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Economic efficiency has traditionally been the major consideration while planning sites and services projects. But, in addition to economic considerations, equal stress needs to be given to social, cultural, and environmental factors. With these concerns in mind, the Centre for Minimum Cost Housing at McGill University has developed a set of planning guidelines for the design of sites and services projects in the Indian context. This thesis assesses the physical and economic implications of using this set of planning guidelines. Following these, four alternative layouts were prepared and evaluated through graphic and quantitative methods of analysis for their land-use and infrastructure efficiency. The study shows that the use of these planning guidelines can significantly improve land-use efficiency and the environmental quality of sites and services projects and still be at par with the economic performance of conventional planning.

In Australia, the developments of hazard-specific legislation, policy and guidelines aims to minimise community exposure to the adverse effects of natural hazards. This occurs under policies of ecologically sustainable development land-use planning processes, which must also now involve the assessment of hazard-risk. However the development occurring in potentially hazardous environments, for example urban floodplains susceptible to flooding, continues to occur as a result of contemporary land-use planning and risk management processes. Why is this an outcome of past and present risk management and land-use planning processes? This thesis finds that a significant factor contributing to this outcome is the discrepancy between the perception and management of risk, particularly acceptable risk, by stakeholders (Local Government, the development industry, risk managers and floodplain occupants). The research is based on an Australian example of an urban floodplain currently under considerable development pressure, but at risk from flooding – Guragunbah (Carrara Merrimac Floodplain) and surrounding suburbs within the Nerang River catchment on the Gold Coast. A case study methodology was adopted, involving a combination of survey data and secondary documents. A basis for the thesis was the modelling of the actual risk decision-making processes operating within the case study Local Government, and the comparison between actual observed process and the theoretical framework outlined by the existing hazard risk management and land-use planning policy, guidelines and legislation. This enabled the identification of key stakeholders and their roles within the risk management and land-use planning processes operating within the case study area. The scope of the results of this thesis indicate that a large proportion of stakeholders external to the Local Government (such as residents and some members of the development industry) do not understand the risks of flooding represented by the standards formally adopted by local government (1-in-100 year flood, for example) and as a result, misinterpret their levels of flood risk exposure. Importantly, the results also indicate that contrasts exist in the flood risks considered to be ‘acceptable’ by the stakeholders, particularly when the potential consequences associated with events are described or illustrated in ‘non-technical’ terms. The extent to which the formal standards are misinterpreted suggests that many stakeholders may potentially be exposed to risks greater than they consider to be ‘acceptable’, but they are assuming that the Local Government (in particular) is setting risk standards that are acceptable to them. The thesis questions the true ‘acceptability’ of the formal standards being adopted through floodplain management policy at the Local, State and Federal levels of Government and identifies management opportunities and constraints in addressing the issue. Obstacles to management change include resource availability, lack of political will and stakeholder consultation. Opportunities for management change include modifying: the approach adopted by Local Governments when constructing planning schemes; the existing planning standards and decisions associated with permissible individual land-use; the mitigation of existing flood risks and exposure; and the communication of flood risk information. In the ‘real-world’ Local Government context, as illustrated by this case study, the issue may be practically addressed by modifying the standards and processes followed to establish acceptable risk.

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-93). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M. S.)--Architecture, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Richard Dagenhart; Committee Member: Dan Immergluck; Committee Member: David Green

Thesis (M. S.)--Architecture, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010. / Committee Member: Edwin Akins II; Committee Member: Michael Dobbins; Committee Member: Richard Dagenhart. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

<p> Dignity is "an internal state of peace that comes with the recognition and acceptance of the value and vulnerability of all living things" (Hicks, 2011, p. 1). Dignity is a crucial element in effective governance arrangements. This study applies dignity theory, and related theories of natural resource governance and environmental communication, to understand and overcome barriers to effective governance of common pool resources in rural communities. Chapter 1 reviews relevant literature on natural resource governance and develops a theoretical framework for dignity. Chapter 2 applies dignity theory to a contentious comprehensive planning process in a small Maine town in order to understand dignity is constructed and experienced in a collective governance process. Meeting minutes and newspaper articles were coded for themes related to conflict and decision-making. Results showed parts of the planning process ignored dignity considerations. Newspaper articles reported negative or exclusionary events twice as often as positive or inclusive events. Chapter 3 outlines literature relevant to improving capacity of rural communities to adapt to climate change. It then relates a case study from rural Maine in which best practices gleaned from the literature were implemented in creating climate vulnerability assessments and interactive, web-based storm surge mapping tools for use in adaptation planning. Results suggest best practices can enable proactive adaptation without sparking debate over climate science. The survey study described in Chapter 4 examined patterns of beliefs related to climate change and its impacts among people involved in municipal government in a rural Maine county. Results indicate that one-third of respondents were doubtful or unsure about the reality of climate change, but 87% reported observing phenomena related to the warming climate. The web-based survey presented in Chapter 5 examined involvement (perceived relevance and priority) in climate change and other issues affecting rural communities, as well as perceived self- and community efficacy for addressing local problems. Results indicate climate change, per se, is not a high priority, but some climate-related issues do rank highly, suggesting areas for initiating adaptation efforts. Chapter 6 concludes by placing the results of the preceding studies within the context of the dignity framework and presents recommendations for future research. </p>

The Southeast Asian region, as any other regions in the world, has experienced significant impact of globalisation for the past few decades. This development scenario is evident in Southeast Asian mega cities such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Bangkok and Manila. Kuala Lumpur in particular has developed into a center of economic growth activities for its Klang Valley and the country. The development of Kuala Lumpur has the pattern of a definite concentration of physical and economic activities in the center with ribbon development happening along the major arterials leading into the city. Development control is very important for Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan, especially in the Commercial Central Area. The existence of a good formal spatial representation such as land use map will enhance the development process in Kuala Lumpur. The thesis focuses on the land use planning process and development in Kuala Lumpur. The aim is to improve land use planning in Kuala Lumpur and the image and identity of Kuala Lumpur through the interaction between formal and informal spatial representations. Thus, the first step is to study the existing formal spatial representation implemented in Kuala Lumpur City Hall. The scope and limitation of the GIS system and its customised SKP application is investigated to identify the potential of enhancing its database. The thesis also looks into the informal spatial representation in Kuala Lumpur. Kampung Baru and Jalan TAR shopping district were identified as the appropriate cases study in investigating the land use planning related issues, informal spatial representation available and public perception in relation to land use planning. The investigation was carried out through observation and random interview using survey questionnaire. Findings from the investigations in Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the two case study areas are compiled to form the basis of integration of the formal and informal spatial representations. Recommendations are then put forward for the possibility of integrating both types of spatial representation in one database.

<p> This dissertation seeks to address three research questions through the context of spatial associations between land use / land cover (LULC) and vector-borne infectious disease (VBID). These research questions are: (1) Do spatial associations exist between the linear (edge) density of LULC boundaries and VBID occurrence? (2) Do patterns of spatial associations repeat over time? (3) Do patterns of spatial associations repeat across space? </p><p> Understanding how LULC change influences disease emergence informs the prevention and mitigation of local disease outbreaks prior to transmission growth into regional epidemics or global pandemics. Close and frequent human contact with infected arthropod vectors near local-level LULC boundaries drives VBID emergence. Increasingly dense and fragmented LULC boundaries result from human activities in the expansion of urban, pastoral, and agricultural areas. Fragmentation increases the likelihood of pathogen spillover at local-level LULC boundaries, the human-physical interface. Unmitigated and uncontrolled local spillover events can grow in spatial scale and result in significant social and economic impacts. Measuring the human-physical interface to identify spillover hotspots prior to VBID emergence and increasing levels of disease transmission is paramount to protecting public health. </p><p> Methods that measure the human-physical interface influence our ability to identify areas with elevated risk of VBID emergence. Prior research used remote sensing, field research, or literature reviews to identify substantive associations between LULC and VBID emergence. The research within this dissertation focuses on the spatial association between the linear density of LULC boundaries and VBID occurrence through spatial statistical methods, to include Principal Component Analysis and negative binomial regression. Proportion abundance and patch density are supplemental landscape metrics that add context to linear (edge) density. Case studies involve West Nile Virus in the contiguous United States from 2003 through 2014 and Zika in Colombia, South America during 2016. The goal is a method that can make use of land development plans to identify areas that could experience elevated VBID occurrence.</p><p>

The research involves first conducting a “case study” of ecological data and applying the results, together with the resilience concept, to the development of a greenspace conservation planning framework for urban regions. The first part of the research investigates the relationship between forest bird abundance and the surrounding landscape characteristics, especially, forest area and its spatial configuration in urban regions at multiple scales. The results are similar for simple and multiple regression analyses across three scales. The percentage of forest cover in a landscape is positively correlated with bird abundance with some thresholds. Overall, the percentage of forest cover in the landscape, contrast-weighted forest edge density, and the similarity of land cover types to forest cover are identified as important for the conservation of the target bird species. The study points to the importance of species-specific habitat requirements even for species with similar life history traits and of maintaining some forest edges and/or edge contrast. The second part of the research involves the development of a landscape planning meta-model and its conceptual application to greenspace conservation The research involves first conducting a “case study” of ecological data and applying the results, together with the resilience concept, to the development of a greenspace conservation planning framework for urban regions. The first part of the research investigates the relationship between forest bird abundance and the surrounding landscape characteristics, especially, forest area and its spatial configuration in urban regions at multiple scales. The results are similar for simple and multiple regression analyses across three scales. The percentage of forest cover in a landscape is positively correlated with bird abundance with some thresholds. Overall, the percentage of forest cover in the landscape, contrast-weighted forest edge density, and the similarity of land cover types to forest cover are identified as important for the conservation of the target bird species. The study points to the importance of species-specific habitat requirements even for species with similar life history traits and of maintaining some forest edges and/or edge contrast. The second part of the research involves the development of a landscape planning meta-model and its conceptual application to greenspace conservation.