Superficially, there is little to distinguish the city of Vancouver from many other North American cities. Its predominant impression is one of very rapid and unplanned growth and of Anglo-American cultural influence. However, the population contains many minority ethnic groups. This thesis is a study of the relationship between these various groups and the appearance of the city and its spatial differentiation. The more outstanding features within each group have been assessed, together with the major influence that each group has had upon both the cityscape and upon any particular aspect of the life and functioning of the city. Their distinctive cultural, religious, linguistic and occupational tendencies, the extent of organisation and any population concentrations have been described. Much information of historic interest was obtained from the Vancouver archives. Also, the statistical tables published by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics were studied. The greater part of the research, however, consisted of personal interviews and observations. Many prominent leaders of ethnic clubs, churches and other associations were consulted, and many institutions visited. Two of the largest groups, the Scandinavians and the Slav people, have made only a slight impact upon the city. Both of these groups are highly fragmented and the most obvious ethnic and cultural expression is often to be found in the distinctive architecture of a few church buildings. The early concentrations of both of these groups are steadily dispersing as people move out to the more desirable residential areas. The Baltic groups, Hungarians, Swiss, Dutch, Belgians, Greeks and Spanish are all relatively small groups which, although having their own distinctive features, history and organisations, make little cultural impact upon the cityscape of Vancouver. Many of these people desire to assimilate as quickly as possible into the Canadian population. The small and divided Jewish population has become noted for its financial and industrial activity within the city, as well as for its benevolent work and its high degree of organisation. The German population now forms the largest ethnic group in the city, with several well marked concentrations, including that of a growing Mennonite group. However, their organisations have been - disrupted by two world wars, and hence their influence is much less pronounced than might be expected. The small French Canadian population has played a prominent part in the establishment of Catholic religious institutions, hospitals and schools. The Italian population is one of the most recent groups to arrive in the city and has formed a remarkably dense concentration. Some discrimination still exists in Vancouver, and when colour is added to culture it is a further incentive for groups to segregate. Thus, the non-white ethnic groups are some of the most outstanding. The East Indian Sikhs are now scattered throughout the city, but the Gurdwara unites the people for social and religious functions. The Japanese concentration is hardly evident and its most striking feature results from the complete disruption and dispersal during the Second World War. The most outstanding concentration in the city is that of Chinatown, which has become a considerable tourist attraction. Also, a slight concentration of Negro people is still discernable. Of all the groups, the Native Indians seem to be the least able to accommodate to the city life of Vancouver. One reserve, with its village of Musqueam, still exists within the city limits. Today, economic segregation is far more important than any other factor such as language, ethnic origin or cultural background. The most basic trends in Vancouver are towards cultural conformity, assimilation and the dispersal of ethnic concentrations. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

This study deals with problems of a group of Central European newcomers who have taken up residence in Vancouver. The study examines the existing facilities for aiding newcomers, and it attempts to interpret their adequacy in the light of the emotional and physical needs of immigrants. The thesis begins with the background material concerning the European immigration to Canada with a special reference to immigrants from Central European countries. The next chapter reports on feelings of Central European newcomers concerning their adjustment problems, and it is followed up by a study of a sample group in order to reinforce and supplement the previous findings. The reader will note that most of the needs of a Central European newcomer are common needs which affect him as much as they do any Canadian citizen. However, there are a number of complicating factors which make the situation of a newcomer more difficult. It has been found in this study that, rather than material help, a Central European newcomer needs a shortening of his cultural distance and help with his psychological adjustment. The final chapter deals with meeting of the needs of newcomers in this community. There is some evidence that an expansion of information and orientation services is needed. Also, it became evident that a more individualized approach should be applied in order to help the newcomer in his cultural transition. Finally, there is an outline of functions of a suggested "Centre for New Canadians". / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

No abstract included. / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate

The subject of this dissertation is the form of the Chinese family in eleven Vancouver households. Using a theoretical model of the "traditional" family, this research is concerned with the differentiation of roles in the domestic unit and hos this is affected by the political and economic needs of the household. It is a view of Chinese family life expressed by children, and is concerned with how "traditional" family structure persists in these Chinese homes. Participant-observation, interviews, and a questionnaire were used to gain these insights. The research lasted for several months and was extended to include supplemented data from almost fifty Chinese families. A control group of non-Chinese respondents also completed the questionnaire. Nonetheless the dissertation as a whole is dependent upon data from the eleven households. It is the high degree of loyalty, co-operation, and cohesion in these families which is perhaps their most salient feature. This is related to the organization of the family store which all possess, the persistence of "traditional" differentiation of roles, and the agreement on high values of achievement. It is also related to the elusive but undeniable cultural identity of these households -- one which continues to affect family structure. In many respects these households approximate the "traditional" model, but one of its salient characteristics is lacking. There is no continuity of economic roles for children in these families, and this is highly significant for sons in particular. While at present there is family stability, the future will inevitably bring alterations in family structure as children assume economic roles outside the family: this is a radical departure from the "traditional" Chinese family. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

