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The master-planning of large-scale neighbourhood development has become a central part of strategies to stimulate changes in local urban economy and property markets in Britain. However, the 2007-08 economic crisis severely disrupted urban development and created uncertainty affecting market conditions and the availability of investment, as well as policy change, and demographic and social change. Whilst researchers expounded on contemporary master-planning practice in the UK as too formal, inflexible, static, and misleadingly proximate to respond to these challenges, little is said about stakeholders’ susceptible values and actions tied to dominate sources of complex urban development pressures. In that context, this research aims to explore the significance of ‘value’ in master-planning at the residential neighbourhood and the pre-application planning phase of development, and further the understanding of strategic values-rich and value-based planning and design processes in both theory and practice. To achieve this purpose, a multidisciplinary constructive reasoning approach is adopted to iterate between theory and empirical observation to obtain new insights. This thesis is sub-divided into three main phases. The first phase explored meaning, concepts, and theories of master-planning, strategic choice decision-making, value, and values to propose a theoretical framework. The second phase adapted a survey method, following a review of key policies and literature, aiming to define the strategic role and the value of master-planning in Scotland. It was piloted with 7 experts and tested among 112 professionals who are involved in neighbourhood’s development in Scotland. To illustrate the effect of development pressures on stakeholders’ decisions, the second phase evaluates two carefully selected case studies in Scotland, focusing on different forms of master-planning, typical developer-led and private-public partnership development. Through detailed review of planning application documents and the conducted semi-structured interviews, the effect of the 2007-08 economic crises was analysed showing how decisions and actions are/were tied to a complex web of development forces at the macro, micro, and meso levels. Subsequently, a strategic values-rich and value-based view of master-planning is proposed through theoretical triangulation. This draws on theory to reach past the rational preconceptions that hobbled previous research efforts into defining the value of master-planning in planning and urban design. The main original contribution in this research is the development of an evolutionary ‘strategic value-based’ lens that re-defines the role of master-planning, revealing complex contradictions internal and external as a force of major hidden pressure on stakeholders taking decision. This work opens new horizons for spatial planning and urban design into the research field of value and values.

The aim of this study is to propose a set of adaptive strategies and design solutions to manage floods and storm water in cities from the perspective of an architect and urban planner, based on empirical evidence and the level of effectiveness of the suggested measures. The study takes as an example the city of Bilbao due to its high risk of suffering fluvial and pluvial flooding exacerbated by tidal variations and see level rise projections. Based on the application of adaptation strategies grounded on the use of green solutions and innovative design, scientific literature and ongoing initiatives an projects in cities have been reviewed to prepare a complete state-of-the-art of measures and experiences to minimize the risk of flooding and provide co-benefits to Climate Change such as fresh water storage, biodiversity, water treatment, quality public spaces, etc. The applicability of this inventory of solutions is analyzed in detail for the case study of Bilbao, taking into account the current situation with regard: a) plans, b) stakeholders involved, c) needs and d) opportunities, and in order to give a respond to the lack of concreteness of many of the existing proposals against adaptation to Climate Change and flooding. The result are four different projects in hotspot areas of the city that put into practice the previously gathered measures organized in drainage systems (from the source to the downstream control). Recommendations are suggested for plans (General Master Plan) and policies to accompany the physical solutions and to set a complete basis for its operative use by public institutions (Bilbao City Council) or even professional practitioners (architects, urban designers, landscape architects, engineers). In sum, the paper seeks to propose alternatives to the traditional defensive approach of flooding prevention by implementing measures that provide other benefits for cities against Climate Change.

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.

Planning for transportation within northern Canadian communities presents unique challenges, but new research tools offer opportunities for testing potentially innovative solutions that might help improve mobility within these communities. In particular, problem solving has been enriched in recent years by using the spatial modeling methods offered by Geographical Information Systems (GIS). This thesis first reviews various GIS methods before applying one method – the ‘Route Utility Theory’ – to a newly-developed set of metrics for determining the cost of alternate modes of intracommunity transportation. This set of metrics is applied to a data set that represents the trips or journeys made by non-car users in Iqaluit, the capital city of Nunavut Territory. GIS data on roads, walking trails, land contours, and public and residential neighbourhoods are analyzed. The results facilitate comparisons between road options and trail options for improving the movement of people within Iqaluit. Five bus routes were then custom designed and compared using the study’s metrics. The study found that increasing bus and trail options within Iqaluit would provide more efficient options for non-car users. It is argued that the study’s metrics can be adapted for application in other northern communities, and possibly in other isolated and rural communities in different world situations. / Graduate

In the last decades the population living in cities has substantially increased. According to the United Nations, by 2050 two thirds of the world population will be living in urban areas. Demographic pressure, through influx of residents or internal growth results in expansion and densification of urban areas and goes hand in hand with increased imperviousness, putting pressure on the provision of urban green. Urban green offers a range of direct and indirect benefits to the urban ecosystem. Green in the city reduces rainwater runoff and flooding risk while improving water quality; it improves air quality, provides natural cooling and contributes to reducing the urban heat island effect. Being the main source of contact with nature, urban green has also been shown to contribute to the physical and psychological wellbeing of urban citizens. The environmental concern for urban nature and re-naturing of cities are thus at the heart of developing more «ecological approaches to sustainable urban design and planning». In the framework of this research, it implies: understanding the (spatial) distribution of green space in relation to the built-up area of the city at different scale levels – the benefits they provide, their quality and proximity for urban residents – and; how to develop diagnostic, analytical and projective capabilities aimed at improving their (urban green) provision to address a host of sustainability challenges related to climate change, demographic growth and densification of the urban area. The research focuses on the development of evidence-based frameworks for planning that incorporate citizens’ needs and that are built on an interdisciplinary foundation. With this scope and focus, this study contributes to the development of a more ecological framework for sustainable urban design and planning aimed at integrating nature in the city more effectively and in an evidence-based way. The first part of the research focuses on the development of a spatially explicit tool for green space quality and proximity assessment reflecting user’s perception. Application of the model in the Brussels context reveals that user’s perception of qualities of urban green spaces such as naturalness and spaciousness can be linked to green space characteristics as described by available GIS-based data. As such GIS-based modelling allows for an extrapolation of questionnaire-based quality assessments for a selection of parks to other public green spaces. Analysis of the proximity of urban green spaces based on user’s perception shows spatial inequalities in green space provision, with less than 50% of Brussels’ citizens having good access to small (residential and play green) and to large green spaces (city and metropolitan green). By coupling multi-scale proximity assessment with quality assessment of green spaces, it is demonstrated that nearly two third of the Brussels population has no access to high quality public green spaces. Through collaborative research by design workshops involving different stakeholders, indicators produced by the quality-proximity model are used to indicate and tackle problem areas. Three alternative scenarios for public green space development are defined. The scenario analysis demonstrates that actions to provide low-income neighborhoods with a good accessibility to public green spaces will require creative solutions, dealing with complex property and management issues, and levels of investment that go well beyond the cost of regular green space development. The second part of the study presents a GIS- and design-based approach to assess potential land cover change for the Brussels-Capital Region anticipating expected population growth. The methodology proposed can be used to assess the impact of spatial policies and the implementation of building codes on future urban land cover. By studying the everyday processes for parcel infill and densification, and by defining a densification process based on the principles of sustainable urban design (e.g. walkable and high-density urban areas near mobility hubs, compact building typologies, preserving valuable natural areas, creative approaches to increasing the provision of urban green (green roofs, bioswales, etc.) space for water and floodscapes, etc.), two land use evolution scenarios are formulated; a business-as-usual and a sustainable scenario. One of the main conclusions of the case study on the Brussels-Capital Region is that densification can be deployed as a vehicle for positive land cover change and greening of the city. / Doctorat en Art de bâtir et urbanisme (Architecture) / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Submitted by SBI Biblioteca Digital (sbi.bibliotecadigital@puc-campinas.edu.br) on 2017-04-25T12:16:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 FLAVIA A. A. GOUVEA NEGREIROS.pdf: 7750202 bytes, checksum: 72f144994e6357ef52e3ee2aa4f52dbf (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-25T12:16:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 FLAVIA A. A. GOUVEA NEGREIROS.pdf: 7750202 bytes, checksum: 72f144994e6357ef52e3ee2aa4f52dbf (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-08 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior - CAPES / Throughout the 20th century, the city center of Campinas was object of interventions that affected its mobility conditions, causing trouble to the pedestrian when prioritizing the car mobility. This dissertation discusses the problem of pedestrian mobility planning in Brazilian cities, more precisely in the city center of Campinas, area of the biggest urban pedestrian flow in the city. In addition, tries to understand the specificity of the urban drawing for pedestrian mobility in central contemporary areas to find ways to improve the public space for the pedestrian. In order to understand these impacts and the challenges for the recovery of public space for pedestrians, this dissertation presents the main transformations of the neighborhood and analyzes it based on theorists such as Jacobs (1961), Lynch (1960), (Gehl), Lamas (1993;2007). To do so, the panorama of urban mobility planning in Brazil, the legal frameworks and the technical discussion are investigated. In the case of Campinas, urban mobility interventions are not yet fully implemented. In order of this change of scenery to take place satisfactorily, planning must be carried out according to the functionality needs, comfort and safety of pedestrians, so the development of the city and the neighborhood must collaborate to serve the small scale, in which can occur the relation between man and space. / Ao longo do s?culo XX, o Centro de Campinas foi objeto de interven??es que impactaram as condi??es de mobilidade, acarretando preju?zos para o pedestre ao priorizar o autom?vel nos deslocamentos. O objetivo dessa pesquisa ? discutir a problem?tica do planejamento da mobilidade peatonal nas cidades brasileiras, mais precisamente do Centro de Campinas, local de maior fluxo peatonal urbano da cidade. Al?m disso, busca compreender a especificidade do desenho urbano para mobilidade peatonal em ?reas centrais contempor?neas para encontrar caminhos poss?veis para a qualifica??o dos espa?os p?blicos para o pedestre. Para compreender estes impactos e os desafios para a recupera??o do espa?o p?blico para os pedestres, a presente disserta??o apresenta as principais transforma??es desta ?rea central e analisa a realidade cotidiana local ? luz de te?ricos, tais como Jacobs (1961), Lynch (1960), Gehl (2013), Lamas (1993;2007). Para tanto, s?o investigados o panorama do planejamento da mobilidade urbana no Brasil, os marcos legais e os aspectos t?cnicos. No caso de Campinas, as interven??es urban?sticas de mobilidade ainda n?o s?o aplicadas de forma integral. Para que esta mudan?a de cen?rio aconte?a de modo satisfat?rio, o planejamento deve ser realizado de acordo com as necessidades de funcionalidade, conforto e seguran?a dos pedestres e, para isso, o desenvolvimento da cidade e do bairro devem colaborar para o atendimento da pequena escala, local em que ocorre a rela??o direta do homem com o espa?o.