Much of the sustainable community planning and design discourse has been about prescribing and defining ends. A large gap exists between goals for sustainability and the ways and means to achieve them. Multiple barriers are encountered when implementation attempts are made. The research addresses the question: In what ways can demonstration projects increase social learning of effective planning, design and policy alternatives that assist in developing sustainable urban communities? Demonstration here is an area based, site specific planning and design process and built project showing potential adopters the benefits of employing various innovations. Five fields of scholarship and research (land-use and sustainable development; planning and design participation; urban experimentation and demonstration; innovation, diffusion and social learning; action for innovation and implementation) are drawn upon to inform the objectives. An analytical-evaluative framework for sustainable planning and design is developed, then applied in a detailed case study. The case study of Egebjerggard, a 928 dwelling, mixed use neighbourhood in Ballerup, Denmark provides an analysis of how leading practice can contribute to a better understanding of the potentials and challenges for advancing community policy, design and implementation at the neighbourhood and city-wide level. The analysis enables the interpretation of the Ballerup experience and the transfer of principles to the Canadian context. Two initiatives in sustainable community development in Calgary and Vancouver indicate the issues, opportunities and the state of practice. A proposed demonstration strategy outlines possible new institutional and organizational capacities and relationships in the Canadian residential planning and delivery system. The main contributions include: i) an empirical and descriptive-analytical case study providing a detailed account of integrated planning implementation and policy development in Denmark, ii) a strategy, its structure, organization and functions to carry out demonstration / exhibition in Canadian municipalities, iii) a normative proposition for and the evidence to support an expanded notion of demonstration directing attention to their value and potential. The benefits and returns outlined serve as a general argument for proceeding with a neighbourhood scale fully featured demonstration in any city in Canada. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

It is estimated that the population of the City of Nanaimo will almost double in the next 25 years. In the past, Nanaimo's urban growth has been absorbed using a typical pattern of development - stripmalls, supported by ever-expanding low-density suburban sprawl. This development seems to have occurred with little or no forethought to its environmental or social consequences. Urban sprawl is consuming our land and endangering the natural ecosystems in our region. In response to the ecological and social problems of urban sprawl the City of Nanaimo, in coordination with the Regional District of Nanaimo, has developed a Growth Management Plan. The Plan focuses on creating compact communities within the city boundary, thereby alleviating sprawl and mamtaining the ecological integrity of the hinterlands. We must now seek ways of designing neighbourhoods that not only accommodate our growing population but also enhance both the human and environmental "functioning" of the site. This project examines a sustainable growth strategy for one of Nanaimo's designated urban growth areas. The Southgate Town Centre Concept Plan is the product of an integrated planning process and is based on principles of sustainable and complete communities. The Plan addresses the basic functional elements of a community (habitat and watershed integrity, pedestrian and traffic circulation, and residential and commercial development) and explores how the application of sustainability principles can result in a functional community. The result is a comprehensive design of an urban growth area that has accommodated density while also improving the ecological, social and experiential fimctioning of the site. The design addresses the relationship of the site to its watershed context and its surrounding community. As a comprehensive document it also serves as a model for similar urban development areas. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of / Graduate

A dissertation of limited scope submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulmment of the requirements for the course-work degree of Masters of Recreation and Tourism in the Centre for Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2003. / Dukuduku forest is one of the largest remaining stretches of coastal sand forest in South Africa More than 10 000 illegal squatters have invaded the forest and chopped down the trees and undergrowth in the area. This has created many problems such as extinction of some plant and animal species. The cleared areas have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which in turn scares off the tourists from the area. The invasion of this indigenous forest has led to it being excluded from being part of St Lucia Wetland Park, which has recently acquired the status of being a World heritage site. Pursuant to problems associated with St Lucia Wetland Park and the neighbouring natural forest, the objectives of this study include the following: • To discover the impact of subsistence farming and informal settlement on the Dukuduku Forest as a tourist resource. • To identify activities the Dukuduku Forest dwellers are engaged in which may be a direct cause of the destruction of the natural forest S • To reveal forest management options that may be taken to save the natural forest from devastation. • To distinguish tourism related benefits, which are associated with the Dukuduku Forest reserve. • To indicate the extent to which the local community participates in the management of the forest The collection of data was achieved through the survey questionnaires and field observations in the study area. Residents of the forest and principals of five schools in the forest were interviewed. Person-to-person interviews were conducted with the resettlement project manager. The study revealed that more and more people still invade the forest. They include fugitives who have committed a number of illegal acts, refugees from violence-ridden areas, immigrants from Mozambique and many unemployed and homeless folk. Attempts to resettle the Dukuduku forest dwellers have so far not been a success, but the government is still trying to resolve the issue. Loosing Dukuduku natural forest will be a huge blow to South African tourism since the forest is a natural resource for leisure and an aesthetic potential to attract tourists.

in English Amsterdam is a unique combination of hydraulic engineering and built environment, urban design and city image, multiculturalism and neoliberalism, toleration and integration, commerce and business, culture and identity, individualism, and public decision-making among European cities. This thesis tries to explore Amsterdam's urban development in the contexts of urban planning, decision making, institutional policies and public participation. Moreover, this research studies the image of Amsterdam as a UNESCO world heritage site, the history of its urban development, its demography and immigrant population, and its municipal structure. The municipality of Amsterdam as the main actor of urban planning and development policies is studied for answering the research question: How does the municipality involve citizens in its urban development projects? To answer this question, of the seven districts of Amsterdam, the youngest district with the highest number of urban renewal projects is chosen: The Nieuw- West district, which is also the greenest and second-largest district of Amsterdam. By using content analysis from the municipality's website project information and Arnstein's ladder of participation in the methodology, the public participation framework and function is studied. The urban...

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The Indigency Policy / Programme was introduced by the Tshwane Municipality in 2000 to alleviate poverty by assisting the poor with subsidized limited basic municipal services. The goal of this study was to explore the experiences and views of indigent older persons in Atteridgeville of the Indigency Policy / Programme of the Tshwane Municipality. Limited literature was available on the topic and hence the researcher undertook a qualitative study that was exploratory and descriptive in nature to explore this unknown area. The key recommendations were: There is a need for active involvement and availability of municipal social workers; continuous monitoring, education and evaluation by the municipality for the communities. It was recommended that the Municipality conduct a full scale research on indigents` experience and perceptions/ views of their Indigency Policy / Programme in Tshwane. / Social Work / M. A. (Mental Health)

Thesis (MPhil (Sustainable Development Planning and Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / This study evaluates community participation in the Huidare Informal Settlement (HDIS) as a case study. The hypothesis is that the breach of trust between the previous community leaders of the HDIS and the current community members has an effect on community participation in issues affecting them and their community today. The research methodology employed is explained as well as the policy context for community participation both on an international level and in Namibia, is reviewed. The legislation on community participation that has been enforced by the City of Windhoek contradicts what happened in the HDIS. The possibility will be investigated as to whether these policy documents of the City of Windhoek are only another form of tokenism.

Thesis (MPhil (Sociology and Social Anthropology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / Community participation is a concept that is frequently mentioned in community development. Practitioners in development believe that in order for projects to succeed, communities need to actively take part in designing, implementing and shaping the projects that affect them. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate community participation by measuring quantitative and qualitative indicators of participation. It is important to note that there are no universal indicators of participation. The thesis presents three projects as case studies. In order to measure participation in the three cases, the quantitative and qualitative indicators of participation of Oakley et al. are reviewed. The indicators are applied across all three cases and the analysis indicates whether they were high, low or absent. It is also important to note that to measure participation effectively requires one to spend lengthy periods at the project site and this proved to be a challenge, as will be shown in the thesis. The thesis also demonstrates that to a large extent community participation is contextual. Of the three projects, two were rural projects and one an urban project. The two rural projects, Mongoaneng Development Forum and TsweloPele Women‟s Co-operative, were initiated by members of the community and aimed at addressing issues of poverty. The urban project, Motherwell Youth Development Forum, was specifically targeting young people with the aim of providing them with skills. Key findings include the fact that each of the cases was highly diverse, and furthermore, when measuring these cases, a common thread was that not all participation indicators were present at any given stage. Another key finding is that co-operation amongst project members tends to yield positive results and the reverse yields negative results. Another finding relates to the sustainability of the projects, pointing to the fact that even though two of the cases were doing well, their sustainability was questionable.

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

Thesis (MTech (Public Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019. / Community participation is an important aspect of South African government policies that deal with integrated development planning and sustainable development. This report presents aspects of community participation in housing development in Site B Khayelitsha. The importance of community participation is acknowledged as it enhances the ability of the community members to demonstrate and use their own views to deal with specific issues and to address the needs and problems that emerge and prevail in their societies. Communities should be involved in the ‘selection, design, planning and implementation’ of projects that will have an effect on them and from which they are going to benefit; and continuous feedback to communities forms a fundamental part of any development activity. The research investigated the Khayelitsha community concerned about the lack of community participation in housing development. The literature covered the legislative framework, philosophy, core principles and values as well as the levels and method of community participation. Mixed method approach was followed in the form of questionnaire survey, followed by the interview. Based on the findings, specific recommendations are made with a view to assist the municipality to improve the level of community participation in the Khayelitsha community.