An analysis of the literature on sustainability reveals that community decision making is an important component in the definition and implementation of sustainability. Although the importance of participation by all members of a community is stressed in the literature, analysis of marginalized groups focuses mainly on class and culture. When gender lines are explored, it is mostly within the context of the developing world. The purpose of this research was to examine the nature of women's participation in defining and implementing sustainability. This exploration had three objectives: to define effective public participation in the context of local level environmental decision making, to identify barriers to women inherent in public participation processes associated with environmental planning decisions and to make recommendations which eliminate barriers to women's participation in planning decisions. Barriers to women's participation were divided into three categories: institutional, community and societal. This research used a case study approach with multiple sources of evidence to examine these barriers. The public participation process involved in developing the Squamish Estuary Management Plan was analyzed to explore the nature and extent of women's participation. Research methods included document and newspaper coverage analysis, interviews and workshops. These revealed that specific barriers exist which discourage and prevent women from participating in planning decisions. At an institutional level, these included lack of trust, centralized decision-making, poor communication structures, an atmosphere that was not childfriendly and the failure to present the Plan in a way which was relevant to women's lives. Community barriers consisted of the fear of retaliation and the large number of community issues. Societal barriers identified were the devaluing of women's voices, level of income and the restrictions caused by women's societal roles. These barriers reduced the effectiveness of the public participation process. Results were used to develop a series of recommendations about how to encourage women's participation in decision-making, ensuring that women in communities are involved in shaping and defining sustainability.

This thesis examines the opportunities and constraints facing the implementation of Transit Oriented Development (TOD). TOD consists of concentrated, mixed use development within walking distance of a commercial core and a transit stop that provide the focal point for the community and connect the resident to the region. Despite the fact that many planners accept TOD as a useful form of development, TOD has experienced barriers to its implementation. Neither the barriers to implementation, nor the opportunities for overcoming them have been sufficiently researched. This case study of land use planning at the four east Vancouver station areas of Joyce, 29th Avenue, Nanaimo and Broadway of the 'Expo' Advanced Light Rapid Transit (ALRT) line, known locally as 'SkyTrain', addresses this deficiency. Planning literature, planning documents, interviews with seven Vancouver planners, zoning and land use maps, and a land use survey provided the data from which conclusions were drawn. The research suggests that the major barriers to TOD implementation along the Vancouver 'Expo' line were poor transit routing, difficulties in assembling large parcels of land, lack of coordination between public entities, separated regional land use and transportation planning, inadequate political commitment to design and mitigation measures, the setting of goals for the station areas that are not TOD goals and the intrusive nature ALRT due to its elevated guideway. Many of these barriers correspond with those identified by the TOD literature as existing in other cities, but significant barriers that were identified in the case study but not by the literature include the intrusive nature of the ALRT technology due to its elevated guideway, the decision making process that had the province make decisions (e.g. the type of rapid transit technology to be used) without local input, and the absence of sustained implementation. Opportunities for overcoming barriers to TOD include creating more participatory decision making processes that ensure decisions that affect local communities are made at the municipal and regional, rather than provincial, level, the creation of a directly elected agency responsible for both land use and transportation planning, increased coordination between public agencies, and the creation of TOD guidelines.

An analysis of the literature on sustainability reveals that community decision making is an important component in the definition and implementation of sustainability. Although the importance of participation by all members of a community is stressed in the literature, analysis of marginalized groups focuses mainly on class and culture. When gender lines are explored, it is mostly within the context of the developing world. The purpose of this research was to examine the nature of women's participation in defining and implementing sustainability. This exploration had three objectives: to define effective public participation in the context of local level environmental decision making, to identify barriers to women inherent in public participation processes associated with environmental planning decisions and to make recommendations which eliminate barriers to women's participation in planning decisions. Barriers to women's participation were divided into three categories: institutional, community and societal. This research used a case study approach with multiple sources of evidence to examine these barriers. The public participation process involved in developing the Squamish Estuary Management Plan was analyzed to explore the nature and extent of women's participation. Research methods included document and newspaper coverage analysis, interviews and workshops. These revealed that specific barriers exist which discourage and prevent women from participating in planning decisions. At an institutional level, these included lack of trust, centralized decision-making, poor communication structures, an atmosphere that was not childfriendly and the failure to present the Plan in a way which was relevant to women's lives. Community barriers consisted of the fear of retaliation and the large number of community issues. Societal barriers identified were the devaluing of women's voices, level of income and the restrictions caused by women's societal roles. These barriers reduced the effectiveness of the public participation process. Results were used to develop a series of recommendations about how to encourage women's participation in decision-making, ensuring that women in communities are involved in shaping and defining sustainability. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

