This year, the School of Social Work of the University of British Columbia initiated a fieldwork placement for a second year community organization student with the Indian Affairs Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration. The community directly concerned with the placement was the Musqueam Indian Reserve. This placement made it possible for the writer to made a study of this community. The community organization practitioner is very often faced with the problem of conducting community studies with no simple model which he can use. This has led to a variety of approaches, for example, studies whose focus has been on the various aspects of the community such as its ecology, its power structure, its demography, the interaction of the local people, and its behaviour pattern and belief systems. The weakness in the use of any one of these approaches exclusive of the others is that only one aspect of the community is studied, and this is often done as if the community studied existed independently of the larger society of which it is a part. Furthermore, the results gained from most of these type of studies cannot be applied profitably as a guide in studying a different community. This has been an analytic study, and the approach used has been based on a model suggested by Warren in his book The Community in America. His definition of the community as "that combination of social units and systems which perform the major social functions of locality-relevance" is used in this study, and the focus of analysis is the type of systematic relationship of the people and organizations in the local community and in the extra-community. This approach was chosen because it is assumed that it can be used in studying any type of community, regardless of its geographic location and size. It is hypothesized that the Musqueam community has problems, and that this method of social systems analysis can be used to indicate where the weaknesses lie in the community's horizontal pattern. The material on Musqueam's social systems which was gathered by the writer was organized under the five major functions of locality-relevance. This material was assembled from various sources: interviews with leaders and representatives of institutions and organizations which have connections with Musqueam, a socio-economic survey of the local community's adult population, attendance at meetings and conferences on Canadian Indians, and examining relevant records and documents of the Indian Affairs Branch. Only Musqueam's social systems which the writer felt have endured through time were selected and described. These were then analysed by making use of the four dimensions in which communities differ in structure and function. The communication process which, according to Warren, is one of the six master processes in which all social systems are constantly involved, was also used for analysis. The analysis by the four dimensions has shown that Musqueam has a very weak horizontal pattern. Analysis of the communication process has shown that lack of adequate communication between social systems in the community has contributed to misunderstanding and ignorance between social systems in both the intracommunity and in the extracommunity, thereby resulting in a weak horizontal pattern. The results of the use of both analytic concepts has indicated that the weakness in Musqueam's horizontal pattern is due mainly to the influence of the extracommunity which is in direct control of most of the intracommunity's social systems. This weakness also has implications for the process of community development which aims at strengthening a community's horizontal pattern. This study has been analytical, however, it has opened some avenues whereby it could be continued either with further analysis or with a diagnostic or clinical enquiry. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

The efficacy of decentralised local governance to transform rural communities into vibrant modern communities has often been highlighted. The Constitution of Ghana lends a strong hand to decentralised local governance as key to achieving rural development and poverty reduction. Achieving the above is however premised on the basis that local authorities would function effectively; promote effective community participation; and are functionally autonomous. However, some conceptual and practical challenges appear to limit the achievement of the stated benefits of local governance in Ghana. This thesis seeks to examine the nature of local governance and how its function translates into rural community development. It responds to pertinent questions central to Ghana’s decentralisation. It questions the local community development initiatives implemented by local government institutions, by exploring perspectives on the usefulness of these initiatives to local communities. Further it explores how the participation of local communities is engaged in executing these initiatives; and thirdly, it investigates institutional capacities to effectively carry out the decentralised community development initiatives. The thesis sought answers by conducting in-depth and semi-structured interviews with 134 participants drawn from 32 local communities within three District Assemblies, and a variety of stakeholders including key local government actors, individuals, and groups from three Districts in Northern Ghana. The thesis argues that political, administrative and systemic deficits challenge effective local government function in Ghana. For instance, recent evidence points to the fact that regimes since December 2000 dwell on political gerrymandering to bolster their political fortunes, which further weaken existing local governments rather than facilitate their effective and efficient function. Further that, local governments are observed to work within a chaotic community development environment where initial development strategies where overly influenced by exogenous forces, which made them unrealistic to rural community development. Again, the findings suggests a history of decentralised local governance full of a continual tinkering and halfhearted implementation of the decentralisation process since colonial times. This is mostly to achieve well orchestrated political goals. This historical legacy stifles local governments’ capacities over time and also leaves mostly ineffective structures replete with opportunities for political favour and rent seeking behaviours. Evidently however, this has tendered to percolate present day systems and processes where local political elites seek to, and prosecute the political agenda of the national government instead of dealing with local needs. On the development strategies implemented by local governments, a penchant tendency to transplant national development plans as local development strategies on central governments’ insistence was discovered. Though a contradiction to the laid down local government development planning and implementation process, local governments follow through with this practice. Further, a historical legacy of powerful external multi-lateral stakeholders’ grips or influence of the local development agenda appears a paramount reason for the above, and this in real terms leads to a de-emphasises of home grown local development strategies. The implication is that unrealistic rural community development strategies perpetuate. This further leads to noted planning incongruence at the local level. Aside this, there is also an overbearing local political and administrative interferences, and manipulations which leads further to a ‘filtering’ of development strategies to meet national politically motivated strategies or interests. This notwithstanding, local communities have strong faith in local governments as viable community development agents. The findings further suggest local governments’ acknowledgement of the critical roles of active community participation in the local community development agenda. Yet again they struggle to apply the national development planning Act 1994, (Act 480), which holds the greatest promise to directly translate to effective participation. In the least, local governments preferred to consult and inform local community members. In the same vain, central governments some times implement community development initiatives within local government jurisdictions without consulting them. A chief factor which appears to work against direct local level influence of the development planning process is the existence of penurious institutions at the local level. Consequently an exercise of tokenism is thus promoted to satisfy requirements for effective local community participation. In most cases ultimate development decisions are taken by the management and political leadership and not in direct consultation with local communities. Notwithstanding the above, it appears that local governments’ institutional capacities to effectively deliver on their mandate appear potentiated when viewed from the extent of supporting legal and institutional frameworks which gives credence to local governance. Local governments possess a powerful list of constitutionally sanctioned guiding frameworks which should necessarily inure to their smooth operation. Ironically there are noted deliberate systemic and political processes which tend to constraint this smooth function. In the least central government deliberately keeps a functionally dependent relationship with local governments. One direct result of the subjection of local government within this perpetual highly dependent functional relationship is a continual blurring of roles. Local governments appear to be perpetually subjugated to functional obscurity by central governments through incomplete decentralisation, strained internal relationships, and unhealthy ‘politicking’ between District Assembly members and administrative staff to say the least. Although most decentralised departments appear to have competent technical staff, their function is limited because of numerical insufficiency as well as limited material and logistical support.

The thesis identifies several characteristics intrinsic to a process of local economic development. Intended as a proactive and endogenous process, local economic development seeks to reduce a region's reliance on exported primary resources and external economies. Strategies intended to encourage the process frequently address two factors: how capital leakages can be decreased and how the value of exports can be increased. The thesis addresses two variables in local economic development. One is the role of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurial ventures facilitate new technologies and services, provide competition to existing companies and create new jobs which are locally based and owner-operated. A second variable is the twofold role played by education and the colleges in particular in facilitating the establishment of an environment which is conducive to entrepreneurship. As learning institutions, the colleges have an important role to play in the promotion of attitudes and values required to encourage entrepreneurial ventures. A second role is to identify and address regional economic development opportunities. Informational barriers, in the form of poor access to business educational services, restrict the numbers of entrepreneurial ventures in the province and contribute to high numbers of business failures. A college-based enterprise development centre is introduced in the thesis as a novel way to overcome these barriers and address the needs of the entrepreneur and the small business owner/operator. In their association with the colleges, these centres could also serve to promote attitudes and values which make entrepreneurship and self-employment a feasible option in the minds of college students. The thesis identifies three particular objectives for a college-based enterprise development centre: to deliver highly responsive and flexible educational services to the small business sector; to establish a close and interactive relationship between the college and the small business sector in order to encourage experiential learning and enhanced levels of entrepreneurship among the students, and to identify and facilitate the training for local economic development opportunities. These objectives are contained in a model EDC which is used as a yardstick to evaluate eight enterprise development centres established by the colleges in B.C. via the Local Economic Development and Renewal Fund (LERD). Four particular areas of interest constitute the basis of the evaluation: the extent to which the centres are engaged in a process which contributes to local economic development and the creation of new wealth; the flexible delivery of educational services to the small business sector; the promotion of entrepreneurship; and the integration of the centres with their respective colleges. The most dominant impact of the B.C. enterprise development centres appears to be in the delivery of educational services to the small business sector. The centres provide one-to-one counselling and business services in a way which is flexible and responsive to the needs of the small business sector. They are also actively promoting entrepreneurship in that they have helped to establish support and professional networks for new entrepreneurs. Two primary weaknesses of the existing B.C. structure are the reactive nature of the centres' activities and their weak and poorly integrated links to the colleges. Two overall conclusions are drawn. One, as few regional policies appear to be in place to encourage the formulation of a regional strategy, the thesis concludes that the LERD fund is not reflective of renewed support for regional planning and development in the province. Also, there is little evidence to suggest that a decentralization effort intended to create more local autonomy and control over the colleges is occurring. A second conclusion is that the colleges are not being restructured in order that they may become more pro-actively involved in a process of local economic development. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

