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This thesis examines the possibility of retaining, redesigning, and integrating existing farm and forestlands within the proposed South Campus community development at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The central tenant of my thesis is, given the importance of agriculture in the development of human culture and the UBC Point Grey Campus, and the vital role it will play in the 21st Century, agricultural lands and facilities should be conserved and given a place of importance within the UBC landscape. An explanation is provided on how such an integrative proposal for these lands, collectively known as the UBC South Campus Farm, would support the economic, ecological, and social interests and expectations of the University, and the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), while providing an exciting learning and living environment for students, faculty staff and community members. An alternative proposal for the South Campus Farm and the South Campus community is provided that supports the stated interests of the University and the GVRD. This is accomplished through a careful assessment of the cultural and biophysical features of the South Campus lands and the subsequent development and application of a regenerative design process applied within a fourfold framework based on the concepts of ecology, economy, integrity and beauty. The final design proposal is compared and evaluated against the current situation and the University development plans.

This thesis examines the possibility of retaining, redesigning, and integrating existing farm and forestlands within the proposed South Campus community development at the University of British Columbia (UBC). The central tenant of my thesis is, given the importance of agriculture in the development of human culture and the UBC Point Grey Campus, and the vital role it will play in the 21st Century, agricultural lands and facilities should be conserved and given a place of importance within the UBC landscape. An explanation is provided on how such an integrative proposal for these lands, collectively known as the UBC South Campus Farm, would support the economic, ecological, and social interests and expectations of the University, and the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), while providing an exciting learning and living environment for students, faculty staff and community members. An alternative proposal for the South Campus Farm and the South Campus community is provided that supports the stated interests of the University and the GVRD. This is accomplished through a careful assessment of the cultural and biophysical features of the South Campus lands and the subsequent development and application of a regenerative design process applied within a fourfold framework based on the concepts of ecology, economy, integrity and beauty. The final design proposal is compared and evaluated against the current situation and the University development plans. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of / Graduate

Crested wheatgrass arrived in North America at the turn of the twentieth century through the foreign plant exploration missions sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture. During the first two decades of the new century, scientists tested the grass at agricultural experiment stations. They determined it was useful for grazing and particularly valuable because it could grow in drought conditions with little or no care and would continue to produce high quality feed even after several years of heavy use. Beginning in the 1930s federally sponsored land utilization and agricultural adjustment programs sponsored the use of crested wheatgrass for soil conservation and weed control. The grass protected the soil on the land that had been entered into the acreage reserves and the conservation reserves programs of the federal soil bank. Also in the late 1930s and through the 1960s, rangeland managers used crested wheatgrass to improve forage productivity on public lands that were used for grazing. By the 1970s somewhere between 12 and 20 million acres of crested wheatgrass grew in North America in eleven western states, and in Saskatchewan and Alberta. By 1980 attitudes about agriculture and wilderness had changed in the United States and land management was focused on multiple uses and on protecting ecosystems and native species. Attitudes about grazing and agricultural landscapes had changed and many preferred nonagricultural landscapes and land uses. As a result, crested wheatgrass went from being considered one of the most valuable plants in North America to being considered an invasive weed, in some quarters. Debates in the last 25 years have tried to determine if, where, and how crested wheatgrass belongs in North America. This thesis explains the discourses, or interest groups, that are participating in the current conversation. One impulse is to use empirical evidence to determine whether or not introduced plants like crested wheatgrass belong, but the main contention of this thesis is that empirical studies alone will always be insufficient measures because belonging is also a subjective and experientially or emotionally derived measure.

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