<p>Sense of place (SoP) at the neighbourhood scale is one phenomenon that can bring to light the forces that shape residents’ experiences of living in urban neighbourhoods, and play a role in shaping their identity. At an even smaller scale are the gathering places of everyday life, where people can come together and spend time on a regular basis. This research is about single women’s experiences of local gathering places and their neighbourhood SoP in Hamilton, Ontario, from a feminist perspective. Feminist research values the knowledge and experiences of research participants and has the goal of understanding the world in order to build a more just society. A qualitative case study was employed, with face-to-face interviews (n=15) being the primary method of data collection. Participants were single mothers and single older women living in a neighbourhood in central-east, lower city Hamilton. This thesis explores the themes resulting from the interviews, including: factors influencing neighbourhood SoP; types of gathering places; social and emotional qualities of gathering places; physical/spatial qualities of gathering places, and; the relationship between gathering places and neighbourhood sense of place. These themes highlight the importance of gathering places to neighbourhood SoP, and the potential for the perspectives and recommendations of the participants to be included in current efforts around neighbourhood development in Hamilton. The results also point to areas for further research around SoP, and next steps for Hamilton in terms of creating a safe and age-friendly city, and engaging in critical community development.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

This thesis explores the intersection of spatial accessibility, social equity, and neighbourhood demographics within the context of emerging urban challenges related to plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) infrastructure. Incorporating sociological theories such as spatial accessibility and spatial segregation, combined with statistical methods including network routing analyses and multilevel modelling, it examines how neighbourhood demographics shape patterns of spatial accessibility to public charging infrastructure across the city of Gothenburg. In considering neighbourhood demographics in urban planning processes, municipalities can develop more equitable urban development strategies that facilitate EV adoption outside of prevalent demographics. The findings highlight current disparities in access to public charging opportunities, particularly in segregated neighbourhoods, and stress the need for targeted planning strategies to promote social inclusion in this area. This can contribute to local PEV charging network expansion by providing key insights and points for further research and provides a foundation for discussions on related areas, including the provision of emerging transport initiatives such as public car-sharing points.

This master’s thesis aims to contribute to the design and innovation management literature by exploring to understand an alternative shared social kitchen that is people-driven around shared interests, promoting social well-being. This is in order to explore the potential of systemic, regenerative, speculative sustainable design in addressing challenges faced by shared kitchens, while understanding diverse user needs within enabling contexts. Through a design process of ethnography research, frameworks, imperatives and solution finding, the kitchen was explored from different participants’ perspectives and context. The resulting scenario from the ethnography research highlighted technology, food waste, circularity and food system scenarios. The study contributes to future dialogue and understanding of the different processes and perspectives in imaginative shared kitchen using an explorative approach. It is vital to understand the holistic picture of the shared kitchen and not only focus on the functional, environmental and economic aspect, but also on the social development for a more inclusive design.

Denna studie söker undersöka huruvida det kan ha funnits något historiskt samband mellan bostäders lokalisering och vindriktningen i förhållande till industrier. Frågan ställs också huruvida arbetarbostäders och tjänstemannabostäders historiska lokalisering kan skönjas i dagens socioekonomisk-geografiska situation. En jämförelse görs mellan arbetarbostäders och tjänstemannabostäders lokalisering i förhållande till industrierna runt sekelskiftet 1900 i tre svenska samhällen: Fagersta, Uppsala och Västerås. Industriernas och bostädernas lokalisering undersöks med hjälp av skriftliga källor och jämförs med varandra med hjälp av en kartanalys genom GIS. Bostädernas lokalisering analyseras därefter i förhållande till vindriktningen från industrierna. Vindriktningen undersöks genom historiska data från Sveriges meteorologiska och hydrologiska institut. En analys görs sedan med data om medianinkomsten i samhällenas demografiska statistikområden år 2020 från Statistiska centralbyrån för att få fram huruvida det finns något mönster i vilka områden som historiskt och i dag har svagare socioekonomisk status. Studien upptäcker ett visst mönster mellan bostäders lokalisering i förhållande till vindriktningen ifrån industrierna samt en svag tendens till att 2020 års socioekonomiskt svagare områden stämmer överens med de historiska bostadsområdena.

Primary assumption of this thesis is that the European Union (EU) represents a unique international actor that embodies the major changes in institution of diplomacy. These changes culminate in the 21st Century. They rest namely in widening of diplomatic agenda, increasing number and kind of actors conducting diplomacy, growing importance of multilateral frameworks and transformation of diplomatic actors' objectives. At the centre of our interest lays the concept of structural foreign policy (SFP) that constitutes an analytical framework of this thesis. SFP is an instrument through which the EU exercises its structural power towards third countries. The aim of this thesis is to provide an analysis and critique of the EU's SFP towards Maghreb. The region has been chosen as the subject of our analysis since despite a long term and continuous effort since 1990s the EU has largely failed to effectively exercise its structural power in the region.

The main aim of this thesis is the analysis of European Neighbourhood Policy, which was established in 2004 in connection with the eastern enlargement of European Union. The main goal of European Neighbourhood Policy is to create an area of stability, prosperity and welfare with its neighbourhood countries. Partnership is based on the commitments to create an area of rule of law, good governance, respect for human rights, promotion of principles of market economy and promotion of sustainable development. Political cooperation is complemented by EU financial aid to neighbourhood countries. Thanks to financial support the neighbourhood countries should implement the necessary reforms, which later help to establish shared values. This thesis seeks to examine what is the impact of EU to internal political situation of neighbourhood countries. The hypothesis assumes that the higher EU financial aid to neighbourhood countries increases its influence on the internal political situation at neighbourhood countries.

