When planners evaluate their plans they tend to ask "Does this plan lead to this stated objective?". The thesis argues that one finds only a very partial view of planners* purposes when a planning report is read as if the stated purpose is actually all that the report is about. A stated purpose is only one of the ways by which people demonstrate how they are adapting to a set of circumstances. First of all this sort of a reading assumes that a planning report is a technical, quasi-empirical document concerned to explain why a certain arrangement of goods and services, is appropriate. By contrast, justification rather than explanation is argued to be the task of planners when they put forth their recommendations. Secondly, this abbreviated view of what a planning report is about assumes that one is concerned mainly with physical objects and hardly at all with the subsisting relations between the individual and society, and between these and the larger ecosystem. To understand these relations, and how to couple the major systems, is argued to be the essential task of planning — a task which must consider not only the biological, physiological and physical relations but just as importantly the symbolic relations that imaginative man creates. Thirdly, a parsimonious reading of planners' objectives obscures the assumptions that are brought to the planning task. Much of what we do and think is habitual and our habits lie below the threshold of awareness in the course of everyday living. Some bundle of assumptions and habits of thought forms the premises for the plan. The bundle contains, for example, assumptions about the relationship between the planner and client; assumptions about the relationship between persons and nature; habits of thought about what constitutes a planning report; or various metaphors which have slipped into common usage. The study tries to show that planning is an activity in and of itself which requires its own mode of evaluation beginning within the planning enterprise itself. Evaluation techniques based in empirical fields that are applied to plans reduce planning to something which it is not. In this reductionism planning is mistaken for a poor cousin of empirical fields which can never quite succeed at explanation. In addition, the responsibility of the planner for the plan is clouded because the emphasis in empirical methods is on observation and not on recommendation. A critical method is presented which demonstrates the sort of approach believed to be necessary to evaluate planning from within planning. It is a method that slows down the reading in order to allow one to do two things in particular. First, it allows one to see how the recommendations of the report are made to appear plausible, since one can cluster together into "codes" what can be and cannot be written in a report. This process tends to support the argument that plans are subject to justification rather than explanation. Secondly, it allows one to identify some of the assumptions brought to the planning exercise, which can be clustered in patterns. The value of the study, I believe, lies in showing how much is being missed in conventional evaluations, and why that information is central to developing planning as an identifiable activity peopled with responsible planners. In addition, the method contributes to our experience of how to bring assumptions to the surface so that the sensitized planner is in a position to choose, with awareness, whether to retain or to exchange them for others. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1987. / Vita. Bibliography: leaves [272]-288.

The fundamental purpose of this dissertation is to determine the extent to which many of the corporations within the United States are implementing formalized planning processes. The conditions surrounding the corporation have caused the movement toward a more systematic approach to corporate planning since there appears to be no better substitute for a formalized planning process to help assure the survival and growth of the firm.

The ongoing debate within the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) community over the relative importance of 'appropriate' design standards, the 'right' institutional setup and 'political will' to the success of projects obscures the larger importance of the planning process. Political leadership, institutions and design are important conditions that must be considered in the context of one another, but they are also conditions that will change and be influenced by the planning process. Drawing on case studies of the Janmarg BRT in Ahmedabad, and the Delhi BRT in India, I demonstrate the indirect and direct role of the planning process in influencing the outcome of BRT projects. My dissertation argues that planners too often treat the planning process as a one-dimensional sequence of steps in which design, institutions and leadership provide an unchanging framework in which planning proceeds. Planners however, can assert more influence over outcomes by re-framing the process as a three dimensional activity that considers not just the content and sequencing of the steps, but also requires decisions concerning approach (i.e. strategy and tactics) and timing (i.e. both moment of action and duration). This broader three-dimensional understanding of the planning process can be used to reshape design, institutions and leadership. A well-designed planning process has the potential to overcome institutional and design weaknesses and build political support leading to more viable and sustainable BRT systems.

