The aesthetic and social qualities of urban form combine to generate meaning for people as they relate to the environment in which they work, live and play. The provision of quality urban form can promote a heightened experience of place, stimulate social interaction, enhance safety, and provide people with a generally pleasant visual experience. Unfortunately, it appears to be in short supply, particularly in North America, which has led a number of theorists to dissect the problem and advance abiding principles to guide new development. While these principles are extremely valuable tenets, they are vast in number and vary depending on the priorities and focus of the theorist. It becomes difficult to choose which set of principles to follow. However, translating design theory into a practical application can not occur without careful consideration of the context and understanding the requirements of a development's potential user group. The study surveys design theory and distills the more consistent and Important points relating to quality urban design features. From this large body of knowledge, a systematic approach to the practical application of the information is developed. This approach can develop a context by which design elements can be discussed and assessed in a broader forum. The site selected as a test study area is the former Versatile Shipyard site in the City of North Vancouver. The site was selected because of its strategic location in the City, the waterfront exposure, its heritage significance, and pending redevelopment. The thesis begins by assessing design theory against two case studies: a residential development in the False Creek area of the City of Vancouver, and a similar development at the Westminster Quay in the City of New Westminster. These sites were selected as case studies because their context is relatively similar to the Shipyard site. From this, a design matrix is developed which embodies a conceptual hierarchy of theory. This is coupled with contextual background information pertaining to a specific study area and its surrounds, and the planning framework influencing its development. Using this accumulated information and design matrix, a conceptual urban design plan is proposed for the Shipyard study area. The main conclusion of this thesis is that the process of culling theoretical information into a matrix, combined with a contextual assessment, produced a design concept that improves upon planning work undertaken to date for the Shipyard study area. Furthermore, the process would appear to have a broader application to other areas of redevelopment where quality urban form is the desired goal.

Urban centres around the world are experiencing the transition to what has been described as the ‘post-industrial’ economy, marked by the shift from traditional modes of industrial organization and production to new forms of activity, such as services and high technology industries. The changing nature of capital accumulation, urban space, industrial activities, and modes of economic organization have placed existing systems of urban and regional planning, zoning, and land use in doubt. As the urban area experiences the transition to the post-industrial era, the requirements for industrial activity in the city change, placing pressures on existing industrial land. In the initial stages of city development, a high level of traditional industrial activity is essential to provide the goods and services required for growth. As time passes,-the traditional industries appear less essential to the future growth of the city, and the emergent service oriented activities assume a more dominant role. This thesis will examine an alternative theoretical basis for planning theory and practice, and outline the current trends and patterns in industrial change through the examination of the restructuring responses in a ‘second order’ urban centre: Vancouver, British Columbia. Based on an examination of current theory regarding industrial change, a discussion of a series of zoning strategies suitable for planning industrial change will be presented.

Given the increase in tourism demand, this thesis examines how the City of Vancouver is currently planning for urban tourism for downtown Vancouver and identifies some alternative policy approaches adopted by other cities in the Northwest Region. A review of the urban tourism literature provides an overview of various ideas and conceptual frameworks related to urban tourism supply and demand with an emphasis on the relationship between visitor activity and urban planning. This review concludes with the identification of a set of issues that have planning implications for the built, natural, and cultural environments of the urban setting. Having determined that the City of Vancouver does not address tourism activity in the Central Area Plan, selected tourism activity and development issues specific to downtown Vancouver are highlighted to draw attention to the need for planners to plan for urban tourism. Urban tourism policy alternatives were derived from the planning documents and interviews with planners and destination managers from Seattle, Portland and San Francisco. The data was analysed and grouped according to the main urban tourism issues. An interesting progression is noted from minimal tourism land use planning in Seattle to moderate planning in Portland and finally, in San Francisco, thorough explicit and detailed land use planning which recognizes the impacts of tourism on the city. Suggestions for City of Vancouver planners and destination managers are advanced to address the potential adverse impacts of urban tourism. More study is required on how visitors behave in downtown Vancouver to better inform planning policy.

Urban centres around the world are experiencing the transition to what has been described as the ‘post-industrial’ economy, marked by the shift from traditional modes of industrial organization and production to new forms of activity, such as services and high technology industries. The changing nature of capital accumulation, urban space, industrial activities, and modes of economic organization have placed existing systems of urban and regional planning, zoning, and land use in doubt. As the urban area experiences the transition to the post-industrial era, the requirements for industrial activity in the city change, placing pressures on existing industrial land. In the initial stages of city development, a high level of traditional industrial activity is essential to provide the goods and services required for growth. As time passes,-the traditional industries appear less essential to the future growth of the city, and the emergent service oriented activities assume a more dominant role. This thesis will examine an alternative theoretical basis for planning theory and practice, and outline the current trends and patterns in industrial change through the examination of the restructuring responses in a ‘second order’ urban centre: Vancouver, British Columbia. Based on an examination of current theory regarding industrial change, a discussion of a series of zoning strategies suitable for planning industrial change will be presented. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

The aesthetic and social qualities of urban form combine to generate meaning for people as they relate to the environment in which they work, live and play. The provision of quality urban form can promote a heightened experience of place, stimulate social interaction, enhance safety, and provide people with a generally pleasant visual experience. Unfortunately, it appears to be in short supply, particularly in North America, which has led a number of theorists to dissect the problem and advance abiding principles to guide new development. While these principles are extremely valuable tenets, they are vast in number and vary depending on the priorities and focus of the theorist. It becomes difficult to choose which set of principles to follow. However, translating design theory into a practical application can not occur without careful consideration of the context and understanding the requirements of a development's potential user group. The study surveys design theory and distills the more consistent and Important points relating to quality urban design features. From this large body of knowledge, a systematic approach to the practical application of the information is developed. This approach can develop a context by which design elements can be discussed and assessed in a broader forum. The site selected as a test study area is the former Versatile Shipyard site in the City of North Vancouver. The site was selected because of its strategic location in the City, the waterfront exposure, its heritage significance, and pending redevelopment. The thesis begins by assessing design theory against two case studies: a residential development in the False Creek area of the City of Vancouver, and a similar development at the Westminster Quay in the City of New Westminster. These sites were selected as case studies because their context is relatively similar to the Shipyard site. From this, a design matrix is developed which embodies a conceptual hierarchy of theory. This is coupled with contextual background information pertaining to a specific study area and its surrounds, and the planning framework influencing its development. Using this accumulated information and design matrix, a conceptual urban design plan is proposed for the Shipyard study area. The main conclusion of this thesis is that the process of culling theoretical information into a matrix, combined with a contextual assessment, produced a design concept that improves upon planning work undertaken to date for the Shipyard study area. Furthermore, the process would appear to have a broader application to other areas of redevelopment where quality urban form is the desired goal. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Given the increase in tourism demand, this thesis examines how the City of Vancouver is currently planning for urban tourism for downtown Vancouver and identifies some alternative policy approaches adopted by other cities in the Northwest Region. A review of the urban tourism literature provides an overview of various ideas and conceptual frameworks related to urban tourism supply and demand with an emphasis on the relationship between visitor activity and urban planning. This review concludes with the identification of a set of issues that have planning implications for the built, natural, and cultural environments of the urban setting. Having determined that the City of Vancouver does not address tourism activity in the Central Area Plan, selected tourism activity and development issues specific to downtown Vancouver are highlighted to draw attention to the need for planners to plan for urban tourism. Urban tourism policy alternatives were derived from the planning documents and interviews with planners and destination managers from Seattle, Portland and San Francisco. The data was analysed and grouped according to the main urban tourism issues. An interesting progression is noted from minimal tourism land use planning in Seattle to moderate planning in Portland and finally, in San Francisco, thorough explicit and detailed land use planning which recognizes the impacts of tourism on the city. Suggestions for City of Vancouver planners and destination managers are advanced to address the potential adverse impacts of urban tourism. More study is required on how visitors behave in downtown Vancouver to better inform planning policy. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

This thesis addresses the subject of organizational effectiveness in municipal governance. It specifically examines the possibility that urban planning agencies may resolve complex social problems more effectively when using a management approach characterized by "transformational leadership," teamwork, flexibility, and creativity; an approach that fosters the development of innovative planning policies, procedures and/or designs. Successful, innovative, and creative business enterprises that endorse such a holistic management approach have been called "learning" and "well-performing" organizations. The management and transformational leadership attributes that encourage an organization to "learn" relies on a combination of techniques, including non-hierarchical communications, enhancement of job satisfaction, continuous learning, emotive and motivational psychology, and team approaches to creativity and problem solving. A popular term has been coined that captures the essence of successful implementation of these attributes in combination: Excellence. The rationale for examining the concept of Excellence in the context of urban planning agencies' organizational effectiveness derives from assertions made in the planning and governance literature suggesting that such a business management approach may significantly improve government operations. Some writers argue that a new approach to governance is sorely needed. The concept of encouraging attributes of Excellence in local government planning practices has been extolled as a cure for economic and political inequalities, restricted avenues of communication, outmoded operating procedures, "turf wars, and various motivational barriers to innovative practices that limit the effectiveness of governments (and urban planners). Many of the innovative practices lauded in the business management literature as attributes of Excellence appear similar to the community development concepts of individual empowerment, citizen participation in local planning and decision making, collective effort to resolve local issues, consensus building, and visionary leadership. This thesis studies the case of the City of Vancouver's Department of Social Planning and Community Development from 1968 to 1976. The two primary research methods used are: analysis of archival documents concerning Vancouver's social planning department; and, open ended interviews conducted with sixteen key informants familiar with the history, practices, and planning approaches used by department personnel during the study period. The findings of this thesis are that: 1) the social planning department originally exhibited elements of innovation, flexibility, teamwork, transformational leadership, and other attributes associated with the concept of Excellence; 2) in some cases, these attributes may have temporarily overcome various barriers to effective planning and problem solving by developing innovative solutions to minor urban social problems; 3) those innovative elements were not unanimously supported nor encouraged in other municipal departments or community agencies, thus indicating that diffuse innovative practices throughout other organizations was a difficult endeavor; 4) over time, attributes of Excellence faded from the social planning department as the early excitement and energy of planners wore off and new planners were hired to replace the original social planners who had decided to move on to other projects. The important lesson learned is that these supposedly "new" management practices, introduced into business enterprises to help overcome barriers to productivity, efficiency, or effectiveness, are themselves vulnerable to similar organizational, political, or behavioral barriers over time. Constant vigilance, monitoring and evaluation of values, goals, communications strategies and structures, and organizational results are required to sustain Excellence. Greater promotion of Excellence concepts that explain business success may legitimize the expansion of participation of individuals in goverment institutions and result in improvements to their effectiveness. Urban planners, and social planners in particular, should therefore be interested in concepts like Excellence and Learning Organizations as heuristic usable in their search for effective planning, organizing, and management practices toward intentional interventions in social welfare. Without a systematic approach and understanding of the complex variables and dimensions involved, concepts like Excellence may be treated simply as catch-words and trendy marketing ploys. However, as the thesis will show, planners may discover that further research into the qualities and attributes of individuals working in a collective organizational environment, may yield positive strategies for furthering institutional reforms that view workers as factors of human development rather than as units of productivity and efficiency.

This paper explores urban design possibilities for the enhancement of the Vancouver Art Gallery landscape. It is understood that urban public places are necessary for not only the daily functioning of society, but as venues of and for celebrations, demonstrations, and communication. All public urban spaces have the potential to serve as significant locations of human experience. The designed urban landscape should have the capacity to elicit response and heighten our perceptions, thereby furthering our understanding of the world. Understanding the Vancouver Art Gallery landscape as a central urban space of significant civic importance, it is necessary that its design illuminate the interactions between humans and the physical world - the actors, the audience, and the stage. A literature review is conducted in order to discern possible connections between museum processes and designed landscapes. Analogies are drawn between the processes and display of art within and around galleries and museums, and the cultural meanings associated with these displays. These processes also reveal themselves in the designed landscape. Second, museum-landscape analogs are proposed, and from these, precedents are researched in order to identify criteria that support and reinforce these analogs. These analogs are typologies that may serve to inform the urban design, and landscape architectural process. In response to the research, the Vancouver Art Gallery landscape is designed according to one of the types (analogs) identified - Landscape as Theatre. The design provides a model for the expression of the theatrical aspects of urban life that contribute to the vibrancy and cultural richness of the urban landscape. The conclusions drawn herein are suggestive of urban design enhancement opportunities that exist within central downtown Vancouver, in particular the Vancouver Art Gallery landscape. It is recognized that significant investment in our urban spaces is a requirement for ensuring the successful evolution of urban life. In addition to the enhancement of human experiences within the city, successful urban projects that elicit international acclaim and recognition further the economic growth of, and investment in the city. Certainly, when public spaces are used and enjoyed steadily and repeatedly the experiences of places are enriched, and human experience is enhanced.

