Final Research Paper

PowerPoint Presentation

A letter of Appreciation

To Nora, I did like to take the time and the advantage of this blogger to post my gratification and appreciation of your work and time spent with us in class. As I already have said in a previous email last week, you have given me another reason to understand why environmental research is so important to the Landscape Architectural profession and/or any other design related field. There weren't a single reading that you gave us that I didn't enjoy reading it. The videos and Shaun's presentations on the Complete Street were very inspiring. I just wish we could've have had more time with this class to over explore beyond class materials. You were a great insight and your teachings have influenced a lot in my current studio design projects. As I child, I have always been curious about the outside world and how thing did happen the way it happen? and/or why people did what they did? I have always been an observer by nature. In spite of that, you have introduced me the tools and skills that I will need as a designer in my near feature landscape architectural profession. These tools and techniques are now part of my new design skills that will shape my design choices forever. Thank You!

Feedback on Sustainability Discussion

I wanted to take a minute and use this opportunity to express my opinion about the whole idea on sustainability. I agree with Mat when he brings the topic saying that sustainability has become a common problem and a complex subject to deal with among designers. As I am proceeding with my studies as a landscape architecture student, I learn more every day about the meaning of what is to be sustainable. Although sustainability is now and days the most efficient way of designing spaces, I believe that this same design method is an idea that goes accordingly to each project location and the designer's style. It is not necessary or it shouldn't never be part of the asla code ethics. I have listening to successful designer's speech at the BAC and other places, that are doing marvelous design work on other parts of the world and have not embraced a sustainable design method. I find Boston a very difficult city to express any rich and innovated design. For instance, I love working with colors and am all in favor of modernism.

Analysis Approach

In the effort of beginning my search on David Square I have created a questionnaire of about 12 questions that emphasize on the use, circulation and physical comfort of David Square. To complete my research and gather the information that I needed to know about the Square, I decided that interviewing people would be most efficient. I visited my site in two different days for a period of 2 hours each visit. The first visit I made was on a Wednesday between the hours of 3-5pm about 3 weeks ago. During these hours I had the opportunity to interview a few people, man and woman. The second visit I made was on Friday of that same week at a later time between 7-8pm.

Class Comments - 03.29.12

What Comes Next? who are we sampling - nouns what are our participants doing - verb why are they doing it -motives how do we know what we know - What are our research approach? [assumption/description/explanation/prediction/action] what are our research questions? how do we find out - what are our tools? how do we measure it? consistency and accuracy NOTES: "archival research is getting a hold of research that other people did" who should i been talking to? what is the population? what is the sample?

Class Notes: Feb 23

At Shaun's class presentation of the public realm, I found it very interesting the examples of ecotones that he showed in the slides. The black and white diagrams shows very clearly the transition between the black line and the white. This simple diagram was very clear explaining the principle theory of what ecotone means.

Some of the urban city images that Shaun showed in the 21st Century Public Realm slides in class were also very explanatory about what ecotone is. I find the urban ecotone sample image of the street and sidewalk very explanatory and clear. After Shaun’s presentation I begin to see the city with a different eye. I begin to realize and pay much more attention into detail and how street patters makes transitions to boundaries spaces.


The images above are examples images that shows different ecotone that I researched. The images represent a little of my understand what an urban ecotone is.