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Thesis Prep: City Design and Development

Department of Urban Studies and Planning Fall 1998 Massachusetts Institute of Technology   11.ThG: M.C.P. Thesis Prep Seminar-City Design and Development All MCP students are required to register for a thesis prep seminar during their third semester in the program unless they have submitted an approved, signed thesis proposal prior to registering for their third semester. This version of thesis prep is intended for students whose work has been affiliated with the City Design and Development group in the department. The course is designed to assist you in identifying and structuring a thesis project. Accordingly, the course requirements are participation in the weekly seminar discussions, completion of readings and other assignments, and the preparation of several versions of your thesis proposal ranging from a brief initial exploration through to the final proposal itself. Perhaps the most important role of the seminar is to serve as a support group that provides a sounding board for your evolving thesis ideas. Therefore, much of the benefit comes from attending class and participating in the give and take of classroom discussion. The Department and the MCP Committee are trying out a new thesis experiment this fall. On Friday, October 16 the Department will hold an MCP Thesis Symposium. All faculty members in the department are being asked to identify several MCP thesis topics related to their own research interests that they would like to see addressed and that they would be willing to supervise. The goals of this experiment are twofold: (1) to shortcircuit the lengthy process that many students have gone through in identifying an acceptable and doable thesis topic, and (2) to create more of a link between student interests and faculty interests thereby improving the quality of faculty advice on MCP theses. In recent years, our version of thesis prep has included an evening in mid-November during which students gave oral presentations of their thesis topics to the City Design and Development faculty. Faculty members were then asked to signal their interest in serving as advisor or reader for the various theses. Not knowing how many students will pick up thesis topics and advisors through the MCP Thesis Symposium this year, I have not scheduled such a session assuming that the number of students without advisors in mid-November will be smaller than previous years. We will circulate the five page draft proposals of students who do not identify topics through the Symposium to CDD faculty to test their interest in mid-November. Both faculty and students have a joint interest in assuring that the advisors and readers are interest in your topic and that the work load is evenly distributed across the faculty. [Please note that Larry Vale will be on sabbatical in Spring 1999 and will not be available for thesis advising.] Readings form a relatively minor part of this course; our emphasis will be on a series of exercises moving toward your final thesis proposal. I have asked the Coop to order one textbook: Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams, The Craft of Research (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1995). We will use the two-thirds or so in thesis prep. The last third should prove indispensable to you as you begin writing your thesis in January and during the second semester. On occasion I will distribute photocopies of additional readings in class. Course Schedule + indicates days prior to which written assignments must be completed. Date Topics Readings and Written Assignment (1) 14 Sept. Introduction What are the topics in City Design and Development that you are the most curious about at present? + (2) 21 Sept. Moving to Questions What are the questions that you find interesting these days? Booth, Part II, "Asking Questions, Finding Answers" Prepare a one-page list of questions that you would like to be able to answer. Propose a set of keywords linked to each question that you think will allow you to find resource material relevant to that question. (I will give them to Margaret de Popolo, Rotch Librarian, who will use them to shape her presentation on the resources available at Rotch.) (3) 28 Sept. Using the resources of Rotch Library and the World Wide Web for thesis research. Meet in Rotch Library. Ernest Sternberg, "What is a Master's Thesis in Planning?" Journal of Planning Education and Research, Vol. 13, 1994, pp. 284-289. John R. Ehrenfeld, "What is a Thesis?" unpublished background paper prepared for the Thesis Preparation Seminar (11.456), Department of Urban Studies and Planning, M.I.T., 1989. + (4) 5 Oct. Discussion of thesis types/approaches. Read and evaluate one MCP design and development thesis and come to class prepared to talk about it. A list of some recent theses is attached. Prior to this class I will hand out a checklist of questions that you should use in thinking about the attributes of the thesis you have read. (5) 13 Oct. Veterans' Tips on Writing an MCP Thesis- A Panel Discussion [Monday schedule of classes held on Tuesday. Mark will be away.] Martin H. Krieger, "The Inner Game of Writing," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Vol. 7, No. 2, 408-416, 1988. Gabrielle Watson (MCP '92), "Surviving the Thesis Process," unpublished manuscript, 25 October 1993. 16 Oct. MCP Thesis Symposium This session is a new departmental initiative. DUSP faculty have been asked to outline several MCP thesis topics that would fit with their current research interests and that they would be particularly eager to supervise. The trade-off for students is that if you select one of these topics you can expect more regular and interested faculty supervision but you may end up with a topic that is of somewhat less interest to your personally. + (6) 19 Oct. Discussion of emerging thesis topics and research questions. Do the short exercise on page 48 of Booth and use it as a cover page for a 2-page description of a preliminary thesis topic and the key research question, include a preliminary bibliography of key materials. We will discuss several of these in class. (7) 26 Oct. Methodology Beyond Library Research- Case Studies Robert K. Yin, Case Study Research: Design and Methods (Beverly Hills: Sage, 1984), "Introduction" and "Conducting Case Studies: Collecting the Evidence," pp. 13-26 and 78-98. (8) 2 Nov. Methodology Beyond Library Research-Interviewing and Questionnaires Zeisel, Inquiry By Design, Chapter 9, "Focused Interviews"; Chapter 10, "Standardized Questionnaires"; and Chapter 11, "Asking Questions: Topics and Format." William F. Whyte, Learning From the Field: A Guide From Experience (Beverly Hills: Sage, 1984), "Interviewing Strategy and Tactics," pp. 97-112. + (9) 9 Nov. Class discussion of 5-page proposals. Prepare a fuller ( 5 pages) version of your thesis proposal. Include your research question, a summary of the relevant research literature, and a discussion of the methodology that you will use to collect data/evidence. Bring copies for all members of the class. We will discuss some today, and some next class. (10) 16 Nov. Class discussion of 5-page proposals (continued). (11) 23 Nov. Envisioning Your Argument Booth, Part III, "Making a Claim and Supporting It" At this point the argument that you are hoping to make should be beginning to emerge. We will discuss what is involved in making arguments in a thesis and how that is different from other forms of argument. You may want to try writing a provisional abstract + (12) 30 Nov. Class discussion of final proposals. Prepare a full draft of your final thesis proposal ( 10 pages) and distribute to class members and thesis advisor prior to class. We will discuss some today, and some next class. (13) 7 Dec. Class discussion of final proposals. Robert Riley, "Editorial Commentary: Some Thoughts on Scholarship and Publication," Landscape Journal, Vol. 9, No. 1, Spring 1990. Joseph J. McElroy, "Words That Work: How City Planners Can Write More Clearly," PSA Memo, American Planning Association, April 1988. + 11 Dec. Final thesis proposal signed and approved by your thesis advisor and submitted to Mark. The Elements of a Thesis Proposal In this course your written exercises will build toward the preparation of a final thesis proposal. The final proposal should probably end up 10-12 pages long and include the following information: o Proposed thesis title. This is more than a trivial exercise. A good title can provide you guidance throughout the thesis process and keep you on track. Examples will be discussed in class. o An abstract that provides a brief description of the scope and the (expected) argument of the thesis. (This, of course, will be rewritten for the final thesis.) o An elaboration of the argument that you expect to make in the thesis. This should take the form of an outline of chapter headings with a short description of the expected contents of each chapter. o A discussion of the research methodology you intend to use and a consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of that approach. o A proposed schedule for completing the research and writing the final thesis. o An annotated bibliography of the most important readings and documents that are relevant to your thesis. The annotations are a critical part of your proposal. They, of course, will go away in the final thesis, being incorporated instead into the literature review section of the text. o The name and signature of the thesis advisor and the name(s) of the reader(s). Your advisor must be a DUSP faculty member. In addition to your thesis advisor you are required to have at least one reader. That reader must be a member of the MIT faculty. If, for any reason, you wish to propose an advisor or a reader who do not meet these policies, you must petition the MCP Committee. You should be extremely cautious about seeking out a thesis advisor outside of DUSP. Previous experience indicates that they do not fully understand the implications of DUSP deadlines and that they give students in their own departments first priority over DUSP students. Readers are usually drawn from the DUSP faculty, but other MIT faculty members have served as readers. Individuals outside of MIT can serve as readers by petition, but it is probably best that that person be an informal second reader rather than the first reader. You do not want to find yourself in the middle between varying views as to what constitutes an acceptable thesis. For a full description of the MCP Committee's policies and guidelines concerning the thesis, please refer to the current version of the DUSP Handbook. Course Logistics Professor: Name E-mail address Office Office Hours M.I.T. Extension J. Mark Schuster jonmark@mit.edu 10-485 By Appointment x 3-7323 Class Meetings: Mondays 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. 1-134 Units and Grades: Each student should sign up for 0-24-0 units for 11.ThG in the fall semester (and once again in the spring semester). This number of units, carried on your registration throughout the year, indicates that you will receive a total of 24 units of credit for the whole thesis experience. Because 11.ThG is a subject that continues into the spring semester with the writing of the actual thesis, no traditional letter grades will be given for the fall's work. Instead, students will receive a grade of "J" which indicates that there has been successful progress with the course material-interpreted in this case to mean the submission of each of the interim assignments as well as a final thesis proposal that has been approved by both the advisor and by the professor of the thesis prep course-or a grade of "U" which indicates unsatisfactory progress-given if an approved final thesis proposal has not been submitted. Further Reading For students interested in background reading on writing, on the craft of research, or on various forms of research methodology, the following books might prove useful. They have been recommended by a variety of individuals, most particularly Elizabeth Morton who taught this course in the fall of 1997. On the process of writing and its interaction with the research process: o Howard S. Becker, Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1986). On social science research methods: o Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams, The Craft of Research (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1995). o George W. Ladd Imagination in Research: An Economist's View (New York: Random House, 1987). o Julian Simon and Paul Burstein, Basic Research Methods in Social Science o John B. Williamson et al, The Research Craft: An Introduction to Social Science Methods o Gary King, Robert O. Keohane and Sidney Verba, Designing Social Inquiry (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994). o Julian L. Simon and Paul Burstein, Basic Research Methods in Social Science (New York: Random House, 1985). On qualitative research methods: o Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss, The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research (Chicago: Aldine Publishing Co., 1967). On research methods in environmental design (a very useful source for qualitative research methods): o John Zeisel, Inquiry by Design: Tools for Environment-Behavior Research (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981) On case studies as a methodology: o Robert K. Yin, Case Study Research: Design and Methods (London: Sage Publications, 1984). o Clifford Geertz, The Interpretation of Cultures (New York: BasicBooks, 1973), "Thick Description." o Charles C. Ragin, What is a Case? Exploring the Foundations of Social Inquiry (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992) On interviewing: o Robert Weiss, Learning From Strangers: The Art and Method of Qualitative Interview Studies (New York: Free Press, 1994). o Seymour Sudman, Asking Questions (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1982) Design and Development Theses The following is a selected list of Design and Development theses that you might like to review. This is by no means a complete list. All of these theses are (or will soon be) available at Rotch library. Robin L. Berry Can the Market Create What the City Wants? Boston's Midtown Cultural District MCP and SMRED 1988 Constance Bodurow-Rea Rethinking the Industrial Landscape, The Future of the Ford Rouge Plant MCP and SMArchS 1991 Amy Brown The Persistence of the Village in British Town Planning MCP 1992 Matt Carpenter Reconsidering the Working Waterfront: Strategies for the Future of New Bedford MCP 1996 Vishaan P. Chakrabarti Rebuilding the Urban Margin and the Modern Ideal MCP 1993 Daniel Matthew Cohen Defining the Public Realm: An Escape from Tradition MCP 1993 Russell Claus The Woodlands, Texas: A Retrospective Critique of the Principles and Implementation of an Ecologically Planned Development MCP 1994 Josep Fargas Designing Rules: Heuristics and Invention in Design MCP and SMArchS 1991 Terry Fraser-Reid The Inside Pitch: New Concepts of the Urban Stadium and the Challenges of Mitigating their Impacts MCP 1992 David B. Freudenthal The Clinton Community Master Plan: Place, Politics and Theory MCP 1991 Supapim Gajaseni Reconsidering the Roles of Urban Waterways: Opportunities for Khlong Rop Krung MCP 1998 Michael Gray Urban Design Opportunities for the Strip: Ideas for Needham Street MCP 1995 Sharon Greenberger Homeownership in Public Housing-Residents' Views MCP 1993 Michael Holleran Remnant Rights of Way as a Preservation Issue MCP 1985 Julie Johnson The Common Greenway and The Establishment of Park Character MCP 1988 James A. Kaufman Siting Amenities and the Public Review Process; The Kennedy Library in Cambridge and New England Aquarium in the Charlestown Navy Yard MCP 1990 Susannah Kerr Planes, Trains and Automobiles: The San Juan International Airport-Designing for Intermodal Access MCP and MArch 1996 M. Martha Lampkin Intervention in the City Building Network: An Evaluation of the A.I.A.'s R/UDAT Program MCP and MArchAS 1981 Karen R. Levine The Shaping of the Suburban Growth Center: The View from Speen Street/Route 9 MCP 1990 Josephine Louie From Project to Neighborhood-Investigating Assumptions Behind Current U.S. Public Housing Redesign MCP 1994 Katie Mangle Growth Management Strategies in the American West: A Case Study of Intergovernmental Collaboration in Colorado MCP/UDC 1996 Antonio Morales Lessons to be Learned from the Apparent Success of San Francisco's Union St. and Boston's Newbury St. Commercial Districts MCP 1996 Marianne Paley Art in the Public Realm: Integrating Audience, Place, and Process MCP 1993 Jean Riesman Rules of the Game: Rezoning Boston 1984-1989 MCP 1990 James T. Rojas The Enacted Environment: The Creation of Place by Mexicans and Mexican Americans in East Los Angeles MCP and SMArchS 1991 Jacques Sandberg Rediscovering the Public Market: A Study of the Liberty Tree Block in Boston MCP 1995 Scott Schiamberg Reinventing a Golden Age Ballpark and the Pastoral Ideal: A New Home for the Boston Redsox on Fort Point Channel MCP and MArch 1996 Daniel Serda Planning Community and Renewal: Harland Bartholomew Associates and the 1951 Armordale Redevelopment Plan MCP 1996 Marybeth Shaw Promoting an Urban Vision: Le Corbusier and the Plan Voisin MCP 1991 Susan Silberberg South Boston: Planning in a Reluctant Community MCP 1998 Stephan Solzhenitsyn Parcel-by-parcel urban design : a strategy toward clarifying rights and restrictions in the redevelopment of center-city Moscow MCP/UDC 1997 Joanna Stone The Fantasy of the New York Nightclub: A Study of an Urban Public Space SB and MCP 1995 Kevin Sullivan From Hardcore to Soft Core: Reconstructing the Image of Times Square and the Commodification of Place MCP 1995 David Sundell Towards the Reinvention of Public Space: Implications of the Recent Work of Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk MCP 1990 Karen Tham Singapore: Design Guidelines for an Urban Waterfront MCP 1991 William Tuttle Limited Development as a Tool for Agricultural Preservation in Massachusetts MCP and SMArchS 1988 Jim Vandermillen Rediscovering Downtown: Strategies for the Future of Providence MCP/UDC 1996 Julia Varady Contemporary Perspectives and Strategies for Transforming the Industrial Landscape MCP/UDC 1996 Note that the designation "UDC" indicates students who received the Urban Design Certificate and whose thesis therefore satistied the UDC requirements. This does not necessarily mean that the theses of other students who have graduated since the institution of the Urban Design Certificate did not meet the criteria. It is quite possible that their thesis would have met the criteria but they did not meet other conditions of the program (or did not even apply for it). Other Matters Specifications for Thesis Preparation 1998-1999: It is not too early to be cognizant of the MIT requirements for thesis preparation. These requirements control many of the aspects of final thesis production. You can access these specifications on-line at: http://libraries.mit.edu/archives/thesis-specs/ Read them carefully and make sure that you understand them. Theses Qualifying for the Urban Design Certificate: One of the requirements for the Urban Design Certificate is that the thesis must quality as a urban design thesis. The City Design and Development Group will give each student who registers for the Urban Design Certificate an indication as to whether or not the final thesis proposal looks as if the thesis will qualify for the Certificate. However, the final determination as to whether or not the thesis qualifies is made based upon the final thesis product. The types of theses that are likely to be approved include, but are not limited to, the following: o A design proposal for a site or some category of environments with an articulated argument as to why that proposal is appropriate. o A research-based consideration of a significant issue of the form and appearance of some aspect of the public realm. o A historical study of the evolution of some prototype or significant built environment and a discussion of the implications of that evolution. o A study of an urban design policy with a consideration of the design implications of that policy. Dual Degree Theses The general rule for dual degree theses (theses that count for two degrees) is that they must satisfy the expectations and requirements of both departments. Generally the means that thesis committees expect a higher level of effort and more complete coverage that they would expect for a thesis qualifying for only one degree. This is why students are asked to submit a research proposal as part of the dual degree admissions process.

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