The intensification of downtown Vancouver is the result of a structured fiscal, design and planning project. Cardinal to this effort is the realization of public amenities through the development process. However, those involved in the struggle to control the provision of amenities deny that no less than the determination of legitimate public goods is at stake in the contest. Employing Bourdieu's understanding of capital and related description of social space, the objective of the thesis is to examine how amenity production is oriented by the public benefit's utility to the dominant interest of capital accumulation. Reviewing the adoption of discretionary zoning and its corollaries to planning permission explicates the relation of a legalized aesthetic to the process of amenitization.The understanding of physical heritage as a public value is among the derivatives of this association with the introduction of planning mechanisms to encourage the retention of historic structures.The subsequent naturalization of heritage as public value and concurrent endowment of its capacity to facilitate development serves as an appropriate vehicle in the consideration of amenity valuation. By specifying the physical form and the legitimated community value of approved development, City reports and bylaws are the primary means of study. Analysis of these documents finds heritage to be the principal amenity realized through development mechanisms and illustrates its substantial influence on the physical and social space of the city. Case studies further support the thesis objective by addressing the constitution of public amenities aligned with the accommodation of the dominant interest; the unbounded consideration of heritage supports the retention of the physical features most conducive to intensification and results in greater development ability in terms of both private capital and in the realization of more bounded social amenities. The misrecognition of this key utility lends considerable authority over the physical transformation of the city and, more importantly, facilitates control of the related social environment.The thesis concludes that heritage serves the ideological continuation of the field of power, and cautions that recent efforts to consider less tangible qualities are symptomatic of this process.

The intensification of downtown Vancouver is the result of a structured fiscal, design and planning project. Cardinal to this effort is the realization of public amenities through the development process. However, those involved in the struggle to control the provision of amenities deny that no less than the determination of legitimate public goods is at stake in the contest. Employing Bourdieu's understanding of capital and related description of social space, the objective of the thesis is to examine how amenity production is oriented by the public benefit's utility to the dominant interest of capital accumulation. Reviewing the adoption of discretionary zoning and its corollaries to planning permission explicates the relation of a legalized aesthetic to the process of amenitization.The understanding of physical heritage as a public value is among the derivatives of this association with the introduction of planning mechanisms to encourage the retention of historic structures.The subsequent naturalization of heritage as public value and concurrent endowment of its capacity to facilitate development serves as an appropriate vehicle in the consideration of amenity valuation. By specifying the physical form and the legitimated community value of approved development, City reports and bylaws are the primary means of study. Analysis of these documents finds heritage to be the principal amenity realized through development mechanisms and illustrates its substantial influence on the physical and social space of the city. Case studies further support the thesis objective by addressing the constitution of public amenities aligned with the accommodation of the dominant interest; the unbounded consideration of heritage supports the retention of the physical features most conducive to intensification and results in greater development ability in terms of both private capital and in the realization of more bounded social amenities. The misrecognition of this key utility lends considerable authority over the physical transformation of the city and, more importantly, facilitates control of the related social environment.The thesis concludes that heritage serves the ideological continuation of the field of power, and cautions that recent efforts to consider less tangible qualities are symptomatic of this process.

