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This research puts forth an examination of the relationship between municipal planning and short line freight railroads. Methodologically, it employs a content analysis framework that explores local master plans and zoning bylaws for the presence of concepts relevant to short line railroads. A historically omitted topic, the railroads are found to be frequently omitted from plans, often conflicting with civic and recreational interests despite their increasingly efficient ability, economic and environmental, to service numerous industries. Zoning bylaws show a disfavor to these entities, and at times may exceed their authority. Moreover, they may create physical and legal limitations to new, rail-sustained industry, as well as the rehabilitation of former industrial clusters. Findings related to regulatory preemption, transportation and land use policy, corridor conversion, and shifting land use patterns are presented. Consequentially, daunting implications may resonate for both the railroad and municipalities. Recommendations encompass municipal, regional, and state policy, as well as opportunities for multi-agency collaboration, economic development initiatives, and revised regulatory structures.

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal. / Depuis quelques années, les autorités publiques de nombreux pays se disent intéressées par l'intégration des politiques de gestion de l'eau et appuient l'idée d'une gestion intégrée de l'eau. Mais, quelle signification doit-on accorder à cette volonté en regard de la diversité des cultures nationales et des pratiques historiquement instituées? Quelle est plus précisément la portée d'une gestion planifiée des politiques de l'eau à l'échelle d'un bassin, à savoir les potentialités et contraintes politiques et techniques liées au territoire, et quels ajustements sont possibles lors de la mise en oeuvre d'une telle forme de gestion ? L'objectif général de la présente recherche est d'apporter un éclairage sur ces questions, en mettant l'accent sur les changements institutionnels survenus au Québec au cours des trente dernières années en matière de gestion de l'eau. Le sujet de cette recherche, qui est celui de la mise en oeuvre d'une gestion planifiée de l'eau et du territoire par les institutions publiques, rejoint le problème général de la durabilité de l'institution d'une approche ensembliste de gestion des ressources et du territoire et le problème spécifique de cette durabilité en regard du contexte particulier de l'aménagement d'un bassin, celui de la rivière Yamaska, dans la perspective d'un nouveau mode de régulation du territoire et de l'eau. Afin d'aborder ces problèmes, nous devons nous questionner sur le contexte de gestion de l'état québécois face à son territoire et les enjeux plus précis de la gestion de l'eau qui en découlent sous la forme de problèmes de régulation. Au Québec, il s'agit particulièrement d'observer et d'analyser comment les logiques d'acteurs institutionnels qui soutiennent une variété de régulations sectorielles vont s'imposer face à une logique d'ensemble dont témoigne le plan Yamaska. L'hypothèse centrale étant que ces logiques d'acteurs vont dominer la logique d'ensemble promue par l'État québécois à la fin des années 1960 et que cette domination va impliquer le renforcement des régulations sectorielles sur le territoire avec une série d'effets non anticipés qui mettent en péril le principe de durabilité recherché par le plan initial. L'exemple historique du plan d'aménagement du bassin de la Y amaska que nous utilisons comme étude de cas est révélateur des enjeux de la gestion de l'eau tels qu'ils structurent encore à la fin des années 1990, le contexte québécois de gestion de l'eau. L'évaluation, de nature qualitative et descriptive, veut mettre en évidence la signification à la fois politique, technique et territoriale du premier projet de gestion intégrée au Québec en soulevant l'importance du poids des acteurs institutionnels dans la régulation du territoire et les effets territoriaux de la structuration de la gestion de l'eau au Québec dans la durée. Ce cas révèle non seulement les difficultés de la gestion de l'eau, mais soulève le problème de structuration institutionnelle à l'origine de ces difficultés. Notre analyse est donc centrée sur une interprétation de la capacité limitée des acteurs institutionnels à réagir aux contraintes et contradictions territoriales révélées à travers la mise en œuvre du projet d'aménagement de la Yamaska qui se voulait unificateur, et sur les multiples territoires de la gestion de l'eau qui sont associés à un mode de gestion de l'eau fragmenté.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Howard Hahn / In Novato, California, zoning regulations and the city’s urban growth boundary (UGB) have restricted development on open agricultural and hillside land outside the city. These restrictions have added to a shortage of affordable homes in Novato in spite of a demand for housing. Population growth estimates suggest that this demand will continue and strategic development of land outside the current city boundaries will need to occur in order over the next 15-20 years (Bay Area Census Data 2010 and Heid 2004). This report outlines a process of land development which evaluates the success of a development alternative relative to what the land owners, developers and the community want, need, and value. This process involved producing four community design alternatives of varying housing densities for an 867 acre parcel of land just beyond Novato’s UGB. The alternatives were: high density (556 homes), medium density (224 homes), low density (14 homes), and low density + land swap (72 homes). Using a systematic scoring process, each alternative was evaluated based on what the land owner, developer, and the community valued in the development and then awarded each a feasibility score. This score represents likelihood of implementation. The higher the feasibility score, the more likely the alternative could be pursued as a development option. The high density alternative (556 homes) received the lowest feasibility score. It met many of the land owner and developer values, but few of the community values. The low density + land swap alternative (58 homes) received the highest feasibility score. This alternative met nearly all of the developer and owner values as well as the community values. The land swap option of this alternative was unique and made this design more feasible. The swap identified land areas on the site property that could be traded for developable land inside the city boundary allowing Novato to maintain the rural character of the city fringe, while giving the developer land that could be used for future development. This alternative is a compromise that adequately addresses the values of all involved and is therefore recommended as the most feasible design possibility.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Ecosystem service research has grown significantly in recent years, highlighting links between ecosystem services and human well-being. Few studies are however, geared towards providing user-friendly, user-useful and user-relevant information suitable for implementing effective local management of areas that deliver ecosystem services, resulting in a gap between ecosystem service research and management. In response to this challenge, it has been argued that in order to safeguard the benefit flows provided by ecosystems, the concept of ecosystem services should be mainstreamed into land-use (and water-use) planning and management processes. As the conservation of ecosystem services is ultimately a social process operating in a social context, understanding the complexity of the research-management interface demands input from a range of stakeholders. Thus, mainstreaming the environment into decision making requires multi-stakeholder engagement processes that facilitate the co-production and exchange of knowledge. Accordingly, through the use of a transdisciplinary, mixed method approach, this dissertation contributes to a better understanding of some of the opportunities and challenges for mainstreaming ecosystem services in development planning at a local level, using a case study in the Eden District (Eden) of South Africa. Through an extensive stakeholder engagement process which explored what the information needs, responsibilities and capacities of decision makers in Eden are, both opportunities that facilitate the integration of ecosystem service information in decision making, and challenges impeding integration, have been identified. This research found that despite a history of ecosystem service research in Eden, there has been limited integration of the concept of ecosystem services into decision-making processes driving development. Insufficient capacity, limited resources, minimal proactive planning, a weak regulatory environment, entrenched disciplinary thinking and insufficient communication amongst diverse stakeholders on the benefits of using an ecosystem-based approach remain as challenges for the mainstreaming of ecosystem services in decision making. However, strategic opportunities for mainstreaming ecosystem services into decisions regarding current and future development trajectories were also found. It was found that the development, and nurturing of transdisciplinary learning networks that are problem driven, and action oriented, using a communities of practice model of engagement, can facilitate legitimate knowledge exchange processes. In this regard, the role of individual and institutional knowledge brokers was found to be critical. It was also found that the concept of risk was useful as a mainstreaming tool in bridging the gaps between different disciplines, and between science, policy and practice. A frame of risk enabled different disciplinary and knowledge communities to participate in joint activities and discussions during which information was co-produced and exchanged. Through this work, new relationships were built that facilitated both learning and action with regards to the importance of ecosystem services for mitigating risk. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Ekosisteemdiens-navorsing het aansienlik gegroei in die afgelope jare, met ‘n klem op die verband tussen ekosisteemdienste en menslike welsyn. Min ondersoeke is egter gerig op die verskaffing van gebruikersvriendelike, -nuttige en -relevante inligting wat geskik is vir die implementering van doeltreffende plaaslike bestuur van die gebiede wat ekosisteemdienste lewer, en dit lei tot 'n gaping tussen ekosisteemdiens-navorsing en -bestuur. In reaksie op hierdie uitdaging word aangevoer dat ekosisteemdienste gehoofstroom moet word in prosesses ter beplanning en bestuur van grond- en watergebruik, ten einde die voordele wat deur ekosisteme gebied word, te beskerm. Omdat die behoud van ekosisteemdienste per slot van rekening `n sosiale proses is wat in `n sosiale konteks in werking is, word insette van 'n verskeidenheid van belanghebbendes vereis, om die ingewikkelde aard van die koppelvlak tussen navorsing en bestuur te verstaan. Dus, om die omgewing in besluitneming te hoofstroom, vereis prosesse van betrokkenheid van veelvuldige belanghebbendes, wat die medevervaardiging en uitruil van kennis fasiliteer. Gevolglik, deur die toepassing van `n transdissiplinêre, gemengde metode benadering in `n gevallestudie in die Eden Distrik (Eden) van Suid-Afrika, dra hierdie verhandeling by tot `n beter begrip van sommige van die geleenthede en uitdagings verbonde aan die hoofstroming van ekosisteemdienste in ontwikkelingsbeplanning op 'n plaaslike vlak. Deur `n uitvoerige proses van deelname met belanghebbendes is inligting benodig deur besluitnemers in Eden, sowel as hul verantwoordelikhede en vermoëns, verken, en sodoende is beide die geleenthede wat die integrasie van ekosisteemdiens-inligting in besluiteming fasiliteer, en uitdagings wat integrasie belemmer, geïdentifiseer. Hierdie navorsing het bevind dat, ten spyte van `n geskiedenis van ekosisteemdiens-navorsing in Eden, is daar beperkte integrasie van die konsep van ekosisteemdiens in besluitnemingsprosesse wat ontwikkeling dryf. Onvoldoende kapasiteit, beperkte hulpbronne, minimale proaktiewe beplanning, 'n swak reguleringsomgewing, verskanste dissiplinêre denkwyses en onvoldoende kommunikasie tussen uiteenlopende belanghebbendes oor die voordele verbonde aan die gebruik van 'n ekosisteembenadering, bly uitdagings vir die hoofstroming van ekosisteemdienste in besluitneming. Maar strategiese geleenthede vir die hoofstroming van ekosisteemdienste in besluitneming in verband met huidige en toekomstige ontwikkelingsbane is ook aangetref. Daar is bevind dat, deur transdissiplinêre leernetwerke wat probleemgedrewe en aksie-georiënteerd is, te ontwikkel en koester met behulp van 'n praktykgemeenskappemodel van betrokkenheid, legitieme kennisuitruilingsprosesse gefasiliteer kan word. In hierdie verband is die rol van individuele en institusionele kennismakelaars as krities bevind. Daar is ook bevind dat die konsep van risiko nuttig is as 'n hoofstromings-instrument in die oorbrugging van die gaping tussen die verskillende dissiplines, en tussen wetenskap, beleid en praktyk. `n Raamwerk van risiko het verskillende dissiplinêre en kennisgemeenskappe in staat gestel om deel te neem aan gesamentlike aktiwiteite en besprekings, waartydens inligting saam geproduseer en uitgeruil is. Deur hierdie werk is nuwe verhoudings gevestig, wat beide leer en optrede rakende die belang van ekosisteemdienste vir risikotempering gefasiliteer het.

The deficiency of sub-Saharan Africa urban land use planning regimes has received extensive discussion in the literature. As yet, little is known of the extent and magnitude of the economic impact of these planning regimes on the economic wellbeing of individuals and the society. This situation is further compounded by the lack of simplified and bespoke methodologies for calibrating economic impacts of planning policies even in the developed world where there are relatively huge volumes of organised data. This study aims to prescribe a simplified quantitative methodology, which is subsequently employed to gauge the economic impacts of these regimes. It proceeds on the central argument that planning regimes in the sub-region are weak with low compliance with planning regulations, partly because they do not provide incentives for property owners/developers/land users. The study adopts a cross-sectional survey strategywith questionnaires and administrative data extraction to procure the requisite data from Accra, Ghana to feed the devised methodological framework. The study establishes that Ghana’s urban land use planning regime, in its current form, imposes huge cost on residential property owners compared to its benefits; it creates a disincentive for property owners. A substantial amount of this cost emanates from pipe-borne water, and tarred roads and concrete drain infrastructural facilities. It is further established that the cost of title formalisation requirement constitutes a huge portion of the cost on express requirements under the planning regime. A major portion of this cost results from the cost other than official fees. However, on individual basis the requirement generates marginal net benefit. Incidental costs for the other express requirements, architectural design and building permit are also substantial. In terms of benefits, tarred roads and concrete drains, formalised title, electricity and pipe-borne water, individually, are found to generate the most benefits under the planning regime. The study makes a number of recommendations. These include formulation of planning policies on the basis of providing incentives to property owners/developer/land users, strategies for reduction of infrastructural and amenities costs, as well as incidental cost relating to compliance with the subject planning regime express requirements.

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

Hong Kong is considered to be the most economically free country in the world, but also has the highest amount of income inequality of any developed country. The Hong Kong government is able to sustain laissez faire policies due to its monopoly on land supply. Maintaining high property values allows the government to maximize revenue from property tax, which acts as a hidden tax. A major contributor to income inequality is the formation of oligopolies in Hong Kong that creates an anticompetitive environment. The interests of the government and oligarchs are aligned as both obtain significant portions of revenue from the property sector. As globalization makes Hong Kong even more vulnerable to external shocks, the government faces the challenges of increasing competition, diversifying its revenue streams, and closing the income gap while standing by its principles in order maintain regional competitiveness as an international business hub.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Jason Brody / Today, achieving higher residential densities is an integral part of most discussions on concepts such as sustainability, placemaking, smart growth and new urbanism. It is argued that high density environments can potentially improve quality of life through a range of social benefits. In attempting to achieve these benefits, often times, developments that provide more than a certain number of dwelling units are considered desirable and successful high-density developments. However, understanding high residential density merely in terms of an increase in the number of dwelling units over an area of development might not help realize meaningful social benefits; in fact it could result in problems such as parking constraints, increased vehicular traffic, crowding, and eventually abandonment. This implies a dilemma of understanding high density environments holistically. Using literature review and design exploration as two key research methods, this project aims at resolving this dilemma by presenting a holistic understanding of desirable high-density environments. The research works on the idea that high densities are a matter of design and performance. Through synthesis of literature review and explorative design findings, this research focuses on the qualitative aspects of high density environments that make them meaningful and desirable. Through synthesis of literature review and design findings, the research finds that desirable high density environments should (a) Be Physically Compact; (b) Support Urbanity; and (c) Offer Livability and Sense of Place. These three qualitative aspects of high density environments are critical in determining how well such environments perform. The research further proposes eight meaningful goals and seventeen specific guidelines to achieve aforementioned three qualities that influence the performance of high density developments. In addition to these principles and guidelines, opportunities and challenges posed by explorative design exercises also allows identifying certain supplementary guidelines necessary to strengthen the framework. Together, these findings result in a theoretical framework that may be used as an effective design and evaluation tool in considering high density environments. This framework is named “Density Dynamics” to signify various morphological and socio-economic dynamics involved in a holistic understanding of high density environments.