By 1994 education in South Africa had collapsed (TRC, 1998; CCOLT, 1996). In response, South Africa's first non-racial government initiated a wide ranging School Reform (SR) program. However, almost a decade after the reforms commenced there have been very few substantial changes in the majority of South African schools: The Education Rights Project (2003a) and the South African Human Rights Commission argue that SR is failing the majority of South Africans. This thesis explores an alternative, School-Community Development (SCD), that integrates school reforms with programs that draw members of the school's neighbouring community (the "school-community") into the process of changing schools. I argue that SR is an inadequate response to the problems that confront schools. Using the case study method I show that SR is enhanced when integrated with locally developed social, cultural, economic, and school development programs. The thesis makes two contributions to the literature. First, the thesis challenges the "simplistic solutions to educational problems" (Anyon, 1997, p. 12) that constitute SR. Second, the thesis presents a materially grounded critique of SR in South Africa that evokes the "multiple voices" (Sayed, 2002, p. 32) from the four case study schools. Accordingly, our understanding of "making change work at the micro level", a neglected area of South African educational research (Sayed and Jansen, 2001, p. 7), is enhanced. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

This thesis develops a general theory of choice behaviour which is applied to the analysis of response to development programmes in rural India. The theory focuses on the social processes which structure perceived choice parameters for individuals differentially situated within the village communities. It examines those mechanisms which influence the range of alternatives likely to be considered, appreciation of their varied consequences, or the likely outcome of new proposals, and their perceived and actual feasibility. A basic concept in the theory is "power", defined here as "the ability to influence the structuring of choice parameters of others", through control over critical mechanisms of information flow, persuasion, and access to input facilities. Ten hypotheses are derived from the basic theoretical axiom of rational action, concerned with how such control will be exercised, and the implications which this has for the scope of choices open to others. Rural development programmes in India provide the substantive context for testing the utility of these hypotheses. These programmes are directly concerned with promoting innovation among villagers, and they incorporate a wide range of specific choices. The theory predicts that within the highly stratified village communities, first hand access to new information, and further diffusion at second hand, will be concentrated among members of the same faction and* social stratum as initially privileged informants. Vertical diffusion of information across strata will be minimal, and its content strongly biased by the particular interests of initial informants. The theory further predicts that evaluation of the merits of any new proposals will be strongly influenced by the character of relations between informant and recipients. As information flows vertically between strata, its persuasive impact will decline, as a function of relatively poorer quality information, the extent of tensions and conflicting interests between strata, and perceived economic disparities. Lastly, the theory predicts that access to any input facilities will be concentrated among members of the same faction and social stratum as those persons responsible for their distribution. Access by members of other strata will decline with increasing social distance, and their preferences are progressively less likely to be considered in the investment of resources for community projects. The study succeeds in demonstrating the utility of these hypotheses in predicting response to development projects within the five village communities. / Arts, Faculty of / Sociology, Department of / Graduate

Greater Vancouver has experienced a dramatic influx of international immigration in the past three decades. This demographic change has two major implications for sustainable development in this region. First, the increase of population is placing great pressure on the environment and maintaining the current quality of life. Second, while it is critical to include the rapidly-growing immigrant population in the Greater Vancouver region's sustainability initiatives, the increasing ethnic diversity of this region raises issues of communication and cross-cultural understanding. This exploratory study examines Chinese immigrants housing preferences and explores their implications for sustainable community development in Greater Vancouver. This study focuses on Chinese immigrants because they have an increasing influence on the region's physical, cultural and political landscape. Through 30 in-depth interviews with Chinese immigrants of qualitatively different backgrounds, this study examined preferences for home location, attributes of dwelling, and its proximal space. The study employed grounded theory approach assisted with picture comparison and trade-off game techniques. Results indicate that Chinese immigrants' housing aspirations are strongly influenced by a desire to assimilate into mainstream culture in North America. Further, considerations of traditional Chinese v housing form and style are not a priority among the study group. However, an array of social and economic constraints and priorities inform their housing choices. Amenities that are important to Chinese immigrants are identified for various aspects of a community. A number of recommendations are drawn from these priorities and preferences, which may be applied by planners, policy makers, designers and developers of sustainable communities for Chinese immigrant populations. Additional observations on language barriers, civic involvement, and community outreach programs suggest challenges and opportunities to promote sustainable living among Chinese immigrants. / Science, Faculty of / Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute for / Graduate