In order to deal with the current unsustainable pattern of growth and development, the City of Vancouver is advocating intensification as a means for developing more complete communities. Promoting this strategy to the public may, however be problematic when there is little or no empirical evidence documenting the outcome or experience of intensification. To better understand the issues, challenges and opportunities associated with using intensification to create complete communities, the City of Vancouver's experience with this strategy was analysed, across a range of planning initiatives within which intensification policies were deployed. Through the use of interviews and a case study comprising an analysis of several City policies and initiatives, the benefits, costs, and barriers of intensification were documented. In total 18 people were interviewed which included City Staff, councillors, developers, and members of planning organizations. This process revealed what the City has been able to achieve through intensification, the lessons they have learned and the direction this strategy must take in the near future in order to create more complete communities. To date, the City has had the most success with intensification when it has been applied to existing multi-family neighbourhoods or to the redevelopment of industrial lands. As a result, the City has been able to create new neighbourhoods that have many of the characteristics of a complete community. However, when this same process is taken to existing single family neighbourhoods, it is met with opposition as a result of the public's resistance to change and the conflicting views regarding intensified urban living. Despite this failure, Vancouver's experience has provided a number of valuable lessons regarding how intensification can be used to create more complete communities. For example, there are a number of conditions that must exist in order for intensification to be promoted, which relate to the planning, market, and political environment of an area. Once these conditions are in place then, strategies should be developed to ensure that intensification is designed to be responsive to a community's needs. Finally, Vancouver's experience with this strategy reveals that the best way to understand what a community needs and what tradeoffs they are willing to make in order to create more complete communities is through a political process that involves a consensus approach to planning and public discussion. The findings of this thesis indicate that the success of future intensification initiatives lies in the City's ability of making intensified urban living fashionable. To do this it will be imperative to establish a common understanding of its limits and benefits by learning from past experiences and by building on the successful intensification initiatives that have occurred. Once this is done, the City can then use the successful examples of intensification to educate the public about how it can be used to create complete communities.

Greenways are linear open spaces, sometimes called "Green Links" which connect parks, Nature preserves, cultural features, historic sites, neighbourhoods, schools and shopping areas. They are often located along either natural corridors like ocean fronts, rivers, stream valleys, ridgelines, or built landscapes such as rail rights-of-way converted to recreational use, canals, trails, scenic roads, lanes or dedicated or shared streets. In the city of Vancouver there is a great opportunity to establish a link between Trout Lake, located in East Vancouver, and False Creek, located in the heart of Vancouver. The mission for this thesis project is to design a greenway connecting Trout Lake to False Creek with special focus on ecological enhancement and stormwater management. The Route itself has already received citywide support in City Plan approved in 1995. The Greenway, as indicated in the report, will connect Trout Lake to False Creek via the Grandview Cut. With city policy supporting the greenway, the bulk of the thesis is incorporating ecological enhancement and stormwater management into the design. Stormwater from the Trout Lake watershed will be brought to the surface, cleaned through biofiltration by wetlands, and used to sustain a stream, which flows year round to False Creek. By design the stream will be able to support a number of fish habitat, such as Coastal Cutthroat, Coho Salmon, and the endangered Salish Sucker, to name a few. As the Greenway reaches False Creek Flats there is an opportunity to daylight (bring to the surface) two of Vancouver's historic lost streams: China Creek, and Brewery Creek. The study begins with a series of large-scale context analyses, looking at how the proposed Grandview Greenway fits into the city of Vancouver as a whole. The analyses include topography, hydrology, watershed boundaries, utilities, openspace, circulation, structures, zoning, and how cultural views and perceptions of the environment have changed over the past 50 years. Trout lake watershed in its built form is the next area of focus. Starting at the individual lot, an analysis of the current condition is identified as it relates to stormwater management. Suggestions are made to increase the amount of groundwater infiltration, while reducing the amount of surface runoff collected in the watershed. Runoff calculations for the watershed illustrate the limits to the proposed system ie. the maximum size of wetland needed to store and treat all stormwater runoff before it enters Trout Lake, and the minimum flow the creek will require during summer dry periods. All calculations support the feasibility of the proposed greenway in its entirety. Route options are explored to connect the stream to the Grandview Cut, followed by the detailed design of the Grandview Cut to accommodate the stream, pedestrians, cyclists, the existing rail line, and wildlife. Once in the False Creek Flats, route options are once again explored to link the stream to False Creek. Now in the industrial section of the greenway route, the form of the stream changes from a model of a natural system to that of an urban canal. This allows the system to accommodate more water, while using less total land area. China Creek Park is the next detailed design focus. The goal is to daylight China Creek through the park and connect it to the Grandview Greenway system. It is proposed that for this section of the greenway, the initiative be entirely derived through community groups as well as special interest groups, rather than by the City of Vancouver. What is proposed is at a smaller scale with less intervention to the Landscape. The final stage of the proposed greenway is the estuary as it enters False Creek near Science World. Detailed design shows how the canal enters False Creek and how it relates to Science World, the Sea Wall, and to the proposed Sustainable Community of Southeast False Creek.