Flagler Avenue Streetscapes: A Proposal for Resilient Urban Design in New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Abstract

While the natural environment is especially vulnerable to climate threats, the built environment is a primary catalyst of the very forces that exacerbate climate change. In the built environments we live in, car-centric planning and unsustainable rates of development cause air temperatures to rise through the urban heat island effect, reduce nature’s ability to adapt and recover from environmental threats, intensify the frequency and severity of climate disasters, and force public spaces to become humid, unwelcoming, and hostile towards people. These impacts are particularly detrimental to precarious urban landscapes such as coastal regions, where urban heat, eroding waterfronts, biodiversity loss, and climate disasters are already prominent. However, urban design and planning provide opportunities for these landscapes to foster a resilient, inclusive, and vibrant climate future for coastal communities. To demonstrate that these transformations of public space are possible, I analyze three prominent theoretical frameworks of urban design. While these theories may be successful in isolation of one another, this thesis aims to find applications and critiques of the individual theories and proposes a comprehensive framework for fostering better human experience through urban design. I argue that urban design and planning play a critical role in creating public spaces that are resilient, inclusive, and vibrant while addressing the causes and impacts of coastal climate change for a sustainable future. I explore the case study of Flagler Avenue in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, as an opportunity to create a comprehensive urban design proposal that demonstrates how these theories may be realized in the planning and design of coastal streets to foster enjoyable human experiences, bring communities together, and imagine sustainable climate futures.