Practitioners and academics clearly established that participation in the EU system of foreign policy-making transforms national foreign policies. Whilst there have been detailed studies of the impact of participation in EU foreign policy on the original fifteen member states there are, as yet, few academic studies that have thoroughly investigated the impact of progressive integration in the area of EU foreign and security policy on the new (i.e. those who joined since 2004) member states. This thesis aims to address this deficit by focusing on the impact of Poland's participation in the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). It examines the processes of 'downloading', as it is argued here that involvement in CFSP has had a direct effect on both the procedures of foreign policy-making in the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and, on the substance of Polish foreign policy as well as the impact of 'uploading' from member states to the EU level and 'crossloading' between EU member states. The thesis addresses the relevant conceptual issues and provides an outline of the academic debate regarding Europeanisation and foreign policy. It identifies three mechanisms that are responsible for change: conditionality, socialisation and learning. It suggests that a member state first adapts its national foreign policy to bring it in line with the EU's acquis politique and introduces basic changes in its institutional procedures in order to effectively participate in the EU's CFSP. Only later, does socialisation and learning result in changes to how national foreign policy is made, which then facilitates both changes to the substance of national policy and the uploading of national preferences to the EU level. A two-phase model of change is introduced which identifies April 2003, when Poland first became an active observer within the EU, as the date when Europeanisation began. The thesis provides a brief explanation of the transformation of Polish foreign policy after 1989, in order to provide contextual background for the four substantive chapters which follow: one procedural on the changes in the Polish MFA and three related to policy substance. The latter three chapters examine the Europeanisation of policy towards Poland's East European neighbours in general and policies towards Ukraine and Belarus in particular. The thesis concludes with a set of methodological and conceptual observations followed by analysis of the empirical findings.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Contrairement aux communautés écologiques pionnières et militantes (années 70/90) ainsi qu’aux premiers écoquartiers nord-européens pilotés par les collectivités lors de grands évènements médiatiques (milieu des années 90), les écoquartiers français relèvent de l’intégration progressive des préceptes de la ville durable au sein des modes de production ordinaires de l’urbain (années 2000). A ce titre, ils consistent à fabriquer dans un cadre émancipé du militantisme et de l’expérimentation de nouveaux aménagements (espaces verts rustiques, voiries douces, etc.) et de nouvelles constructions (isolation par l’extérieur, ventilation double-flux, sols écologiques, etc.) en adéquation avec les principes de durabilité. Cette tentative de généralisation de techniques innovantes au sein de la fabrication urbaine française s’accompagne alors d’une myriade de dispositifs éducatifs à destination des travailleurs du projet et futurs habitants du quartier. Ces outils consistent à inculquer aux différents publics ciblés les nouveaux savoir-faire et savoir-vivre nécessaires à la mise en œuvre et au fonctionnement des techniques écologiques. Ainsi, les usages sociaux des travailleurs et habitants posent problème à ceux qui fabriquent les écoquartiers. Ce problème traduit le hiatus entre la figure imaginaire de l’usager escomptée par la fabrication et la réalité des pratiques sociales régulées par les usages. Il indique le caractère socialement subversif de la production d’innovations techniques écologiques et par là même l’existence de nouvelles attentes sur les pratiques sociales. / Contrarily to the pioneer and militant ecological communities (in the 70s and 90s), and also to the first north-European eco-neighbourhoods run by local authorities during the huge press events in the middle of the 90’s, French eco-neighbourhoods come under progressive integration of the durable city’ principles within the modes of production for the ordinary urban space (years 2000). On this account, they consist in fabricating within an emancipated frame, activism and experimentation of new facilities (parks, road works, etc.) in compliancy with principles of durability. This attempt to generalise innovative techniques within the French urban fabrication is accompanied by a myriad of educative plans of action instilled to workers concerned by the project, and future inhabitants of the quarter. These tools assist in instilling new savoir-faire and savoir-vivre necessary for the implementation and functioning of ecological techniques to the different targeted publics. Thus, social usages of workers and inhabitants matter to those who fabricate eco-neighbourhoods. This matter underscores the hiatus between the imaginative figure of the user expected by the fabrication and reality of social practices, which usages regulate. It is indicative of the socially subversive character in the production of ecological and technological innovations, and at the same time the existence of new expectations on social practices.

La thèse se focalise sur les relations sociales de la vie contemporaine liée à l’habitat dans la grande métropole chinoise, tout en visant à questionner la notion d’ « espaces de voisinage », qui gère les frontières entre les individus et les groupes, à travers une analyse socio-spatiale et architecturale. Notre attention est portée sur l’époque contemporaine, où la construction des tours résidentielles s’affirme rapidement, la tour devenant le type architectural dominant de l’urbanisation chinoise. La verticalité typologique et architecturale des tours résidentielles affirme un changement spatial fondamental, par rapport aux anciens types d’habitation. La notion d’« harmonie », issue de la pensée philosophique de la société traditionnelle chinoise, est introduite comme nouveau vecteur à travers lequel analyser les nouvelles relations de voisinage. / The thesis focuses on the social relations of contemporary life linked to housing in this major Chinese metropolis. Through a socio-spatial and architectural analysis, the thesis aims to question the notion of "neighbourhood spaces" that governs the borders between individuals and groups. Our attention is focused on the contemporary era, during which the construction of residential towers has rapidly asserted itself, the tower becoming the dominant architectural style of Chinese urbanization. The typological and architectural verticality of the residential towers affirms a fundamental spatial change compared to the old types of housing. The notion of "harmony", stemming from the philosophical thinking of traditional Chinese society, is introduced as a new vector through which to analyse new neighbourhood relations.