Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item The effect of urbanization on stream-flow patterns on big creek watershed, alpharetta, georgia(Montana State University, 2020) Avila, Iris; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Paul HookThe natural flow regime, defined as the characteristic pattern of discharge variation in streams and rivers not altered by humans, plays an important role in the ecosystem. The increase in urban development in the U.S. is an important environmental change that alters the landscape and affects the flow regime of streams and rivers. Previous hydrological studies have used different methods to investigate the effects of urbanization on stream flow; these studies have found that urbanization can often lead to an increase in peak flow (largest instantaneous magnitude occurring in a water year), increased flashiness (rapid change in magnitude), and reduced baseflow (relatively steady stream-flow primarily maintained by groundwater between storm runoff events). With increasing urbanization in the southern U.S., my study focused on Big Creek watershed, located in one of the most populated cities, Metro-Atlanta. Several studies have investigated urbanization effects on stream-flow in Metro-Atlanta, but these studies have focused on the Peachtree Creek watershed, a highly urbanized watershed located near downtown Atlanta. In contrast, the Big Creek watershed is a less intensively developed area about 20-35 miles from downtown Atlanta. I used a paired watershed approach with a nearly 60-year period of record to characterize Big Creek discharge before and after urban development and to compare changes in Big Creek to a non-urban reference watershed, Snake Creek. Several hydrological trend analyses and pre- versus post-urbanization comparisons revealed that urbanization altered some features of the flow regime. The post-urban period in Big Creek resulted in an 11% increase in high flow (defined as 5% annual exceedance probability), 25% decrease in low flow (90% annual exceedance probability), 27% decrease in average peak flow, 14% decrease in average baseflow, and a flashier discharge. Current stormwater management strategies within Big Creek target minimizing peak flow events by requiring facilities to control for the 2-year to 100-year flood event. The findings indicate that stormwater management strategies should also aim to restore baseflow and reduce flashiness within the watershed.Item From the mountain to the valley: the flows and frictions of commuting in a resort geography(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Otto, Elise Lodge; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Julia Hobson HaggertyThis research examines the commuting experiences of laborers who travel upwards of 60 miles to work in the resort town of Big Sky, Montana, USA. Using semi-structured interviews with commuters and an ethnographic approach, this case study describes the phenomenon of rapid luxury amenity growth with a focus on how on workers experience the commuting burdens of endemic housing shortages. The analysis draws on concepts from resource geography, urban planning, and transportation studies to elucidate the relationship between the spatial footprint of the resort economy, commuting and the subjective well-being of workers. To categorize a wide range of subjective descriptions of the commute, the study offers the framework of flows and frictions. A focus on commuting provides a new way to understand how costs externalized by the resort economy are adapted to, and absorbed by, workers. As wealth inequality continues to create demand for high end tourism and real estate, these results are an important contribution to understanding the associated social and spatial costs that accrue to resort laborers.Item Ex-urban development in the Rocky Mountain West : consequences for native vegetation, wildlife diversity, and land-use planning in Big Sky, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2000) Oechsli, Lauren MarieItem Montana's evolving urban system : a geography of economic linkages, 1869-1914(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1991) Halberg, James RobertItem Landscapes, architecture(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2010) McGrane, Kurt Ryan; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Ralph JohnsonContinued population growth is inevitable to Montana's future. This can be seen as a source of great alarm or great opportunity. If suburbanization of Montana's agricultural and wild mountain landscapes continues, eventually that which makes Montana so appealing - its open space - will disappear. Future growth should be seen as an opportunity to densify and enrich Montana's existing urban centers. However, prevailing attitudes of what it means to live in Montana as well as economic and infrastructural constructs, currently promote a gradually expanding low density sprawl. As important as open landscapes and nature are to the identity and appeal of Montana, continued population growth means man-made structures are increasingly becoming the dominant presence on the land. Perhaps instead of pressing low density architecture outward over the landscape, the landscape can be drawn into the architecture. By providing an urban park of densely layered activity but defined by a spacial characteristic of openness, a surrounding urbanity can be made possible which still retains Montana's defining character and appeal. This project will be a proactive architectural act, an urban catalyst for change. It will utilize the concepts of Landscape Infrastructure, Terrain Vague, and The Fold to give a sense of ambiguity and slipperyness to the program and allow it to relate to both urban and ecological frameworks. This ambiguity will allow for the interpretive freedom necessary for the assertion of individual identity to occur, as well as give the project an ability to adapt to future changes in the urban (and rural) fabric. Individual programs will be defined based on local needs, and where these separate (and perhaps strikingly disparate) programs intersect, nodes of unpredictable excitement can manifest. Introducing a public, open ended, multi-layered program designed with both specificity and ambiguity will provide an answer to the western conflict between freedom of the individual and the shared environmental responsibility of land stewardship.Item A travel demand model for rural areas(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Engineering, 2012) Berger, Aaron Damien; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Patrick McGowenGallatin County has experienced dramatic population growth over the past decade. The Sonoran Institute has been developing land use planning tools to help address the issues arising from this high growth. One of the most serious impacts of high population growth is increased vehicle traffic, typically measured through vehicle miles traveled. The Sonoran Institute's land use planning tools were used to develop two future growth scenarios, one representing growth following current trends and the other representing a higher population density and higher employment/residential mix of development. The project task was to predict the total daily vehicle miles traveled for the two future scenarios using a travel demand model. The project goals were to develop a travel demand model that was simple to run, accurate, sensitive to changes in urban form, and could output daily vehicle miles traveled for future land development scenarios. The project used a literature review to determine expected effects of changes in urban form on travel behavior, and the sensitivity of current travel modeling methods to changes in urban form. For simplicity, the travel modeling method known as the fourstep process was selected for the project with modifications to add sensitivity to urban form. Current literature almost entirely states that the basic four-step model is not sensitive to urban form. One source did indicate that the four-step process might have some sensitivity to changes in urban form, but this sensitivity was not quantified. A basic four-step process model was run for a base year and the two future scenarios. The results indicated that the high density/high mix scenario reduced daily vehicle miles traveled by about 13%. This shows that the basic four-step model is sensitive to urban form. This sensitivity was analyzed through a series of idealized land development scenarios, and the sensitivity of the process to changes in urban form was quantified. The results were then incorporated into a now modified four-step model that produced a 16% reduction in daily vehicle miles traveled between the future scenarios while also providing better comparative accuracy between the two scenarios. This method met the initial objectives of the project.