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Virginia Tech

A Cultural and Dynamic Landscape Design

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Washington, D.C.'s state-named streets honor the nation's history, yet they lack meaningful cultural representation. This project proposes a new urban design framework to transform these streets into immersive cultural experiences. The ultimate goal is to design all 51 state-named streets, ensuring that each one tells the unique story of its respective state. Due to time constraints, Louisiana Avenue serves as the first prototype, demonstrating how landscape design can blend reality and abstraction to express a state's geography and culture. Inspired by Mud Island Park's realistic geographic modeling and California Scenario's abstract artistic approach, this design integrates Louisiana's topography, Mississippi River dynamics, and Creole cultural symbols into the urban environment. The project also incorporates flood-resilient drainage systems, including Louisiana-style water wells, addressing climate challenges. This scalable strategy can be applied to future projects, ensuring that all 51 state-named streets in Washington, D.C. evolve from simple names into meaningful, story-driven public spaces.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Architecture
Department dc:contributor.department
Architecture
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2025

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Zhao, Yixuan
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Kelsch, Paul J.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Piedmont-Palladino, Susan C.
  • Keslacy, Elizabeth Marie-Freha

Subjects

dc:subject × 7

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:42597
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/135484

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Zhao, Yixuan. A Cultural and Dynamic Landscape Design. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2025. https://hdl.handle.net/10919/135484