Sustainability planning using an energy-based model /
Small cities, with less than 10,000 residents, comprise about 45 percent of Texas' population. These cities were formed and grew during the era of unlimited resources. Then and now, planning was based on a paradigm of growth producing economic health. Recently, growth slowed or reversed, but ne...
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
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[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1995.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=741212471&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | Small cities, with less than 10,000 residents, comprise about 45 percent of Texas' population. These cities were formed and grew during the era of unlimited resources. Then and now, planning was based on a paradigm of growth producing economic health. Recently, growth slowed or reversed, but needs increase as the population and infrastructure ages. This work describes a small city planning model, using Franklin, Texas as a case study, that used a combination of simplified thermodynamics (Odum, 1981) and input-output methods (Leontief, 1986). The model assesses current physical condition and use of resources, compares findings with performance standards, and provides an evaluation platform for analyzing future actions. Readily available files, existing reports and local interviews were used to build the basic structure. Operating simplicity and the use of familiar inputs were stressed to enhance user-friendliness. Results were expressed in both energy (BTUs) and dollar terms to promote effective use for both financial or operational purposes. A series of scenarios were evaluated using the preliminary model. These results confirmed the feasibility of the approach. Model development is preliminary; the supporting research was designed to establish feasibility and direction for future model development and integration. Objective and goal seeking methods under constraints are targeted for the ultimate model; the ability to incorporate these features was included in the feasibility determination. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Architecture". |
| Physical Description: | xi, 322 leaves : illustrations, maps ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilms Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references. |