1,720,978 research outputs found
Ageing in the Neuropolis : urban bio-spatiality and seniors' everyday experience in a global city
No full textThis dissertation explores the relationship between urban change and the ageing experience to understand wellbeing in late life. Using the case of Singapore, I illuminate how global city making and the social costs people bear shape seniors’ everyday lives. I offer the concept of urban bio-spatiality in thinking about the urban-body-brain nexus as stresses seep under the skin over the lifecourse alongside the transformation of the urban environment, with effects and possibilities. An urban lifecourse approach helps us better appreciate the production of the ageing experience, where another A.I., an anthropological intelligence, is essential to centre ‘heartware’ in a planning for longevity. This fosters places as carescapes as societies age, and shifts planning from a physicalist towards a humanistic perspective; from an economistic and urban design lens towards a stewardship of connections.Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School ofGraduat
Bus Stop Urban Design
No full textBus Stop Urban Design (BSUD) seeks to improve the waiting environment at bus stops through urban design techniques. Because bus stops are embedded into the neighbourhood, improvements will not only benefit the riders, but also the immediate urban realm. A more comfortable waiting environment leads to greater rider satisfaction and shorter perceived wait times, leading to higher ridership. A well designed public space may leads to greater walkability in the area and a safer environment that is more conducive towards active transportation for local residents.
The project identifies 7 major goals in designing a good bus stop: safety, thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, wind protection, visual comfort, accessibility, and integration. The goals are achieved by 9 techniques: lighting, seating and surfaces, cover, amenities, information, vegetation, traffic management, pedestrian infrastructure and bicycle infrastructure. These 9 techniques are then applied to 9 bus stops in Metro Vancouver, ranging from major exchanges to remote stops. Beyond testing the identified goals and techniques in existing settings, the design section also demonstrates that with appropriate urban design expertise, municipalities can quickly develop and visualize public space designs with low costs and widely available technology.Applied Science, Faculty ofCommunity and Regional Planning (SCARP), School ofUnreviewedGraduat
Sheltering the housing crisis : the contradictions of shelters in the neoliberal city
No full textHomelessness policies in the U.S. from the federal level to local level have consistently failed to end homelessness, and instead have played a key role managing and perpetuating crisis. This research delves into the normalization of shelters as a spatial and policy fix by exploring the decentralization of one shelter system in Salt Lake County, Utah. Engaging a grounded theory approach, this inquiry uses archival research, participant observation, and interviews to offer a multi-scalar analysis, considering both the perspectives of those who are negotiating the shelter system, and the policymakers and service providers responsible for creating it. With stated goals of displacement, dispersal, and containment, Utah’s processes and practices have a clear impact on the wellbeing of people without housing, effectively isolating and excluding them from urban space and resources, and further displacing an already displaced population. Utah’s efforts are a striking example of the historical failure of shelter and homelessness policy to create equitable outcomes that address the systemic causes of housing insecurity. There are broader implications in revealing the ways in which urban governments are managing the presence of people experiencing homelessness and the resultant stigmatization and criminalization of poverty.Applied Science, Faculty ofCommunity and Regional Planning (SCARP), School ofGraduat
Mobilizing Digital Voices: Integrating Social Media Into the Planning Toolkit
No full textSocial media is not a passing fad. It represents a fundamental shift in how humans are communicating with each other, and will likely be integral to the field of public engagement. Many of our personal interactions are transitioning from a monologue (one-to-one or one-to-many) to a polylogue (many-to-many) society, where all participants of a conversation have the opportunity to give and receive information.
This report focuses on social media as a powerful tool for public engagement specialists, and how it can be effectively integrated into the current planning toolkit. In it, I present findings from my experience managing and researching the 2011 Do It In The Dark Energy Saving Challenge (DIITD). These findings lead me to develop a list of recommendations for the proper use of social media as a mode and pathway in competition engagement. I also infer from my findings and experience how social media can benefit civic-oriented engagement processes.
By reading this report, engagement specialists and planners might develop an understanding of social media by relating to the questions I pose, and will get a clearer sense of how to integrate it into their current practices.
In using traditional engagement practices, we are often not reaching a representative fraction of all cultural, economic, and demographic groups in our communities, but social media can help with this. I am hopeful that this report will help to dispel some myths and assumptions about social media, and contribute to building a real understanding of its value in engaging with the public.Applied Science, Faculty ofCommunity and Regional Planning (SCARP), School ofUnreviewedGraduat
Dense but not crowded : maintaining a sense of neighborhood community in a world of increasing urban density
No full textThis study investigates the relationship between urban density and sense of community. In particular, it tries to establish whether residents’ sense of community diminishes as density increases, and, if so, what can be done to moderate this relationship. It used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach that included an online survey and semi-structured interviews. The findings suggest that there is a negligible relationship between density and sense of community at all density levels except for very dense environments, in which case the relationship is negative. Several types of public space may moderate this relationship, however. Both the survey and the interviews suggest that high-quality parks, walkways, and community centers may increase residents’ sense of community.Applied Science, Faculty ofCommunity and Regional Planning (SCARP), School ofGraduat
An evaluation of official community plans in Metro Vancouver
No full textMunicipal planners and city councils are guided by official community plans when making decisions about their community. A plan is a vision of the future and is a primary tool to influence the future growth and development of a community (Dalton, 1989). They are an instrument of public policy and attempt to address both large and small scale goals and represents the interests of many different stakeholders.
This project evaluates municipal official community plans in Metro Vancouver in order to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Plan evaluation was uncommon until recently due to a lack of consensus on what constitutes a good plan, evaluation protocols that were difficult to validate and generalize, and difficulty obtaining planning documents. This project evaluates the quality of 20 Metro Vancouver plans using three different protocols, the Internal and External Quality protocol by Berke, Godschalk, and Kaiser (2006) and Communicative and Persuasive Quality protocol by Bunnell and Jepson’s (2011), and is supplemented by the Online Communication Quality protocol that is designed to capture digital attributes of municipal planning websites and documents.
Notwithstanding the importance and the demands placed on municipal Official Community Plans (OCPs) in the region, this study identifies significant gaps and areas of oversight in plan quality. This led to a series of recommendations and identification of examples of best practices. Foremost, municipalities should draw on the practices used by their neighbours. Other municipalities are a rich resource for ideas and municipal planners can quickly identify missing elements from their own plan by reviewing other municipal OCPs. The following is a list of
recommendations from easiest to more challenging to implement:
• Ensure the municipal website includes the five basic questions to a complete story (Who, What, When, Why, and How) when describing the OCP.
• Optimize the PDF when creating the OCP for digital upload. It does not take extensive technical expertise to add small and useful features to the PDF to increase usability and appeal.
• Be comprehensive in the amount of basic factual information about the municipality (demographic information, present state of services and infrastructure, etc.). Many small facts (sometimes obvious to municipal planners) can add up to a comprehensive picture of the
current state of the municipality and be helpful to people not already familiar with the community.
• Organize policies under a hierarchy of goals and objectives to help clearly and logically organize the OCP. Doing so demonstrates how policies are linked to the challenges in the community as well as reflects the community’s values and aspirations.
• Better integrate the goals, objectives, and policies outlined in the municipality’s Regional Context Statement throughout the sections of the OCP document.
• Explain and compare alternate scenarios or forecasts for housing and population growth.
• Include specific actions that are quantifiable, measurable, and comparable to an earlier baseline period.
• Analyze land demand and supply and highlight the challenges and opportunities the municipality faces for future growth.
This study is a small step towards critical evaluation of municipal plans in a region faced with significant planning issues. Planners must be willing to improve planning practices within their own municipality and foster a culture of mutual learning and self-improvement. This will enable municipalities in Metro Vancouver to respond to increasingly complex planning issues facing the region in the future.Applied Science, Faculty ofCommunity and Regional Planning (SCARP), School ofUnreviewedGraduat
The complicated legacies of Olympic village housing : 1984 to 2018 host cities overview, and the social and affordable housing legacies of the Torino 2006, Vancouver 2010, and London 2012 Olympic villages
No full textA number of compounding economic and regulatory factors make building affordable housing a challenge. Adding the rapid and specialized construction of infrastructure for Olympic Games increases both complexities and opportunities. This thesis explores Olympic Village planning, and analyzes the outcomes of the affordable and social housing legacies that were pursued by the host cities after the Olympic Games have taken place.
This thesis begins by reviewing and categorizing the types of housing legacies that are pursued with Olympic Villages, from Los Angeles 1984 to PyeongChang 2018. Then, building on VanWynsberghe and Pentifallo’s Legacy Planning Model Framework, I explore three Main Olympic Villages that have pursued affordable and social housing legacies; Torino 2006, Vancouver 2010, and London 2012. The Framework is used to assess the degree of success the cities had in following through on their intended legacies, and inform how future host cities may more successfully transition Olympic Village housing to meet the affordable and social housing need in their respective cities.Applied Science, Faculty ofCommunity and Regional Planning (SCARP), School ofGraduat
Towards transformative urban sustainability experimentations : possible pathways to affordable housing in Canada
No full textFostering sustainability transitions is an urgent global challenge, and urban Sustainability Experimentations (SEs) have emerged as a critical approach to addressing pressing urban issues through collaboration across various sectors for accelerating urban transitions. Despite their increasing significance, academic literature on SEs in Canada remains in its early stages. In Canada, various SE models and theories have evolved organically, manifested in models such as Social Innovation Labs, Urban Living Labs, Public Sector Innovation Labs, and Demonstrations.
This research addresses How Canadian urban sustainability experimentations (SEs) can become more transformative? To explore this, this research employs a multi-step qualitative case study approach, beginning with a survey of 16 organizations leading SEs across Canada. This step identifies factors contributing to SEs’ diversity, uncovering common challenges and critical elements examined in their processes and broader urban interactions. The second step focuses on two ongoing SEs related to sustainable, affordable housing in Vancouver and Calgary. Data collection included participant interviews, projects and policy document reviews, and observation of decision-making processes. Through in-depth analysis, this research explores the urban dimensions of SEs, their context-specific characteristics within the Canadian setting, and the factors and key dimensions that contribute to their transformative qualities.
The evidence presented in this dissertation highlights that Canadian SEs face significant challenges, including a tendency toward short-term planning, fragmented efforts, uncertainty about long-term impacts, and various contextual and governance factors that hinder their potential to contribute to broader urban transitions. This research provides in-depth discussions, analyses, and conceptual frameworks to identify the key dynamics and dimensions essential for guiding SEs toward broader transformative effects, extending beyond their immediate scope. These factors include but are not limited to shared goal setting, incentivizing risk-taking, connections with broader urban agendas, policies, and other initiatives, cross-disciplinary knowledge co-creation, targeted knowledge dissemination, the confluence of funding programs, research leadership, integrated evaluation in decision-making processes, and attention to power dynamics. The analysis concludes that, despite challenges in navigating uncertainties and evaluating SEs during their processes and limited evidence on their long-term transformative potential, several critical elements can potentially guide practitioners, policymakers, and researchers in steering SEs toward more transformative effects.Applied Science, Faculty ofCommunity and Regional Planning (SCARP), School ofGraduat
Regenerative Design: An Exploration of Process, Practice and the Role of Planners
No full textApplied Science, Faculty ofCommunity and Regional Planning (SCARP), School ofUnreviewedGraduat
Working at home and sustainable living : architecture and planning implications
No full textThe goal of this thesis is to determine the correlation between the practice of working at home and the theoretical needs of sustainable living. The author presents a brief synopsis of the present theories of sustainability which he then uses as an evaluative backdrop for the study. Urban transport, architectural design and quality of life issues are addressed. The author conducted an extensive literature review, several case studies and a survey. Conclusions drawn from these studies were used to attempt to envision sustainable home working communities.It was found that sustainability was directly related to whether the home worker telecommutes or operates a home-based business. Home-based business owners continue to be heavily reliant on automobile transportation, while telecommuters make fewer overall trips and travel shorter distances than conventional commuters. Although neither work type demands significant changes to the infrastructure of the typical residence, home-based businesses require more space and more attention to design. Telecommuting has potential adverse side effects of personal isolation and physical strain. To ensure the sustainability of working at home, the practice must be adopted as an integral part of a larger transformation on the scale of the local community
- …
