Prioritizing Underserved Communities for Thermal Comfort Street Retrofit in Eugene, OR
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Date
2019-06-18
Authors
Hsu, Po Ying
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Abstract
In consideration of climate change and the increasing trend of extreme weather events, communities see more urgent needs for preparation,
especially for protecting their vulnerable populations. Given the growing climate challenges, this project aims to develop a design proposal
for thermally comfortable walkable and bikable street network within the vulnerable communities in Eugene, Oregon, to address the increasing
urban heat island (UHI) effects and heat waves.
The project first focuses on prioritizing vulnerable communities in Eugene through spatial analysis using American Community Survey (ACS)
socio-economic data and the UHI map. Using expert surveys and Garret’s Ranking Technique, 25 block groups were identified and prioritized
for thermal comfort street implementation. After considering the locations of vulnerable communities, I propose a city-wide thermal comfort
street network along with specific street design recommendations of four selected block groups based on the urban form types and demographic
characteristics. This proposal could help the City of Eugene to efficiently allocate its resources for climate change adaptation through
prioritizing vulnerable communities and implementing effective design interventions.
Description
102 pages. Examining committee chair: Yekang Ko
Keywords
Landscape architecture, Streetscape design, Climate change, Urban heat island, Cooling effect, Vulnerable communities, Pedestrian streets, Bike network, Pedestrian cooling