This thesis examines the opportunities and constraints facing the implementation of Transit Oriented Development (TOD). TOD consists of concentrated, mixed use development within walking distance of a commercial core and a transit stop that provide the focal point for the community and connect the resident to the region. Despite the fact that many planners accept TOD as a useful form of development, TOD has experienced barriers to its implementation. Neither the barriers to implementation, nor the opportunities for overcoming them have been sufficiently researched. This case study of land use planning at the four east Vancouver station areas of Joyce, 29th Avenue, Nanaimo and Broadway of the 'Expo' Advanced Light Rapid Transit (ALRT) line, known locally as 'SkyTrain', addresses this deficiency. Planning literature, planning documents, interviews with seven Vancouver planners, zoning and land use maps, and a land use survey provided the data from which conclusions were drawn. The research suggests that the major barriers to TOD implementation along the Vancouver 'Expo' line were poor transit routing, difficulties in assembling large parcels of land, lack of coordination between public entities, separated regional land use and transportation planning, inadequate political commitment to design and mitigation measures, the setting of goals for the station areas that are not TOD goals and the intrusive nature ALRT due to its elevated guideway. Many of these barriers correspond with those identified by the TOD literature as existing in other cities, but significant barriers that were identified in the case study but not by the literature include the intrusive nature of the ALRT technology due to its elevated guideway, the decision making process that had the province make decisions (e.g. the type of rapid transit technology to be used) without local input, and the absence of sustained implementation. Opportunities for overcoming barriers to TOD include creating more participatory decision making processes that ensure decisions that affect local communities are made at the municipal and regional, rather than provincial, level, the creation of a directly elected agency responsible for both land use and transportation planning, increased coordination between public agencies, and the creation of TOD guidelines. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Since the mid-sixties, and more particularly, since the beginning of 1972, housing prices in major urban centers across Canada have risen so sharply that it has become almost impossible for most Canadians to acquire adequate housing accommodation within their means. The rate of increase in the cost of land for housing, in comparison with other housing cost components, has been tremendously high. Why is the cost of land and housing so high in a land-rich country like Canada, and what could be done to control the rising cost of land and housing is the concern of this study. This thesis argues that the existing system, whereby, land is owned, planned, serviced, developed, and marketed, has built-in drawbacks and weaknesses that give rise to many problems which contribute to the high cost of urban land for housing. It is suggested that the value of urban land mostly represents the value created due to the general growth of the urban community and public development planning decisions. The benefits from such value increments in urban land rightlyabelong to the urban community. But in the existing system, in which land is predominantly owned by private owners and developed at the will of private owners and developers, these value increments in urban land remain in the hands of the private owners. It is argued that such profits from increments in land value due to community growth attract all forms of speculative practices that, to a very large extent are responsible for increasing the cost of land for housing. This is also responsible for the problem of conflict of interest at all levels or public development planning decision-making. It is further argued that in the existing system authority for public planning and development control is too fragmented in the light of present-day regional urban reality. It is irrational, inefficient, and costly to the public interest at large. The thesis suggests that to control the high prices or urban land and housing, the existing system must be modified so that the benefits from the socially-created value in urban land can be channelled back to the advantage of the community instead of being left to the sole advantage of the private owners. It argues that this can be achieved by large-scale public acquisition of land far in advance of need for its development, comprehensive planning on regional scale, servicing, and selling or leasing of such public land for development. Acquisition of land far in advance of need for development by public agencies will eliminate speculation and reduce the cost of urban land for housing. The thesis presents a general description of the existing urban land development system with particular reference to the Greater Vancouver Region in British Columbia. The system is identified as consisting of two main components: one being the private market mechanism in which land is privately owned, developed and marketed; the other being the public development planning, development controls, and development decision-making process. The role of private development market and the role of various public agencies in the development of urban land is described. The effects of public development planning decision-making at the general urban growth on the value of land is discussed. The problems of land speculation, conflict of interest at all levels of public development planning decision-making, and fragmented public planning authority and their effects on the cost of land and housing described. The experiences of Edmonton, Red Deer, and Saskatoon with public acquisition and development control of land and their success in keeping the price of land and housing under control are cited. In conclusion the concept of public involvement in the ownership of land and its development is recommended and some measures and steps to be adopted for successful implementation of public land assembly, land banking, and development controls are suggested. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of / Graduate

