Renegotiating the Edge: Creating an Inspired Reality in the Potomac River Watershed

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dc.contributor.authorTacey, Carlin Reneeen
dc.contributor.committeechairMcSherry, Laurelen
dc.contributor.committeememberHeavers, Nathanen
dc.contributor.committeememberKelsch, Paul J.en
dc.contributor.departmentArchitectureen
dc.coverage.countryUnited Statesen
dc.coverage.stateVirginiaen
dc.coverage.stateMarylanden
dc.coverage.stateWest Virginiaen
dc.date.accessioned2018-12-15T07:00:36Zen
dc.date.available2018-12-15T07:00:36Zen
dc.date.issued2017-06-22en
dc.description.abstractWater edge communities are portals to terra firma. Their role as negotiators between land and water is more important now than ever before due to increasing fluctuations in water height from storm surges and sea level rise. To understand the future of these edge conditions, my research looks to the past at a 1967 report entitled; The Potomac: A Report on Its Imperiled Future and a Guide for Its Orderly Development, authored by pioneers Stewart Udall, Ian McHarg and others. The report approached the ecology and culture of the Potomac River basin through the lens of the 1960s, a time of unprecedented growth. Emerging at the semi-centennial of the original report, my thesis is both an homage and critique, challenging its concepts of order and development, and redefining four of the original eleven principles in the report's concept of the ideal region. The thesis investigation also works within a more actionable scale of intervention, a tributary to the Potomac River. The project develops a transferable approach for other tributaries, exploring Quantico Creek and the town of Dumfries, Virginia, a historic seaport in Prince William County, as a case study for design intervention, and analyzes the historic and ecological conditions that led to the marginalization of the community in the wake of siltation and urban sprawl. The resulting proposal reconnects the community with the creek, and fulfills an intention of the original Potomac Report: to spark inspired realities along the river's 400-mile course.en
dc.description.abstractgeneralWater edge communities hold much of the nation's history and are heavily impacted by climate change phenomena. To better understand how to plan and design for these communities, my research re-examines a 1967 report entitled; The Potomac: A Report on Its Imperiled Future and a Guide for Its Orderly Development, authored by some of the most influential designers, planners and conservationists of their era. The report approached the ecology and culture of the Potomac River basin through the lens of the 1960s, a time of large scale development and suburban growth. Fifty years later, my thesis recognizes the aspects of the report that are applicable to planning and design today and recommends changes in the approaches and methodologies of the report for continued use in other communities. The thesis design proposal is at the scale of a small tributary called Quantico Creek in Prince William County, Virginia. The project proposal reconnects the community of Dumfries, VA with Quantico Creek by making it an accessible, public waterfront, and fulfills an intention of the original Potomac Report: to spark inspired realities along the Potomac River’s 400-mile course.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Landscape Architectureen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:12149en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/86411en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectlandscape architectureen
dc.subjectwaterfronten
dc.subjecturban planningen
dc.subjectPotomac Riveren
dc.titleRenegotiating the Edge: Creating an Inspired Reality in the Potomac River Watersheden
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineLandscape Architectureen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Landscape Architectureen

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