Religious architecture has historically played a primary role in both the study and the development of architectural practices and theories. Undoubtedly, this influence is tied to the position which religious institutions have historically held in shaping cultural values. However, American culture has transitioned into a position where religious organizations are often no longer the primary authority for determining cultural, social, and interpersonal values for many Americans. Additionally many individuals have, for one reason or another, become uncomfortable or feel unwelcome in traditional church structures due to the historical hierarchies associated with them, the innate formality of the spaces, the perceptions of expected behaviors, or discomfort with language and interpretations of spirituality or religion. These changes have had a major impact on the economic and functional dynamics to which religious institutions must now adhere. While churches remain a venue for architectural expression, they no longer hold the position as the primary source for considering architectural culture; which has, for the most part, transitioned to museums, cultural, commercial, or office buildings. It is clear that the manner in which religious organizations operate and conduct themselves must therefore evolve in order to respond to these new forces, and so must the architecture which houses them. Only by adapting to these new pressures can these religious organizations hope to remain relevant and active in the changing cultural climate where religious institutions and religious individuals are often greeted with skepticism and suspicion. Many religious institutions have already recognized this need for change. The manner in which they hold their services and reach out to the community has changed in response to new cultural mores and trends. Architecture, as the structure which houses these changing religious organizations, must adapt to these new situations as well. The architecture houses, and therefore must adapt to, the new processes and practices which must function within these institutions. Architecture however, must also take into account other facets of the organization beyond just these functions. It has the ability to achieve many other objectives which can support the ongoing goals of these contemporary religious institutions. Since architecture acts as one of the fundamental outward faces of these organizations, it has a major and fundamental influence upon how the public perceive a religious institution. It is the intent of this thesis to investigate how church architecture may facilitate community oriented goals. These goals include, but are not limited to: creating an environment where individual exploration of spirituality becomes an accepted part of community activities, promoting localized economic development, instilling within the community a sense of value and ownership to generate community pride and stakeholdership, increasing community outreach, and the development of other programs which activate and benefit the local area. With regards to the architectural exploration, the intention is to approach this by addressing questions concerning perception, style, outward appearance, proximity, and operation. This includes consideration of programmatic functions which, while they may not be inherent to churches, may be useful in generating community interaction and intersection. Additionally, architecture has certain psychological capabilities which may be utilized to address personal reservations regarding churches. By considering what architectural elements are symbolic of religious organizations and strategically employing or eliminating them, one can build upon or counter the impressions which may exist about what a church is or should be. The examination of these issues within the context of an abandoned local mill building expands the richness and potential for this type of investigation by exploring its fundamental contributions to the historic development of the community. By introducing a spiritual component to this historically secular building one alters associations and defuses potential misgivings, as well as highlights a more welcoming avenue for promoting spiritual exploration within the community. By promoting adjacency and proximity of everyday activities and beneficial programs to hospitable spiritual activities, the architecture has the potential to meld different uses together. Additionally, the community aspect of this project may have the capacity to expand, specifically when considering how architecture may have the potential to promote a spiritually open community. Furthermore, by considering these goals in the context of an abandoned mill building, it is hoped that parallels can be made between the historical significance of the structure, and that of religion; and that by studying the two in tandem one can elevate the status of both. The focus here is not upon elevating religion or history for their own sake but rather in lifting them up as symbols of the communities which they serve and using them to lead development and revitalization in their locations.

