Date of Award
12-2007
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Program
Urban Studies
Department
School of Urban Planning and Regional Studies
Major Professor
Ehrenfeucht, Renia
Second Advisor
Brooks, Jane
Third Advisor
Gladstone, David
Fourth Advisor
Zucker, Evan
Abstract
The proponents of New Urbanism claim the neighborhoods they design, called Traditional Neighborhood Developments (TNDs), promote community, sense of place, physical health, and environmental sustainability. Critics assert that community is stressed at the expense of individuality, that design unity has become rigid uniformity, and that the neighborhoods are orchestrated and do not reflect real life. This thesis, a post occupancy evaluation (POE), examines how one TND works for its residents and whether it accomplishes the goals of the architect/planner. An additional, essential purpose of this POE is to serve the "feed-forward" role of informing future neighborhood planning projects. The Village of River Ranch in Lafayette, Louisiana is the site of my research. Utilization of multiple research methods (survey, interviews, naturalistic observations) offered opportunities for triangulation and the ability to produce a more comprehensive analysis.
Recommended Citation
Tomlinson, Elizabeth A., "The Village of River Ranch: A Post Occupancy Evaluation of a Traditional Neighborhood Development in Lafayette, Louisiana" (2007). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 640.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/640
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.