Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3097-0057

Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MLA

College

Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design

Department

Landscape Architecture

Committee Chair

Peter Butler

Committee Co-Chair

James Kotcon

Committee Member

Lisa Orr

Committee Member

Chris Haddox

Abstract

This report has been prepared to demonstrate the research for a model planning document with a focus on sustainability in Morgantown, WV. It discusses the role of three categories in the context of sustainability and proposes a design solution for selected areas of concern throughout the City of Morgantown in order to demonstrate opportunities for a sustainable approach toward resolution for city officials.

The City of Morgantown, West Virginia, is a college town along the Monongahela River with a backstory of industrialism that is echoed by many other places in Appalachia. However, distinctively, in Morgantown 25,000 college students populate the city during the school year and vacate during the holidays leaving parts of the city depleted of its population for a quarter of the year. This system demands the infrastructure act like a rubber band, stretching to accommodate the steadily increasing population influx associated with West Virginia University, and snapping back to meet the needs of only local residents.

In order to explore three areas of sustainability: storm water management, transportation, and land use, this report synthesized existing data on City of Morgantown infrastructure systems, demonstrates the impact of these data under the context of sustainability, and discovered that there is a lack of available resources for city officials on sustainable infrastructure planning. As a result, this document recommends proactive measures and provides potential design solutions that will assist in crafting a system of infrastructure that is able to respond to the increasing threat of climate change.

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