Thesis (MDEV. (Planning and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Development projects have been widely implemented in South Africa and the rest of the world in order to promote social and economic development. While many projects generate some income for beneficiaries, when they are assessed within the broader context of the meaning of development, it is not so clear if, in fact, they have made such impact. In its efforts to reduce poverty and unemployment and to grow the local economy, Lepelle-Nkumpi Municipality has implemented many community development projects. While the municipality has used its Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) to support such projects, the impact on the livelihoods of beneficiaries does not appear to be as pronounced. The aim of this study was therefore to assess more systematic and greater depth, the impact of community development projects in sustaining the livelihoods of communities in Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality in Limpopo Province. The study was based on mixed methods research design where a small sample of nine beneficiaries from five different types of projects (crop farming, poultry farming, early childhood development (ECD) and tourism), and two municipal officials or other stakeholders were interviewed. Interviews were used to collect primary data from the respondents, and secondary data was collected from sources such as IDP reports, journals and articles. The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework was adopted as the theoretical lens for the analysis of selected projects. The findings from the study indicate that although beneficiaries of projects that were studied benefited in terms of income and employment, project interventions had a limited impact because they did not lead to any significant acquisition of assets by beneficiaries. The income was also deemed to be insufficient for the needs of the participants. Furthermore, there was no evidence that the beneficiaries were empowered by the projects. Key words: Livelihoods; projects, development, sustainability, capability.

Thesis (MDEV.) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Industrial development without proper environmental management is likely to have an environmental effect by impacting negatively on community sustainable development, the biological environment such as fauna and flora, heritage resources such as Modjadji cycard trees, the baobab and the physical environment, such as air, water and land. It could also potentially impact the quality of life and the natural resources, while, on the other hand, contributing positively to economic development. Exposure to environmental pollution remains a major source of health risk throughout the world. Risks are however generally higher in most developing countries where there is lack of knowledge of modern technologies, cleaner production. Furthermore, there is also often non-compliance with environmental legislation. The above challenges have stimulated the current researcher to embark on this research study. The study seeks to investigate the impact of environmental management of the industrial sector on sustainable community development in selected municipalities of Mopani District in Limpopo Province. Despite major efforts over recent years to clean the environment; pollution remains a major problem and poses continuous risks to health of the people. This study is concerned with how community sustainable development is impacted negatively by poor environmental management of industrial sectors. The study uses selected municipalities in Mopani District of Limpopo Province as the study area. Mopani District is a very sensitive area as it consists of protected areas, indigenous forests, biospheres, wetlands, endangered species (Modjadji cycads), as well as cultural heritage sites. Most people in the area depend on agricultural activities that are likely to be affected by climate change as a result of industrial pollution and non-compliance with environmental management. In this study, the researcher adopts the mixed methods approach which includes both qualitative and quantitative research. The methods enabled the researcher to critically analyse the impact of environmental management of industrial sector on sustainable community development in selected municipalities of Mopani District in Limpopo Province. Both interviews and questionnaires were employed to conduct the study. The objectives of the analysis are to identify and appraise aspects of environmental management that impact negatively on sustainable community development. Challenges that hamper the effectiveness of environmental management were also investigated. The findings showed that bad odours emanating from the industries result in a lack of sustainability as well as symptoms of illness amongst community members. The study further finds that poor environmental management impacts negatively on local economic development. Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made to assist stakeholders with environmental management and sustainable community development: Owners of the industries should be encouraged to avoid issues that may have a negative impact on matters related to natural and human disaster, so as to achieve sustainable community development. They should be encouraged to adhere to environmental laws, so as to curb the generation of toxic waste. Policy makers should be encouraged to develop interventions and environmental strategies to compel owners of industries to adhere to all legislations related to environmental management. This process could assist local municipalities to achieve sustainable development in the Mopani District.

Thesis (MBA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2018 / Agricultural co-operatives have an extremely high failure rate in South Africa. This has created a loss of co-operative financing support from development institutions in the country. Co-operatives are one of the driving tools to job creation and economic growth in rural communities, it is thus unfortunate and alarming if these co-operatives are failing to drive such developmental change in society. It is thus imperative to investigate the factors that led to the collapse and failure of these co-operatives. This study was conducted in the Sekhukhune district of the Limpopo province. The aim of the study was to investigate the factors that led to the collapse and failure of agricultural co-operatives within the area. Twenty eight participants participated in the study. Within the 28, co-operative members, co-operative executives and mentors were provided with questionnaires which were used to asses the factors that may have led to the collapse and failure of the co-operatives, a quantitative research approach was used to collect and analyse data. One of the major findings was that conflicts are a major source of collapse of co-operatives. A number of other factors were derived from the findings, such findings are stipulated in full within the research document