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

This thesis investigates how New Urbanism principles are used in Swedish policy documents to further urban sustainable development. Given the contested nature of New Urbanism theory, this thesis aims to examine its prevalence within the Swedish context, particularly considering Sweden's forefront position in sustainable development. This is investigated comparatively through interpreting policy documents from Stockholm and Gothenburg municipality through four principles of New Urbanism; transit-oriented design (TOD), smart growth, urban villages and traditional neighbourhood design (TND). The findings indicate that New Urbanism principles are widely discussed in Swedish policy for urban sustainability, and that the municipalities offer different solutions, but have similar goals correlating to the theory. The most interesting find is that Gothenburg has a more critical view toward the principle TND than Stockholm. Further research is encouraged, especially as current research and discourse on New Urbanism from a Swedish context is very minimal. Further research could also explore criticism and potential achievements of the theory by assessing it empirically.

Depuis le début XXIème siècle, les documents d’urbanisme s’attèlent à « reconstruire la ville sur la ville » et même à densifier le bâti existant. Or, non seulement les aspirations de la population ne vont pas nécessairement dans le même sens, mais encore, ce mode de construction implique une connaissance fine du volume urbain. L’attente de nouvelles méthodes d’analyse des territoires, combinant 2D et 3D, est forte dans le domaine de l’aménagement du territoire afin de densifier les espaces urbains et combler les vacuités tout en surélevant le bâti existant, et en respectant les principes d’un développement urbain durable soucieux de la qualité de vie. Cependant, les méthodes utilisées à ce jour à des fins de recherche fondamentale ou appliquée en aménagement, intègrent peu la 3D, c’est à dire la dimension verticale des éléments géographiques, naturels ou anthropiques. Le travail de recherche envisagé dans la thèse a pour objet l’intégration de la 3D dans l’analyse spatiale à l’aide de SIG, de l’analyse d’image et de l’analyse morphologique afin de proposer des nouvelles méthodes et des outils utiles aux acteurs du territoire. / Since the beginning of the 21 century the urban planning documents are focused on the “reconstruction of the city inside the recent city territory” and results in the densification of the urban structure (e.g. elevating existing buildings or increasing compactness). However, this construction mode needs a detailed understanding of the urban volume. To meet this demand, new analysis methods are strongly desired, integrating 2D and 3D in urban planning. This might allow density increase in decaying inner urban areas while respecting the social sustainable development and enhancing the quality of life. However the currently used methods used in fundamental science or applied science rarely include the third dimension in their consideration; more detailed the vertical axis of geographical, natural or anthropogenic elements.The here presented thesis is dedicated to the integration of the 3D methods into the urban planning by the help of analysis with applied geographic information systems (GIS). The work focuses on image and morphology analysis for developing new methodologies and tools dedicated to different decision makers in urban context.

Cette recherche s'interroge sur l'interrelation entre le développement urbain et le développement durable dans le sens où celui-ci peut se concrétiser en milieu urbain et à différents niveaux stratégiques de la ville. Sous cet angle, la recherche ambitionne une meilleure compréhension de cette interrelation, notamment par ses implications potentielles pour la ville de Bagdad (Irak) qui constitue l'étude de cas. Pour atteindre cet objectif, la recherche implique une évaluation critique de la ville afin de savoir si la dynamique existante (défis et réponses) et les mutations urbaines actuelles (le développement économique, le changement social et l'envergure de l'implication du public, la transition politique), ainsi que les projets de développement urbain effectivement élaborés à la suite des efforts locaux de reconstruction – mais aussi sous l'impact du processus de globalisation - pourraient être orientés de façon à créer un terrain favorable pour engager un processus de développement durable en contexte. Toutefois, avant de passer à cette dernière étape ambitieuse, la question de recherche est examinée au prisme de trois étapes structurelles. Tout d'abord avec un regard sur l'histoire de façon à mieux voir comment a débuté la création de la ville de Bagdad et sa formation, puis quels furent son développement et ses transformations jusqu'à sa situation actuelle. Deuxièmement, en soulignant et analysant les conséquences et