School of Urban and Regional Planning

This thesis examines the scope of the plastic waste management and housing problems in Haiti. It makes a case for plastic waste to be recycled into sustainable housing as a solution to both issues. For better understanding, it first analyses the scope of the plastic waste pollution and housing problems in developing countries. It then ascertains innovative ways waste managers, and planners have solved it in these nations. Thirdly, based on case studies in Colombia and India, this thesis ascertains how using plastic waste in construction, is a potential solution for better waste management and better housing in Haiti. In the end, this thesis recommends the construction of a plastic waste recycling plant in Port-au-Prince to help solve both their waste and housing problem. Since Port-au-Prince lacks a central sewage system, this thesis also recommends investment in water infrastructures to eliminate the need for plastic bottles in the long run.

Suburban sprawl, automobile dependency and the current parking requirements have led to an ineffective and inefficient use of land which presents added cost to land owners and residents. The current standards often have limit quantitative reasoning and often exceed the peak demand for parking. The current requirements may seem as a necessary evil to address transportation and consumer habits, but in actuality it is only further facilitating the dependency on the automobile. Modifications to the current standards such as the amount of parking required and the required size of parking spaces will help decrease the amount of land and cost related to parking facilities. Other alternative modes of transportation also need to be invested in to make these options more convenient. The continued support of the automobile through parking regulations will accentuate the effects of urban sprawl and in the end, this is not environmentally or financially feasible.

While the lack of affordable housing is a problem across the United States, the situation is particularly dire in Miami-Dade County, FL. As of 2017, 49% of all households in Miami-Dade County were housing cost-burdened (defined as paying more than 30% of household income on housing). Now ranked as the fifth least affordable housing market in the nation, the trend is worsening and negatively impacting workforce retention, wealth creation, and economic mobility (Greiner, 2017).

Located in Jupiter, Florida, Abacoa is a 2,055-acre master planned, mixed-use community based on the concepts and principles of Traditional Neighborhood Development.
FAU professors and graduate students worked closely with the Abacoa Partnership for Community (APC) to apply for certification from the Florida Green Building Coalition.