Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2008. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Page 159 blank. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 149-158). / Across North America, downtowns are experiencing revitalization and population growth, as "urban pioneers" are making their homes in city centers. While downtowns are typically thought of as places for empty nesters and young, single professionals, some North American cities are experiencing recent growth in families moving downtown, despite its tradeoffs, and others are working to attract families with children to their downtowns. With an increasing number of families living in central city neighborhoods, cities are presented with unique opportunities and challenges. Initiatives to make cities more family-friendly for residents of all backgrounds and income levels will help attract and retain families downtown, as well as contribute to healthy, thriving cities overall. Using Vancouver, BC as a case study, this thesis explores urban livability in general and with specific reference to Vancouver's family-oriented downtown as one component of livability. Vancouver is consistently ranked as one of the world's most livable cities and has been a pioneer city in embracing family-friendly urban living, beginning its efforts several decades ago, while many other cities have only recently begun to address issues of livability. This thesis investigates how Vancouver has accommodated families living downtown and what elements have contributed to its world-renowned status as a model city. However, the story of this perceived "urban utopia" is not complete without consideration of the dilemmas that have come hand-in-hand with Vancouver's success, such as increasing housing prices that are unaffordable to many. These challenges reveal potential implications for other cities hoping to emulate the "Vancouver Model." / (cont.) Lessons learned consider under what circumstances the elements attributable to Vancouver's "success" are applicable and realizable in other cities in North America, with a focus on Seattle, WA and Portland, OR. Recommendations are offered for both how Vancouver can improve and other cities can create more family-friendly urban environments, while avoiding the pitfalls that have come with Vancouver's success. As the case of Vancouver has demonstrated, downtown living is a complex issue and perceived successes can create powerful externalities that may diminish the city's achievements in the long-term if challenges are not properly addressed. / by Sabra Elysia Loewus. / M.C.P.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture; and, (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2006. / Leaf 102 blank. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-101). / The key premise of the Russian revolutionary movement was the overthrow of the old government and establishment of the new political order under the one party leadership of the Bolsheviks. The political platform of the new government extended well beyond the promise of simple reforms. Its foundation was a vision of an entirely new society governed by a set of new economic mechanisms and social relations. The foundation of the new system rested on the complete socialization of all economic resources and means of production and the creation of the centralized planning system independent of the volatile dynamics of the free market. In this thesis I argue that in their role as the new government of Russia, Bolsheviks simultaneously acted as town planners and as social planners, envisioning the new society and its institutions in every detail and creating a new urban form-the socialist city, and the new citizen-the socialist man. To create this city the Bolsheviks designed a unique tool-they merged their legal right to make policy with their ability to use rhetoric in the form of widespread persuasion, propaganda, indoctrination and force. I define the socialist city as an urban settlement in which the primary from of human existence is the collective life. / (cont.) This city is designed in such a way as to make every space accessible to government control, by making it transparent to the collective which has assumed the censoring and policing functions of the government The space of the city is permeated by a network of institutions and agents making it an environment in which a person is constantly exposed to the mechanisms of control. During the first decade after the revolution the Bolsheviks created the forms of housing and the auxiliary institutions, such as the social club, the communal canteen etc, that became the building blocks of the socialist city. In this thesis I examine the social institutions created by the Bolsheviks between 1917 and 1932 with the goal of understanding of how their design defined the future development of the socialist city. / by Nadya Nilina. / M.C.P. / S.M.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2010. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 71). / This thesis sets out to examine the case of commercial street revitalization in Fuzhou, China. In modern China the focus of revitalization models has evolved from poverty and environmental quality in 1980s to economic revival and social policy in 2000's. Due to the lack of empowerment of local community, the prevailing models-Clearance, Xiantiandi and Fake historical-all take a large-scale approach that is favored and undertaken by either government or developer. Compared with a small-scale approach, the large-scale approach usually faces problems such as financial uncertainty, preservation degradation, and loss of diversity and scale continuity. Fuzhou Nanhou Street revitalization project is a government oriented large-scale project that attempts to tackle conservation and economic revitalization issues. With respect to the challenges faced by large-scale approach, an assessment index is developed to include conservation, diversity, connectivity, economy and equity. In general, the Nanhou street revitalization plan was well prepared in and implemented in 2009. It has employed effective design strategies in managing physical conservation, upgrading and promoting urban vitality. However, there was insufficient concern over real estate management and social equity issues, which became an obstacle to a sustainable revitalization. For example, the uniform rent and over-scale store design prevent some century-old stores from re-opening after revitalization. In this thesis, I argue revitalization should put equal emphasis on the software as on the hardware. The lack of knowledge in marketing and management can undermine a sustainable revitalization in China in spite of a sensible physical conservation. Three recommendations are made to inform future practices: 1) coordinate with tourism and creative industry development; 2) introduce retail business management; 3) incorporate public participation into the planning process. / by Yang Liu. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 81-84XX). / by Marc Stephen Coleman. / M.S.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, February 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 193-221). / This dissertation addresses the issue of industrialization in the WTO regime, focusing on the role of asymmetric free trade agreements. It proposes a framework where free trade agreements offer payoffs that countries have not been able to achieve through their WTO commitments. To evaluate these payoffs, I explore the mechanisms through which selected features of free trade agreements are translated into commercial outcomes. The central conclusion of this thesis is that free trade agreements provide developing countries with additional policy flexibility that is often not used to its fullest potential. Existing work on individual features of free trade agreements has focused primarily on those features that further constrain domestic policy options; the proposal that they may also expand policy options has been largely overlooked. It is a fact that in the WTO regime, the trade policy options available to developing countries have been restricted relative to the set that was available to their predecessors. Developing countries actively agreed to these restrictions with the expectation that growth and development would result from their participation in the WTO regime. / (cont.) This unfulfilled expectation, in combination with a multilateral negotiation structure that is characterized by collective action problems, creates an incentive for WTO members to form supplementary trade associations as they seek to move forward politically and economically. Yet given that free trade agreements are also characterized by an uncertain payoff, this dissertation seeks to provide evidence that they do in fact result in positive industrial outcomes. The model I use here also explains why free trade agreements are able to deliver results that similar unilateral initiatives do not. I use the case study of the U.S.-Chile FTA to test the theory on a developing country that has specifically targeted free trade agreements as a feature of its industrial strategy. Empirical data from both the negotiation process and commercial outcomes illustrates that in terms of the expected payoffs of export diversity, increased bilateral trade and industrialization in general, free trade agreements offer countries the ability to design and implement elements of an interventionalist industrial strategy that is consistent with their WTO commitments. / by Alisa DiCaprio. / Ph.D.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1989. / Includes bibliographical references. / by Richard G. Newman, Jr. / M.S.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2004. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-48). / This paper investigates the variation of capitalization rates across submarkets within the same metropolitan area by using a database with 73 transactions of office properties located in nine submarkets of Atlanta during the period from the third quarter of 2000 to the second quarter of 2003. The results show that capitalization rates are quite predictable at the submarket level. Movements of capitalization rates are shaped by local market information, national capital market information and characteristics of individual property. The study also examines the behavior of real estate investors in forming their expectations of future income streams. A cross-sectional model with time dummy variables is used in this paper. / by Yisheng Yu. / S.M.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2006. / Appendix, The TMO story, written in Japanese characters. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 115-118). / Downtowns have experienced decline since the 1990s in Japan and several strategies have been implemented to deal with it. This research focuses on one of such strategies-the Town Management Organization (TMO) model. Although the model was expected to achieve downtown revitalization through managing downtown areas, it has made negligible contributions. This research examines the reasons why the TMO model has not worked well through a survey and interviews with TMO staff members. This research demonstrates that TMOs tend to face obstacles at two different stages, which has led to the low level of contribution of the TMO model. At the planning stage, most TMO boards are dominated by commercial stakeholders and do not take in broad opinions. As a result, most TMOs do not gain benefits from active participation of various local stakeholders or receive their political and financial support. At the implementation stage, TMOs face different difficulties according to their funding structure. TMOs raising their funds mainly from such outside sources as subsidies tend to face funding shortages and lack of staff, and as a result, do not conduct effective revitalization activities. / (cont.) In contrast, TMOs that are not dependent on outside sources but make most earnings from the sales of goods or services are likely to face deficits and focus on profitable activities which might not be related to downtown revitalization. This research recommends that TMOs reform their boards, capitalize on external conditions, diversify their funding sources, and utilize other resources such as volunteers and financial institutions. In addition, this research proposes that governments create effective public policies to help TMOs carry out these recommendations. / by Masatomo Miyazawa. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1984. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography: leaves 89-91. / by Karen S. Margolis. / M.C.P.

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-92). / Electric vehicle (EV) development in the Kathmandu Valley began in 1993 as a response to the urgency of a severe air pollution situation. The dynamics of government intervention, non-governmental organization advocacy, international donor support, and private sector involvement all shaped EV implementation in various ways. Its success led other South and East Asian cities to view it as a model for implementing EVs to alleviate air pollution. Yet despite a promising beginning and intensive proliferation, the EV industry was failing only six years after its inception. What went wrong with a development that seemed to have all the makings of success? This thesis outlines the EV development trajectory and examines the principal factors that impeded progress. Interviews with over 30 individuals in the electric vehicle industry, government agencies, NGOs, and international donor organizations provided me with first-hand accounts of the puzzles of EV development. Also, my research in published and unpublished documents, local press coverage, and an EV news server added rich material for analysis. The most entrenched barriers to the implementation of the EV industry have been the disparate interests and goals of stakeholders, in particular the resistance and hostility of fossil-fuel interests, and deficiencies in human resources and support networks. Analysis of these impediments yields lessons on how EV advocates can overcome these obstacles. Lessons learned in this thesis are that EV advocates must build a coalition of supportive actors, seek governmental commitment for EV-supportive polices, work to align the disparate economic goals of private actors, and develop a capacity for training and education. / by Sushila Maharjan. / M.C.P.