les problèmes actuels de son développement et ses impacts sur les différents aspects de l'état urbain (la société, la culture, l'environnement, la politique, etc. ...), cela pour mieux comprendre les débats actuels et les efforts contradictoires portés sur le développement de la ville concernée. Troisièmement, au-delà d'une recherche théorique sur le concept de développement durable, et de l'examen de certaines perspectives et de points de vue théoriques à partir desquels ce concept a été approché, la recherche est plus précisément conduite dans le but de bien comprendre comment s'engager correctement en faveur d'un développement adapté et d'un avenir durable pour la ville de Bagdad. Il importe ici de rappeler que cette approche s'inscrit dans un contexte où le rôle de la durabilité n'a pas reçu une attention appropriée de la part de la recherche en termes d'analyse des divers avantages et inconvénients apportés au contexte concerné. A cet égard, bien qu'il existe certaines similitudes entre les villes à travers le monde, et que l'on puisse aussi admettre qu'il y ait beaucoup d'éléments globaux communs au sujet du développement de la ville, il convient de relever qu'il y a aussi des dimensions locales et régionales jouant un rôle important. A cet à égard la recherche révèle que Bagdad est un produit unique (dans le sens d'inhabituel) pour la mise en œuvre de politiques de développement urbain. La recherche vise aussi à établir une vision stratégique pour la ville en matière de développement urbain durable, en mettant d'abord l'accent sur des démarches stratégiques qui prennent en considération toute la complexité de la gestion et de l'aménagement de la ville. Enfin, la recherche esquisse les orientations d'un Schéma Directeur visant à maîtriser à la fois la forme urbaine et la croissance dans la perspective d'une éventuelle évolution vers une ville plus adaptée et "durable". / This research questions the interrelation of urban development and sustainable development, in the sense that sustainable development could be operationalized in the urban environment and at a variety of strategic levels of the city. Within this objective, this research seeks to achieve, through the case study of the research (Baghdad), a better understanding of this relation, especially by its prospective implications for Baghdad. To achieve this goal, the research involves a critical assessment of whether, the dynamics (challenges and responses) and current urban changes (economic development, social transformations and the extent of public involvement, and the political transition), as well as urban development projects actually developed through local reconstruction efforts and impact of the process of globalization, could be invested and oriented to create a favourable ground to start an implementation of the sustainable development. However, before proceeding to the last ambitious step, the research aims to address the main research question through three structural phases: firstly through history in order to see how the creation of the city began, its formation, how it was developing and transforming up to its current situation. Secondly, for highlighting and analyzing the consequences and current problems of the city development and their impact on various aspects of the urban condition (society, culture, environment, politics, etc ....), in order to establish an understanding of current debates and contradictory efforts on the development of Baghdad city. Thirdly, beyond a theoretical research on the concept of sustainable development and a review of some points of view and theoretical perspectives from which this concept was approached, the research explicitly leads to a better understanding of how it could be possible to engage properly in the new commitment to an appropriate development and sustainable future for the city of Baghdad. It is important to remind here that this approach takes place in a context where the role of sustainability has not received appropriate attention of the research, in terms of analysis of the various advantages and disadvantages that are relevant to the context. In this respect, although there are some similarities between the cities around the world, as well as there are a lot of global common elements on development of the city, there are also local and regional dimensions that play an important role. With respect to these dimensions the study reveals that Baghdad is unique (in the sense of unusual) for the implementation of urban development policies. The research also aims to develop a strategic vision for the city's sustainable urban development, focusing primarily on the strategic approaches that take into account the complexity of the management and development of the city. Finally, the research proposes an attempt to outline a master plan to control both urban form and growth in any change, while ensuring a proper orientation to a city more responsive and “sustainable”.

This essay is firstly a methodological pilot study. We have investigated if qualitative methods, in this case semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews, can be used to complement existing empirical findings about food consumption. The study’s approach has also been to map out what variables that affects individuals choices regarding food consumption and how their choices are affected by governmental information. Through a historical overview of food consumption in Sweden, we can show how the governmental and individual roles have changed due to increased globalization and urbanization. We have also used a social-psychological theoretical framework and previous empirical findings to analyze why individuals not always act as themselves and others wish. The results from this study shows that students generally are more aware than other individuals regarding sustainable choices. Still, they find it difficult to specify why one choice is more sustainable than another, for example between conventional, organic and locally produced food. The majority of the respondents claimed that high pricing was the main obstacle for them to consistently go for the more sustainable choice. When talking about price, some of the respondents expressed that, both the external and the self-perceived image of what the life of a student includes further contributes to the idea of a ‘poor student with limited choices’. There is still an ongoing need to study social phenomena in the everyday live. We can, in line with this study’s litterature, note that several aspects of everyday life are corrected by the government. Regarding food consumption, that is characterized by individualism and act in the grey area between governmental ideals and the practice of everyday life, the need for knowledge is even bigger. Increased knowledge is crucial to make a sustainable urban development possible and we claim that qualitative methods can act as an important tool to illustrate and affect attitudes and norms.

Many North American suburban shopping malls have become under-performing retail islands drifting in oceans of asphalt parking lots. This thesis examined three potential future scenarios for the aging retail shopping mall landscape; 1. Maintaining status quo 2. Upgrading the property for a mixed-use neighbourhood centre 3. Implementing strategies for attainable sustainability targets These scenarios were examined using a proposed retrofit of Edmonton, Canada’s Westmount Centre as a case study, to determine if this retrofitting approach could be a pilot for other districts. The principles of 2030 District (2030 District, 2012) guided this thesis, a concept which proposed that by 2030 all newly constructed districts be energy neutral and that existing districts be retrofitted to use less than 50% of the energy that they presently consume. The Spider charts developed by Haas & Troglio (Haas & Troglio, 2011) were used to create strategies that included incorporating existing proven, economically viable technologies to the proposed retrofit. The three resulting scenarios were then evaluated using Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - Neighbourhood Design, version 4 (LEED-ND v4), to make a case for raising the threshold for sustainability and mitigation measures when planning new and retrofit projects in North America (USGBC, 2014). The goal of the thesis was to find a solution that holistically meets the goals of LEED-ND, where partnerships between numerous stakeholders provide a business model for urban sustainability, which includes planning, implementation and verification (2030 District, 2012). By examining proven sustainability measures and applying them to the normative scenario, makes the case that strategic implementation during a situation of opportunity, through timely stakeholder interaction, will result in a district that is both sustainable (environmentally, socially and economically) and provides a good return on investment. This thesis is a starting point for the iterative process, a compelling argument and business case for further investigation and action for Westmount Centre and by extension, to other retail districts.

The modern dichotomy between the urban and the rural is increasingly affected by the superimposition of urbanisation processes on the rural landscape, usually contributing to the disappearance of the agricultural heritage. Thanks to a high degree of awareness towards the necessity of natural capitals in human life, today the interdependence between man and nature is progressively becoming of fundamental importance. Contemporary issues related to urban overgrowth, food supply and depletion of material resources increase the necessity for urban planning processes in rural areas to apply principles of integration with the existing context. It becomes the role of contemporary urban planners to carefully manage the natural capital and develop urban sustainable strategies to fulfill human needs in the respect of the eco-system.Particularly, this thesis investigates the controversial relationship between the urban and the rural in the case study of Cortijo de Cuarto in Seville, rural area in the southern suburb of the Spanish city currently subjected to traditional urbanisation processes of urban sprawling.The focus will be to highlight the potentiality of this land as agricultural heritage and propose a development strategy based on three hubs of transition from the urban to the rural landscape, looking at the features of the local context toward the preservation and valorisation of its identity. Therefore, AgriI-Cultura Urbana stands out as an urban development program that looks at agriculture as a landscape experience from a social, economic and environmental point of view, enhancing a culture of integration between local agricultural activities and urbanisation programs, taking into consideration the benefits of both citizens and the environment.

Le commerce équitable fait majoritairement l’objet de travaux en sciences agro-économiques (études d’impact, de filière, structuration des organisations,…). Par ailleurs, si les premières recherches étaient centrées vers le Sud et dans la compréhension de flux mondialisés, un décentrement du secteur vers d’autres espaces et dynamiques d’acteurs est perceptible autour de nouveaux enjeux liés à son inscription dans les politiques publiques. Cette évolution ouvre des perspectives originales de recherche et élargit le champ des disciplines concernées. La thèse s’inscrit dans ces nouvelles approches. Elle interroge les « Fair Trade Towns », campagne internationale de promotion du commerce équitable lancée en 2000, déclinée essentiellement dans les villes européennes. Dans ce projet l’objectif est d’associer collectivités, acteurs locaux, privés et publics, pour valoriser le commerce équitable à l’échelle d’un «territoire». Dans une démarche de géographie sociale, la recherche s’intéresse à ce changement de paradigme du commerce équitable et interroge le rôle de nouveaux acteurs dans ce processus ainsi que les différentes strates spatiales en jeu dans le cadre d’une territorialisation inédite. Pour les comprendre, la thèse se fonde sur des enquêtes de terrain associant entretiens, dessins (cartes mentales) et observation. Les villes de Lyon et Bruxelles sont les deux terrains d’étude choisis : déclinée nationalement « Territoires de commerce équitable » en France (2009), « Communes du commerce équitable » ou « Fair Trade Gemeente » en Belgique (2004), la campagne prend la forme d’un titre décerné à une collectivité, mais aussi celle d’un outil de communication du développement durable urbain. La campagne atteste du rôle nouveau et central de collectivités dans ce projet territorial, avec des stratégies d’acteurs et des tensions palpables sur une redéfinition du commerce équitable dans les Nords. / Fair trade is principally the object of study in agro-economical research (case studies on fair trade impact, networks, structuring of organisations…). Moreover, even if initial research was centred on the South and on the understanding of globalized flows, a growing shift towards the North appears with its integration into sustainable public policy. This progression leads to new research perspectives and broadens the subjects. This thesis falls within these new approaches. It questions fair trade geography with a special focus on the international campaign “Fair Trade Towns”, launched in 2000 to promote fair trade and which is centred mainly on European cities. In this project, the goal is to promote faire trade by linking communities with local private and public actors at a new scale for fair trade which mainly takes “towns” into consideration rather than cities. Within social geography, this research focuses on the paradigm change of fair trade and questions the role of new actors in this process, as well as the different scalar levels involved in a new territorialisation. To analyse and understand them, this thesis is based on field studies which combine interviews, drawing (mental maps) and observation. The two case studies chosen are the cities of Lyon (France) and Brussels (Belgium): on a national level “Fair Trade Territories” in France (2009), “Fair Trade Communities” or “Fair Trade Gemeente” in Belgium (2004), the campaign takes the form of a title given to a community, but also the one of an urban sustainable development communication tool. The campaign testifies of the new and central role played by communities in this territorial project, including stakeholder strategies and noticeable tensions concerning the redefinition of fair trade in the North.

Mänskligheten står inför en framtid med klimatförändringar och utmaningar i form av återkommande värmeböljor, ökad nederbörd, urbanisering samt minskad biologisk mångfald. Det blir allt mer attraktivt att bosätta sig i städer och i kombination med befolkningsökningen sker det en snabb global urbanisering. Detta leder till hög exploateringshastighet i våra städer då andelen hårdgjorda ytor ökar och andelen gröna ytor minskar. Vid byggandet av fastigheter tillkommer en stor mängd outnyttjade ytor, ofta i form av mörka tak. Dessa är inte bara outnyttjade ytor på dyr tomtmark utan skapar ytterligare problem kopplade till urbanisering i form av bland annat minskat albedo. Närhet till grönska gör att människor mår både fysiskt och psykiskt bättre vilket avspeglar sig i en högre betalningsvilja för bostäder i närhet till grönska. Privatpersoner samt fastighetsägare vill gärna profilera sig som hållbara då hållbarhet på senare tid kommit att bli en identitetsskapande “statusmarkör”. Hållbara bostäder kan därmed vara en säljande faktor. Grönska på taken är i sig inget nytt påfund men har senaste åren fått en renässans i Sverige då det visat sig kunna ge fördelar såsom tillgång till grönska för de boende, dagvattenhantering, minskad värmeöeffekt och bättre luftkvalitet. Syftet med studien har varit att undersöka hur ett av Europas mest omfattande stadsutvecklingsprojekt, Norra Djurgårdsstaden i Stockholm, arbetar med hållbar urban utveckling genom gröna tak. De gröna taken kan generera en mängd ekonomiska, ekologiska och sociala fördelar i städer. I studien används urban hållbarhetsteori samt ett egenkonstruerat analysramverk baserat på avsnittet tidigare forskning och teori. Genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys samt semistrukturerade intervjuer har det framkommit i denna studie att den sociala dimensionen av hållbar stadsutveckling utifrån gröna tak i Norra Djurgårdsstaden överskuggas av de två andra aspekterna; ekonomiskt och ekologiskt. Detta trots att hållbarhetsarbetet med Norra Djurgårdsstaden tagit med alla tre aspekter inom hållbar utveckling; ekonomiskt, ekologiskt och socialt i beaktande när det kommer till planering av stadsdelen. / Humanity is today facing a future with climate change and challenges in the form of periodic heatwaves, increased rainfall and reduced biodiversity. The urbanization processes are driven by expanded population growth and it’s becoming more attractive to live in the cities. This causes the dimension of hard surfaces to increase and consequently the proportion of green spaces sinks. In the construction of housing, a large amount of unused space is added in form of dark areas on roofs. These are not only unused areas on expensive land but create additional problems linked to urbanization in the form of decreased albedo. Furthermore, citizens' willingness to pay has been shown to rise with closeness to green surfaces which can provide recreational and health benefits. Private individuals and property owners would like to profile themselves as sustainable, as the term “sustainability” recently has become an identity-created “status marker”. Sustainable housing can therefore also be a selling factor. Green roofs are not a new invention but have had a renaissance over the years as it has proven to provide the availability to green surfaces for the citizens, stormwater management, heat island effect, and provide healthier air quality. The aim of the study was to examine how the district Norra Djurgårdsstaden in Stockholm, Sweden works with sustainable urban development through green roofs. In this study we have used urban sustainability theory as the green roofs can generate a wealth of economic, ecological and social benefits in urban areas. We have also used our own constructed analysis framework based on previous research and urban sustainability theory. By doing a qualitative content analysis, as well as semi-structured interviews, it has appeared that the social dimension of urban sustainable development in Norra Djurgårdsstaden is overshadowed by the two other aspects; the economic and the ecological. Although the sustainability work in Norra Djurgårdsstaden has taken all three aspects; economic, ecological and social into account when it comes to planning of the district, the social aspect is often neglected.

Den mänskliga populationen har tredubblats på 70 år och det råder konsensus om att människan är den dominerande faktorn till klimatförändringarna och den negativa påverkan på ekosystemens processer. Det betonar att den globala utvecklingen främst vilar i mänsklighetens händer, inte minst den urbana utvecklingen då städer i hög grad driver på klimatpåverkan. Därför behövs social-ekologiska hållbara system i städerna utvecklas för att bidra till global hållbarhet och för att främja människors välbefinnande. I städer är grönområden viktiga för människors välbefinnande och gynnar även den ekologiska anknytningen som är betydande för miljöfrämjande värderingar vilket understryker vikten av invånares integreringsmöjligheter med grönområden. Studier pekar däremot på att upplevd otrygghet kan hindra integreringen med grönområden och att kvinnor i högre utsträckning upplever barriärer än män.  Samuelsson, Peterson, Legeby, Brandt, & Barthel (2018) studie syftade till att undersöka människors upplever i Stockholm ur ett miljöpsykologiskt perspektiv. Med den studien som utgångspunkt syftar detta examensarbete till fördjupad förståelse för hur den urbana miljön påverkar registrerade upplevelser baserat på upplevd trygghet och även ur ett könsperspektiv. Samuelsson et al. (2018) utgick från en upplevelse- och deltagande baserad metodik för att förena rumsliga och erfarenhetsmässiga aspekter. I detta examensarbete utfördes därmed två statistiska kvantitativa analyser där den första syftade till att studera samband mellan upplevelser baserat på upplevd trygghet och miljökvalitet. Resultatet visade att positiva trygga upplevelser registrerats främst i grönområden och negativa otrygga i byggd stadsmiljö. Baserat på så få negativa registrerade upplevelser i grönområden syftade den andra analysen till att enbart analysera skillnaden mellan kön och positivt registrerade upplevelser i grönområden och i byggd stadsmiljö. Resultatet visade att kvinnor skattar både byggd stadsmiljö och grönområden i högre grad än män. Resultatet visade även att grönområden i högre grad skattats som positiva än byggd stadsmiljö. Det fanns ingen interaktionseffekt mellan kön och miljökvalitet, men en tendens till ett signifikant resultat.  Utifrån behovet att utveckla hållbara social-ekologiska system i städer för att främja global hållbarhet finns även ett behov att studera människors upplevelser i den urbana miljön. Utifrån resultaten i examensarbetet dras slutsatsen om att åtgärder i stadsutvecklingsprocessen främst bör riktas att designa den byggda stadsmiljön för att främja människors välbefinnande och att grönområden ska bibehållas och stärkas. Studier har visat på att kvinnor i högre utsträckning upplever barriärer för att interagera med grönområden men detta resultat visade inga belägg för det utan tvärtom att kvinnor skattar upplevelser i grönområden högre än män. Därmed anses det vara intressant att i framtida studier studera andra individuella skillnader som kan påverka upplevelserna, exempelvis fysiska och psykiska barriärer. Det vore även intressant att vidare studerar hur element i den urbana miljön, som belysning och bullernivåer, påverkar människors upplevelser och upplevda trygghet. Dessutom bidrar det här examensarbetet med betydande förbättringsförslag till hur framtida PPGIS-undersökningar kan utformas för att förbättra analysmöjligheterna. / The human population has tripled in 70 years and there is a consensus that humankind is the dominant factor in climate change and that ecosystem processes are adversely affected. It emphasizes that global development is primarily in the hands of humanity and, not least, the urban development as cities are greatly driving climate change. This requires sustainable urban systems to contribute to global sustainability and to promote people's well-being. In cities, green spaces are particularly important for people's well-being and also promote the ecological connection that is important for environmental-promoting values. It underlines the importance of residents' integration opportunities with green spaces. Studies, on the other hand, suggest that perception of unsafety can hinder integration with green spaces and that women experience barriers to a greater extent than men.  Samuelsson, Peterson, Legeby, Brandt, & Barthel (2018) study aimed to investigate people's experiences in Stockholm from an environmental-psychology perspective. Based on this study, this thesis aims at a deeper understanding of how the urban environment affects experiences based on perceived safety and from a gender perspective. Samuelsson et al. (2018) study was based on an experience- and participation-based approach to combining spatial and experiential aspects. In this work, two quantitative statistical analyses were carried out in which the first analysis was aimed to study whether there were links between experiences, based on perceived safety, and environmental quality. The result showed that positive safe experiences were recorded mainly in green areas and negative unsafe in built urban environments. Based on a small percentage of negative experiences in green areas the second analysis aimed to analyze only the difference between gender and positively recorded experiences in green areas and in built urban environments. The results showed that women estimating both built urban environment and green spaces in a higher grade than men based on perceived safety. The results also showed that green spaces were more appreciated as positive experiences than built urban environments. There was no statistical interaction between gender and environmental quality, but a tendency of a significant result.  Based on the necessity to develop sustainable social-ecological systems in cities to promote global sustainability, there is also a need to study people's experiences in the urban environment. Based on the results of this thesis, it is concluded that actions in the urban development process should primarily focus on designing the built urban environment in order to promote people's well-being and green spaces should primarily be maintained and strengthened. Studies have shown that women in a greater extent experience barrier to integrate with green spaces, but this thesis showed no evidence of this, instead women rate experiences in green spaces higher than men. Therefore, it is considered interesting to study individual differences that can affect experiences instead, such as physical and mental barriers. It would also be interesting if future studies aimed to study how elements of the urban environment, such as lighting and noise levels, affect people's experiences and perceived safety. In addition, this thesis contributes significant improvement proposals to how future PPGIS surveys can be designed to improve analysis opportunities.