The Residential Department at Moreland Developments (Pty.) Ltd. (Moreland), the property development arm of the Tongaat-Hulett Group (THG), has for some time questioned the benefits of setting up and maintaining Home Owner Associations (HOAs) for the residential suburbs that they develop. This concern is a consequence of the significant time and cost incurred in setting up and maintaining these associations with very little perceived added value. The intention of this study is to quantify this added value (if it exists) and in so doing, assist management in matching the right product in the right market with the right price. In an effort to try to understand the concept of added value, the writer has chosen a theoretical framework on which to base the research methodology. The writer has used Michael Porter's Value Chain system as this theoretical foundation. The Value Chain disaggregates the various value-adding activities a company performs and establishes which value-creating activities lead to sustainable competitive advantage. This study develops Moreland's Value Chain and enables the writer to hone in on the value creating activity of setting up and maintaining HOAs. A scientific approach is adopted in the research design. A stratified disproportionate random sample was used because of its greater statistical efficiency. A sample size of 93 were interviewed telephonically using a standardized questionnaire containing a mixture of structured and unstructured questions. The five projects chosen were Broadlands, Somerset Park, Gardens, Mount Edgecombe Country Club Estate (MECCE) and Zimbali. Both descriptive and analytical statistical analyses were performed on the 93 data sets. The data shows that the main drivers of value within a HOA are security, architecture, landscaping, general environmental upkeep and maintenance, communication and rules and regulations. In Broadlands and Somerset Park, the main drivers of value at the time of purchase and presently are architectural theme and rules and regulations. For Gardens, MECCE and Zimbali, the main drivers of value at the time of purchase and presently are security and architectural theme. The research objectives were reduced to two hypotheses, which were tested at the 95% level of confidence :- Hypothesis 1: The presence of a HOA has no effect on the decision to purchase vacant land. This hypothesis was not rejected for Broadlands but rejected for the remaining projects as well as for the full population. Judging from the confidence intervals for the project means, it is evident that the presence of a HOA had a positive effect on the decision to purchase in all projects (except Broadlands) and for the full population. Hypothesis 2: The presence of a HOA will not allow Moreland to command a price premium on the sale of vacant land. This hypothesis is rejected for all projects as well as for the full population implying that Moreland can charge a price premium on the sale of vacant land. The only limitation is that the Broadlands price premium cannot, in real terms, be charged as Hypothesis 1 was accepted for Broadlands, as prospective purchasers perceived value but are unwilling to pay for it. The price premium that could be achieved for the projects are as follow Somerset Park 4% to 20% Gardens 1% to 17% Mecce Zimbali 16% 13.5% to to 45% 24.5% Further analysis revealed that when the added value items of HOA are tested against the project, the location of the project is the prime driver of value. However, when security is tested against the project, the project value subordinates to the security effect indicating that security is the only added value item that is more important than location. The writer has made two recommendations to Moreland. The first is that immediate withdrawal from the Broadlands Home Owners Association is necessary as the value created by the establishment of a HOA is not captured, either in full or in part, by Moreland. The second is that Moreland restructure its commitment to the other HOAs in line with the quantified added value ranges. There is no doubt that this work greatly enhances the existing, very limited, body of knowledge on this subject area in South Africa. It is hoped that future research students will expand the existing body of knowledge by future investigating the issues that have limited this study. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, 2002.

Eco•In•D, the Ecological Innovation Demonstration, is the title of the Indianapolis Urban Ecovillage designed in this project. There is a growing need to reevaluate how humans live on this planet and determine an alternative, wherein consumption does not exceed available resources and detrimental impact on the environment is minimized or negated. The project considers the intentional community model as well as the concepts of urban sustainability and permaculture to drive the development of the built environment, enabling the planet's ability to absorb the impact of the escalating human population.The site, situated on a boundary between residential and industrial uses in the United Northwest Area neighborhood of Indianapolis, offers many challenges and opportunities that influence the development of the ecovillage. Information gathering, analysis, and interviews inform the design. The final design represents a model of sustainability, intended to educate and engage the greater community. / Department of Landscape Architecture

Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Detroit Mercy, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 13).

Thesis (Master of City Planning)--University of California, Berkeley. / Bibliography: p. 69-73.

Thesis (M.A.)--Georgia State University, 2009. / Title from title page (Digital Archive@GSU, viewed June 28, 2010) Jeffrey Bennett, committee chair; Katherine Hankins, Mary Stuckey, Tomasz Tabako, committee members. Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-134).

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1988. / Also available in print.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1989. / Also available in print.

Thesis (M.S.P.D.(Prof.)) - University of Queensland, 2006. / Includes bibliography.

In order to deal with the current unsustainable pattern of growth and development, the City of Vancouver is advocating intensification as a means for developing more complete communities. Promoting this strategy to the public may, however be problematic when there is little or no empirical evidence documenting the outcome or experience of intensification. To better understand the issues, challenges and opportunities associated with using intensification to create complete communities, the City of Vancouver's experience with this strategy was analysed, across a range of planning initiatives within which intensification policies were deployed. Through the use of interviews and a case study comprising an analysis of several City policies and initiatives, the benefits, costs, and barriers of intensification were documented. In total 18 people were interviewed which included City Staff, councillors, developers, and members of planning organizations. This process revealed what the City has been able to achieve through intensification, the lessons they have learned and the direction this strategy must take in the near future in order to create more complete communities. To date, the City has had the most success with intensification when it has been applied to existing multi-family neighbourhoods or to the redevelopment of industrial lands. As a result, the City has been able to create new neighbourhoods that have many of the characteristics of a complete community. However, when this same process is taken to existing single family neighbourhoods, it is met with opposition as a result of the public's resistance to change and the conflicting views regarding intensified urban living. Despite this failure, Vancouver's experience has provided a number of valuable lessons regarding how intensification can be used to create more complete communities. For example, there are a number of conditions that must exist in order for intensification to be promoted, which relate to the planning, market, and political environment of an area. Once these conditions are in place then, strategies should be developed to ensure that intensification is designed to be responsive to a community's needs. Finally, Vancouver's experience with this strategy reveals that the best way to understand what a community needs and what tradeoffs they are willing to make in order to create more complete communities is through a political process that involves a consensus approach to planning and public discussion. The findings of this thesis indicate that the success of future intensification initiatives lies in the City's ability of making intensified urban living fashionable. To do this it will be imperative to establish a common understanding of its limits and benefits by learning from past experiences and by building on the successful intensification initiatives that have occurred. Once this is done, the City can then use the successful examples of intensification to educate the public about how it can be used to create complete communities. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Architecture