Universiẗat, Diss., 2005--Regensburg.

In the past several years many authors and critics of the urban scene have denounced the visual chaos that is now many North American cities. This condition has been attributed to several historical factors as well as to some present negative policies and practices by governments which affect the quality of the urban environment. Despite this traditional lack of concern, current trends point to a new and enlightened interest in the aesthetic quality of our cities. Various legislative acts have been passed by senior governments to enable certain municipalities to adopt local regulations and ordinances based on aesthetic objectives in order to control the visual, character of both public and private development. The historical evolution of this type of legislation is outlined, as well as the judicial attitude affecting its legality in the face of traditional conflicts between individual property rights and the inherent regulatory power of the municipality. In addition, special attention is given to the administration of this type of legislation, normally effected by an architectural board of review system which is empowered to assess the aesthetic merits of a project's design before approval to build is granted. The author affirms, however, that contrary to traditional concepts urban aesthetics in the architecture-urban fields today are based on broader and more comprehensive design criteria than merely the arrangement of an individual building's form or architectural "style". He further hypothesizes that the role of architectural review boards must be broadened to include the functional as well as the aesthetic aspects of design review in order to improve the city's total physical environment. A case study of the Vancouver Civic Design Panel is used to test the validity of the hypothesis as well as to assess the merits of the design panel system in principle. Within the context of the case study, the conclusions reached generally confirm the author's original affirmation and hypothesis. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Urban renewal is the total process of replacing, repairing, and maintaining the various parts of the urban environment as required, to permit them to continue to contribute to the life of the urban area. This process involves both public and private action when the urban components become deteriorated, obsolete and suitable for alternate use, or are in danger of depreciating in condition. In this paper, however, the broad spectrum of urban renewal has not been examined, but instead, concentrated consideration has been given to public activity in this field. Federal urban renewal legislation in Canada has evolved out of a national concern about the economic consequences of the collapse of the house construction industry during the world depression of the 1930's. This concept has been altered to some extent by the recognition that not only was new construction required in new areas, but also, provision had to be made to replace and repair the older parts of the city. This broadening scope of urban renewal has been reflected in the successive revisions and amendments to the National Housing Act, from 1944 to 1966. However, the realization that urban renewal is but part of overall community planning has not yet been fully demonstrated in the Canadian federal legislation. The British North America Act has endowed the provinces with the responsibility for municipal institutions, matters of a local nature, and property and civil rights. Thus, although national economic considerations spawned the initial public urban renewal activity, the national federal government is unable to work directly with the municipalities in the provision of financial aid and technical assistance. Instead, the provinces may approve only what the municipalities initiate, and approval of applications for federal urban renewal assistance is made in the Ottawa head office of Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation. A nation-wide survey of officials involved with urban renewal at the three levels of government, confirmed that the scope of the present program needs to be broadened. Considerable dissatisfaction was also expressed with the procedural delays and the lack of co-ordination between the federal, provincial, and municipal governments. Housing is regarded as the most critical area of urban problem, with civic appearance, traffic and parking, and socio-economic conditions, in decreasing order of importance. Decentralization of federal authority, more local autonomy, and creation of a single department to deal with all urban affairs, have been suggested for reducing administrative delays. The results of this investigation have confirmed the need for general revision of the program for urban assistance. One of the principal reasons for the deficiencies of the Canadian urban renewal program appears to be the separation of responsibilities as allocated by the British North America Act. Therefore, the hypothesis is considered to be valid, namely that URBAN RENEWAL IN CANADA HAS BEEN LESS THAN TOTALLY EFFECTIVE BECAUSE OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL LIMITATIONS OF THE BRITISH NORTH AMERICA ACT. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

published_or_final_version / Real Estate and Construction / Master / Master of Science in Real Estate and Construction Development

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Architecture, University Of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Town and Regional Planning Johannesburg, 1991 / This dissertaion will explore the principles of legal precedent and how they are applied in the legal decision-making process. This will take place in the framework of law and the South African legal system. The similar concerns of planning and law will be described. The nature of planning precedent and the way in which it is set and applied in principle and practice will be described. This will be compared to legal precedent and criticised accordingly. Case studies will be used to illustrate the practlcal ways in which planning precedent is created. All discussions will take place in terms of the notion of the pUblic interest as it is viewed from the perspective of the public sector planner. The growth and development of Planning and planning legislation will be traced to illustrate the public interest nature of planning. The dissertation will conclude with a set of recommendations which serve to formalise the way in which planning precedent is set and used.

published_or_final_version / Law / Master / Master of Laws

No description available.

This thesis explored the various elements of the Section 235 program as designated by the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968. Section 235 is a means whereby low and moderate income families can purchase a new home with governmental aid. The purpose of the study was two-fold: First, to determine if the procurrers of the 235 program were adherring to the legal guidelines established by the Federal Government, and secondly, to objectively ascertain if there was a significant difference between 235 new homeowners residing in the city and those residents in the suburban areas.The subsequent survey analysis did prove that the procurrers of the program were following the legally established guidelines, and, that there was a significant difference between the city and suburban 235 residents.

Univ., FB Rechtswiss., Diss.--Hamburg, 2004. / Literaturverz. S. 343 - 365.