Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009. / Full text also available online. Scroll down for electronic link.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1984.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 279-297).

The purpose of this research report is to analyze arts-based development and revitalization strategies undertaken by small and rural communities, with a specific focus on artist housing and relocation incentives. Using case study analysis from programs around the country, this paper attempts to categorize and compare development models and their potential application in different types of communities. From a theoretical perspective, the report is grounded in the literature from various disciplines on the social and economic impacts of the arts and artists in communities. This includes academic research and policy studies from the fields of planning, urban studies, economic development, social work, community-arts practice, geography, and sociology. After completing a thorough scan of artist housing and relocation incentives around the U.S., six were selected for further analysis including semi-structured interviews with program leaders, and four were developed as case studies. From these case studies, inherent challenges emerged that are discussed along with potential mitigation strategies. Finally, the conclusion offers summary recommendations and a proposal for a new housing/relocation model involving limited equity homeownership and a community benefits agreement between community artists and residents. It is intended that this report can be used as a reference and resource for communities interested in pursuing arts-based community development by offering a variety of policy and planning tools that can be used when crafting an artist housing and relocation incentive program. / text

This study examined the impact of the arts on community development in the town of Marfa, Texas. The purpose of this study was to examine the role the arts have played and continue to play in art education and community development. To explore the impact of the arts in Marfa, forty interviews were obtained from residents of the community in the summer of 2012. Seven themes emerged from these interviews, giving insight into the impact of the arts in the community development of Marfa. These themes included: Arts Community Support, Hard Work, Discourse and the Influence of Art, Cultural Differences and Similarities, Economic Benefit of the Arts, Cultural Augmentation, and Donald Judd: The Center of Influence in my interviews. These themes presented a range of perspectives regarding the impact of the arts in this small west Texas town. / text

In the arena of planning in Hong Kong, the doctrine of community planning is still an abstract idea and has not been formally adopted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. Be that as it may, the word “community planning” or “community participation” was always mentioned in strategic dimensions of planning in Hong Kong in recent years. On the other hand, the discussion among community planning around the global asked for a higher and higher participation level in community planning process, shifting from participation to empowerment. Thus, this dissertation attempts to fill this research gap, analyzing the degree of empowerment under the planning frameworks and institutions in Hong Kong and how effective is community planning to empower citizens in Hong Kong. The community engagement elements within the planning related institutional frameworks in Hong Kong were reviewed and analyzed, in order to figure out the extent of empowerment of the community engagement elements in these frame works. On the other hand, a local planning concern group, which adopts community planning based approach, was used as a contextual study of analyzing the effectiveness of community planning based practices to empower citizens in Hong Kong. It was found that the extent of empowerment of the community engagement elements in planning frameworks of Hong Kong is limited, and community planning based practices is effective in empowering citizens. Thus, if planning in Hong Kong is to empower, but not disempower citizens, community planning approaches should be adopted. A series of empowering community planning process was recommended in this final part of this study. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

In contemporary society with housing construction in full swing, ‘Gated Community’ has become a new phenomenon that soundlessly changing the way people lives. ‘Gated’ means ‘safe’ and ‘private’, but it is also associated with ‘segregation’ and ‘differentiation’. This contradictory concept has rich connotations that are concerning not only physical space and urban structure but also social stability and economical fairness, etc. To have better understanding of Gated Communities and their impacts, the dissertation has taken Wuhan, one of the famous metropolises in China, as an illustration. Through observing the quality of physical environment (size and scale, boundary form and environment, road system, public facilities, and open space), analyzing the relationship between public space and private sector, and evaluating process of property development and management, we learnt that huge-sized GCs led incompleteness of urban branch road system, making urban structure fragmented, and income-based segregation contributed to many social problems as well as unreasonable allocation of public faculties, etc. Based on these evaluations, many optimization strategies have been formulated. For example, from spatial perspective, we can relief this situation through scale and size control, mixed land use, boundary optimization, social integration and policy formulation. From administrative perspective, current land leasing mode needs to be changed into a better-planned one. The development rights, property rights, and management responsibilities need to be clearly divided and some affordable housing strategies need to be adopted, etc. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

