A major challenge facing communities across the Province of Ontario is the provision of educational facilities for students while balancing community-planning objectives. In recent years, it has become clear that Provincial and local policies coupled with demographic and financial pressures are leading to more closures and the loss of the public resources that are local schools. In the last three years, 172 schools have been slated for closure. In addition, public outcry has grown in volume as the Accommodation Review process is cited as an unsatisfying exercise for all those involved. From a planning perspective, schools are an irreplaceable resource in a community, yet current policy structures have left planners with no power to protect public assets while school boards are limited in the ability to find creative alternative solutions to closure. Therefore, to gain a broader understanding of the policies and processes governing Accommodation Reviews, this research was guided by these key questions: • What roles do school board and provincial policies play in school closure process? • How do these policies affect the pedagogical landscape? • What is the impact of school closures on their respective communities? • How do these educational governance methods compare to community planning policies? • Can school board objectives be reconciled with community planning objectives? These questions were addressed through qualitative surveys and interviews with School Board and Municipal officials and staff. The survey was completed with 39 responses across four communities in Southwest Ontario. The survey and interviews discovered a major gap in the knowledge of local officials pertaining to the comprehensive impact of school closures. In addition, responses spurred further investigation into the policies governing school boards including funding formula and public consultation guidelines. When asked, key respondents pointed to the lack of flexibility and the poor structure of the Province’s Education funding formula as the main challenge for providing educational facilities. In addition, the lack of collaboration between local municipalities and school boards in conjunction with the lack of cohesiveness in Provincial policy mandates from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs were found to ultimately compound the problems and the frustrations associated with the Accommodation Review process. Of the School Board officials surveyed and interviewed, very few saw the need for comprehensive collaboration with municipalities and local residents. However, nearly every planner surveyed or interviewed criticized this mindset as shortsighted and myopic. This paper found that for the provision of public goods, such as education policies, there is a need to provide flexibility for the local context. Municipalities must have a role to play in the process and must collaborate with local School Boards. In addition, the Accommodation Review process is limited by outdated funding policies from the Province and lacks the public empowerment that leads to creative decision-making with involvement of the electorate.

This report addresses three important issues around active living and how planning, health and governmental agencies are addressing active living in their spheres of influence. Initially the report uses a literature review to determine if research shows that characteristics of the physical environment influence active lifestyle choices and behaviors. This review also includes whether state and local governments and non-profit agencies are incorporating active lifestyle goals in important planning and policy decisions affecting the local physical and natural environment. The literature review supports links between the physical environment and active living but does not establish a causal link. Regarding the question of whether state and local governments and non-profit agencies are incorporating active lifestyle goals in important planning and policy decisions, the research reveals that there is a low level of inclusion of health goals within planning efforts. The body of work in this report is focused on understanding the level of knowledge and the degree of cooperation among local actors around active living issues in Texas. The report explores this question through a survey targeted at public and non-profit organizations that have the potential to influence conditions supporting active lifestyles in Texas communities. While this survey and results focus on Texas communities, given the breadth of the responses, the results are likely applicable outside Texas. The research found collaboration around active living in Texas was widespread among the departments and organizations represented by the survey. Many communities have implemented active living programs or projects, however, most communities have not completed active living assessments to prioritize active living needs. Funding was the most important factor in addressing barriers to active living. Other important factors in addressing these barriers included education, sample policies and programs, best practices and case studies, and access to local experts and community groups. Strong community support and local government leadership were the most important factors in creating an environment that supports active learning. / text

Inadequate solid waste management is a principal cause of risk and vulnerability in informal settlements in Latin America. Failure of municipalities to provide proper waste disposal and maintenance of public spaces can lead to flooding, cause public health problems, increase crime, and produce a sense of abandonment. Accumulation of garbage is particularly hazardous for children, since they engage more intimately with their environment through play and other activities. Planners can draw on participatory activities to document children’s perspectives and activities, and in so doing, better integrate children and youth into the planning process. This paper presents the results of drawing exercises conducted with children in Los Platanitos, Dominican Republic, and discusses the implications of these methods for more participatory planning approaches in informal settlements. / text

In 2005, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada – Saskatchewan Region initiated a comprehensive community planning (CCP) pilot project with 11 different Saskatchewan First Nations (and their affiliated Tribal Councils) that ran until March 2011. It consisted of three phases (2006, 2008, and 2009) where 11 First Nations participated in the planning process with professional planners from the Cities and Environment Unit (CEU) from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Comprehensive community planning was chosen because it is a holistic planning model that involves community members participation and decision-making in determining the future direction within each community. It is becoming more prominent within First Nation communities across Canada so it was timely to reflect upon the planning process undertaken during the pilot project to determine promising factors or areas of improvement. This study utilizes interviews to gather the reflections of First Nations, Tribal Council representatives, planners, and government officials about the current state of comprehensive community planning in Saskatchewan and what, if any, changes need to be considered. This thesis research indicates strong attempts to perform Indigenous Planning within First Nation communities; however, improvements can be made in certain areas. In order to promote Indigenous Planning more prominently within First Nations, it is important to have strong leadership and community support, continuous experience and skill building opportunities, thorough incorporation of the First Nations culture into any future development by attempting to be comprehensive and holistic, and by reevaluating the role planners play when working with First Nations and their comprehensive community plans.

A major challenge facing communities across the Province of Ontario is the provision of educational facilities for students while balancing community-planning objectives. In recent years, it has become clear that Provincial and local policies coupled with demographic and financial pressures are leading to more closures and the loss of the public resources that are local schools. In the last three years, 172 schools have been slated for closure. In addition, public outcry has grown in volume as the Accommodation Review process is cited as an unsatisfying exercise for all those involved. From a planning perspective, schools are an irreplaceable resource in a community, yet current policy structures have left planners with no power to protect public assets while school boards are limited in the ability to find creative alternative solutions to closure. Therefore, to gain a broader understanding of the policies and processes governing Accommodation Reviews, this research was guided by these key questions: • What roles do school board and provincial policies play in school closure process? • How do these policies affect the pedagogical landscape? • What is the impact of school closures on their respective communities? • How do these educational governance methods compare to community planning policies? • Can school board objectives be reconciled with community planning objectives? These questions were addressed through qualitative surveys and interviews with School Board and Municipal officials and staff. The survey was completed with 39 responses across four communities in Southwest Ontario. The survey and interviews discovered a major gap in the knowledge of local officials pertaining to the comprehensive impact of school closures. In addition, responses spurred further investigation into the policies governing school boards including funding formula and public consultation guidelines. When asked, key respondents pointed to the lack of flexibility and the poor structure of the Province’s Education funding formula as the main challenge for providing educational facilities. In addition, the lack of collaboration between local municipalities and school boards in conjunction with the lack of cohesiveness in Provincial policy mandates from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs were found to ultimately compound the problems and the frustrations associated with the Accommodation Review process. Of the School Board officials surveyed and interviewed, very few saw the need for comprehensive collaboration with municipalities and local residents. However, nearly every planner surveyed or interviewed criticized this mindset as shortsighted and myopic. This paper found that for the provision of public goods, such as education policies, there is a need to provide flexibility for the local context. Municipalities must have a role to play in the process and must collaborate with local School Boards. In addition, the Accommodation Review process is limited by outdated funding policies from the Province and lacks the public empowerment that leads to creative decision-making with involvement of the electorate.

This research examines the sustainability and participatory objectives of the UK’s planning system in a geographical context. It aims to explore the relationships between communities and place, and the connections between national government, local governments and communities in planning processes and outcomes. It also considers the role of planning in shaping places and communities, and how planning endeavours to include communities in decision-making through encouraging participation in community activities. This thesis argues that there is a gap between planning policy and rhetoric and the implementation of policy within specific community contexts. The research is a piece of collaborative research conducted with the planning department at North Devon Council (NDC). Through developing an original empirical case study of data from parishes within North Devon, planning’s sustainability and participatory agendas are examined through the framework of second homes considered a distinct yet related form of tourism (Jaakson, 1986). The research unpicks popular understandings of second homes through quantitative and qualitative research and argues that there are nuanced existences and experiences of second home properties, compounding the difficulty of defining these properties that produce both non-permanent residents and semi- permanent tourists. Exploration of the socio-economic contributions of second homes within host communities suggests that second homes have potential to contribute unsustainable traits, particularly social impacts, to host communities while also having potential to bring positive, predominantly economic, contributions. The empirical research demonstrates that notions of community from resident and policy maker perspectives illustrate that place is not necessary to understanding or experiencing community but has a key role in framing both policy and North Devon residents’ perceptions of community. Through examining the most recent round of democratic renewal in the planning system, issues of power and responsibility within planning functions are reviewed. It argues that the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition neighbourhood planning obligations reveal a dichotomy between community desire for power and the realism of heightened responsibility.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Katherine Nesse / In November of 2012, the state of Colorado officially ended an 80 year national prohibition of recreational marijuana by voting to pass Amendment 64. This shift in state policy generated a multitude of economic opportunities for jurisdictions throughout the state. However, the location and volume of production and sale that is authorized is ultimately determined at the city and county level. Localities in Colorado are charged with regulating the new industry in the same manner as they do other locally unwanted land uses (LULUs) such as sex-oriented businesses, halfway houses and liquor stores. This paper examines community planning approaches involving the legalization of recreational marijuana in rural Colorado. The goal of this report is to serve as a document that can be used by jurisdictions that are poised to legalize in the future, as a reference when examining best practice for the regulation of a new recreational marijuana industry. I collected data through one-on-one interviews with city and county planners throughout Colorado. The focus of the research is two-fold: to determine what approach the planning staff took towards managing recreational marijuana in their jurisdiction and to determine why the planning staff chose the approach that they did. Through the course of this research, I have found that conservative communities are treating recreational marijuana shops as nuisance or vice businesses and are using there zoning and regulatory powers to push the shops outside of city limits. Progressive communities have taken a more inclusive approach and in return are profiting from the new market. The struggle between state law and local public perception in these jurisdictions may be the major reason why some communities are not benefiting from the public revenue being generated by Amendment 64.

The purpose of this thesis is to provide leaders with a clear explanation of commercial corridor revitalization, standard for evaluation, and justification for the support of existing and future commercial corridor revitalization districts in New Orleans, LA. This thesis begins with a definition of commercial corridor revitalization and discussion of how it has been applied in New Orleans, LA. A standard framework for commercial corridor revitalization development and assessment is also established with several steps for implementation included. To test the feasibility, significance and relevance of the proposed framework, all of the steps mentioned were implemented in the New Orleans East Town Center Case Study. Key findings of this research may contribute to the providing a tool that evaluates criteria for evaluating city-wide policies to support the sustainability and vitality of existing and future commercial corridor revitalization districts in New Orleans, LA.

The purpose of this study was to address the need for a straightforward and practical tool for evaluating public transit accessibility to places of employment. The need for such a study stems from the widespread adoption of planning policies by Canadian municipalities seeking to promote public transit commuting as part of their broader efforts to develop environmentally and socially sustainable transportation systems. To date, planners have not had any practical methods for identifying barriers to public transit commuting nor for evaluating the extent to which stated goals and objectives are being achieved. <p> The study was conducted in three stages. First, a Comprehensive Definition of Public Transit Commuter Needs was developed by means of a literature review, a survey questionnaire, and consultations with sustainable transportation advocacy groups. In the second stage, the Comprehensive Definition of Public Transit Commuter Needs was used as a framework for creating the Public Transit Commuter Accessibility Audit. Through a six-step process that involves the collection of both qualitative and quantitative data, this tool provides planners with a means of identifying any potential obstacles or deterrents to public transit travel within the context of actual spatio-temporal commuter flows. The practical utility of the Public Transit Commuter Accessibility Audit was tested in the third stage by means of two case studies conducted in the City of Ottawa, Canada. <p> This study has shown that commuters require a broad array of infrastructure, facilities and services in order for public transit to represent a viable travel option. It has also revealed that responsibility for promoting public transit commuting rests not only with transit agencies, but also with land use and transportation planners, private developers and employers. Furthermore, the case studies successfully demonstrated that application of the Public Transit Commuter Accessibility Audit can provide a preliminary indication of problem areas where direct planning interventions may be required, where municipal planning policies may need revision or more aggressive implementation, or where new policies may be necessary in order to increase the viability of public transit commuting.

The purpose of this study was to address the need for a straightforward and practical tool for evaluating public transit accessibility to places of employment. The need for such a study stems from the widespread adoption of planning policies by Canadian municipalities seeking to promote public transit commuting as part of their broader efforts to develop environmentally and socially sustainable transportation systems. To date, planners have not had any practical methods for identifying barriers to public transit commuting nor for evaluating the extent to which stated goals and objectives are being achieved. <p> The study was conducted in three stages. First, a Comprehensive Definition of Public Transit Commuter Needs was developed by means of a literature review, a survey questionnaire, and consultations with sustainable transportation advocacy groups. In the second stage, the Comprehensive Definition of Public Transit Commuter Needs was used as a framework for creating the Public Transit Commuter Accessibility Audit. Through a six-step process that involves the collection of both qualitative and quantitative data, this tool provides planners with a means of identifying any potential obstacles or deterrents to public transit travel within the context of actual spatio-temporal commuter flows. The practical utility of the Public Transit Commuter Accessibility Audit was tested in the third stage by means of two case studies conducted in the City of Ottawa, Canada. <p> This study has shown that commuters require a broad array of infrastructure, facilities and services in order for public transit to represent a viable travel option. It has also revealed that responsibility for promoting public transit commuting rests not only with transit agencies, but also with land use and transportation planners, private developers and employers. Furthermore, the case studies successfully demonstrated that application of the Public Transit Commuter Accessibility Audit can provide a preliminary indication of problem areas where direct planning interventions may be required, where municipal planning policies may need revision or more aggressive implementation, or where new policies may be necessary in order to increase the viability of public transit commuting.