The intensification of downtown Vancouver is the result of a structured fiscal, design and planning project. Cardinal to this effort is the realization of public amenities through the development process. However, those involved in the struggle to control the provision of amenities deny that no less than the determination of legitimate public goods is at stake in the contest. Employing Bourdieu's understanding of capital and related description of social space, the objective of the thesis is to examine how amenity production is oriented by the public benefit's utility to the dominant interest of capital accumulation. Reviewing the adoption of discretionary zoning and its corollaries to planning permission explicates the relation of a legalized aesthetic to the process of amenitization.The understanding of physical heritage as a public value is among the derivatives of this association with the introduction of planning mechanisms to encourage the retention of historic structures.The subsequent naturalization of heritage as public value and concurrent endowment of its capacity to facilitate development serves as an appropriate vehicle in the consideration of amenity valuation. By specifying the physical form and the legitimated community value of approved development, City reports and bylaws are the primary means of study. Analysis of these documents finds heritage to be the principal amenity realized through development mechanisms and illustrates its substantial influence on the physical and social space of the city. Case studies further support the thesis objective by addressing the constitution of public amenities aligned with the accommodation of the dominant interest; the unbounded consideration of heritage supports the retention of the physical features most conducive to intensification and results in greater development ability in terms of both private capital and in the realization of more bounded social amenities. The misrecognition of this key utility lends considerable authority over the physical transformation of the city and, more importantly, facilitates control of the related social environment.The thesis concludes that heritage serves the ideological continuation of the field of power, and cautions that recent efforts to consider less tangible qualities are symptomatic of this process. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of / Graduate

The staring point for this study was a consideration of the relationship between man and his urban environment. In the context of an industrial society, much larger populations live in the city than in the rural areas. The cities are growing rapidly and there is a tendency for urban regions to form as adjacent cities coalesce. The spatial distribution of residential growth has favoured suburban areas: in this way, the typical suburban, single family dwelling has become an important constituent of the city. Man creates much of his urban environment and, conversely, he is affected by his urban environment. Since single family residential land uses are a major element, it is important that their impact on man be assessed. This study presents an approach to the problem, and determines certain demographic characteristics that reflect the impact of the suburbanization process. Initial investigations revealed the following points: The design and character of single family dwellings are oriented to serve married couples with dependent children. They are not well suited to other types of households, such as elderly couples or unmarried individuals. Thus, married couples with dependent children are over-represented in suburban populations. Individual suburbs are designed according to a limited price range on the market and have, as a result, a fairly homogeneous residential quality. Since the occupant's ability to pay for accommodation reflects his socio-economic class, it might be expected that each suburb has a propensity to be occupied by one socio-economic class. Further, distinctive demographic performance has been observed in each socio-economic class: quantitative differentials in population age structure are the most convenient indicators of different demographic performances. Therefore, it was hypothesized that there is an associated relationship between residential quality (site quality herein) and population age structure in single family residential areas. Three sample areas in metropolitan Vancouver were selected. Criteria were set out and employed in selecting the samples to ensure that they represented the variables adequately. Accordingly, part of Census Tract 49 (Fraserview), Census Tract 39 (part of West Point Grey) and part of Census Tract 131 (British Properties), are investigated herein. In order to validate the hypothesis it was deemed necessary to (a) assess differences in site quality between the samples, (b) assess quantitative differences in population age structure between the samples, (c) assess the impact of zoning on the variables, and (d) correlate the variables. The methodological approach was to carry out a literature research for the variables to provide the context for a statistical investigation and define the variable characteristics amenable to statistical measures. A system of rating was designed and used for the site quality variable and a system of indices for the population age structure variable. Zoning was investigated by literature research only. Finally, the findings of the literature research were summarized and the variables were correlated by the Pearson product-moment correlation (r). The literature research indicated that man's relationship to his residential environment is very complex and it is in flux. At the simplest level of ecology, man finds nourishment and shelter in his surrounding. However, his response is tempered by psychological needs, such as security and privacy, and sociological needs, for example, status. Urbanization has imposed fundamental changes on this relationship. In addition, the Industrial Revolution has irrevocably committed world nations to the city. Resulting strains and dysfunctional elements have generated a search for an optimal urban environment. "Suburbia," in metropolitan areas in particular, and "new towns" are two important urban forms that have evolved. Zoning by-laws were developed as public control over the private use of land, largely to protect suburban areas from invasion by noxious and conflicting uses. A major impact of the instrument has been to encourage the development of extensive areas of residential uses. Modern industrial cities are growing to such great sizes that segregation of the places of work, commerce and residence is no longer functionally viable. In addition, social changes have occurred, giving the adult offspring financial and social independence from his parents. In the absence of suitable accommodation in the suburbs, the move "downtown" by this age group is effectively institutionalized. There is evidence that the rate of construction and the date of construction constitute an important exogenous variable to the relationship under study. A new suburban development is occupied predominantly by young married couples and their dependent children. When a suburb is constructed rapidly, a sharply bimodal population age structure results. On the other hand, slow development leads to a subdued bimodal population age structure because it is occupied by several "cohorts" of married couples. The date of construction determines the location of the bimodal age groups on the population age structure continuum. This particular aspect deserves more attention than was possible in this study. Correlation of the variables by the Pearson product-moment correlative indicated that the hypothesis is valid (r = -.72). The level of significance is substantial and the relationship is inverse and linear. That is, as the site quality rating increases, the age structure index (quantitative hetrogeneity) tends to decrease. The relationship is associative rather than causal; the values of both variables are determined by the propensity for a suburb to be occupied predominantly by one socioeconomic class. The component parts of the age structure index were correlated to the site quality rating. It was found that the sex ratio of the 20 to 24 year age group has a very high level of significance (r = - 1.00). This correlative indicates a complete inverse linear relationship and suggests that this relationship might be employed for extrapolation and prediction. The relationships under study and the approach to it relate to the planning process through the types of information gathered and techniques used. An individual's age is a primary determinant of his behaviour; for example, from ages five to at least sixteen, he attends school. In aggregates of individuals, therefore, an over-representation in an age group results in disportionately high demand for age related facilities. In addition, this demand will be temporary, unless the individuals that outgrow the need for such facilities are continuously replaced. This study demonstrates that over-representation in certain age groups is, in fact, typical of suburbia. The degree of over-representation varies from sample to sample in what might be a predictable manner. As metropolitan areas grow and diversify, this type of information will provide a basis for more sensitive and precise decision making in the planning process. The techniques of research used in this study indicate that certain qualitative aspects of the urban environment are amenable to measurement and statistical manipulation. The approach used was to develop a system to approximate an individual's response to his environment. This seems to be a key to dealing objectively and accurately with certain difficult aspects of quality in planning research. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

The primary purpose of this thesis is to examine development of Vancouver's Central Business District to test the hypothesis that "growth takes the path of least resistance" within the central core of Vancouver. Vancouver's city centre is considered to be the office headquarters of the Lower Mainland Area. Fulfillment of this role has resulted in the construction of twenty new office buildings in the past six years. This represents an increase of almost three million square feet which is 50% over the standing stock of 1965. The researcher had an opportunity to participate in this very active real estate market and as a result of such participation formulated the above growth hypothesis. This study briefly reviews existing theories of city growth and follows with a history of growth in Vancouver's central core. The thesis then describes the mechanics and results of a land use study of Vancouver's Central Area. The results of this extensive land use study are used to test the growth hypothesis mentioned in the initial chapter of this abstract. This test shows that growth in Vancouver does take the path of least resistance. This resistance to development may be tangible or intangible or a combination of both. Physical resistance arises from current patterns of building and/or land use — i.e. the density of the standing stock. Given the same relative location and degree of desirability, vacant land will be developed before underdeveloped land. Thus if there are well located vacant sites within the core it is easy to predict the direction of growth. For underdeveloped areas the study employs indices such as floor space index, the value of building per square foot of land area, and value of building per square foot of building area, to determine which sites are the most underdeveloped and would offer the least resistance in terms of cost to assemble for redevelopment purposes. The study also reviews factors such as the pattern of land and building ownership. The study concludes that these are intangible factors that can cause resistance to growth and must be considered when examining growth in the C.B.D. The study proceeds a step further by using the "least resistance" theory to identify areas of future growth. The area which offers the least resistance is chosen and the economic model developed indicates that development on the site would be profitable, thus could be considered a likely area for future growth. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

This study is an attempt to discover relationships between particular factors which we felt would be indicators of poverty. Of the many factors suggested by the literature of poverty, we investigated relationships between income level, employment status, health conditions, education level, and age. Using the Vancouver data collected by the Nu-life Study, we designed a program which would indicate the nature and strength of the relationship between these factors. From a definition of our variables, a model was designed using as a basis income adequacy. The available data contained information on other variables which we used, such as - marital status, sex, and number of persons per household. From this the hypothetical construct was formulated around hypotheses relating to four groups which were configurations of the employment status and income adequacy variables. Our statistical analysis was based on the chi square method for measuring significance and consistency. The contigency co-efficient was employed to measure the relatedness of the variables. We found that there were indeed positive links between the factors referred to. However, these links were not as strong as we had anticipated. Although the project could not establish cause-effect relationships, the findings do help to establish some of the components in the poverty cycle. These components would not seem to have equal strength in determining level of income. Further research might investigate why some of these factors had greater bearing on income level than others. For example, the level of education seemed to have a greater effect than did the health factor. Consequently, we see this study as a step in determining the characteristics of poverty. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate