This practicum investigates the use of recreational vehicles and park model trailers within the east central Vancouver Island area with the objective of developing an understanding of their use as an alternative affordable housing option. As part of this research, and in order to provide a base reference point for a later analysis within the study, a review of literature on the topics of homelessness, evolution of the travel trailer, mobile home policy, living in an RV on the street, living in an RV park, and the emergency use of travel trailers was conducted. In addition, this research includes a review of Provincial regulations such as the BC Building Code, Residential Tenancy Policy Guideline how they relate to the use of RV and park model trailers. As well, this study includes a review and analysis of the zoning bylaw of various local governments on Vancouver Island with respect to the use and classification of RV and park model trailers. This practicum forms a case study of local government officials, campground operators and recreational vehicle dwellers on the use of RVs and park model trailers within the study area. [truncated] / February 2007

This practicum investigates the use of recreational vehicles and park model trailers within the east central Vancouver Island area with the objective of developing an understanding of their use as an alternative affordable housing option. As part of this research, and in order to provide a base reference point for a later analysis within the study, a review of literature on the topics of homelessness, evolution of the travel trailer, mobile home policy, living in an RV on the street, living in an RV park, and the emergency use of travel trailers was conducted. In addition, this research includes a review of Provincial regulations such as the BC Building Code, Residential Tenancy Policy Guideline how they relate to the use of RV and park model trailers. As well, this study includes a review and analysis of the zoning bylaw of various local governments on Vancouver Island with respect to the use and classification of RV and park model trailers. This practicum forms a case study of local government officials, campground operators and recreational vehicle dwellers on the use of RVs and park model trailers within the study area. [truncated]

This practicum investigates the use of recreational vehicles and park model trailers within the east central Vancouver Island area with the objective of developing an understanding of their use as an alternative affordable housing option. As part of this research, and in order to provide a base reference point for a later analysis within the study, a review of literature on the topics of homelessness, evolution of the travel trailer, mobile home policy, living in an RV on the street, living in an RV park, and the emergency use of travel trailers was conducted. In addition, this research includes a review of Provincial regulations such as the BC Building Code, Residential Tenancy Policy Guideline how they relate to the use of RV and park model trailers. As well, this study includes a review and analysis of the zoning bylaw of various local governments on Vancouver Island with respect to the use and classification of RV and park model trailers. This practicum forms a case study of local government officials, campground operators and recreational vehicle dwellers on the use of RVs and park model trailers within the study area. [truncated]

Today, housing is considered a commodity. This is a global challenge with direct local consequences such as unaffordability, limited housing choice, and segregation. To address these disparities, this thesis expresses a demand for change by proposing a housing manifesto for Stockholm. The aim is to explore alternative theories and models to propose a framework that is capable of redefining housing from a feminist and socio-ecological perspective. Our approach demands seeing housing as a human right, a commons, and a circle of care. To find specificity and materiality, the project focuses on applying the manifesto on two scenarios, Husby and Gasverket, which demonstrate problematic tendencies in the current housing system. By implementing strategies at different scales, we project alternatives in the urban form. This thesis challenges the role of urban planners and designers as collaborators and enablers of a vision of housing with and for all.

Today, housing is considered a commodity. This is a global challenge with direct local consequences such as unaffordability, limited housing choice, and segregation. To address these disparities, this thesis expresses a demand for change by proposing a housing manifesto for Stockholm. The aim is to explore alternative theories and models to propose a framework that is capable of redefining housing from a feminist and socio-ecological perspective. Our approach demands seeing housing as a human right, a commons, and a circle of care. To find specificity and materiality, the project focuses on applying the manifesto on two scenarios, Husby and Gasverket, which demonstrate problematic tendencies in the current housing system. By implementing strategies at different scales, we project alternatives in the urban form. This thesis challenges the role of urban planners and designers as collaborators and enablers of a vision of housing with and for all.

As cities face widespread housing shortages, as well as a large need for reducing the average ecological footprint, two of the biggest challenges for the housing sector today concerns affordability and environmental impact. The tiny house movement is a growing movement that is meeting these challenges head-on - but as of now, the topic has been largely overlooked in academia. This study aims to contribute to the understanding of the motivations why people choose to live in tiny houses of tiny houses and the challenges the residents encounter. Furthermore, the study explores what can be learned from the tiny house movement that is of relevance to the Swedish housing market. To fulfill the purpose of the study, a mixed-methods approach has been used in the form of a literature study and semi-structured interviews. The most common motivations identified in the study were financial and simplicity. The main challenges were identified to be legal, placement and practical challenges. The results from this study have been very much in line with what previous studies have found, and this could mean that we might be reaching a general understanding of motivations and challenges in the tiny house movement.

With homelessness continuing to rise over the past two decades, disenfranchised unhoused people have sparked a national movement to build for themselves democratically governed communities of affordable housing. Dignity Village, in Portland Oregon, is one of the longest running and most organized self-help housing communities in the nation. This paper presents a theoretical systems-based model of a developmental pathway out of homelessness in the U.S. that has as one of its key steps membership and participation in humane and dignified "self-help micro-housing"; communities such as Dignity Village. This research involved working collaboratively with Dignity Village on a participatory action research (PAR) project aimed at understanding and facilitating processes for mobilizing community and socio-political engagement. The research process involved a team of up to 24 co-researchers (nine attended meetings regularly) working once weekly over 15 months, with consultation from the broader Village community throughout. The research followed a systems approach to creating five action tools as multiple points of leverage to create long-term positive change within the community. One point of leverage utilized participatory video methodology to co-create a video action tool as an orientation video for newcomers, intended to build cooperative relationships and facilitate empowerment within the community. The impact of the research process was documented on multiple levels in the community using multiple data sources. Data were analyzed using an inductive approach to identify key themes and processes that influenced participation and empowerment in the community. The predominant themes suggested three paradoxical tensions that were creating barriers to change in the community. This PAR process attempted to create movement beyond these barriers. Findings suggested that four main changes occurred in the community during and after the research: a) an increase in collaborative participation, b) enhanced engagement and sense of community, c) an emergence of critical consciousness, and d) changes in the organizational leadership/power structure. These findings are critically examined and discussed with respect to the effectiveness of utilizing this PAR process to facilitate community empowerment. A portion of this dissertation (Results section) was created in video format to enhance report accessibility for community partners and other non-academic audiences.

Cette thèse interroge les mutations de l’habitation dans le cadre des transitions socioécologiques. Ces transitions sont des processus de mutations des sociétés qui visent à diminuer leur empreinte écologique et s’initient par des niches, des transformations marginales. Ce travail s’intéresse ainsi à la transformation en marge de la production de l’habitat et porte sur des initiatives ascendantes impulsées par les habitants qui mettent en place de l’autopromotion ou qui sont impliqués dans des projets de pouvoirs publics. Les « habitats alternatifs » étudiés sont situés en marge du phénomène d’urbanisation, dans les territoires ruraux de moyenne montagne. En effet, dans ces territoires, de nouvelles ruralités émergent à travers l’arrivée de nouveaux habitants soutenue par des structures associatives et favorisée par des politiques publiques incitatives de développement des collectivités locales et des Parcs naturels régionaux. J’interroge ainsi dans ce travail la mise en place de l’habitation écologique dans les territoires ruraux de moyenne montagne dans le cadre des transitions socioécologiques.L’hypothèse générale de ce travail est la suivante : les projets d’ « habitat alternatif » sont le lieu privilégié de l’expérimentation de l’habitation écologique dans les territoires ruraux de moyenne montagne. Je propose ainsi de vérifier cette hypothèse par une approche globale des projets d’ « habitat alternatif » afin de comprendre le système d’habitation écologique mis en place. J’analyse d’abord l’articulation entre acteurs dans le processus de projet et l’utilisation des ressources matérielles, énergétiques et en eau dans la construction et l’usage de ces habitats. J’explore ensuite le déploiement des manières d’habiter dans l’organisation de l’habitat et dans l’espace local par les mobilités. Aborder différents types d’ « habitat alternatif », écohameaux, habitat participatif rural et écolotissement, permet d’abord d’interroger les mutations de l’aménagement des territoires ruraux à partir des initiatives habitantes. Par là même, je mets en évidence les articulations entre les démarches individuelles, les programmes d’accompagnement des réseaux associatifs et les politiques publiques incitatives. Ensuite, par l’approche des marges de la production de l’habitat, j’interroge la contribution des projets d’habitat alternatif à l’habitation écologique des territoires de dispersion bâtie. Je montre l’importance des stratégies collectives pour permettre une sobriété des modes de vie, une utilisation des ressources locales et une mutualisation de l’espace et des biens. Ce travail révèle ainsi une habitation écologique au sein de la dispersion bâtie qui s’appuie sur une autonomie locale et une intégration aux réseaux physiques et virtuels. / This thesis examines the mutations of housing in the context of socio-ecological transitions. These society change processes aim to reduce ecological footprint and are initiated in niches by marginal changes. This work addresses the transformations in the margins of habitat production and it focuses of bottom-up initiatives driven by the inhabitants who set up self-promotion housing or that are involved in public authorities’ projects. The studied alternative housing projects are located in urbanization margins, in mid mountains rural areas. Indeed, in these territories, new ruralities have emerged based on the arrival of new residents supported by non-profit organization and promoted by local government policies and Parcs naturels régionaux. In this work, I thus question the organization of ecological housing in rural areas in the context of the socio-ecological transitions.The general hypothesis of this research is the following one: the alternative housing projects experiment ecological housing in mid mountain rural areas. I propose to test this hypothesis with a global approach to alternative housing projects in order to understand the ecological housing system organization. First, I analyze the relationship between actors in the project process and the use of material, energy and water resources in the construction and operation of these habitats. I then explore the deployment of the ways of living in the organization of the habitat and in the local space through the mobilities. Addressing different types of alternative housing, ecocommunity, rural cohousing and ecological estate, first allows to analyze the rural planning changes from inhabitants’ initiatives. In this way, I highlight the links between individual projects, support program of non-profit organizations and incentivizing public policies. Then, in the context of habitat production margins, I examine the contribution of alternative housing projects to the ecological housing of dispersedly built areas. I show the importance of collective strategies to allow a sober lifestyles, a use of local resources and mutualisation of space and goods. This work brings to light an ecological housing of dispersedly built areas between based on local autonomy and integration within physical and virtual networks.

Alors que les producteurs d'œufs canadiens font la transition des cages conventionnelles vers les systèmes de logement alternatifs, il est important de déterminer l’impact de ceux-ci sur le bien-être et les performances des poules pondeuses. L’objectif de cette étude était d’évaluer la prévalence de déviation du bréchet, de fracture du bréchet, de dermatite du coussinet plantaire et l’état du plumage dans les fermes commerciales du Québec, Canada. Le taux de ponte, la mortalité cumulée, la consommation alimentaire, l’épaisseur de la coquille, le poids de l’œuf, la force de la coquille, l’unité Haugh et la prévalence d’œufs sales et craqués ont été utilisés pour déterminer la performance du troupeau. L’utilisation de la thermographie infrarouge comme outil diagnostique pour les fractures du bréchet et les dermatites du coussinet plantaire a également été évaluée. Les données révèlent que les poules maintenues en volières présentent une prévalence de fracture du bréchet (P=0,011) et une mortalité (P=0,0049) plus élevée, en plus de produire des œufs avec une épaisseur de coquille supérieure comparativement aux poules maintenues en cages enrichies (P=0,0049). Une faible consommation alimentaire était corrélée avec une prévalence élevée de poules présentant une perte de plumes (P < 0,05) et une consommation alimentaire élevée était corrélée avec un poids d’œufs élevé (P < 0,05). Les systèmes de logement n’ont pas influencé les autres paramètres étudiés. Globalement, les volières impactent négativement les fractures du bréchet, les dermatites du coussinet plantaire ainsi que la mortalité et la thermographie infrarouge n’est pas un outil diagnostique fiable. / As Canadian egg farmers transition their flocks from conventional cages to alternative housing systems, it is important to evaluate the impact of the latter on the performance and welfare of laying hens. To this end, the present study investigates the prevalence of keel bone deviation, keel bone fracture, footpad dermatitis and feather coverage in commercial flocks in Quebec, Canada, housed in enriched cages and aviaries. Mean egg production, cumulative mortality, feed intake, shell thickness, egg weight, shell strength, Haugh unit, and the prevalence of cracked or dirty eggs were used as measures of flock performance. The present study also investigates the use of infrared thermography as a diagnostic tool for keel bone fractures and footpad dermatitis in hens. Our data show that hens housed in aviaries have a significantly higher prevalence of keel bone fracture (P=0.011) and cumulative mortality (P=0.0049) but that the egg shells of aviary hens are significantly thicker than their counterparts in enriched cages (P=0.0049). While thermal imaging could not distinguish between hens with and those without fractures, footpad temperatures were significantly higher in hens with severe dermatitis (P<0.01). Furthermore, a low feed intake positively correlated with damaged feather coverage (P<0.05), while high feed intake correlated with high egg weight (P<0.05). The other parameters studied were not influenced by the type of housing. Overall, aviary housing negatively impacted keel bone fractures, footpad dermatitis and mortality and infrared thermography is not a valid diagnostic tool for keel fracture and footpad dermatitis in hens.

Den svenska bostadskrisens utveckling berör hela bostadsmarknaden men främst deresurssvaga hushållen. Anledningen till detta fenomen är att samhällsklyftorna i landet harökat som ett resultat av att inkomstfördelningen i Sverige har förändrats. Glappet mellan derika och de resurssvaga har ökat, men även hushållsställning i de svenska hushållen harförändrats från stora till mindre hushåll. Det finns således ett behov av boende som bemöterde mest grundläggande kraven för en resurssvag individ som är rimliga att hyra ur ettekonomiskt perspektiv. Detta har lett till en efterfrågan för ett bostadssystem som kan bemötabehovet som finns hos dessa resurssvaga grupper. I andra länder kallas detta system förAffordable Housing, men finns inte i Sverige i samma utsträckning. Syftet med denna rapportvar att undersöka hur svenska byggbranschen utvecklingsfond (SBUF) förslag på alternativabostadslösningar, med avsteg från byggregler kan leda till ett sådant bostadssystem.En opinionsundersökning som grundar sig på SBUF:s förslag, utfördes genom enenkätundersökning. För att vidare komplettera denna undersökning har intervjuer medämneskunniga gjorts. Resultatet tyder på att det finns en marknad för bostadslösningar likt deSBUF presenterat, då merparterna av respondenterna i enkätundersökningen ställer sigpositiva till förslagen. Mer specifikt de grupper som har låga inkomster och osäkraboendeformer som andrahandskontrakt och inneboende. Resultatet visar även att detta förslagpotentiellt hade kunnat sänka byggkostnaden genom ett mer flexibelt bostadsbyggande. Islutändan handlar det om hur detta system är motiverat ur ett socioekonomiskt perspektiv, ochhur det på bästa möjliga sätt ska introduceras in i det svenska bostadssystemet. Resultatet somdras ifrån intervjuerna med de ämneskunniga innebär att ett sådant system bör genomföras påett sätt som motverkar segregation. Att förmedla bostäder med alternativa bostadslösningartill resurssvaga kan leda till en kontroversiell diskussion om lägre boendestandard för dessagrupper, men en diskussion som behöver tas. Slutsatsen som kan dras är att SBUF:s förslagkan vara en väg att gå för att inrätta ett system som Affordable Housing, och att det potentielltkan bemöta det behovet av bostad som finns hos dessa resurssvaga hushåll. / The fact that the Swedish housing market is experiencing a housing crisis is widely known. Inparticular, there is a limited range of tenancies, as many of these are converted intocondominiums. This development mainly affects the resource-poor households, as the socialgap in the country has increased, as a result of the change in income distribution in Sweden.The gap between the rich and the resource-poor has increased, but households in Swedenhave also changed from large to smaller households. Thus, there is a need for accommodationthat meets the most basic requirements for a resource-poor individual, which is alsoreasonable to rent from an economic perspective. This has led to a demand for a housingsystem that can meet the needs of these resource-poor groups. In other countries this system iscalled Affordable Housing, but is not etablished in Sweden to the same extent. With this inmind, the purpose of this report is to investigate how SBUF proposes alternative housingsolutions, with the exception of building rules, can lead to such a housing system.As housing concerns people, an opinion poll has been made based on SBUF's proposalthrough a survey. In order to further complete this survey, interviews with subject expertshave been made. The result indicates that there is a market for the housing solutions such asthose SBUF presented, as the respondents in the survey responded positively to the proposal.More specifically, those groups that have low incomes and insecure housing forms as secondhandcontracts and lodger. The result also shows that this proposal could potentially havelowered construction costs through more flexible housing construction. In the end, it is aboutwhether this system is motivated from a socio-economic perspective, and how it should beintroduced in the best possible way into the Swedish housing system. The experts in the fieldclaims that such a system should be implemented in a way that counter segregation.Providing housing with alternative housing solutions to resource-poor households can lead toa controversial discussion of lower housing standards for these groups, but a discussion thatneeds to be taken. The conclusion that can be drawn is that the SBUF's proposal can be a wayof setting up a system such as Affordable Housing, and that it can potentially address the needfor housing that exists within these resource-poor households.