Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 40-44).

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 112-115).

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Boston University. University Professors Program Senior theses. / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-02

This thesis studies the planning and negotiation process engaged in the conceptualization and initial stages of Vancouver's waterfront urban renewal project Concord Pacific Place at the False Creek North waterfront, Vancouver. Numerous articles have devoted attention to the physical form of this urban renewal development. However current discourse on Concord Pacific Place overlooks the planning and negotiation process, which has been integral to its urban renewal success. It is for this reason that my thesis sets out to study the planning and negotiation process in an effort to offer a new perspective on Concord Pacific. To contextualize the development of Concord Pacific Place over the two decades between 1987 and 2007, this thesis surveys the introduction of high-rises in the city of Vancouver, looking at the city's apartment typology prior to the redevelopment of False Creek North, a brief history of Expo 86 and the planning and negotiation process behind B.C. Place, as well as the planning and negotiation process that has transformed the former Expo land into the master-planned urban neighbourhood at Concord Pacific Place. This thesis also identifies the results of the planning and negotiation process that have contributed to the False Creek North development. The material gathered includes a collection of historical and background information on the transformation of the City of Vancouver in general and in particular the False Creek North site found in published accounts, consultation of the archives of Concord Pacific, and interviews with key players involved with the development of Concord Pacific Place. City planning officials were also consulted on issues pertaining to the basic planning principles of the City of Vancouver as well as the decision-making process involving City planners and developers. This research highlights the importance of the relationship between the City planners and the developer as well as participation from the public throughout the planning and development stages of the Concord Pacific Place development. It points out specific initiatives that were established as a result of this megaproject, the main challenges and limitation encountered with the process. It also identifies lessons learned at the end of the journey. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of / Graduate

Computer-based, mathematical models have significant value in describing the processes behind urban development and its inhabitants. The following research describes the theories and concepts behind modeling and offers insight into the potential future of the field. First, the research covers a brief history of applicable modeling strategies. This is followed by a summary of current popular approaches. The numerical background of geo-social engineering is developed through mathematical techniques. Geo-social engineering is the integration of modeling into the basic design human civilization. The mathematical models will be incorporated into a design of a computer program. From this, a possible geo-social model structure is presented and its architecture is described.

Many of today‟s global environmental problems can be traced back to cities. Managing the urban environment has become a priority not only for cities themselves, but also for the global environment as a whole. It has also placed considerable pressure on local governments to capacitate themselves with strategies, tools, and other competencies that enable them to effectively manage the environment. This thesis was undertaken to explore how the eThekwini Municipality located in South Africa is integrating sustainability, specifically within its Integrated Development Planning Process. This thesis is underpinned by the literature works of environmental policy making and discourse analysis as a methodology purported by Hajer (1995). One of the central premises of this literature is that any understanding of the natural environment is based on various representations coupled with assumptions and social choices. Therefore a detailed understanding of discursive practices that guides our perception of reality must be understood (Hajer, 1995). Ecological Modernisation, a newer policy discourse, does not comprise a unified set of ideas but has developed over many years of institutional debate. These set of ideas were initially drawn from large firms, environmental organizations, and scientific experts and to a lesser extent from local communities. Consequently this discourse represents a form of weak sustainability. The strong sustainability discourse calls for more involvement of local communities in respect of environmental issues and includes the discourse of LA21. The literature review therefore spans over a spectrum of discourses covering both weak and strong sustainability thinking as a base foundation on which to explore the case study of the eThekwini Municipality‟s Integrated Development Plans (IDPs): 2002-2005. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation