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This study focuses on how real estate developers in Philadelphia view their responsibility to build housing units that are accessible to people living with disabilities. It relies on data collected by interviewing major developers who build several different types of housing, including high-end condominiums, university residential housing, mid-price townhouses, loft conversions, rehabilitation of historic properties, and affordable housing projects. The researcher finds that developers possess only limited knowledge about accessibility requirements. They do not regard people with disabilities as a submarket of consumers to whom they could sell their units. Interestingly, virtually all of them cited a family member or close friend with a significant disability, creating both awareness and an emotional connection to disability issues. Yet such personal connections did not necessarily prompt them to voluntarily add accessible features to their housing units. Instead, the developers acknowledged that government regulations are the spur that can oblige them to build more accessible housing. Surprisingly, they expressed less antagonism toward such regulations than the researcher expected. In general, their view was that if such regulations force all developers in the greater Philadelphia market to incorporate accessible features and costs into their developments, then their individual firms will not be placed at a competitive disadvantage in the marketplace. / Urban Studies

How can the revival of nature combined with the introduction of contemporary structures improve a city’s appeal? The goals of this thesis are as follows: 1) To provide a new public space along Hartford’s waterfront, 2) To relieve traffic of those traveling through Hartford, 3) To allow for easier/increased access for local traffic to access the downtown area and central business district, and 4) To create connections across the River at the Human Scale. The relocation of I-91 to the opposite side of the Connecticut River using existing infrastructure is a clean, concise way of achieving these four goals. By having I-91 cross the Connecticut River south of downtown on the existing Charter Oak Bridge, following the Right-of-Way of the current State Route 2, intersecting with Interstate 84 at a four-way, all-access intersection, and traveling back across the Connecticut River north of downtown using an existing Right-of-Way, the Riverfront opens up while allowing for easier traffic flow for both local and through traffic. A new boulevard in the existing highway’s Right-of-Way that starts and ends at exits off of the new configuration of I-91 allows for local traffic to access all parts of downtown, while having through traffic avoid the commuters and bypass the city completely. The new intersection of I-91 and I-84 across the River in East Hartford would allow all users access to all points, no matter what direction they're traveling; something the current intersection in downtown does not offer. Using existing bridges and Rights-of-Way also does the least amount of damage to current residents of East Hartford and its own waterfront, as there would be no new land needed for this new configuration. The following thesis attempts to bring life back into the downtown area of Hartford, Connecticut through various means that have been proven to work well in other cities throughout the United States.

Research on collaboration between regional planning and public health promises project cost sharing while achieving the missions of the respective organizations. The objective of this research is to apply the theoretical framework of critical contingencies to assess the current level of inter-organizational relationships between planning district commissions (PDCs) and health districts in the area. Using a case study approach, I collected data through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the directors of four PDCs and four health districts of southwest Virginia. The results from this study reveal that PDCs and health districts collaborate in three areas: physical/environmental health, access to primary health care, and economic development. However, collaboration is not consistent across the four districts. In districts with minimal collaboration, directors at both PDCs and health districts cite conflicting missions and a lack of understanding about the other organization. In districts with the highest number of common projects, the directors at both organizations attribute collaboration to a dependency on technical and professional resources, the need for legitimacy and authority, and the ability to achieve internal objectives. All directors claim that limited time and human resources impede collaboration. The directors' views on resource constraints (predominantly time) and organizational philosophy corroborate the general findings of the collaboration literature. Future research should address means of enhancing collaboration between planners and health districts through improved communication about programs and actual, not perceived, skills, resources, and mission of the complementary organization. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning

The research explores the relevance of communicative planning theory to South Africa's new development planning approach: the Integrated Development Planning. Communicative planning theorists claim that communication that meets Habermas's validity claims ofcomprehensibility, sincerity, legitimacy and truth could result in consensus being reached which will reduce power and conflict between participants. Tlie research investigates the extent to which the above contentions are valid in the context of Durban Metropolitan's Outer West Local Council's Integrated Development Planning. The research investigates the extent to which communication results in consensus. The research hypothesises that power is an important factor"in determining outcomes. The research explores the following questions in more detail: how does power of various actors shape planning outcomes? How does power penetrate good intentions of communicative planning? Is it meaningful to operate with a concept of communication in which power is absent? What is the impact of asymmetrical power relations to communication that is aimed at development planning? Is consensus an achievable ideal? Given the new and changing role of planners, can the planners' professional judgement be "neutralised" and can they act as valueneutral participants as the theorists claim? Tewdwr-Jones & Alldimendinger (1998) are critical of the diminishing role that is given to the planner by the collaborative planning theory. The research investigates the role of the planner by asking the following questions: what is and what should the role of planner be given that collaborative planning or communicative planning theorists tend to remove the planner from the centre to the periphery? Should there be a planner at all or can the community through participatory planning do it all by themselves without the need tor the 'expertise' ofa planner? What are the obstacles to eftective public participation that is aimed at building consensus and to what extent can individual stakeholders participate meaningfully. The assumption ofthe communicative planning theory is that when there is platform to participate, people will argue, talk, debate and negotiate. The research also contextualises the study by looking at contemporary literature on changing urban landscape: the new models ofmunicipal administration and governance ie.public-private partnerships, the macro-economic trends that would aftect the delivery ofplans and services. To accomplish this, the research looks at communicative planning theory in relation to the actual local development planning practice of the chosen case study area. There are principles of communicative planning which are similar to those ofthe IDP approach which make it safe for one to claim some resemblances between theory and the new approach. One such principle is the emphasis placed on communication between the planner and resident communities achieved through public meetings/workshops. The findings of this research show that communicative planning theory is relevant to South Africa's new Integrated Development Planning. The results of this research also show that communicative planning that meet the validity claims ofcomprehensibility, honesty, legitimacy and truthfuJnessare important because in the case study under discussion, development was derailed by the lack ofpolitical legitimacy (authority) and lack ofpower to take decisions, as a result the power of resident community overwhelmed those of planning consultants. Conflict resolution was not reached through communication between planners and resident communities because participants exercise their power to the detriment ofthe whole process. There were some difficulties in the application of communicative theory to real life planning practice in that the theory push for communication yet during participation citizens did not have enough skill and expertise that would enable them to participate meaningfully in the planning sessions. Communication therefore became a mere question and answer exercise and lacked effective argumentation, dialogue, negotiation, proper talk and debating. The findings of this research show that it is meaningless to operate with a concept of communication in which power is absent. Power has indeed been an important factor in determining outcomes in this planning initiative. To a greater extent, communication was penetrated by asymmetrical power relations between interlocutors - to such an extent that the development planning process came to a stand still. The findings also show that communicative rationality is a means to an end and not an end in itself The end product is a document which has to be produced using some technical rationalities. It was clear from the planning episodes and from interviews that consensus is not an achievable ideal. There are many factors that influence reaching consensus. The research also showed that it is not possible for planners to adopt a valueneutral stance during planning meetings given that they themselves are an interested party and not just observers. Their education and training makes them an interest group in their own right. The research has shown that true community participation (argumentation, talk, debate, negotiation) is dependent on the skills level of participants, their education, experience, background and personalities; these became hindrances or obstacles to effective communication. It was clear from the findings that the role ofplanners during the planning workshops is increasing instead of diminishing as the theorists contend. There are additional roles that planners have to play including capacity building, advising communities, playing advocacy role, filtering and mediating information and interests of various parties during planning meetings. There were technical skills that could only be obtained from the qualified planner, namely the ability to delineate boundaries using maps, writing technical reports and the ability to selectively collate information for processing using sophisticated computer packages. / Thesis (M.U.R.D.P.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1972. / Vita. Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

A varied literature has emerged assessing the history and principles of the SDI programme and its individual initiatives. Within the literature, a widespread critique has developed that views the SDIs as falling short in two crucial areas. First, the SDIs have, in general, had limited developmental impacts . Second, many of the initiatives failed to develop adequate institutional responses to the specific conditions they faced in their various localities. The study describes the Lubombo SDI and its anchor project, the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park. It argues that the Lubombo SDI, from the outset, took institutions seriously with a long view of development. It did not seek to deliver large-scale investment in a short period. Rather, it focused on shifting the development fundamentals - including key aspects of the Lubombo region's institutional arrangements - and concentrating its resources on facilitating a major project capable of pulling the various agencies with a stake in the region's development onto a common platform. This concentration of effort, and the creation of a dedicated authority with a clear statutory mandate to promote development and conservation, has brought advances to an area where development was effectively blocked for many years. But the dynamic nature of the institutional environment remains a key challenge affecting the GSLWP and the execution of the Authority's mandate. The ability of the Authority to continue mediating the multiple tensions and complexities affecting the GSLWP will be crucial if the agenda first set by the Lubombo is to be carried forward in the coming years. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005