrigation were estimated by utilizing different irrigation scheduling methods. This research showed that both Curve Number method and Mass-Balance method resulted in the greatest volumes of water runoff predicted for Silty Clay soil and the least volumes of water runoff predicted for Sand soil. Moreover, increasing cistern sizes resulted in reducing total water runoff and potable water used for irrigation, although not at a statistically significant level. Control treatment that does not utilize a cistern had the greatest volumes of predicted supplemental water among all soil types utilized, while Soil Moisture-based treatment on average had the least volume of predicted supplemental water.Item Kukeri : ritual and performance(2012-05) Veltchev, Proletina Koitcheva; Mickey, Susan E.; Lewis, AnneKukeri is a documentary film investigating the Surva tradition performed in the Pernik region of Bulgaria. The film was shot in Bulgaria, in the winter of 2011/2012, over the course of three weeks, and will be completed in August of 2012. During this creation process, I acted as the creator, director, and guide, and facilitated an artistic process that was shared with my cinematographer, Drew Xanthopoulos. Surva is a ritual performance whose purpose is to chase away evil spirits, ensure a good harvest, health, and perpetuate the life cycle: birth, death, and rebirth. Much of the performance is strictly regulated by tradition and rooted in an agrarian society that is thousands of years old. The society is quickly changing due to urbanization and globalization, and this is having drastic effects on the tradition itself. Inspired by a sense of homesickness for my Bulgarian culture, this project was a study of the transitory aspects of cultural tradition. It assayed topics of ethnography, anthropology, and folk costume, but at its root were more complex topics of the value of cultural traditions and the effects of globalization on one of the oldest rituals in the world.Item Migration, ethnic economy and precarious citizenship among urban indigenous people(2014-08) Bariola, Nino; Rodríguez, NéstorThis thesis contributes to our understanding of the impacts of political, social and economic dynamics of contemporary “free-market cities” on indigenous people that leave their traditional territories to settle on Latin American metropolises. The thesis examines the case of indigenous Shipibo migrants from the Amazon that have occupied in Lima, Peru a landfill site owned by the municipal government, and developed there a shantytown. The analyzes of the case sheds light on the innovative strategies that the Shipibo resort to in order to survive in the absence of formal jobs and social programs, and even despite recurrent threats to their social and cultural rights. Through the production of traditional handicraft, they collectively become ethnic entrepreneurs and enter the vast urban informal economy. Beside its interesting consequences for local politics and gender relations, this ethnic economic practice also becomes a way of group making and community building. After prolonged waits –during which the state appeared intermittently and with ambiguous messages–, the Shipibo finally face they most dreaded fear: eviction. Upon confronting this situation, and lacking the clientelistic networks in which Andean migrant peasants could count on in past decades, the Shipibo utilize a innovative repertoire of contained contention to appeal to the leftist municipal authority and thus articulate functional alliances with the goal of gaining land tenure.Item Modeling the Effects of Low Impact Development Practices on Streams at the Watershed Scale(2014-04-28) Shannak, Sa'D AUrban growth contributes to increasing storm water runoff which in turn causes an increase in the frequency and severity of flooding. Moreover, increased storm water runoff contributes to changing the character and volume of energy inputs to the stream. Traditionally, storm water management controls such as detention pond had been extensively studied and evaluated with respect to reducing and controlling peak flows. Nonpoint source pollutants due to urbanization and expanding of agricultural fields have become a big burden on municipalities and states. Low Impact Development practices were developed to negate the negative impacts of urbanization on water resources by reducing the runoff volume and peak flows as well as improving outflow water quality. Though these practices have the capability of reducing runoff volumes and enhancing outflow water quality, they can be costly. Therefore, understanding the impact of installing LID practices on a watershed scale is becoming increasingly important. In this study, field experiment and model study were applied to evaluate the effectiveness of LID practices on a watershed scale in the Blunn Creek Watershed located in Austin, Texas. The three LID practices which were evaluated in this study are permeable pavements, a bioretention area, and a detention pond. The main objective of this study was to investigate the influences of these practices at a watershed scale on: potential reduction on channel bank erosion, potential reduction on flood, and potential impact on aquatic life. This study was one of very few studies that take place in the Blackland clay soil in Texas. A combination of different levels of LID practices such as permeable pavement and bioretention area resulted with achieving the main goal of this study of reducing stream bank erosion, bankfull exceedance, and maintaining acceptable flows for the integrity of aquatic life habitat. All LID practices have shown significant difference with respect to a control treatment at 95% confidence ratio. Performance of the modeled LID practices was validated by showing acceptable agreement in the percentage of reductions in total runoff between field experiments and model data.Item New methods for quantifying and modeling estimates of anthropogenic and natural recharge : a case study for the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer, Austin, Texas(2011-05) Passarello, Michael Charles; Pierce, Suzanne Alise, 1969-; Sharp, John Malcolm, 1944-; Cardenas, Bayani R.Increased population and recent droughts in 1996 and 2009 for the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer have focused attention on groundwater resources and sustainability of spring flow. These springs serve as a local iconic cultural center as well as the natural habitat for the endangered Barton Springs salamander. In response to the potential compromise of these vulnerable groundwater resources, a two-dimensional, numerical groundwater-flow model was developed for the Barton Springs / Edwards Aquifer Conservation District and other governmental entities to aid in aquifer management. The objective of this study is to develop new methods of quantifying and distributing recharge for this model. The motivation for conducting this study includes the following: recent availability of more extensive data sets, new conceptual models of the aquifer system, and the desire to incorporate estimates of urban recharge. Estimates of recharge quantities and distributions for natural and artificial sources were implemented within this model to simulate discharge at Barton Springs and water-level elevations from January, 1999 to December, 2009. Results indicate that the new methods employed generated good agreement amongst simulated and observed discharge and water-level elevations (Root mean square error of 0.5 m3 sec-1 and 10.5 m, respectively). Additionally, these recharge calculations are decoupled from Barton Springs discharge which eliminates the circular logic inherent with the previous methodology. Anthropogenic, or artificial, recharge accounts for 4% of the total recharge between January, 1999 and December, 2009. Using observed data to quantify contributions from leaky utility lines and irrigation return flows, recharge estimates were completed with spatial and temporal resolution. Analyses revealed that on a month by month basis, anthropogenic contributions can vary from <1 to 59% of the total recharge. During peak anthropogenic recharge intervals, irrigation return flow is the most significant contributor. However, leakage from utility lines provides more total recharge during the study period. Recharge contributions from artificial sources are comparable to the mid-size watershed contributions over the ten-year analysis period. Urban recharge can be a critical source for buffering seasonal fluctuations, particularly during low flow periods. Outcomes are relevant for habitat conservation, drought response planning, and urban groundwater management.Item Quantifying land cover in a semi-arid region of Texas(Texas A&M University, 2005-02-17) Peschel, Joshua MichaelChanges with land cover and land use are closely integrated with water and other ecological processes at the land surface. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the Edwards Aquifer region of southcentral Texas. The Edwards Aquifer contributing and recharge zones cover approximately 18,000 square kilometers in parts of 15 counties in Texas and includes San Antonio and Austin, the nation's eighth and nineteenth largest cities, respectively. Population growth within the counties that intersect the Edwards Aquifer contributing and recharge zones has taken place over the last two decades, with the logical translation being an expanded infrastructure. This implies that a greater amount of impervious surface coverage and other land cover changes have occurred. This work quantified the changes in land cover within the Edwards Aquifer contributing and recharge zones between the years 1986 and 2000. Increasing trends in impervious surface area and woodland growth were identified. Additionally, a new ArcView software tool was developed to process SSURGO soil data for use within the ArcView SWAT model. Hydrologic modeling for the Upper Sabinal River watershed, located within the Edwards Aquifer region, revealed that the high resolution SSURGO data produces different results when used in place of the existing STATSGO soils data. Finally, an index of urbanization was developed and evaluated to assist investigators in identifying potential areas of urbanization.Item Quantifying the role of agriculture and urbanization in the nitrogen cycle across Texas(2012-05) Meyer, Lisa Helper; Yang, Zong-liang; Dickinson, Robert E.; Breecker, Daniel O.Over-enrichment of nutrients in coastal waters has been a growing problem as population growth has enhanced agricultural and industrial processes. Enhanced nitrogen (N) fluxes from land to coast continue to be the result of over fertilization and pollution deposition. This over-enrichment of nutrients has led to eutrophication and hypoxic conditions in coastal environments. This study was conducted along the Gulf of Mexico, through the state of Texas, in order to quantify all agricultural and industrial sources of N in a region which contains a large precipitation gradient, three major metropolitan areas, and one of the top livestock industries in the United States. Nitrogen inputs from fertilizer, livestock, crop fixation, and oxidized deposition from both dry and wet atmospheric processes were quantified and compiled into a Texas Anthropogenic N Budget (TX-ANB). In addition, comparisons and regional enhancements were made to the Net Anthropogenic Nitrogen Input dataset (NANI toolbox), which is a national dataset developed at Cornell University by Hong et al. [2011]. These enhancements ultimately will help understand the full pathways of anthropogenic influences on coastal systems in a regional setting. All three datasets (NANI, NANI Regional, and TX-ANB) indicate agriculture to be the primary contributor to the N cycle in Texas, with TX-ANB showing 38% of inputs from fertilizer, 37% of inputs from livestock, and 2% of inputs from legumes. N input due to atmospheric deposition of oxidized N clearly highlights urban areas, indicating a strong influence of urbanization on the N cycle due to anthropogenic impacts; 23% of N input in Texas is the result of deposition of oxidized N. Quantification of inputs spatially indicates a strong enhancement of N from human influence in the coastal plain where nutrient export is heightened by major storm events. This enhancement of N along a coastal drainage area will likely have a negative impact on downstream environments.Item (Re)constructing a Brazilian model city : discourses of exceptionalism in making and imagining Curitiba, 1900-1945(2013-12) Ross, Evan Mark; Garfield, Seth, 1967-My dissertation examines the putative success of Curitiba, the Brazilian capital of Paraná, and seeks to understand how it came to be touted as the model city of Brazil. The standard explication for Curitiba’s success credits the power of a single city agency, the Urban Planning and Research Institute of Curitiba (IPPUC), and the vision of its first president, Jaime Lerner. According to this narrative, in 1971 IPPUC formalized a broad urbanistic vision for the city’s growth and initiated projects aimed at improving traffic congestion, expanding green space, and increasing city and social services. I argue that the narrative of the institute’s contributions provide an incomplete genealogy of Curitiba’s success. It fails to examine the historical context of the city’s status and does not consider the significance of publicity campaigns in sustaining this image. Also, IPPUC’s story is not only tendentious but derivative. My historical research shows how IPPUC has rearticulated longstanding tropes that celebrate the region’s unique characteristics -such as Curitiba’s edenic cityscape and its European social composition- and has recycled deterministic arguments related to race, ethnicity, and geography. My dissertation demonstrates that exceptionalist discourses have circulated for more than a century. I trace these claims from the 1880s to the 1940s and investigate how and why they changed over time. I show that politicians first initiated efforts to promote the region at the turn of the twentieth century to attract European colonists. Over the next fifty years, politicians, elites, and intellectuals forwarded new claims that positioned Curitiba and Paraná as ideal locations for economic and social development. Planning specialists from around the world have closely studied Curitiba’s urban development, but in their analyses they have largely failed to consider the intellectual and social constructs that undergird this story of progress. My dissertation focuses on century-old celebratory claims about Curitiba and reveals the epistemological roots of the current explications of the city’s success.Item Sustainable quality versus quantity metropolitan area : an exploratory analysis(2011-05) Zhang, Guowei, master of science in community and regional planning; Paterson, Robert G.; Oden, MichaelIn recent years, there has been a growing interest in understanding how and why cities grow and how to make this growth more economically and environmentally sustainable. This study is interested in two questions. The first question is how to trace the growth pattern among U.S metropolitan areas after 2000 based on the two types of growth strategies. The second research question is how different growth patterns affect environmental outcomes and income inequality. A quantitative study is used to measure the two faces of urban growth processes in U.S metropolitan areas. After cluster analysis, five groups are developed. Then the study moves to how these groups might impact the performances of sustainability. This thesis closes by summarizing the empirical finding and gives recommendations for future researches.Item Tracing the input and evolution of municipal water in springs and tributaries of the Bull Creek watershed, Austin, TX(2014-08) Senison, Jeffery Joseph; Banner, Jay L.The conservation of freshwater resources is fundamental in supporting modern society and preserving natural habitats and ecosystems. Deterioration of water quality in urban landscapes and loss of municipal water to leaky water distribution infrastructure are two substantial challenges to water-resource sustainability. I examine the geochemistry of streamwater, municipal water, wastewater, soil, and bedrock from the Bull Creek watershed, a rapidly urbanizing watershed in Austin, Texas, to achieve a better understanding of the processes of geochemical evolution as anthropogenically-sourced water recharges natural systems. Urbanization patterns in the Bull Creek watershed have created a contiguous expanse of urban development that covers roughly two thirds of the watershed, whereas the remaining third is rural, enabling direct comparison between urban and rural streamwater from a single watershed. Results indicate that Na, Cl, K, and SO₄ in urban springs and tributaries are elevated more than two-fold in comparison with rural springs and tributaries. A comparison of Sr concentration and Sr isotopic composition for spring and tributary samples indicates that municipal water and wastewater provide a substantial contribution to the urbanized stream branches of Bull Creek. This water is reactive in the subsurface after it leaks from the municipal system, evolving via a pathway of water-rock interaction with limestone.Item Urban poverty in Pakistan(2011-05) Zaidi, Syed Hashim; Wong, Patrick, 1956-; Bussell, JenniferThis report analyzes the spatial shift occurring in the nature of poverty in Pakistan. Given the rapid urban growth in Pakistan, poor families residing in cities are confronted with limited employment opportunities, poor living conditions, minimal access to services, and face environmental and health risks. Macroeconomic factors such as slow economic growth, Structural Adjustment Programs, food inflation, low job creation rate and housing crisis have all contributed to the rise in urban poverty. The weak local government structure and a lack of community involvement in governance decisions have only worsened the situation. With a burgeoning urban population, it is imperative that the government introduces a holistic pro-poor development package that focuses on interventions in the education, labor and housing markets across Pakistan.Item Urban Sodicity in a Humid Subtropical Climate: Impact on Biogeochemical Cycling(2012-10-19) Steele, Meredith KateUnderstanding the mechanisms of non-point source carbon and nutrients in urban watersheds will help to develop policies to maintain surface water quality and prevention of eutrophication. The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the impact of sodium on carbon and nutrient leaching from the two main contributors; soil and leaf litter, and calculate the sodium exports in a humid subtropical urban river basin. The first chapter reviews the current literature on urbanization in watersheds. Chapter II quantifies the carbon and nutrient in intact soil core leachates and in water extractable solution from urban soils collected from 33 towns and cities across the state of Texas. Chapter III investigates the impact of sodicity and salinity on water extractable organic carbon and nitrogen from vegetation. Chapter IV investigates the export of sodium and chloride from the upper Trinity River basin. The results derived from this study indicate that sodium exports are elevated in urban watersheds and further that sodium in irrigation water elevates the loss of carbon and nutrients from both watershed soil and senesced vegetation and that this may contribute to high concentrations in urban freshwaters.Item Urbanization and its effects on channel morphology(2013-12) McCann, Cody James; Maidment, David R.A focus on river and stream morphology with a specific emphasis on how urbanization and human impacts affect river channels. In the study of rivers, specifically looking at how the channel geometry changes with time, there are five main physical factors described that affect the channel morphology: (1) bank and bar stability; (2) sediment size distribution; (3) sediment supply; (4) flow variability; and (5) downstream slope, width and height. Understanding how these five factors affect channel form is vital in constructing realistic and accurate models of rivers and how they change over time. It is also important to understand some of the limitations of the combined modeling of all these factors together for a general stream. Research studies are presented in order to further understand what knowledge has been acquired, and what areas are lacking in adequate understanding. Examples of cases where urbanization and land use change have a large impact and almost no impact are examined. It is important to understand what the limiting factors are in such cases, and whether it is possible to mitigate the effects or urbanization by any means other than natural channel phenomenon. A two-dimensional hydrodynamic and sediment transport model is thoroughly described. The model is evaluated and verified, and potential problems and limitations are then discussed. Then a one-dimensional sediment transport and bed variation model is examined and tested using parameter controlled cases. Urbanization increase near rivers and streams reduces the time frame over which certain natural events would have occurred in those channels. The affects of urbanization include but are not limited to changes in streamflow, sediment transport and deposition, channel bank stability, and increased channel widening. The magnitude of these affects will increase over time if careful steps are not taken to minimize the human influence within channels.