Subject: Senior

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distance themselves from the exercise. Based on survey results, this reaction is primarily attributed to a lack of understanding or familiarity with the topic. Comfort and a willingness to participate begins with a familiarity of that topic and currently the planning realm and student realm are very disconnected. In response, this past year I have dedicated myself to discovering better ways to reach out to students, along with understanding

This research aims to understand how Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) transit subsidy programs, when controlling for various built environment variables and the structure of the transit network, impact the number of trips individual employees of large employers in the Central Puget Sound region take commuting from their worksite. This transit utilization is measured using the ORCA fare card records over two nine week periods in 2015 and 2016. Manipulating monetary costs is a known method of transportation demand management. Earlier preliminary research has suggested that these transit subsidies do have a signicant impact on transit utilization. However, results in the wider literature suggest that transit utilization was operationalized in a way—defined on the level of an individual card without accounting for the existence of people who never take transit—that may have altered the infence of control variables. Indeed, some of the results were counterintuitive. In this research I attempt to avoid this by focusing solely on trips of employees of large employers to and from their worksites. This allows me to deduce how many employees are not utilizing transit and add them to the dataset. I then create a regression tree model that predicts the number of trips taken to and from an employer worksite on an individual card. The features of the model include subsidy values associated with each card, the closeness centrality of the stops around worksites weighted for travel time and headways— a measure designed to reflect the quality of transit service to that employer site—and the existence of employer provided parking. I find that higher centrality of worksites and higher pass subsidies both increase transit utilization while the existence of parking provided by the employer, whether free or paid, depresses transit utilization.

With the advent of the 21st century, studying abroad has become a common practice. The increase in the number of study abroad opportunities has resulted in a growing number of Chinese students studying in American colleges and universities. Although some students encounter language and cultural barriers when they first move to the United States, the use of new technologies such as the Chinese social media application, “WeChat”, allows Chinese students to become more united and comfortable in an alien environment. My project explores how Chinese international undergraduates use WeChat to build communities and aid in their problem solving. For this reason, examining the significance of Chinese international students’ barriers, community building, and the WeChat technology are crucial for the purpose of this project. The research methods consist of three stages: interviewing Chinese international students and educators; conducting a thematic and narrative analysis of the interview data; and using sources from literature review to explain the findings. My research results show that WeChat functions such as “Meeting people nearby” and “Group chat” can enhance the community building experience. This allows Chinese international students to eliminate various barriers, including the ability to find the sources they need to solve their problems and answer their questions. On the other side, WeChat can be a distraction or lead to ethical issues such as cheating, pornography and Internet scams. The final product consists of a report and a list of recommendations for WeChat uses amongst Chinese international undergraduates, which may maximize the benefits of WeChat for them.

 

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With climate change being among the biggest problems humanity faces, it is essential that youth are encouraged to pursue careers to combat it. In this project, I conduct a workshop that allows students to explore environmental careers. The workshops were conducted at a local high school to students ranging from freshman to senior status and included information about the range of environmental careers, majors in the College of the Environment at UW, an activity which allowed students to brainstorm the range of careers, and a discussion about what skills and experiences are useful to pursue those careers. After conducting the workshops, I found that students are more interested in pursuing an environmental career and more knowledgeable about the skills and experiences that will prepare them for one. Increasing an interest in students to pursue a career in the environmental field is valuable because fighting climate change is a complex task that requires the efforts, skills and knowledge of as many people as possible.

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As Seattle continues to grow and densify, it is critical to consider the importance of green space in the urban environment. Green space is essential to the our built spaces because it provides environmental, human health and wellness, and economic benefits. We must reconsider how we define green space and include it in the design of our future cityscapes in the way we do sidewalks and roadways. Green space has long been isolated to areas designated for aesthetic uses such as parks and gardens. The core of Seattle has already become densely urbanized, therefore it is vital to design our streets more creatively if we want to add more green space. A significant amount of space in the public realm is covered in asphalt, reserved exclusively for automobiles. Redesigning our streets to take advantage of areas where there is unused asphalt could be an innovative method for adding green space in Seattle. The 1700 block of Summit Ave. in the Capitol Hill neighborhood is a particularly wide street with an excess of unused asphalt. Through community outreach I found that the residents of Summit Ave. would like to see a street redesign to remove a sections of  asphalt to be replaced with a small area of green space. Using research about the benefits of green space in the public realm combined with community input, I have constructed a robust proposal for a redesign of the 1700 block of Summit Ave

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Conservation districts are found in cities across America.They focus on responsibly developing areas that have historical significance, cultural relevance, or unique architectural features. In the case of Capitol Hill, all of the above components are present, and it became Seattle’s only conservation district in 2009. My project chronicles this conservation district, through interviews with neighborhood advocacy groups, architectural analysis, and a literature review. This conservation district has three goals (1) to encourage the preservation of existing buildings, (2) support small businesses, and (3) preserve neighborhood character.

Persistent challenges and public controversy has led the conservation district through four phases of revisions. My report will include a timeline of these amendments and their impact on the built environment. In addition to a timeline, I have crafted three policy proposals that strengthen the conservation district’s impact of each of its goals. By engaging with stakeholders of the conservation district, field research,and reviewing best practices, I have explored the effectiveness of the Pike/Pine Conservation Overlay District.

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The plethora of positive social, and environmental benefits that result from cycling inspired me to research how the University of Washington could increase bicycle ridership on and to campus. Preliminary research uncovered a gap in services provided to students who live within biking distance of campus, but do not have access to a bicycle. My research also revealed that a bicycle library, which facilitates long term bicycle rentals, would fill this service gap. Pursuing this finding, my project morphed into developing a plan to establish a bicycle library at the UW. I began this process by grounding myself in literature, conducting case studies on bicycle libraries, andunpacking the success and failures of bike-share schemes. Next, I reached out to the UW community in order to conduct interviews, expand my research, and establish campus partnerships.After compiling my research, I developed a bicycle library program, conducted a cost analysis and applied for a $25,000 grant through the Campus Sustainability Fund. As a result of funding from the CSF, and coordination between; UWild, EcoReps, UW Transportation Services, and UW Sustainability, “Cycle Pack” bicycle rentals will be available to student starting in the Fall of 2017.While the program I have developed provides a detailed plan for implementation and operation,Cycle Pack’s success will depend on its ability to adapt over time and the collaboration between the program’s supporting organizations and departments.

Every city around the world has a different urban history with specific social, political, and economical cultures along with it. However, we have reached a point in urbanization where cities all share the same challenges when it comes to urban planning. The common goal for them is to become more livable and people friendly. One method to address this urbanism issue is to look at the street design and how the building facades are connected to the general urban space. The goal of this project is to find new urban design ideas that focus on improving the connection between the facade and the sidewalk in order to ultimately create pedestrian friendly streets. To do so I compared the street design of the cities of Seattle, WA and Paris, France. Looking at specific streets at both places, it will target Eastlake Ave E in Seattle and different boulevards and streets in Paris, France. By comparing these streets in terms of urban design and regulations, as well as the work of designers who got inspired by overseas ideas as well, we can find new solutions to address the many challenges Eastlake Ave E is currently facing as a mixed development street. To present my findings in my presentation, I created a video documentary that shows how similarly Paris and Seattle regulate their street façade but design them differently. My final product is to give some recommendations for Eastlake Ave E shown through paintings. The project accomplished, people can realize that we can find urban planning solutions in other city concepts. We can find new design solutions for our streets by getting inspired by other culture’s ideas.

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About 1.25 million Americans have type 1 diabetes. Statistically, there should be around 150 students at the University of Washington and around 14,60 in the greater Seattle area with type 1. Because diabetes is a chronic condition that requires 24/7 management, it can be extremely burdensome and lead to high rates of stress and depression. Yet, there is no community for type 1 diabetics at the University of Washington. This leads me to my question: How can I build a community for Type 1 diabetics at UW while also making an impact in the fight against diabetes? For my senior capstone, I have conducted research on support groups, developed a plan to increase membership, and built relationships with other diabetic organizations in the attempt of answering this question. My goals were to 1) offer a network to type one diabetics at UW 2) to build connections between the members and the greater Seattle diabetic community and to 3) increase awareness for diabetes by raising at least $5,000. Through this process, I have created a manual for the next leader that outlines “How to Prosper the Community for Type 1’s at UW” to ensure long term success for the leaders of the group.