Grace Arsenault
Site planning for Disaster Mitigation Guide
This planning guide was created for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. I contributed to the guidebook while working as a Planner at MAKERS Architecture and Urban Design. My role on this project was to create the graphic layout for the guidebook including designing page layouts, color schemes, some of the graphics, and overall formatting of the guide. Images show the cover, chapter pages, main body layout, and one of the informational graphics that I created. Designs were created using Adobe Illustrator and InDesign.
Austin Point Plan
These are excerpts from the the final document created for the Austin Point Plan. This document was created by MAKERS Architecture & Urban Design for the Port of Woodland. My role on this project was to create conceptual designs for the waterfront plan. I created maps, renderings, and promotional materials for the plan, as shown below. Designs were created using Adobe Illustrator.
Green Link Master Plan
This is a master plan document created by FutureWise for the GreenLink Master Plan project. The document includes historical photos, planning research, and new conceptual designs of the planning area. My role on this project was to create the final planning document including the overall layout and formatting, maps, and the graphics. This document was created to be printed in a large format. A few examples full page spreads from the plan are shown below. Designs were created using Adobe Illustrator and InDesign.
Masters Thesis:
Identifying Barriers to Adoption of Residential Green Infrastructure Incentive Programs
This thesis employed a case study, the RainWise program operated in the city of Seattle in the United States, to identify possible barriers that might stand in the way of GSI adoption for vulnerable groups. It used the theory of equity planning as a basis to understand how different dimensions of equity apply to the deliverance of public programs. This thesis conducted interviews with program managers and engagement consultants to understand the impact of program mechanisms on the adoption of the program. It analysed policy documents, and internal reviews to triangulate information gathered during interviews. Finally, this thesis performed a spatial analysis by comparing program adoption across the city and Seattle’s Social Vulnerability Index maps to identify rate of adoption among the most vulnerable residents.
This thesis found higher rates of adoption among the least vulnerable groups than middle, or most vulnerable groups. Additionally, this thesis found variations of adoption rate for vulnerable groups across time, with relatively low adoption by the most vulnerable during the first years of the program, and steadily increasing over time. In interviews and document reviews, this thesis identified that homeownership, incentive structures, and outreach methods and target likely impacted the adoption of the program among vulnerable groups. This thesis does not attempt to draw a causal link between these variables and adoption but asserts that a connection between these factors is supported by information collected in this research.
Hardstand at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport SketchUp Project
Northern Holdroom
The Hardstand Project was a chance for me to develop my skills in SketchUp. I began with a floor plan and images of a building and was tasked with recreating it in SketchUp. I played with materials and imported furniture to recreate the feel of the space.
Southern Holdroom
Upper Gallery & Cafe
North/South Section
Senior Thesis:
Reimagining Stormwater Infrastructure on Campus
This project was my senior thesis for the Community, Environment, and Planning program at the University of Washington. I created the informational graphics below using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
Abstract: The University of Washington meets the standards of stormwater management for new development dictated by local, state, and federal agencies, but incorporates very few of the latest and most environmentally sustainable methods of stormwater management. Moreover, the proposed Campus Master Plan, which emphasizes the creation of a more environmentally conscious campus, includes very little in the way of revising and retrofitting existing structures to better manage stormwater on campus. To begin addressing this gap, I have created a retrofit plan that incorporates modern methods of stormwater management based on an existing site on campus. My plan focuses on a single demonstration site, a redesign of the courtyard between Raitt Hall and Savery Hall adjacent to the central Quad. The proposal incorporates easily implemented infrastructure such as bioswales and permeable pavement to create a space that is both functional for its users and acts as a stormwater management site on campus. I chose this site to show how similar methods could be easily transferred to other parts of campus. By creating this design plan, I also demonstrate how the University of Washington could retrofit its existing structures so that they exceed local standards and become an example for other campuses looking to enhance their own stormwater management systems.
Permeable Paver Design
Promotional Poster for Presentation
Tree Cell Design
Bioswale Design
Green Infrastructure Summit Presentation
I had the opportunity to share my research at the Green Infrastructure Summit with my peer, Johnson Nguyen in 2020. We studied the ways in which social vulnerability intersects with outreach for green infrastructure initiatives.