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This dissertation critiques, develops and applies a form of spatial semiotics, specifically topological semiotics, as a means of interpreting and analyzing the design, operation, use and ideological issues of West Edmonton 'Mega'-Mall (WEM) in the context of postmodern culture. Doing so promotes an understanding of the theoretical and analytical utility and limitations semiotics and postmodernism may hold for landscape studies, while furthering our knowledge about the design and social life of multi-purpose, indoor environments. Drawing from several key geographical concepts (landscape, place, placelessness), semiotic notions (icon, language, myth, sign, signification), postmodern issues (heterotopia, the crisis of interpretation, the linguistic turn), and empirical data (on-site observations, off-site questionnaires, secondary academic, government and corporate studies), the concepts of placial icon, simulated landscape and elsewhereness are developed to critique a "way of seeing" and explain what was viewed at the mega-mall. WEM's postmodern, heterotopic milieu of myths and elsewhereness is argued to collapse due to the mall's dual role as tourist centre/civic centre, making WEM an unoriginal, placeless, homotopic nowhere. Despite their theoretically overburdened and methodologically underdeveloped status, semiotics and postmodernism are shown to be useful catalysts for posing questions and initiating criticisms relevant to contemporary social theory, landscape studies and substantive social issues.

Thèse (M.A.) - University of Alberta, 1978. / In Nos racines. Bibliogr.: f. 158-166. Publié aussi en version papier.

This study traces the development of community recreation in Edmonton from the time of the initiation of the community leagues to the present, and concludes with an evaluation of their present and possible future status. It is particularly pertinent because of the long history of community recreation in Edmonton and because the Edmonton Recreation Commission is probably the strongest public recreation agency in western Canada. The growth of the community league movement and of the Federation of Community Leagues are traced. The establishment of the Edmonton Recreation Commission, the resulting conflict with the Federation, and emerging relationship are discussed. Prom the study of Edmonton and its agencies serving the recreation needs of the people, the next logical step in organization for recreation in the city is indicated. The suggestions made for the future are based on accepted principles of professional community organization but the application of these principles is predicated on a clear interpretation of past and existing relationships between community agencies. One principle peculiarly applicable in Edmonton is that whenever possible the public recreation programme should be operated through only one organization in each community. Because of the varied nature of recreation an organization with a broad objective is best suited to this function but at the same time the functions of other agencies must be clearly defined to avoid duplication of effort. The suggested community reorganization for recreation in Edmonton is an example of co-ordinating recreation agencies within a city and redefining their areas of concern. The problem is not peculiar to Edmonton, and the suggested reorganization is not necessarily applicable elsewhere. There are, however, methods and principles indicated that should be generally applicable to similar situations. Primary source material has been used wherever possible including newspaper articles, minutes of community league meetings, the constitution of the- Federation of Community Leagues, personal interviews and personal experiences. In addition reference has been made to leading professional authorities in the field of community organization for recreation, and to pamphlets and booklets issued by national and international agencies in the field. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

School-Site Decision-Making (SSDM) has been widely discussed in Canada and the United States. The decision to implement SSDM represents a major departure from the traditional authority structure. It requires the concurrence of many key parties such as teachers, principals and school officials. Proponents believe that SSDM can help to improve the quality of schooling by giving more flexibility in curriculum content and deployment of instructional resources. It is for these reasons that the authorities in Singapore have been exploring various innovations which can help to improve the school system. One of the most talked-about SSDM projects is the one launched by the Edmonton Public School Board in 1976. It is widely regarded as the "lighthouse" system of SSDM. This report describes the studies carried out on two schools in the Edmonton system. One was a K-9 community school, the other a senior high comprehensive school. The case studies examined what happens when a major innovation such as SSDM is introduced - what the problems are, how they are solved, and to what extent the goals are achieved. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

This Thesis Project is about remembrance and its embodiment in the retention of the physical history of place. That history is both individual and collective, oscillating through time, admitting the present into the past and the past into the future. The Project reflects upon the physical artifact and the circumstances of place which are its own history. Projected upon this reflection is the human experience of that artifact and of that place. In addition, within the realm of the artifact, exists the systemic, an interrelationship between and within which induces a conceptual and physiological layering. The systemic, in turn, has a temporal aspect which engages both of the focal ideas, memory and history. The figures which follow record the transformation (or remembering) of an existing Hotel structure, known as the Commercial Hotel, located in the Old Strathcona district of Edmonton. The program reinvents the existing hotel, bar, restaurant and retail components into a more intensive layering, or system, of variable accommodation, pub, micro brewery, restaurant and performance venue. The existing artifact is an armature for this reinvention, woven into the project additions, reassessing relationships to wall, vertical separation, and inside versus outside. The Project configures itself as having a strong street edge along the main thoroughfare of Strathcona, Whyte Avenue, consistent with the morphological history of this place, which is penetrated by a formal passage through the site. The passage opens up into a performance court, previously a parking lot, which is an extension of the pub and restaurant, and an opportunity for the site to intimately engage the variety of festivals which the Old Strathcona neighbourhood annually hosts. The site becomes a destination of multiplicity, beyond the established renown of the Commercial Hotel as a Jazz and Blues venue. In addition, this multiplicity is embodied by the opening up of the internal system of the existing building, through the vertical penetration of the brewery component. Thus, the systemic of relationships is continuously engaged within the memory of the artifact.

This Thesis Project is about remembrance and its embodiment in the retention of the physical history of place. That history is both individual and collective, oscillating through time, admitting the present into the past and the past into the future. The Project reflects upon the physical artifact and the circumstances of place which are its own history. Projected upon this reflection is the human experience of that artifact and of that place. In addition, within the realm of the artifact, exists the systemic, an interrelationship between and within which induces a conceptual and physiological layering. The systemic, in turn, has a temporal aspect which engages both of the focal ideas, memory and history. The figures which follow record the transformation (or remembering) of an existing Hotel structure, known as the Commercial Hotel, located in the Old Strathcona district of Edmonton. The program reinvents the existing hotel, bar, restaurant and retail components into a more intensive layering, or system, of variable accommodation, pub, micro brewery, restaurant and performance venue. The existing artifact is an armature for this reinvention, woven into the project additions, reassessing relationships to wall, vertical separation, and inside versus outside. The Project configures itself as having a strong street edge along the main thoroughfare of Strathcona, Whyte Avenue, consistent with the morphological history of this place, which is penetrated by a formal passage through the site. The passage opens up into a performance court, previously a parking lot, which is an extension of the pub and restaurant, and an opportunity for the site to intimately engage the variety of festivals which the Old Strathcona neighbourhood annually hosts. The site becomes a destination of multiplicity, beyond the established renown of the Commercial Hotel as a Jazz and Blues venue. In addition, this multiplicity is embodied by the opening up of the internal system of the existing building, through the vertical penetration of the brewery component. Thus, the systemic of relationships is continuously engaged within the memory of the artifact. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of / Graduate

Land use and transportation are dynamic processes continually reacting to the pressures of urban development and societal change. Although the theoretical literature supports the notion that land use and transportation should be planned and managed in a co-ordinated fashion, the empirical evidence suggests that land use and transportation decisions are still made largely independent of each other. The thesis maintains that an emphasis on the substantive approach in the planning process has led to a misunderstanding of the manner in which the institutional framework can influence the co-ordinated development of land use and transportation. Several institutional factors are involved including; the organizational framework, the process of integration within the framework, and the strategies developed to implement societal goals and objectives. Specific concerns include; fragmentation of authority, lack of authority, a reactive planning process, and the lack of formal mechanisms for implementation. An adaptive, process-oriented model of institutional integration is proposed that blends two elements of an effective planning process: the co-ordinated development of land use and transportation and the integration of organizational components within the institutional framework. The thesis suggests that one cannot successfully implement strategic change without making compensating and reinforcing changes to the process and structure. The degree of risk and uncertainty within the environment is the qualifying factor that maintains a proper 'fit' within the planning process. The latter part of the thesis examines the institutional framework responsible for the development of the City of Edmonton's Northeast light rapid transit system. The analysis reveals that although rapid transit was seen as a means of accomplishing compact growth and development little redevelopment has occurred along the transit corridor, particularly at the level envisaged by the city planners. A number of institutional factors have contributed to the lack of development including; a dynamic and complex environment, a reactive planning process, the lack of formal integrative mechanisms, separate and, at times, independent land use and transportation planning processes, and disincentives towards redevelopment such as the redevelopment levy and zoning freeze. The application of the integrated institutional model suggests the need for a number of integrative mechanisms that were not evident within the institutional framework responsible for Edmonton's light rapid transit system. The study reveals that the institutional framework influences the effectiveness of land use planning along a rapid transit corridor and that integrative mechanisms are required within the planning process in order to effectively co-ordinate the development of land use and transportation. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

In recent years, there has been a trend in Canada towards a model of social assistance which is pro-active in getting people off social assistance and into the labour force. Despite the proliferation of supply-side focussed programs emphasizing training and employment-counselling, however, there has been little research and evaluation of workfare models in the Canadian context. The purpose of this study is to explore the primary and secondary effects, as perceived by the clients, of a three month employment-counselling program (PSDN) that serves long-term unemployed social assistance recipients in Edmonton, Alberta. The qualitative study utilizes a basic time series (A-B) design for exploratory-descriptive purposes. Four categories of participants in the PSDN program are identified: Reactive, Pro-active, Restricted and Reluctant. The findings suggest that policies and programs need to acknowledge the diversity and heterogeneity of problems being faced by the unemployed on social assistance. There are potential benefits in developing programs for the unemployed on social assistance which are flexible, positive, motivating, and supportive. Clients require different levels of interventions and services depending on their needs. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a school-based Community Conferencing program utilized in response to student acts of misconduct or violence. The satisfaction levels of the various participants involved, the effects on suspension and expulsion rates, the rates of recidivism, the types and follow through of restoration agreements made, and the offences that respond best to Community Conferences were examined. Role-specific surveys were administered to the various participants in 12 Community Conferences with 105 surveys completed immediately following the Conference and 70 surveys completed via telephone four weeks after the completion of the Conference. Data were analyzed using descriptive, qualitative, and chi-square methods of analyses. This study provides evidence for the success and satisfaction of incorporating this type of restorative programming into current philosophies and policies within school divisions as an alternative to zero tolerance policies. Participants in various roles reported satisfaction with several aspects of the Conference and its outcome, positive personal changes resulting from the Conference, and positive experiences overall regarding participation. Additionally, a potential decrease in the use of suspension and expulsion, provides further support for its use. The findings of this study provide a baseline for satisfaction levels, types of restoration agreements made, and rates of recidivism regarding school-based Community Conferences. Results can aid in the process of decision-making for those considering the use of restorative programming in schools. Due to the high rates of overall satisfaction, the model used in this research by the Edmonton Public School Division, along with the suggestions made by the researcher, can provide a representation upon which others can base implementation of a similar program. / xv, 306 leaves ; 29 cm. --