Suburban centres policies in Greater Vancouver, metropolitan Melbourne, and Bellevue, Washington are examined to derive general lessons toward the improvement of this type of policy. It is found that two attempts to pursue the development of a regional system of suburban centres have been unsuccessful, while a municipally-based policy has achieved some success in terms of the physical design of a suburban downtown. Patterns of private sector development are found to have been very little affected by any of the case study policies. Further, several assumptions concerning the linkages between public transit and land use in suburban centres are found to require further careful examination before they should be used as a basis for future policy development.

Suburban centres policies in Greater Vancouver, metropolitan Melbourne, and Bellevue, Washington are examined to derive general lessons toward the improvement of this type of policy. It is found that two attempts to pursue the development of a regional system of suburban centres have been unsuccessful, while a municipally-based policy has achieved some success in terms of the physical design of a suburban downtown. Patterns of private sector development are found to have been very little affected by any of the case study policies. Further, several assumptions concerning the linkages between public transit and land use in suburban centres are found to require further careful examination before they should be used as a basis for future policy development. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

In recent years, the term "Healthy Communities" has become a catch phrase among planners, health promotion workers, social workers and government agencies, and increasing numbers of professionals have taken a role in the development of healthy communities projects. The literature on the healthy communities concept has increased in size and scope. Yet the concept itself is byno means clearly defined. Nor is there a standard method for developing a successful healthy communities project, or a regional collaboration of healthy communities projects. The question remains, when a planner undertakes a role in the development of a healthy communities project, what are the most important factors to consider? This thesis examines the influence of various project inputs on the ability of a regional healthy communities project to achieve its objectives. The thesis uses a case study of the Tri-City Health Promotion Project, a collaborative healthy communities project undertaken in the cities of Castlegar, Trail and Nelson in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia. In this study, documentary analysis and interviews with Tri-City project staff illuminate the importance of several influences on a regional healthy communities project. Some of these are: the approach used by the participants (task- orprocess-orientation), the resources and constraints specific to each community, the context from which the project grew, the personalities of those involved, the ability of the collaborating communities to work together, and the relationship between the community and regional bodies in the project structure. Conclusions: While every healthy communities project will be affected differently by various inputs, in the case of the Tri-City Health Promotion Project, the relationship between the regional and community bodies in the project structure had the greatest influence on the ability of the community Steering Committees to achieve their goals. Planners working on a regional healthy communities project must carefully examine the design of the project, in order to develop a structure which enhances the working relationship between regional and community bodies. This is particularly crucial in the healthy communities context, where decision-making power often resides at the community level, rather than being centralized in the regional body.

In recent years, the term "Healthy Communities" has become a catch phrase among planners, health promotion workers, social workers and government agencies, and increasing numbers of professionals have taken a role in the development of healthy communities projects. The literature on the healthy communities concept has increased in size and scope. Yet the concept itself is byno means clearly defined. Nor is there a standard method for developing a successful healthy communities project, or a regional collaboration of healthy communities projects. The question remains, when a planner undertakes a role in the development of a healthy communities project, what are the most important factors to consider? This thesis examines the influence of various project inputs on the ability of a regional healthy communities project to achieve its objectives. The thesis uses a case study of the Tri-City Health Promotion Project, a collaborative healthy communities project undertaken in the cities of Castlegar, Trail and Nelson in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia. In this study, documentary analysis and interviews with Tri-City project staff illuminate the importance of several influences on a regional healthy communities project. Some of these are: the approach used by the participants (task- orprocess-orientation), the resources and constraints specific to each community, the context from which the project grew, the personalities of those involved, the ability of the collaborating communities to work together, and the relationship between the community and regional bodies in the project structure. Conclusions: While every healthy communities project will be affected differently by various inputs, in the case of the Tri-City Health Promotion Project, the relationship between the regional and community bodies in the project structure had the greatest influence on the ability of the community Steering Committees to achieve their goals. Planners working on a regional healthy communities project must carefully examine the design of the project, in order to develop a structure which enhances the working relationship between regional and community bodies. This is particularly crucial in the healthy communities context, where decision-making power often resides at the community level, rather than being centralized in the regional body. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate