The development of the Automated Light Rapid Transit (ALRT) system in Vancouver, first proposed in the 1970's, has been touted as a solution to the contemporary urban problems of increasing traffic congestion, access to the downtown core, and limited affordable housing near the city centre. Recent concerns have been expressed that the development of the ALRT will be accompanied by significant change in the neighbourhoods along the route. This thesis aims to assess the potential for significant change occurring in the suburban Vancouver City neighbourhoods along the ALRT route after the construction is completed. The increased accessibility to the city centre anticipated as an outcome of the development of the ALRT is regarded as the factor most likely to produce significant change in neighbourhoods along the route. This expectation arises from the understanding provided by literature from the fields of urban economics and urban ecology. Discussions of the bid-price curve in the work of Alonso and other urban economic writers attributes much of the market value of land, and by inference the residential density of land, to the effect of accessibility to the city centre. Further discussions in the urban ecology literature, including the work of the factorial ecology school, outline the relationship between accessibility to the city centre and the distribution in urban areas of social rank and of household types. From the relationships indicated in the literature, it is expected that the improved accessibility which will result from the construction of the ALRT could significantly change neighbourhoods along the route. Using Census data, the thesis explores the strength of the existing relationships between accessibility to the city centre and each of the social characteristics identified in the literature. The strength of each relationship was determined using a rank-order correlation between relative accessibility to the city centre and z-scores associated with indicators for each of the social characteristics. The relationship between accessibility to the city centre and social rank was examined using the highest level of education attained by the over 15 year old population as a proxy for social rank. The proportions of the various household types, including family and non-family households, single-person and multiple-person non-family households, were used to provide insights into variations in this aspect of urban life which is affected by accessibility to the city centre. Finally, the relationship between accessibility to the city centre and the distribution of dwelling types was examined by looking at variations in the distributions of single-detached, multiple-dwelling, and apartment units along the ALRT route. Social rank was found to be not strongly correlated with the level of accessibility to the city centre. Instead, the distribution of social rank was seen to have been more strongly influenced by other factors, such as the historic pattern of development. The distribution of dwelling types and of the various household types were demonstrated to be related to accessibility to the city centre. As the level of accessibility to the city centre increased, the proportion of apartment units in an area and the proportion of non-family households were seen to increase. The development of the ALRT was not expected to significantly affect the distribution of social rank along the route. Expectations that significant change would follow the development of the ALRT was supported for both the spatial pattern of the various dwelling types and the spatial pattern of the household types. The spatial distribution of both of these social indicators would be expected to change significantly following the completion of the ALRT. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Historically, immigrants to Canada arrive, learn the language, search for satisfying work and lead productive, meaningful lives. However, the barriers are immense. Recently, Vancouver Community College at the King Edward Campus has tried to meet the needs of adult immigrant learners. The diagnosis of learners needs has a high priority in adult education. The general form of the Education Participation Scale (EPS) describes reasons why people partake in adult education programs. However, because the data collected to complete the general EPS was drawn from a middle class population, it did not reflect the reasons tendered by disadvantaged learners. Also, the language used on the instrument was too difficult. Subjects in this study were Adult Basic Education (A.B.E.) students, enrolled in programs at Vancouver Community College, predominately at King Edward Campus. During the first step 150 students were asked about why they were enrolled. These reasons were listed, edited and combined with the general form of the E.P.S. Care was taken to ensure that the items and the instructions could be read at a grade seven level. The 120 item instrument was then administered to a different group of 257 participants at the college where the items had originated. Factor analyses produced a seven factor solution of 42 items with each factor containing 6 items. The seven factors are: Communication Improvement; Social Contact; Educational Preparation; Professional Advancement; Family Togetherness; Social Stimulation; Cognitive Interest. For test retest reliability purposes the instrument was administered twice (with a four week interval between administrations) to 63 participants. Reliability coefficients for each factor, as well as the entire scale, were calculated. The instrument was deemed to be reliable over time. The motivational orientations of people from Canada were compared to those from the Middle East, Asia, East Europe, West and South Europe, Latin and South America and other places. There were significant differences in the mean scores (by country of birth) on the Communication Improvement, Professional Advancement, Social contact and Family Togetherness factors. It appears that a case can be made for arranging unique educational experiences for people with different motivational profiles. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

'Multiculturalism' has become a commonplace in modern Canadian political parlance as the social geography of Canadian cities changes to reflect an increasingly more diverse immigrant profile. But as several critical interpretations of it contend, multiculturalism signifies more than pure diversity itself—multiculturalism is also an ideological framework that tries to contain and defuse political-economic crises among racialised immigrant communities. In this thesis I explore the circumstances surrounding two interventions by the city of Vancouver to police the production of 'ethnicised' commodities during the 1970s and 1980s. I argue this intervention was a problematic one which provoked tension between the state and a cadre of small capitalists, a struggle which was then promptly displaced onto the ideological field and mediated through the ideological framework of multiculturalism. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

This thesis explores the design issues of place making within the context of a growing city that has a confined/restricted urban boundary. The challenge is to re-utilize urban space (such as existing roads, lot lines and open areas) to design significant spaces for the community at large. These spaces need to meld together existing layout with new and often more densified programs. This multilayering is a cost effective way for the city to grow and provides a richer, more sustainable environment for its inhabitants. New programs, at the same time, need to recognize the old, historical, and sometime sentimental significance of a place that reverberates within the existing population. The goal is to revitalize the fabric of city-to create vibrant, livable spaces that recognize and enhance the social, historic, sustainable, and economic welfare of a growing city and its inhabitants. Grand Boulevard and Boulevard Park, North Vancouver, British Columbia is one such challenge. Site inventory and analysis provide a platform for evaluating interventions into the cityscape that can maintain the unique and historical infrastructure of Grand Boulevard. A theoretical review of place making, through the ideas of memory and space, defines a design methodology based upon flexible reiterative social spaces for public interaction. The analysis and methodology come together in the design proposal for Grand Boulevard and the adjacent Boulevard Park. The proposal maintains the physical structure of the boulevard and park, while increasing program uses through the incorporation of a community complex and two major promenades. One promenade corresponds to the historic greenway of the Green Necklace which, at this time, the City of North Vancouver is reworking into its city fabric. The other promenade links the civic node of City Hall and Library to the community node of the Grand Boulevard neighbourhood. This design thesis brings together the physical and program structure of Grand Boulevard into a cohesive whole that provides rich spaces that not only can be utilized by the nearby neighbourhood inhabitants but also by the growing population of the City of North Vancouver. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of / Graduate

Self-help groups have emerged as a system of care for groups of people sharing a common problem or condition. Most of the interest in research came from professionals in mental health and social services. Educators have traditionally viewed self-help groups as outside their domain. The focus of this study is the phenomenon of personal change within self-help groups. This is viewed as “learning with peers.” The subject of the study was HOPE Cancer Health Centre, a non-profit community based self-help organization in Vancouver, B.C. Appropriate to the study of phenomena in their natural surroundings, data collection methods were qualitative in nature. Fourteen in-depth interviews were carried out with members and leaders of the self-help group. Two introductory workshops were attended for participant observation and several pertinent documents were reviewed. A full description of HOPE Cancer Health Centre as a self-help group and as a context for adult learning was developed. To clarify the description of HOPE, a framework of characteristics of self-help groups was developed. It was used to organize data collection and analysis. Compilation and analysis of the findings created a description of HOPE that adds to the understanding of self-help groups as organizations in a larger system of care provision. It also adds to the understanding of HOPE as an organization with the purpose to assist cancer patients who are interested in actively participating in their cancer treatment and recovery. In order to enhance understanding of adult learning in the context of a selfhelp group, three perspectives from the literature on adult learning were selected for their potential to organize and explain the resulting data. Four important themes emerged from the data on the learning experiences of the members of HOPE. First, the ideology of HOPE, “self as participant in healing,” is the framework of learning and within that frame there are four forms of learning, the forms of transformative learning being the most significant. Second, for the learners of HOPE, the basis of knowledge is their personal experience; therefore, processes of experiential learning are important as well as those of perspective transformation. Third, the affective dimension of the experiential learning process was found to be integral in the process of learning. The fourth theme is “learning with peers,” the innate characteristic of self-help groups. All members interviewed placed high value on their experiences of learning with peers and of learning at HOPE. Meaningful interpretation of the data resulted from application of concepts and theoretical propositions from three perspectives on adult learning: experiential learning, transformative learning and situated learning. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

This Thesis Project began as an exploration of the architectural, philosophical and psychological nature of dwelling. From this exploration I have made an argument about the nature of dwelling based on several premises. First, that dwelling is determined by the boundaries between public and private space. Second, these boundaries of dwelling may only be adjusted or determined by a political operation- the mediation between private desire and public consensus. Third, the successful mediation of these boundaries depends on two basic conditions: equality and communication, principally speech. To test this thesis I looked for a dwelling typology where everyone was equal and where there was a minimum condition of private space. These conditions create the largest potential for dwelling in the terms of my argument. I chose the Travellers' Hotel, a changing typology that brings together people from around the world who share all the space of the building including the kitchen, and the two most private spaces of a dwelling; the bedroom and the bathroom. I chose a site in downtown Vancouver, the corner of Davie and Granville Streets, that is the intersection of major transportation and pedestrian axes of the city and major demographic, economic, and physical changes in the fabric of the city. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of / Graduate

This thesis addresses the question of how a dialogue may be developed between the socio-political notion of pluralism and a pluralistic public sphere, and the design of public space and public architecture. More particularly, it considers how architecture may both accommodate multiple publics while simultaneously framing connection or association between them. Following an exploration of this question at an abstract, theoretical level, the thesis moves to a more specific architectural investigation. This investigation takes the form of a design project situated within the Robson Square complex in downtown Vancouver. The complex, constructed in the mid-1970's, was designed by Canada's pre-eminent architect Arthur Erickson and is the major civic space in the city. The thesis design project undertakes a theoretical re-evaluation and physical renovation of this Utopian mega-structure, with the intention of shifting the existing homogeneity and institutionality of the complex to align it with the thesis argument. Through the vehicle of a design project,, the abstract theoretical argument is translated and focused through the particularities of an architecture embedded in its site. This methodology requires the project to address issues connected to the existing masterwork, including: the question of how to conceptualize monumentally in a grid city; the relationship between the 'sacred' space of the civic circumstance and the 'profane' space of the street and commercial program; the form of the institution within the city; and the issue of working within, and manipulating, a pre-existing architectural language. Further, the scale of the site is reflected in the scope of the design project. The project moves from the development of urban design strategies to the detailed consideration of the material and construction of the different interventions. The architecture remains, however, conceptual and is a demonstration of how the developed strategies may generate form and guide program. The project does not attempt to fully develop a building in detail. The thesis concludes with an afterword on the success of the project as a demonstration of the thesis argument. At the same time, the limits of architecture to act as a socio-political device are acknowledged. Further, speculations are made as to the way in which the position and the strategies developed within the thesis might inform wider discussions on architecture and the urbanism of grid cities such as Vancouver. The key concept forming the basis of these speculations is the idea of a 'difficult' co-existence of parts and a whole, reflecting the pluralistic ideal of association within fragmentation. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of / Graduate

The once close physical, functional, economic and cultural solidarity between ports and cities has diminished as a result of changes within both ports and their surrounding urban areas. Spatially, ports and cities have become separated as port structures have grown and evolved to meet the demands of trade and shipping technology over the past few decades. This separation is exacerbated by changing social priorities in the use of urban waterfront space and heightened interest in quality of life issues. As the pressures affecting the urban waterfront continue to grow, the port-city relationship has become strained. This paper is concerned with how the relationship between ports and cities can be improved to support the complementary development of the port with its urban region and, at the same time, maintain the quality of life city residents have come to expect. More specifically, this study seeks out the appropriate planning principles, strategies and approaches that can effectively address the problems and land use conflicts at the port-city interface. The study begins by exploring the literature of structural and societal changes that are affecting port city waterfronts and the conflicts that result between ports and cities in their planning for the waterfront. In a number of cases, these challenges are being met by the separate actions of ports and cities; however, given port-city linkages in many issues it is revealed that there is much to be gained through the effective coordination of efforts based on shared planning principles. A review of the Vancouver cityport confirms the port-city challenges suggested by the literature and interviews with municipal and port representatives lend support to the concept of port-city planning principles. The major conclusions of this study are that ports and cities can benefit from increased collaboration on the basis of agreed planning principles and a shared approach to waterfront planning that recognizes each party's needs. The challenge to be borne by city and port planners is one that seeks reconciliation, balance and the re-building of a synergistic relationship. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

My thesis began with an investigation into the history of the stadium and a questioning of how the stadium has been influenced and shaped by different power structures throughout time. From this foundation of research I developed a design for The Vancouver Velodrome. The site chosen for The Vancouver Velodrome is located on the North slope of Burnaby Mountain in Vancouver and is currently being used as a concrete factory. The site is bordered on the south by the Barnet Highway and to the north by a cliff which leads down to railway lines that run along the shore of the Burrard Inlet. The geographical location of the site from the natural slope separates it from the mountain and marks it as an isolated site. It was my desire then to re-establish a sense of unity within the landscape. The velodrome was not to be an isolated object, to be held out as separated from the landscape. Rather, it was to act as a connector which joins together the mountain, the site, and the ocean. Unlike the stadium precedents which were often founded upon ideological concerns, the velodrome was founded by the sense of power dictated by its environs, rather than that imposed on it by other structures. The velodrome design was therefore influenced by the landscape, the more significant elements included a 100 ft. highway retaining wall, a bowllike depression, and a large retaining wall on the north side of the site which supported the cliff face. The highway retaining wall was used to create an entry procession. The depression contained nicely the large space required and the banked contours then helped to brace the bleachers and embraced the building in general. The northern wall dictated the long axis for the velodrome and the bridge which connected it to the mountain slope, which also served to support the roof structure. The overall design manifests the notion of a building not 'within' the landscape but rather one which 'is' part of the landscape; on which people traverse and in which people inhabit. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of / Graduate

Good neighbourhood shopping streets have long been significant in their ability to provide goods and services within walking distance of neighbourhood residents, to create a rich public realm, and to foster a sense of community. Far removed from their past as streetcar strips, the neighbourhood shopping street is once again being looked at as an important element of the urban environment. The purpose of this thesis is to determine the characteristics of good neighbourhood shopping streets and to examine these characteristics in the context of two Vancouver case studies—Commercial Drive and West 41st Avenue. Based on a review of planning, urban design, and landscape architecture literature, the fundamental principles of good neighbourhood shopping streets are revealed. Specifically, a good neighbourhood shopping street is accessible, comfortable, sociable, a place, adaptable, beautiful, and diverse. Flowing from these principles, and the means to them, are the characteristics of good neighbourhood shopping streets—buildings that relate to the street, good walking facilities, pedestrian amenities, traffic management, street activity, neighbourhood goods and services, maintenance, supportive neighbourhood context, and supportive government. The research suggests that real-life neighbourhood shopping streets rarely have all the characteristics that the literature holds as ideal. Rather, some characteristics— buildings that relate to the street, street activity, neighbourhood goods and services, a supportive neighbourhood context, and supportive government—appear as fundamental to good neighbourhood shopping streets but are exhibited to varying degrees. More specifically, the case studies help illustrate what particular elements are either essential or helpful, creating a checklist that other streets can benefit from. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate