Modern Sustainable solutions in Urban Environments

of Symbolic Interactionism and Architecture Design” by Hanieh H. Molana and Richard E. Adams and “Symbolic Interaction Theory and Architecture” by Ronald W. Smith and Valerie Bugni, was that place identity plays a large role in how people perceive a site. These pieces of literature add value to the redesign and sense of place of place for the Muncie Mall because they define the terminology, theories, and ideology to properly prepare a design and cater to the Muncie community.

Modern Sustainable solutions in Urban Environments

This last section will provide an overview of four comparative research pieces all varying anywhere from journal articles, case studies, or thesis projects. These pieces will be used to create a better understanding of the components needed to successfully urbanize the Muncie Mall. This section will also be used to unite urban sustainability and post-industrial cities like Muncie with an optimum future through urban revitalization. The research article titled “Exploring the Features of Sustainable Urban Form and the Factors that Provoke Shoppers towards Shopping Malls” conducted and written by Haoying Han, Noman Sahito, Thuy Van Thi Nguyen, Jinsoo Hwang, and Muhammad Asif touches on a few centered concepts of sustainable development, successful sustainable urban design in cities, pedestrian oriented framework, and a case study covering shopping malls at Hangzhou the capital of Zhejiang, China. What is unique about this article and study is that it covers all aspects of proper sustainable design in modern landscape architecture and relates it to architecture, urban planning, the modern consumer, and shopping malls. Tied to these relations is the common theme of ideology that sustainable design is more than simple one dimension environmental after-thought. Sustainable design is merely a combination of environmental, social, and economic variables all in relation to efficiency and cost of production in both design and construction phases. A quote by Dumreicher, H (17) used in the article defines characteristics of proper sustainable design: “Sustainable city should

be compact, dense, diverse, and highly integrated. They ask for an urban form that is easily walkable,

small enough to eliminate even the desire for a private automobile, yet large enough to provide the variety of opportunities and services that constitute a rich urban life” (Haoying 2). In the light of this thesis, this article would be most beneficial being used for its insight into shopping malls, sustainable development, the built environment, shoppers, and case study of the shopping malls in Hangzhou. Much like the previous journal article, the study “Sustainable Shopping Mall Rehabilitation” written by Mu-Fa Lin, Shen-Guan Shih and Yeng-Horng Perng connects urban social framework to malls in an Asia demographic while using American research methods. The purpose in their efforts is to create a better understanding of the premeditated relationship between people and shopping malls. The study is composed of two goals: the first was to process the relationship between people and shopping malls, and the second goal was to observe key design factors that connect public space with a sense of local culture (Mu-Fa Lin and Yeng-Horng Perng 3). The article then breaks down into subgroups that determine what key factors that create a sense of culture and strong relationship between the general public and shopping malls. To better understand these relationships the authors surveyed thirty experts in the field such as managers of malls, big brand stores, architects, interior designers, and subcontractors of renewed cultural shopping malls in Taiwan to take part in their research. Lin, Shih, and Perng used both the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Delphic Hierarchy Process (DHP) to guide their problem solving. Both the AHP and DHP are research processes commonly used by national governments and applied in uncertain situations such as big thinking national response and multiple evaluation criteria decision problems. The AHP and DHP use expert opinions to solve complex evaluation problems that are analyzed into simple factor levels (Mu-Fa Lin and Yeng-Horng Perng 6). The data from each level is then used to form a pairwise comparison matrix for each individual level (Mu-Fa Lin and Yeng-Horng Perng 5). Ultimately each level is measured in strength related to each pairwise to be ordered and referenced when making the final decision. Coupled with my research, this article will serve as a crucial example of understanding of two research topics. The premeditated relationship between people and secondly shopping malls and observe design factors that connect public space with a sense of local culture in the community. By and large the two journal articles: “Sustainable Shopping Mall Rehabilitation” and “Exploring the Features of Sustainable Urban Form and the Factors that Provoke Shoppers towards Shopping Malls” consist of many similarities and conclude the same outcome. Not only is their approach and

methodology consistent with one another, their emphasis on pedestrian centric and urban framework lead to a strong argument for urbanizing the mall system. In addition, their integrated studies of both malls in Hangzhou and Taiwan provide different approaches but similar results giving both depth and effective methodologies from their studies. In like manner, the case study “Rapid Urban Revitalization: Flexible Strategies for Promoting Economic Growth, Social Engagement, and Future Sustainability in Urban Spaces” written by Ashley Marie Williams is an eccentric example of how urbanizing Muncie is possible and the benefits in doing so. The proposal for this project sets to demonstrate how revitalizing urban inner-cities can lead to long-term sustainable, economic, and social growth (Williams 6). In support of this goal, Williams’s project proposes a roadmap of methodology that then leads to integration of a small-scale case study installation in urban Muncie, IN. Research for her project is composed from a broad array of case studies, journal articles, and topics ranging from Urban sustainability, Rapid Urban Revitalization, and economic sustainability through design (Williams 26). Williams and I share the same goal of revitalizing the Muncie Mall. From a fresh and recent perspective, Williams gives a bright outlook on the process taken to conclude her studies for her thesis similar to my own. We share the pursuit to accommodate pedestrian oriented design in an urban environment while weighing in economics and practicality. Ultimately, our outlook will have to adjust when dealing with urban infrastructure as designers in landscape architecture. Re-urbanizing inner public sectors is becoming more of a priority in more recent years as the markets have changed. Urban sprawl is far from a trend and according to research found by WIlliams: “Today in the U.S. 80.7% of the population lives in urban spaces (United States Census Bureau, 2012).” This creative project will utilize rapid urban revitalization demonstrated in Williams thesis to create urban spaces in Muncie, IN to assist residence be able to physically connect with to enhance future economic and social sustainability. In addition to the previous studies “The Suitability of Sustainable Retrofitting Means for Shopping Malls, in an Environmental and Urban Background” is a PHD thesis conducted by Jorge Carretero and Ester Higueras’s that highlights an overview of methodology and retrofitting urban shopping malls with sustainable infrastructure. Carrreto and Higueras believe that the answer to saving shopping malls lies between three factors that encompasses good urban design: economy, society, and environment (Carreto and Higueras 86). Much like the article “Rapid Urban Revitalization:

Flexible Strategies for Promoting Economic Growth, Social Engagement, and Future Sustainability in Urban Spaces” written by Ashley Marie Williams shares the principal that successful sustainable

urban design requires all three of these factors along with unique altercations specific to the community. In current times shopping malls have strayed further from connection to the community and focused more towards retail development. Without persistent use of all three fields (social, economic, and environmental) the shopping mall will lack community identity and purpose leading to failure (Carreto and Higueras 86). Indifferent with Williams’s approach, Carrreto and Higueras processed methodology and case studies to develop the “Sustainable Retrofitting Rose graph” (Carreto and Higueras 89). This graph breaks down every variable in decision making to assist in determine opportunities within a site through a weighted scale. This graph can be applied and can aid my thesis while directing the site development by highlighting opportunities within the Muncie Mall. There is an extensive ideology that sustainable design should more than simple one dimension environmental after-thought. Successful sustainable urban design is merely a combination of environmental, social, and economic variables (Carreto and Higueras 86). I believe this is best demonstrated by the quote listed within the first journal article: “Exploring the Features of Sustainable Urban Form and the Factors that Provoke Shoppers towards Shopping Malls”: “sustainable city

should be compact, dense, diverse, and highly integrated. They ask for an urban form that is easily walkable, small enough to eliminate even the desire for a private automobile, yet large enough to provide the variety of opportunities and services that constitute a rich urban life” (2). With an allembracing portfolio of research ranging from Asia to North America, I believe these well-established research pieces are more than enough to solve the complex opportunities the Muncie Mall is faced with. These articles lay the foundation needed to move forward and create new ideas for sustainable spaces such as the Muncie Mall. This mall and others like it have what it takes to keep up with the new “look” of shopping. People crave social interaction while adding value to their lives. The 21st century has brought about new voices of sustainable activism that can transform places such as the Muncie Mall. People care about their impact and marketing a mall that caters to this care could improve foot traffic.

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