A city's intersections are places or voids where the trajectories, paths and commuter routes of a cities citizens collide. They are points of momentary stasis. At intersections the agents of speed and haste characteristic of the flow of the city are brought to a collective pause. The challenge of this thesis was to bring about an architectural representation of this negotiation between flow and pause. There was a desire to see the commuterscape of Vancouver as a way of allowing different publics and contrasting programmes the opportunity for chance encounters and collisions. This desire led to the design of a building which served as an intersection, sometimes carefully controlled while at others free and open to the random flows of urbanism. The site at the corner of Main and Terminal streets in Vancouver was chosen because it is a place where the di verse social, economic and historical fabrics of the city are intersecting. This site is the busiest at grade intersection in Vancouver where skytrain and bus passengers, car drivers and pedestrians are variously pushed together and pulled apart. Commuter space and commuter movement through that space are generally assumed to be unproductive, uninfected movement through vacuous and empty space. This thesis challenges that view by inserting a building into this commuter space to utilize the potentials for exchange, negotiation and encounter offered by such a space. The building is made up of two very different programs - one containing a series of small performing arts theatres, the other commercial and rentable office space. In between the two, the inbound and outbound skytrain tracks and a public walkway create varying perceptual experiences which mediate between the two different typologies. The public zones of the building are used to link the varied programs together and to create connections to the surrounding park and buildings.

Rapid growth in suburb-to-suburb commuting has created a problem for transit providers: the dispersed commuting patterns are very difficult to serve with transit, and are characterized by low transit use. This thesis aims to determine which markets have the best potential for transit, and what factors could increase this potential. Surrey, B.C. is typical of the rapidly growing areas where suburb-to-suburb commuting is most prevalent. Commuting between Surrey and other suburban areas has increased sharply in recent years. A detailed examination of commuting patterns within Surrey revealed the highly dispersed nature of the work trip flows; the only flows which were concentrated to any degree were those between nodes with relatively high population and employment densities. A correlation was found between density, especially employment density, and transit use. Inter-nodal trips, which already have the greatest transit use among suburb-to-suburb trips, will be a key market for transit in the suburbs. Inter-nodal express service would help to address complaints that suburb-to-suburb transit service is too slow and indirect. Trips to and from the nodes will also be an important market. Intra-nodal trips, which presently have low transit use, form another key market which could possibly be served by a paratransit shuttle service. In Surrey, efforts have begun to address the issue of suburb-to-suburb transit in a comprehensive manner, but there has been little substantive progress to date. The case study results were used to develop a conceptual framework for suburb-to-suburb transit planning which could then be applied to other suburban areas facing similar problems. The framework calls for a wide array of transit and paratransit services, each filling a different market niche, which can be combined to create an integrated but flexible system. This system must be reinforced with land use strategies to promote greater densities, and more pedestrian and transit friendly design. Transportation demand management must also be used to encourage transit use by increasing the costs of driving an automobile. This three-pronged, comprehensive approach should allow transit to compete successfully in some suburban markets. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Transit trips include four parts: the trip from the front door to the transit stop; the wait at the transit stop for the transit vehicle; the transit ride; and the trip from the transit drop off point to the final destination. This thesis explores methods of improving the pedestrian trips to and from the transit stop and the waiting period at the transit stop. People are not satisfied with their transit trips. People want better quality waiting areas, increased safety, comfortable surroundings, transit information, and convenience during the transit trip. This thesis explores the positive relationship between the quality of public streets and transit facilities, and ridership satisfaction. The thesis proposes that the transit trip can be improved by improving transit waiting areas, and the paths people take arriving at and departing from transit stops. BC Transit's Vancouver Regional Transit System's transit facilities are the focus of the study. Transit facilities include: bus stops, bus loops, bus exchanges, SkyTrain stations, and SeaBus terminals. The study reviews people's attitudes towards transit facilities and discusses the items that people consider important to a transit trip. This review includes a survey conducted by the author and a review of surveys conducted for BC Transit. A review of the literature provides further evidence on the basic requirements for transit facilities and a comparison is made with the local situation. The thesis explores the potential for land use planning, urban design and on-site design to improve the safety, comfort, and convenience of transit facilities. The role of BC Transit, in providing adequate transit facilities, is discussed along with the roles and responsibilities of other associated organizations including: the Province, the Greater Vancouver Regional District, municipal governments located within the Vancouver Region, private enterprise, and business improvement districts. The study concludes BC Transit should give more thought to the transit customer in the design and location of transit facilities. And that municipal governments must take action to improve the quality of streets and transit facilities in their own communities. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School 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

A city's intersections are places or voids where the trajectories, paths and commuter routes of a cities citizens collide. They are points of momentary stasis. At intersections the agents of speed and haste characteristic of the flow of the city are brought to a collective pause. The challenge of this thesis was to bring about an architectural representation of this negotiation between flow and pause. There was a desire to see the commuterscape of Vancouver as a way of allowing different publics and contrasting programmes the opportunity for chance encounters and collisions. This desire led to the design of a building which served as an intersection, sometimes carefully controlled while at others free and open to the random flows of urbanism. The site at the corner of Main and Terminal streets in Vancouver was chosen because it is a place where the di verse social, economic and historical fabrics of the city are intersecting. This site is the busiest at grade intersection in Vancouver where skytrain and bus passengers, car drivers and pedestrians are variously pushed together and pulled apart. Commuter space and commuter movement through that space are generally assumed to be unproductive, uninfected movement through vacuous and empty space. This thesis challenges that view by inserting a building into this commuter space to utilize the potentials for exchange, negotiation and encounter offered by such a space. The building is made up of two very different programs - one containing a series of small performing arts theatres, the other commercial and rentable office space. In between the two, the inbound and outbound skytrain tracks and a public walkway create varying perceptual experiences which mediate between the two different typologies. The public zones of the building are used to link the varied programs together and to create connections to the surrounding park and buildings. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of / Graduate

This study was a preliminary step in an assessment of the transportation services accessible to blind and deaf children in Vancouver. It originated in response to the ever increasing concern voiced within the community about the problem of inadequate transportation facilities for handicapped children. The purpose of the research was to determine the extent to which public and special transportation services are accessible to children with visual and hearing impairments and to propose improvements that might be made. In order to research this problem, four basic methods of collecting information were employed, as follows: documentary analysis interviews and correspondence with transportation experts; mailed questionnaires to parents of blind and deaf children; and, personal interviews using the same questionnaire. The sample population was randomly selected from blind and deaf children between the ages of 6 and 19 years who were affiliated with Jericho Hill School in the 1974-75 school term. Sixty-one (48%) questionnaires were completed and used in this study. Findings regarding mobility limitations showed that the sample population was quite mobile and over half reported not having to rely on special aids to help them get around outdoors. Of those requiring some kind of aid, most used either a cane or another person. Travel data were obtained for three trip destinations: school medical facilities, and recreational activities. Findings showed the children were not restricted in travel to recreational activities. Transportation to medical facilities was not found to be a problem because the majority of the children used those provided at Jericho Hill School. Access to school transportation was not reported to be a problem in itself; however, it was found that the trip from home to school was problematic in terms of travel time and safety requirements It is a conclusion of this study that if Jericho Hill School remains as a central facility a more localized shuttle service would be the maximum requirement. However, if decentralization occurs the provision of a parallel system run on a demand-responsive basis would be necessary. It is apparent from this study, which has attempted to review the range of problems and needs for transit of blind and deaf children that problems for them are perhaps common to all handicapped children. / Medicine, Faculty of / Population and Public Health (SPPH), School of / Graduate