Browsing by Subject "sustainable development"
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Item Aesthetic responses to urban greenway trail corridors: Implications for sustainable development in tourism and recreation settings(Texas A&M University, 2005-08-29) Chon, Jin HyungUrban greenway trails are emerging as potential tourist attractions in cities and are well recognized for their recreation opportunities in general. The study presented an opportunity to expand the scope of aesthetic response research into the realm of urban greenway trails. The concept of likability (Nasar, 1998) was used as a guiding concept in the study. In order to gather data for the study, a web-based virtual tour was developed and implemented. Treatments were assigned to 6 groups that viewed two urban greenway trail corridors. Each trail had three treatments including the existing trail condition, a manipulated trail condition, and a reverse in direction of the existing trail condition. Analyses were conducted to 1) identify dimensions of aesthetic responses, 2) examine relationships between cognitive evaluation, affective response, trail characteristics, and likability, and 3) evaluate specific greenway trail characteristics and their relationships to the trail experience. Results indicated five aesthetic dimensions of the greenway trail corridors. The cognitive dimensions were maintenance, distinctiveness, and naturalness and the affective dimensions were pleasantness and arousal. Pleasantness and distinctiveness were the strongest predictors of likability in urban greenway trails. In terms of greenway trail characteristics, six of eight specific characteristics had predictive value in relation to how inviting the virtual trail was to the viewer. Finally, several greenway trail characteristics had significant influences on human perception and the likability of trail environments. This study proposed a new way of conceptualizing likability and a model of relationships leading to likability. One of the major implications of this study is to identify a way to improve physical conditions of greenway corridors in urban areas based on aesthetic responses. The study also implied that greenways can encompass natural or man-made features and can be managed and developed as a tourist attraction while providing local opportunities in cities. Aesthetic quality influences perceived quality of life and sense of well-being. Findings of the study can help enhance the aesthetic quality of the greenway trails that can contribute to sustainable development in various tourism and recreation settings.Item Aging of Development: the Saemangeum Tideland Reclamation Project (STRP) in South Korea and Sustainable Development of the Two Townships in and out of the STRP(2012-07-16) Choi, In HuckIs the biggest tideland reclamation project in the world (the STRP) sustainable? Since 1991, the STRP which aims at converting mudflats into 401 km2 farmland and industrial complex has been carried out in the southwestern coast of South Korea. I designed a comparative study between two neighboring rural townships with nearly identical social and ecological features except that one is within the project area and no longer has mudflats, and the other is outside of the project area and has retained its mudflats (an important source of clams). This dissertation answers the question above by comparing, sustainable development indicators and quality of life indicators in the two townships. I expected to find that people living in the township within the project area would be more sustainable because they have gone through with the environment versus development controversy in their own villages and many of them participated in person in protests with the national/local environmental movement organizations. This study uses one of the best known consumption-based sustainable development indicators (SDIs) - Personal Ecological Footprint (PEF), combined with the ethnographic data from the two townships (Gyehwa-township and Simwon-township) ? to demonstrate that the PEF values of the two townships appear to be the same and the status of quality of life is quite similar. As an explanation of the unexpected result, this study contends that the level of sustainable development of the people in the in-project area (Gyehwa-township) has been more affected by nation-wide economic development trajectory than by a major regional development project (the STRP). The first stage of the STRP - the construction of the dykes - has brought about a significant effect of displacement, which cannot be said to be sustainable. However, the total influence on sustainable development in South Korea by the STRP will be determined by the progress of the second stage - internal development.Item The Austin Green Building Program: an analysis of the program's effectiveness(Texas A&M University, 2005-02-17) Tinker, Audrey KristenCurrent water shortages in the United States and Texas are expected to only worsen so that by 2050, approximately 40% of both U.S. and Texas residents will live in areas of water scarcity (U.S. House Committee, 2003; Texas Water Development Board, 2003). In response to these grim projections, both lawmakers and environmentalists are calling for conservation measures so that future shortages or costly new supply initiatives are avoided. One area where substantial consumption decreases could be made is the municipal sector, which is projected to account for 35% of all water consumed in Texas by 2050 (Texas Water Development Board, 2002). Both organizations and voluntary programs have been established to reduce water consumption in this area. One of the largest and most innovative programs in the state is the Austin Green Building Program (AGBP). It was the first program of its kind in the U.S. that rates new homes and remodels in regards to five categories related to sustainability: energy efficiency, water efficiency, materials efficiency, health and safety and community (City of Austin, 2001). This research identified the factors (weather, home size, lot size, appraised value, and existence of a pool) that effect water consumption for residences qualifying as "Austin Green Homes", and identified those green features or designs that had the greatest effect on water consumption, that were most commonly included, and the reasons why contractors incorporated them. Non-green features such as temperature, rainfall, home and lot size, appraised value and a pool seemed to have the greatest impact on water consumption, from an analysis of R2 values, albeit a positive relation for each variable. When green features were investigated, findings showed that different features were effective in reducing water consumption for different builders and in many cases, water-conserving features actually led to increased use. Finally, results showed that large builders incorporated fewer water-related green features in their homes and achieved lower star ratings in general than small green builders.