This thesis aims to enable improved urban sustainability in India and has therefore been conducted at WSP’s office in Delhi. The objective has been to chart the Indian characteristics as well as to identify difficulties regarding urban sustainability. The purpose and objective have been accomplished through the implementation of three research questions. The questions have been answered by a literary review of existing theories and a complementary document analysis. Furthermore, a case study of a new development in India with long-term sustainability in focus of the design has been conducted. For an Indian city to achieve a sustainable urban development, five pillars of sustainability have been identified; political, physical, ecological, social and economic. The ecological, social and economic are pillars from the common definition of sustainability, however they have different meaning and focus in the Indian context. The physical and political pillars are therefore characteristic for the Indian urban development. The physical pillar is added in the Indian context since short term planning and focus on profit is dominating the building industry. The demand for maintenance is because of that larger than the supply which results in a need for more emphasis on the physical built environment. The political pillar is applied because of the concerns for the value and quality of governance actions. It affects the four other pillars since the government should provide guidance, both with instructions and by executions, which is not always apparent. The Indian government has introduced several strategies in order to achieve sustainability in Indian cities. Rating tools for sustainability, such as Leed and Griha, together with the planning of spatial city forms, such as compact city form and mixed land use, which are the main procedures. Benefits in terms of lower interest rates on loans and a quicker clearance are given to developers who intend to build sustainably. Though the many theories and strategies seem ambitious, they are not always as effective when translated into practice. This is partly because of the lack of follow-up and partly the clients focus on quick profit. Thus, India is facing many challenges in order to reach a sustainable urban development. Together with urbanisation and growth in population, corruption is the main challenge since many other follows. These are lack of awareness in the field of sustainability, short term planning and the focus on profit as well as public safety and poverty. If India is serious about developing its cities sustainably, it is significant for the Indian government to take an inspiring role in using and promoting sustainability.

Efforts to achieve urban sustainability include ecological practices within civic society. A prominent example of this is the voluntary stewardship of green urban spaces such as community gardening. People participating in these practices – so the argument goes – draw on social-ecological memory (SE-memory) – knowledge, experience, and practice of local ecosystem management. The present study scrutinises the components and implications of the concept of SE-memory. It identifies and fills a theoretical gap by investigating and adding neglected dimensions of individual memory while strengthening the concept’s social component by examining implications of SE-memory for its actual individual carriers. The study centres on Berlin’s intercultural gardens – urban community gardens where processes of SE-memory are particularly diverse. It is based on five months of fieldwork, including intensive participant observations and in-depth interviews in such gardens. The findings show that the reviving, modifying, and transmitting of SE-memory involve expressions of individuality as well as community and comprise inter-locking streams of both individual and social memory. These play a pivotal role for individuals’ sense of belonging, social inclusion, and commitment to cultural diversity central to the intercultural gardens’ contribution to social urban sustainability as they provide space for personal memory revival, allow for people to practice their culture of origin, and offer points of manifold exchange with others.

The important positions and proposals of the thesis are firstly the framework posited for a socially sustainable urban environment, and secondly a proposal for the parameters of place formation for sustainable urban design. Research into social sustainability has provided a variety of approaches among which Castells&amp / #8217 / model for urban movements have been adapted as a matrix for social organization in terms of placemaking, highlighting the goals of an urban movement, in this case of a place, with the citizen as urban actor, against its adversary the historical actor. As for the parameters of place formation a matrix of place is developed as a tool for urban design and for measuring urban sustainability. The matrix delineates the six dimensions of place in terms of the three sustainabilities most strongly involved in each / to be measured by the indicators of sustainability which are to be achieved by applying various strategies for urban design. As a result of the study of the underlying dynamics of the paradigms of sustainability, place, and place-making, and the shifting role of urban design necessitated by problems of urbaproposed within a discourse that prefers to see the three sustainabilities in conjunction and, believes socially sustainable communities to be also environmentally and economically sustainable- the issue becomes how to facilitate a place process through urban design. Place as a social product, and place as an experiential, cognitive construct, place as object and subject of place-making, and place as a geographically specific, historical materialist formation are the four vantage points from which to inspect the juxtapositions and differences of the concept / and may be arrive at a theory of place. The predilection that sustainability and urbanization can be evaluated via placemaking stems, on one hand, from a study of the city/urbanization through the works of Harvey, Castells, Lefebvre and Bookchin who emphasize social space/process in the face of physical/geometric space / and an architectural background/disposition which finds place congenial on the other hand. The paradigm of sustainability and place, and place-making as urban design is applied to the case of Temelli, Ankara for a critique of sustainable/unsustainable urbanization. As a geographic, social, economic and historical location within the Greater Municipality of Ankara, Temelli has been a region of attraction for investors since the 1990s. What was once a small village planned for settling Balkan immigrants, became a municipality in 1994 / the land within the municipal boundaries were increased tenfold, and the region was earmarked for an overspill of 650,000 people from Ankara Metropolitan Area in the next 20 years. Four residential areas in the region have been assessed comparatively in terms of sustainable urban forms / and an evaluation of everyday lives have been conducted through surveys and interviews with residents to observe how and if place as social product evolved / how the conceived, perceived and lived spaces interacted.

This report aimed to understand the reasoning that leads cities to undertake efforts to move towards sustainability. Interviews and surveys were undertaken with cities that are following the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development and other models in moving towards sustainability to understand the motivators and drivers, the barriers and challenges, and the benefits that these cities have encountered and realized through the move to sustainability. The motivators and drivers, barriers and challenges, and benefits were categorized within seven forms of community capital – natural, economic/financial, physical/built, social, cultural, human, and political. Returns on investment were categorized, and those that were pronounced were highlighted. A guidebook has been developed to assist sustainability practitioners and sustainability leaders in cities to engage senior-level decision-makers with language that would encourage them to move towards sustainability. / <p>If you would like to contact the authors, you can reach them at the email addresses below. Please replace (AT) with @ and (DOT) with . and remove all spaces. Adrian Mohareb - akmohareb (AT) gmail (DOT) com Kate Murray - katemariemurray (AT) gmail (DOT) com Chidi Ogbuagu - chidiogbuagu (AT) gmail (DOT) com</p>

Food production in urban areas has been conducted worldwide as a subsistence strategy and source of income. Recently, however, it is recognized that urban agriculture has the potential to contribute to the development of sustainable urban environments. This study examines the benefits of urban food production in North American cities, as well as focusing on some of the critical barriers to its widespread expansion and acceptance. It also explores the potential for contamination of produce from the ambient atmosphere in mid-sized urban centres. Through interviewing nine urban farmers and one urban planner, in the city of Victoria, British Columbia, I documented each producer’s knowledge of the benefits and limitations associated with urban food production. Each interviewee impressed upon me the numerous benefits that can be accrued through the practice of urban agriculture, but they also painted a picture of the struggles that urban farmers face. Issues identified included: a real and perceived risk of contamination, problems with land ownership and access, and lack of meaningful support for urban farmers. Although urban agriculture has been accepted in principle by the City of Victoria and other Canadian cities, there are many challenges that must be overcome for urban food production to truly produce a viable, sustained food system. A coordinated, comprehensive government policy for involvement in the urban food system is critical to effectively addressing urban food issues. Investigations of heavy metal levels in lettuce (Lactuca sativa) grown in sampling sites across an urban/rural gradient showed that atmospheric contamination by heavy metals is greatest at urban sites, but also affects residential and rural sites. Sampling site types included: a control area (rural farms and properties outside of Victoria); residential sites (yards in residential neighbourhoods in the City of Victoria); and, industrial/business sites (heavily trafficked and industrialized areas in downtown Victoria). Site types were intended to reflect areas perceived as safe, probably safe, and probably not safe, and were selected based on expert opinion and land use. Results indicate that caution should be exercised in growing leafy greens at downtown sites, and that growing food in most residential neighbourhoods and green spaces is typically no worse than growing greens in rural Victoria. In fact, due to the proximity of urban agriculture to the market, growing food locally eliminates the need for transportation and extra processing; reducing the extra exposure crops otherwise might face during these phases. Urban food production requires the support of communities and governments in order to contribute to both urban food security and urban sustainability. The City of Victoria has started on a path to ensuring that this food system receives the required support, but it requires concerted effort and action. Further research into urban food systems is necessary to ensure that urban food production is able to become a viable, sustained food system. / Graduate

This thesis examines the role of local government elected members to progress urban sustainability, and the views of Māori leaders’ on governance and sustainability. It is set within a wider context of local government reform and changing expectations of governance and captures a point in time in the evolution of Pākehā and Māori governance structures in Aotearoa New Zealand. The thesis contributes to the paucity of scholarship in these fields. Local government has evolved from the early provincial legislatures, to acknowledge Te Tiriti o Waitangi and recognise the importance of sustainable development. The Local Government Act 2002 fundamentally changed the role and purpose of New Zealand local government. At the heart of both Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the LGA was the aspiration for community and Māori participation in local governance and progress towards sustainable development. The ‘three-house concept’ described in the Raukawa Trustees partnership-two cultures development model (Winiata 2005) and the Community Sector Taskforce (2006) model is reflected in the structure of this thesis. It provides for a Pākehā House, a Tikanga Māori House and a Treaty House – a conceptual space where Māori and Pākehā values and practices can come together in mutual respect. The Pākehā House of the thesis establishes a broader role for New Zealand elected members to promote urban sustainability by focusing on cross-sector collaboration and multi-level governance. While multi-level governing was found to be widespread across urban territorial authorities, an elected member focus on collaboration was notably absent. Aotearoa New Zealand’s urban local authorities had begun mainstreaming sustainable development practices. Environmental management and restoration activity was widespread. Initiatives progressing social and cultural well-being were gaining prominence. The Tikanga Māori House recognises that the LGA 2002 had failed to bring about transformation of Māori participation in local government. Where the Māori voice struggled to be heard, the Act’s discretionary provisions had tended to preserve the status quo. Two paths to the future are offered: firstly, constitutional change - a new system of local government that recognises the validity of tino rangatiratanga as an equal authority, which could be modeled on the working examples of Treaty-based governance presented in this thesis. Secondly, improvements to the current system of local government are recommended. They are: - Hui and whanaungatanga, as a path to consensus decision-making. - Iwi authorities be recognised as local authorities, to provide opportunities for urban Māori to participate in local government. - The status of iwi management plans be lifted, and they be mandatory in the way that a district plan is mandatory. - The mana whenua relationship be strengthened to increase the capacity of mana whenua to consult with tauiwi in their rohe, and exercise kaitiakitanga and manaakitanga. These improvements need to be based on an effective parallel model of Māori representation, or Māori wards and seats. The Treaty House presents a case for strengthening a partnerships approach to governance. The effective inclusion of both Pākehā and Māori communities alike is identified as a prerequisite for further progress towards urban sustainability in Aotearoa New Zealand.

This thesis examines the role of local government elected members to progress urban sustainability, and the views of Māori leaders’ on governance and sustainability. It is set within a wider context of local government reform and changing expectations of governance and captures a point in time in the evolution of Pākehā and Māori governance structures in Aotearoa New Zealand. The thesis contributes to the paucity of scholarship in these fields. Local government has evolved from the early provincial legislatures, to acknowledge Te Tiriti o Waitangi and recognise the importance of sustainable development. The Local Government Act 2002 fundamentally changed the role and purpose of New Zealand local government. At the heart of both Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the LGA was the aspiration for community and Māori participation in local governance and progress towards sustainable development. The ‘three-house concept’ described in the Raukawa Trustees partnership-two cultures development model (Winiata 2005) and the Community Sector Taskforce (2006) model is reflected in the structure of this thesis. It provides for a Pākehā House, a Tikanga Māori House and a Treaty House – a conceptual space where Māori and Pākehā values and practices can come together in mutual respect. The Pākehā House of the thesis establishes a broader role for New Zealand elected members to promote urban sustainability by focusing on cross-sector collaboration and multi-level governance. While multi-level governing was found to be widespread across urban territorial authorities, an elected member focus on collaboration was notably absent. Aotearoa New Zealand’s urban local authorities had begun mainstreaming sustainable development practices. Environmental management and restoration activity was widespread. Initiatives progressing social and cultural well-being were gaining prominence. The Tikanga Māori House recognises that the LGA 2002 had failed to bring about transformation of Māori participation in local government. Where the Māori voice struggled to be heard, the Act’s discretionary provisions had tended to preserve the status quo. Two paths to the future are offered: firstly, constitutional change - a new system of local government that recognises the validity of tino rangatiratanga as an equal authority, which could be modeled on the working examples of Treaty-based governance presented in this thesis. Secondly, improvements to the current system of local government are recommended. They are: - Hui and whanaungatanga, as a path to consensus decision-making. - Iwi authorities be recognised as local authorities, to provide opportunities for urban Māori to participate in local government. - The status of iwi management plans be lifted, and they be mandatory in the way that a district plan is mandatory. - The mana whenua relationship be strengthened to increase the capacity of mana whenua to consult with tauiwi in their rohe, and exercise kaitiakitanga and manaakitanga. These improvements need to be based on an effective parallel model of Māori representation, or Māori wards and seats. The Treaty House presents a case for strengthening a partnerships approach to governance. The effective inclusion of both Pākehā and Māori communities alike is identified as a prerequisite for further progress towards urban sustainability in Aotearoa New Zealand.

For the first time in history, the global urban population now exceeds the global rural population, meaning that more than 50 % of the world’s population now live in cities. Much attention has been paid to the discourse of sustainable development during the last decades, however, many environmental and social scientists point to an increasing problematic realted to climate change. Greehouse gas emissions are rising, water levels are rising and drought periods are becoming longer, and urban areas are becoming more and more populated. Due to an increasing urbanisation, cities now have the highest demand, compared to rural areas, for food, water, energy and healthcare. At the same time, cities are the biggest threats when it comes to environmental impacts, being responsible for 75 % of all resource consumption and 70 % of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. Drawing from sustainability transition theory, new modes of political governance theory and finally, pragmatist educational theory, this paper attempts to analyze the type of learning taking place in political spaces that exist within an institutional void. Learning, as a concept, is in this paper relating both to the type or learning the participants in the case study are experiencing, as well as what society can learn concerning Urban Sustainability Transitions (USTs). The aim of this paper is to explore theoretically and empirically how political spaces of USTs may function as educative spaces. It poses as its research question: How can pragmatist educational theory be used to understand transition for sustainability in institutional voids? As a case study, Housing Roar Uppsala is investigated as a political space where learning occurs. Two meetings have been recorded and four semi- structured interviews have been made in order to analyze the conversations using Practical Epistemology Analysis. A dramaturgical analysis has also been made in order to understand the setting and staging in which the meetings took place. The paper identifies as its results that there is a lingering gap, a lack of knowledge, occurring throughout the meetings, which in turn leads to another gap: that nothing is happening within the network. Furthermore, the ultimate purpose of the network does not always correlate with the proximate purposes of the participants. This is a source for the lingering gap. Through these findings, this paper suggests that the structure of the meetings might not always be the most beneficial one when trying to transition into sustainability, however, it might be the only one participants have when faced with complex, wicked issues. Wicked issues are problems that do not have a simple, single solution. It also finds that the type of learning taking place within the network might be a negotiation of purposes between participants. Finally, the paper concludes that, in relation to USTs, the type of learning that is taking place is that perhaps a totally open, nonhierarchical, network-type organization in a completely open setting, that bans political figures and private companies from entering into the conversation is not the most successful way of reaching sustainability.

Certain public investments or changes in the urban norms contribute to private property appreciation, without the owners having to make any effort for it. This research studies intervention ways to capture part of this increased value for the public sector, called land value capture tools, through which it is possible to revert the process of public investments private possession. The first part of the analysis takes into account a large context, relating the subject to the search for a sustainable urban development, within the city right, its property social function and the current Brazilian laws. It presents examples of countries where these tools are being used and mentions the Brazilian reality concerning tax policies and urban policies which are able to capture land value. Next, a case study about Maceió, a city located in the northeast of Brazil. It investigates how its master plan and urban laws have foreseen the use of such tools, trying to identify if advances have occurred in the search for a bigger land market control and as an incentive so that the property can do its social function. The adopted methodology is one of analytical work with exploratory characteristics, where selected and revised readings have been vital, tracing the origin, the development and the influence of ideas and concepts, with the hypothesis being created within the investigation process. The study showed that the land value capture tools may help in the search for a sustainable urban development, being able to contribute to the property social function. It also showed that the elaboration of new urban laws by Brazilian cities does not mean that these instruments are being, or will be, implemented. / Determinados investimentos públicos ou alterações nas normas urbanísticas valorizam as propriedades privadas sem que seus donos tenham se esforçado. A pesquisa estuda mecanismos de intervenção sobre o solo, chamados de instrumentos de recuperação de mais-valias fundiárias, através dos quais se busca reverter tais processos de apropriação privada dos investimentos públicos. A análise parte de um contexto amplo, relacionando o tema com a busca pelo desenvolvimento urbano sustentável, com o direito à cidade, a função social da propriedade e com as atuais normas jurídicas brasileiras. Apresenta exemplos de países que vêm utilizando estas ferramentas e aborda a realidade brasileira referente aos instrumentos tributários, fiscais e da política urbana com capacidade de recuperar mais-valias. Na seqüência, foca na realidade específica do município de Maceió, investigando como o novo Plano Diretor e Código de Urbanismo e Edificações previram a utilização destes instrumentos, procurando identificar se aconteceram avanços na busca por um maior controle do mercado do solo e no incentivo para que a propriedade cumpra com a sua função social. A metodologia utilizada é a de um trabalho analítico de caráter exploratório, em que a literatura selecionada e revisada para os estudos exerceu um papel fundamental, traçando a origem, o desenvolvimento e a influência de idéias e conceitos, com as hipóteses sendo construídas no processo de investigação. Demonstrou-se que os instrumentos de recuperação de mais-valias fundiárias são aliados em prol de um desenvolvimento urbano sustentável, podendo cooperar para que a propriedade atinja a sua função social. Demonstrou-se também que a elaboração das novas legislações urbanísticas pelos municípios brasileiros não significa que estes instrumentos estejam sendo, ou serão, implementados.

abstract: Public participation is considered an essential process for achieving sustainable urban development. Often, however, insufficient attention is paid to the design of public participation, and processes are formulaic. Then, participation may not match the local context of the communities within which a project is conducted. As a result, participation may become co-optative or coercive, stakeholders may lose trust, and outcomes may favor special interests or be unsustainable, among other shortcomings. In this research, urban public participation is a collaborative decision-making process between residents, businesses, experts, public officials, and other stakeholders. When processes are not attuned with the local context (participant lifestyles, needs, interests, and capacities) misalignments between process and context arise around living conditions and personal circumstances, stakeholder trust, civic engagement, collaborative capacity, and sustainability literacy, among others. This dissertation asks (1) what challenges arise when the public participation process does not match the local context, (2) what are key elements of public participation processes that are aligned with the local context, (3) what are ways to design public participation that align with specific local contexts, and (4) what societal qualities and conditions are necessary for meaningful participatory processes? These questions are answered through four interrelated studies. Study 1 analyzes the current state of the problem by reviewing public participation processes and categorizing common misalignments with the local context. Study 2 envisions a future in which the problem is solved by identifying the features of well-aligned processes. Studies 3 and 4 test interventions for achieving the vision. This dissertation presents a framework for analyzing the local context in urban development projects and designing public participation processes to meet this context. This work envisions public participation processes aligned with their local context, and it presents directives for designing deliberative decision-making processes for sustainable urban development. The dissertation applies a systems perspective to the social process of public participation, and it provides empirical support for theoretical debates on public participation while creating actionable knowledge for planners and practitioners. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Sustainability 2015