Although believed to be existed long ago in practice, the notion of ecotourism has received widespread recognition in the academia only after 1980s. In recent years, scholars have strongly advocated ecotourism as a tool to achieve socio-economic development vis-a-vis environmental conservation in the developing countries, such as Nepal. Unlike traditional forms of tourism, it has been theoretically portrayed as an ethically responsible travel that could minimize negative impacts, generates funds for conservation, benefits local communities, and educates visitors. However, in practice, there are also the cases where ecotourism has fallen short of its proposed objectives, and caused environmental and socio-cultural problems in the destination communities. To maximize and materialize its potential benefits and promote sustainability, there has been a growing emphasis on the appropriate planning of ecotourism development. However research in this area in the less developed countries is limited. Existing literatures reveal that contemporary researchers have not focused their attention to the critical areas of ecotourism planning, and therefore it is still in an adolescence stage (Weaver and Lawton, 2007). More specifically, relationship between ecotourism planning and its contribution towards sustainable community development in the protected areas (PAs) of developing countries such as Nepal is rarely studied. In this context, this study aims to critically explore the local issues, impacts and dynamics of ecotourism planning and its relationship with and contribution towards sustainable community development in the PAs of Nepal. By employing a theoretical lens of Community-oriented Collaborative (Co-C) ecotourism planning, the key research question of the study was investigated empirically in the case of Annapurna Sanctuary (AST) Trail of the Annapurna Conservation Area and the Everest Trail (ET) of the Sagarmatha (Mt Everest) National Park in Nepal. Combination of multiple data collection approaches such as structured questionnaire survey with the households, semi-structured interview with the key informants, informal discussion with stakeholders including porters and trek guides, participant observation, and archival research have been adopted. A qualitative-interpretative approach was used in the analysis of different qualitative and quantitative data. Empirical findings arguably suggest that the key objectives of ecotourism are not truly achieved in both destinations; although (eco)tourism in the AST has performed comparatively better than ET. It revealed that context of community participation and stakeholder’s collaboration in the AST is fairly more effective and efficient than ET. It also indicated that community-based planning approach in the AST is more appropriate than the planning approach adopted in ET which is normally controlled by the PA authority and its defacto Buffer Zone Management Committee. The survey findings on community impacts of (eco)tourism, and the context of participation and collaboration in the AST and ET have supported the key proposition of “Co-C” ecotourism planning i.e. “more inclusive and effective the community participation and collaboration in ecotourism development, more effectively it will contribute to maximize socio-economic benefits to local communities; protect local environment, resources, and heritage; and promote sustainable community development in the PAs”. This study indicated that perceived benefits and costs of (eco)tourism largely depend on the level of community participation in (eco)tourism activities and decision-making process; capacity to influence decisions; capacity to collaborate with stakeholders; availability of resources, skills, knowledge and education; proximity to the major trail; and networking and communication skills. By using their skills, knowledge and resources, residents usually tend to participate and influence (eco)tourism development process. In both the study areas, residents in OT, usually the low-caste minorities, porters, farmers, and non-entrepreneurs are found relatively less empowered and less capable to integrate into tourism industry and decision-making process than the residents in MT. Based on the research findings, this study has suggested planning and policy recommendations to empower the poor and marginalized section of community; enhance local economy; protect local resources; and promote sustainable community development in the PA settlements of Nepal. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

In municipalities across the globe, traditional forms of governance are being supplemented by collaborative arrangements between governments and their constituencies toward jointly produced public services. Since the late 1970s, this phenomenon known as coproduction has been utilized in efforts to survive severe budget cuts, improve performance, increase accountability, and welcome traditionally silenced voices. However, no study to date has undergone a citywide assessment of coproduction to determine its breadth and depth in a city. Additionally, there is practically no empirical study that examines what citizen characteristics and perceptions are associated with participation in coproduction. The present study represents a first attempt to begin to fill these gaps in the literature. Specifically, this dissertation analyses: (1) How prevalent is coproduction? (2) Who engages in coproduction? and (3)What motivates coproducers? I employ a mixed-method case study of Atlanta, Georgia via its Neighborhood Planning Unit system, using focus groups, citizen questionnaires, census and GIS data, and direct observations. Overall, the coproduction classifications developed in this dissertation enable more systematic research on coproduction. The dissertation findings also contribute to our understanding of (1) how much this service delivery strategy is being utilized in an urban municipality, (2) which forms are most utilized, (3) what triggers participation in each form, and (4) who utilizes coproduction the most – even challenging the longstanding perception that African Americans and low-income groups do not participate in such activities. Lastly, study findings suggest a need to reconceptualize the current theory of coproduction as a public service delivery strategy.

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration