It has become widely recognized that the development of postwar suburbia in North America has had a detrimental effect on community identity, environmental sustainability, and social conscience. Suburban development is often prominent in mid-sized cities made up of a low density or “flat” urban landscape. The Regional Municipality of Waterloo’s urban core consists of three such cities (Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo). As one of Canada’s most economically stable and fastest growing municipalities, it provides a rich opportunity for regional growth through intensification. In the Region of Waterloo’s latest planning policy plan, “A Vision for a Sustainable and Livable Waterloo Region” is outlined. In addition to this comprehensive policy, a two-part “Visualizing Densities” study provided a comprehensive analysis of the existing communities throughout Waterloo Region and how they can be improved. Both of these documents helped to promote sustainable growth in the downtown and inner city areas, however, they have not effectively addressed how to deal with existing suburban areas. The Visualizing Densities Part II study proposed a redesign of a three selected existing suburban study areas throughout the region. Although these proposals had good intentions, they all but ignored the existing network of streets and built fabric. Therefore, it only really addressed how to design and build a new green field development. By building upon current suburban redevelopment concepts and strategies, this thesis will develop an adaptable process for existing suburban community revitalization. This process will be applied to a suburban study area set within the city of Waterloo (one of the regions mid-sized cities). A critical aspect of this process will be the renewed role that architects must play as analysts, visionaries and educators. The overall intention of this thesis will be to develop a means of engaging and revitalizing existing suburban areas into more efficient, self-sustaining, and responsive community networks.

It has become widely recognized that the development of postwar suburbia in North America has had a detrimental effect on community identity, environmental sustainability, and social conscience. Suburban development is often prominent in mid-sized cities made up of a low density or “flat” urban landscape. The Regional Municipality of Waterloo’s urban core consists of three such cities (Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo). As one of Canada’s most economically stable and fastest growing municipalities, it provides a rich opportunity for regional growth through intensification. In the Region of Waterloo’s latest planning policy plan, “A Vision for a Sustainable and Livable Waterloo Region” is outlined. In addition to this comprehensive policy, a two-part “Visualizing Densities” study provided a comprehensive analysis of the existing communities throughout Waterloo Region and how they can be improved. Both of these documents helped to promote sustainable growth in the downtown and inner city areas, however, they have not effectively addressed how to deal with existing suburban areas. The Visualizing Densities Part II study proposed a redesign of a three selected existing suburban study areas throughout the region. Although these proposals had good intentions, they all but ignored the existing network of streets and built fabric. Therefore, it only really addressed how to design and build a new green field development. By building upon current suburban redevelopment concepts and strategies, this thesis will develop an adaptable process for existing suburban community revitalization. This process will be applied to a suburban study area set within the city of Waterloo (one of the regions mid-sized cities). A critical aspect of this process will be the renewed role that architects must play as analysts, visionaries and educators. The overall intention of this thesis will be to develop a means of engaging and revitalizing existing suburban areas into more efficient, self-sustaining, and responsive community networks.

Canada relies on immigration to drive population and economic growth. It ranks as a top destination for international migrants worldwide with some of the most highly educated, highly skilled immigrants entering the country each year. Yet, evidence suggests that recent immigrants perform poorly in the labour market when compared to their Canadian-born counterparts. Where immigrants settle can impact on how they effectively integrate into employment. Regionalization policies have resulted in a larger share of immigrants settling in small and mid-sized cities across the country. This dissertation examines the employment integration of recent immigrants to the mid-sized city of Guelph, Ontario. It uses a systems approach to map the connection between immigrant services and the local labour market and provides a descriptive analysis of immigrants’ early experiences on the pathway to employment. As the immigrant population grows, cities will face the greatest pressures to facilitate the effective and efficient employment integration of immigrants. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Depuis la fin des années 1990, de nombreux projets d’aménagement sont lancés dans et autour des gares centrales des villes françaises, encouragés à la fois par des évolutions de l’offre de transport, des politiques publiques et des stratégies des acteurs ferroviaires. Ces projets visent à transformer les gares, au sens stricto-sensu du bâtiment historique, mais aussi à requalifier leurs abords immédiats et/ou leur quartier. La notion de « pôle gare », introduite dans la recherche, désigne ces trois espaces et leurs interdépendances. Si la recherche urbaine a principalement étudié les projets des grandes gares parisiennes et des métropoles régionales, cette thèse s’intéresse à ceux conduits dans les villes moyennes, dont plus de soixante pôles gares ont fait l’objet de réaménagements. Ces projets s’inscrivent toutefois dans des contextes locaux singuliers marqués par des dynamiques socioéconomiques souvent plus limitées et la modestie des ressources financières et techniques des collectivités locales. Cette thèse entend ainsi analyser le décalage entre les enjeux, acteurs et modalités de programmation et de conduite de projet dans les grandes villes avec ce qui est observé dans les villes moyennes, afin de révéler les formes de territorialisation de l’action publique locale en matière d’aménagement des gares. Une comparaison a été réalisée entre les projets de trois pôles gares de villes moyennes françaises (Saintes, Périgueux et Saint-Omer), sur la base d’une enquête qualitative. Celle-ci est fondée en partie sur une immersion dans un bureau d’études qui conseille les collectivités dans l’élaboration de ce type de projets, complétée par des entretiens semi-directifs réalisés avec les différentes parties-prenantes. Les résultats montrent que les projets des villes moyennes sont loin d’être une simple reproduction, en plus petits, des projets métropolitains, même s’ils s’appuient sur les mêmes objectifs et - partiellement -sur les mêmes systèmesd’acteurs. La conduite de projet des collectivités locales se caractérise par des contraintes financières, techniques et politiques qui ont des conséquences dans l’ensemble du dispositif partenarial et leur conception est régie par desstratégies d’aménagement différentes, notamment en matière d’articulation des polarités, de coordination entre urbanisme et transport et de programmation avec une valorisation des aménagements fonctionnels et qualitatifs. De cette façon, cette thèse contribue à enrichir le regard posé sur les villes moyennes et à formuler une grille de lecture originale de la territorialisation de l’action publique locale / Since the end of the 1990s, a number of urban planning initiatives have been launched in and around French train stations, fueled by the evolution of transportation modes and services, public policies and changing strategies from railway operators. These initiatives have ambitioned to transform railway stations, altering the historical definition of the word, and extending this transformation to their immediate surroundings and neighborhoods. The notion of “station cluster”, presented in this paper, defines these three areas and the interlinkages that exist between them. While past theses have mainly studied projects focused on Paris’ main railway stations and major urban areas, this thesis shines the spotlight on station clusters redevelopments in medium-sized cities. More than sixty different such projects have been studied for this paper, each anchored in unique local contexts, marked by more limiting socioeconomic dynamics and by the modest financial and technical resources found in these local communities. This thesis therefore intends to analyze the gap between local issues, actors, zoning requirements and project management in major urban cores and their adjustment for medium-sized cities to try and reveal forms of adaptation and regionalization of public policies in regards to the planning of railway station projects. A comparison was made between the station clusters of three medium sized French cities (Saintes, Périgueux and Saint-Omer) based on a qualitative survey partly grounded in the involvement with a transportation consulting office working with local urban planning authorities and the conducting of semi-directive interviews with project actors. The results have shown that mid-sized city projects, while pursuing similar goals, and partially relying on the same players, are not the simple, yet shrinked, reproduction of major metropolitan projects. This thesis therefore contributes in putting the spotlight on medium-sized cities as well as providing an original reading grid of local public policies and actions.

The majority of people in North America have lost not only the knowledge of how to successfully sustain themselves from the land but, even more troubling, the basic knowledge of where the food comes from, what real food is, or even what to do with it. It is not only basic knowledge of food that is being lost in the consumer culture; many of the private and public spaces that were central to the social fabric of the city, street, and family are changing and losing their significance. The mass marketing of the consumer lifestyle has led to the disappearance of home gardens, local restaurants, neighbourhood coffee shops, and farmers’ markets. It has altered the fine grain of our city, streets, and homes, thereby reducing the social interactions that once created lively streets in the past. This thesis examines both the historical and current relationship and influence of food in cities, streets and homes in relation to the growing issues of access to fresh whole food and the dispersed city form. In addition, it will investigate how food orientated developments such as Community Food Centres can act as a catalyst for urban revitalization in failing urban cores and provide a resiliency to the economies of the city. The analysis of the influence of food, challenges that midsized cites are facing, and a series of precedents will provide a set guidelines for architects and planners developing urban projects. Three main themes are explored as a means to revitalization of urban neighbourhood through food: reuse of under used or abandoned land, our cultural connection to food, and the activities and culture that the two create together. These themes will explore the use and cultural significance of kitchens, markets, and restaurants and public space as architectural spaces that create community as a means to better understand what mechanisms of these aspects are the keys to the building of vibrant communities. This concept will be explored through the design of a community food centre in St. Patrick’s Ward in Guelph, Ontario.

This thesis evaluates how municipal transit ridership in mid-sized cities is influenced by external factors. External factors are forces outside a municipality’s direct control but potentially affect the municipality in some way, in particular its transit ridership. The thesis also determines the appropriateness of municipal levels of response to each factor. Two mid-sized municipalities in Ontario, Canada – the City of Kingston and Region of Waterloo – were studied. The evaluation, first, identifies the trends or “current conditions” between the municipalities and five sets of external factors to determine influence on ridership. The factors are 1. Population Growth and Density; 2. Demographics (Seniors, Students and Immigrants); 3. Regional Location; 4. Federal/Provincial Impacts; and 5. Fuel Prices. Second, the municipality’s level of response was measured in three ways. Staff awareness of the factor and its influence was gauged using key informant interviews and municipal councillor surveys conducted by the researcher. Internal policy and guidance documents measured whether policies relating to each factor are appropriate. Finally, observations of implemented initiatives determined whether they appropriately deal with each factor. The study finds that more external factors act on Waterloo than Kingston. Therefore, Waterloo has strong incentives to prioritize – among many municipal responsibilities – its transit system and to focus on increasing ridership. The strongest incentives for Waterloo are population growth, the student demographic and federal/provincial impacts. Kingston has only one strong incentive: the senior demographic. The study also finds that Waterloo has appropriate levels of response to more of the external factors than does Kingston. Recommendations for Kingston and Waterloo are provided for improving their levels of response to each set of factors. The paper concludes that municipal size is an important driver, but internal levels of response are critical success factors. The data analysis matrix developed for this study can be used by other municipalities to help identify appropriateness of internal responses as they relate to the influence of external factors within their municipality.

The majority of people in North America have lost not only the knowledge of how to successfully sustain themselves from the land but, even more troubling, the basic knowledge of where the food comes from, what real food is, or even what to do with it. It is not only basic knowledge of food that is being lost in the consumer culture; many of the private and public spaces that were central to the social fabric of the city, street, and family are changing and losing their significance. The mass marketing of the consumer lifestyle has led to the disappearance of home gardens, local restaurants, neighbourhood coffee shops, and farmers’ markets. It has altered the fine grain of our city, streets, and homes, thereby reducing the social interactions that once created lively streets in the past. This thesis examines both the historical and current relationship and influence of food in cities, streets and homes in relation to the growing issues of access to fresh whole food and the dispersed city form. In addition, it will investigate how food orientated developments such as Community Food Centres can act as a catalyst for urban revitalization in failing urban cores and provide a resiliency to the economies of the city. The analysis of the influence of food, challenges that midsized cites are facing, and a series of precedents will provide a set guidelines for architects and planners developing urban projects. Three main themes are explored as a means to revitalization of urban neighbourhood through food: reuse of under used or abandoned land, our cultural connection to food, and the activities and culture that the two create together. These themes will explore the use and cultural significance of kitchens, markets, and restaurants and public space as architectural spaces that create community as a means to better understand what mechanisms of these aspects are the keys to the building of vibrant communities. This concept will be explored through the design of a community food centre in St. Patrick’s Ward in Guelph, Ontario.

This thesis evaluates how municipal transit ridership in mid-sized cities is influenced by external factors. External factors are forces outside a municipality’s direct control but potentially affect the municipality in some way, in particular its transit ridership. The thesis also determines the appropriateness of municipal levels of response to each factor. Two mid-sized municipalities in Ontario, Canada – the City of Kingston and Region of Waterloo – were studied. The evaluation, first, identifies the trends or “current conditions” between the municipalities and five sets of external factors to determine influence on ridership. The factors are 1. Population Growth and Density; 2. Demographics (Seniors, Students and Immigrants); 3. Regional Location; 4. Federal/Provincial Impacts; and 5. Fuel Prices. Second, the municipality’s level of response was measured in three ways. Staff awareness of the factor and its influence was gauged using key informant interviews and municipal councillor surveys conducted by the researcher. Internal policy and guidance documents measured whether policies relating to each factor are appropriate. Finally, observations of implemented initiatives determined whether they appropriately deal with each factor. The study finds that more external factors act on Waterloo than Kingston. Therefore, Waterloo has strong incentives to prioritize – among many municipal responsibilities – its transit system and to focus on increasing ridership. The strongest incentives for Waterloo are population growth, the student demographic and federal/provincial impacts. Kingston has only one strong incentive: the senior demographic. The study also finds that Waterloo has appropriate levels of response to more of the external factors than does Kingston. Recommendations for Kingston and Waterloo are provided for improving their levels of response to each set of factors. The paper concludes that municipal size is an important driver, but internal levels of response are critical success factors. The data analysis matrix developed for this study can be used by other municipalities to help identify appropriateness of internal responses as they relate to the influence of external factors within their municipality.

abstract: With the increasing interest in energy efficient building design, whole building energy simulation programs are increasingly employed in the design process to help architects and engineers determine which design alternatives save energy and are cost effective. DOE-2 is one of the most popular programs used by the building energy simulation community. eQUEST is a powerful graphic user interface for the DOE-2 engine. EnergyPlus is the newest generation simulation program under development by the U.S. Department of Energy which adds new modeling features beyond the DOE-2's capability. The new modeling capabilities of EnergyPlus make it possible to model new and complex building technologies which cannot be modeled by other whole building energy simulation programs. On the other hand, EnergyPlus models, especially with a large number of zones, run much slower than those of eQUEST. Both eQUEST and EnergyPlus offer their own set of advantages and disadvantages. The choice of which building simulation program should be used might vary in each case. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the potential of both the programs to do the whole building energy analysis and compare the results with the actual building energy performance. For this purpose the energy simulation of a fully functional building is done in eQUEST and EnergyPlus and the results were compared with utility data of the building to identify the degree of closeness with which simulation results match with the actual heat and energy flows in building. It was observed in this study that eQUEST is easy to use and quick in producing results that would especially help in the taking critical decisions during the design phase. On the other hand EnergyPlus aids in modeling complex systems, producing more accurate results, but consumes more time. The choice of simulation program might change depending on the usability and applicability of the program to our need in different phases of a building's lifecycle. Therefore, it makes sense if a common front end is designed for both these simulation programs thereby allowing the user to select either the DOE-2.2 engine or the EnergyPlus engine based upon the need in each particular case. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Architecture 2010

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2015-10-21T14:34:11Z No. of bitstreams: 1 RENATO BRASIL KOURROWSKI_.pdf: 7191417 bytes, checksum: 38d0455da7516cb93650904507e70ef6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-10-21T14:34:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RENATO BRASIL KOURROWSKI_.pdf: 7191417 bytes, checksum: 38d0455da7516cb93650904507e70ef6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-28 / Nenhuma / Possuindo como tema central o desenvolvimento local, esta pesquisa tem o objetivo de propor, com potencialidade de utilização no âmbito da esfera pública, um método de aceleração e a identificação dos elementos que contribuem para o desenvolvimento industrial local das cidades médias brasileiras, a partir da teoria do desenvolvimento endógeno. O presente trabalho adota uma abordagem qualitativa, tendo como método de pesquisa o estudo de caso. Inicialmente, tendo como base o referencial teórico proposto, uma entrevista com ator chave e a utilização de dados secundários, foi realizado um estudo de um caso singular sobre o processo de desenvolvimento no município de Passo Fundo entre os anos de 2005 e 2012. A partir daí foi gerada uma primeira versão do referido método de aceleração (M0). Na sequência, foram realizadas 20 entrevistas semiestruturadas com atores sociais relevantes ligados ao tema da pesquisa (empresários, especialistas e membros do governo). Isto permitiu a identificação de 68 elementos que contribuem para o desenvolvimento industrial local, sendo a infraestrutura, em suas diferentes dimensões, o principal destaque considerado. Ao final, se propõe um refinamento do método de aceleração para o desenvolvimento industrial local das cidades médias brasileiras, visando o preenchimento de uma lacuna acadêmica e no campo prático da gestão, dada as especificidades propostas a um processo de desenvolvimento local endógeno que visa, simultaneamente, a atração de grandes empresas, o fortalecimento das firmas locais, a utilização das matérias-primas disponíveis (por exemplo, oriundas da agricultura) e o encadeamento entre estes vários atores tanto da ótica das respectivas indústrias, como das cadeias produtivas locais. / Having as the central theme the local development, this research focuses on proposing, with potential within the public sphere, an acceleration method and identification of elements that contribute to local industrial development of the mid-sized Brazilian cities, from the theory of the endogenous development. The present study adopts a qualitative approach using the case study research method. Initially, based on the proposed theoretical framework, an interview with a key actor and the use of secondary data, we conducted a single case study of the development process in the city of Passo Fundo between the years 2005 and 2012. From this time on a first version of this acceleration method was generated (M0). Next, there were 20 semi-structured interviews with relevant actors related to the subject of research (entrepreneurs, experts and government officials). This permitted the identification of 68 elements that contribute to local industrial development and the infrastructure, in its different dimensions, being the main highlight considered. Finally, we propose a refinement of the acceleration method for the local industrial development of mid-sized Brazilian cities, aimed at filling an academic gap and practical management fields, given the specific proposals to an endogenous local development process aimed at simultaneously, the attraction of large enterprises, the strengthening of local companies, the use of raw materials available (for example, originating from agriculture) and the linkage between these various actors from both the perspective of the respective industries, and also from local production chains.