The purpose of this study was to determine if branding strategies could enhance the position and influence of the Canadian planning profession within a multi-stakeholder environment. To address this research question, the following objectives were developed and examined: (1) to gauge the perceptions of planning within different stakeholder groups in Canada; (2) to gauge the perceptions of the CIP within different stakeholder groups; (3) to develop a set of best practices in strategic planning and marketing; (4) to develop a set of best practices adopted by international professional planning NGOs; (5) to determine how to better market the profession and the CIP. A mixed-method approach grounded in branding and strategic planning theory was used. This included content analysis, a web-based survey, and key informant interviews. The content analysis compared the practices of Canadian planning organizations with those of international organizations, in addition to examining best practices in marketing and branding. The findings derived from this phase served to develop a list of best practices that can be used as a tool for improvement within the Canadian planning context. The web-based survey, while not statistically significant, served to draw out themes, and identify potential issues and areas for further investigation. The key informant interviews elaborated on and clarified survey findings, providing rich data for analysis. Findings indicated that the Canadian planning profession lacks unity within the planning community, a clear role and identity, position and influence, as well as general awareness, and fleshed out a variety of reasons as to why this is the case, while investigating areas for improvement. An analysis of the combined findings from the three research phases determined that branding strategies and strategic planning can indeed serve to enhance the position and influence of the Canadian planning profession within a multi-stakeholder environment. Recommendations focused on clarifying the profession's role and identity; building awareness; nurturing relationships between planning, politics and other related professions; advancing planning education; improving the CIP's leadership role; and re-examining the relationship between the CIP and its affiliates.

This thesis explores the idea of complete communities and discusses how condominium development in downtown Toronto can be made more family friendly by focusing on the proposed ‘Official Plan Amendment to Encourage the Development of Units for Households with Children’ (OPA) that is currently before City Council. In order to address this issue, the study employed a detailed policy review of the current planning policies for the City of Toronto and an overview of the planning policies in the City of Vancouver, as well as in-depth interviews with key informants in the planning and development field and parents who have lived in or are currently living in a downtown condominium with at least one child. The findings indicate that there is a growing segment of the population choosing to live in downtown condominiums after having children and that housing and community policy must better address the needs of this population. The proposed OPA would require new high-rise condominium development in downtown Toronto to contain a minimum percentage of three bedroom units suitable for families. This policy would be a significant step towards meeting these needs and creating the desired complete communities; however, it is a contentious issue and there are requirements beyond bedroom counts that need to be addressed to create the supportive family-friendly infrastructure. From these findings, this thesis proposes recommendations and changes to the proposed OPA that would clarify and refine its intentions and implementation. As well, the concept of the family life cycle is reconsidered and an updated model of housing requirements based on the “condo family” is proposed. This research contributes to the literature on families living downtown, condominium living, and the family life cycle.

Ontario has provided an interesting canvas for waste management planning. As the home of the world’s first blue box program, a successful deposit return system, an extended producer responsibility initiative, and recently the Green Energy Act: Ontario presents many opportunities and challenges for a waste management planner. In addition to the above, Ontario is expected to grow significantly (through immigration) over the next 25 years. In order to manage this, the government of Ontario has created a significant urban planning hierarchy and has focused efforts to accommodate this growth in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. To address the management of waste in the province, the government, in 2004, established a 60% waste diversion goal by 2008. When evaluated in 2009 the province had yet to make significant progress toward the target. This thesis seeks to examine how municipalities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe have developed and implemented their organic waste diversion program in response this target, and examine the issues that arose in reaching it. This thesis attempted to interview waste management planners at eight municipalities, with five agreeing to participate. Based on the interviews it was determined that each of the municipalities had used several different approaches to organic waste diversion, with most having recently implemented (pilot or full scale) curbside organic waste collection programs (green bin). It was also determined that many of the municipalities replicated the same steps as neighbouring municipalities and did not always factor in other’s learning. Most importantly, while the government set the waste diversion goal, they did not take responsibility for ensuring that outcomes were achieved.

As the world’s cities have grown, so too, have their skylines, such that they are now common sights to behold both in reality and in media. Despite being one of the most popular sights of a city, the planning profession has not given much attention to skylines in its daily practice. By pulling together a limited body of research, this study shows that some academics and professionals have deemed skylines to be an intriguing and important aspect of our cities’ built form. This exploratory study builds upon Kevin Lynch’s work on city image by asking people what skylines they prefer and why, and what skylines mean to them. Using a qualitative interviewing technique, 25 participants from planning departments and neighbourhood associations in Kitchener and Waterloo provided their input by viewing a series of skyline images. Participants were found to prefer complex skylines, and they identified important physical features that were necessary to achieve high levels of preference. The same physical features that contributed to preference also sent strong messages about a place, leading participants to find a wealth of meaning in a skyline. The implications of these results for planning practice are presented along with a discussion of how cities may be branded due to the messages their skylines send. Recommendations to introduce skyline planning in mid-size cities are made, based upon the lessons learned from the larger cities used in this research. The exploratory and qualitative nature of this study helps to fill in the literary gaps of this relatively unexplored field, and recommendations for future research are made.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 118-125).

Thesis (M.U.D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-64).