In this research, I examine the mediating role of transit and the mobility needs and experience of individuals who are homeless in the suburban community of Surrey, BC. I have used Harvey’s (2005) conception of social spatial sorting as a means of understanding the suburbanization of poverty and Galtung’s structural violence (1969) as a means of understanding the experience of homeless transit access. I employed a multiple case study, using semi-structured interviews, with residents and staff of three homeless shelters, located in three distinct neighbourhoods in Surrey. A cross-case analysis of the interview data was undertaken, to draw conclusions and recommendations for policy development and research concerning the transit needs of people who are homeless. To provide a policy context, a review of existing transit access programs available for people who are homeless and/or low-income is presented demonstrating the range of criteria and best practices. Four dimensions of transit access were identified by residents and staff: physical, temporal, social and financial (Kenyon et al., 2003). Residents had the most constrained agency (Coe & Jordhus-Lier et al., 2010) in relation to the physical and temporal dimensions, so that these dimensions became the most problematic in this suburban context. The importance of considering and understanding the geographic context of shelters and potential impacts on mobility and social inclusion for shelter residents, exiting from homelessness, are demonstrated. / Graduate

The economic and political restructuring of the 1980s whose main aim was to integrate Turkey to the global economic network via constructing &ldquo / global cities&rdquo / initiated not only new architectural programs such as grand shopping malls, office towers, world trade centers, five-star hotels but also new housing patterns all of which played an important role in shaping the urban character. As a result of these new architectural programs Ankara&rsquo / s urban landscape has been reterritorialized according to the logic of capital. The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of the emerging residential programs on Ankara&rsquo / s urban transformation since 2000. Specifically, this research critically concentrates on the process of transformation of a low rise-low density residential area into a high rise-high density residence through construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction of the same site initiating a &ldquo / re-scaled&rdquo / urban landscape. With this respect, this study endeavours to deal with the case of destructing the TBMM Milletvekili Lojmanlari for constructing Park Oran Konutlari.

In recent decades, the global impacts of unsustainable consumption and production patterns have become a leading topic of sustainability, and more recently, climate action discourse. At the policy level, green consumerism – an element of green capitalism – has been positioned as the pathway to more sustainable consumption and production (SCP) practices. Within this model, eco-labeling schemes are used to communicate various sustainability attributes, or conditions of production, to the consumer. This study set out to investigate whether SCP is achievable through green consumerism using a two-part case study that centers around the egg industry and specific hen welfare standards. The case study examines the effectiveness of egg eco-labeling schemes and related statements and images placed on egg packaging in informing consumers' purchasing decisions. It also examines the impacts of green consumerism on organic egg production in the presence of strong consumer demand for enhanced hen welfare standards. The results of the case study demonstrate that in the egg industry, green consumerism is not highly effective because consumers' purchasing decisions are often informed by vague and misleading information about conditions of production. Moreover, the presence of strong consumer demand has not resulted in enhanced hen welfare standards in organic production. In interpreting these findings through the lens of David Harvey's theory of the spatial fix, I argue that the true role of green consumerism is to facilitate a spatial fix to resolve the chronic crisis of overaccumulation in the conventional egg industry. Furthermore, that the limitations and contradictions within green consumerism (e.g. vague or insignificant eco-label claims) aid in removing the barrier of capital fixity so that the spatial fix can occur.

Latin American cities are challenged by the effects of population growth and insufficient infrastructure. As a consequent, Informal Car Share (ICS) is increasingly filling the gap as a transportation choice for underserved populations. ICS is the use of private vehicles to provide transportation for a fare that is neither taxed nor regulated by any type of government. Although this practice contributes significantly to development and economic growth, it is often stigmatized as unreliable and inconsistent, and little is known about it. This research expands existing definitions of ICS, using cases from Quito, Ecuador, a mountain city located in the Andes region in South America. It does so by analyzing Quito's ICS perceived effectiveness and performance from its users and drivers, the disruptions this system faces in the communities in which it operates, and its resiliency to bounce back from those disruptions. Findings suggested that despite its informality, ICS works with fixed stops, schedules, routes and fares. This is similar to formal systems operated by the government. Users and drivers described ICS as reliable and consistent, and they all reported a positive experience with the service. Findings also suggested that Quito's ICS is disrupted by six natural and political disruptions that delay the ICS service for 10 to 40 minutes. However, ICS proved to be adaptable and able to circumvent disruptions to ensure passengers connectivity to the city. Lastly, findings suggested that ICS users and drivers developed eight adaptation strategies to circumvent disruptions. Those strategies have created a system that aligns with features of resilient urban systems from UN-Habitat. Expanding the current understanding of how ICS operates, as well as its resilience capacity, is the first step to understanding better the value these self-organized systems provide to cities. / Doctor of Philosophy / The population in Latin America's cities is increasing and cities have been unable to keep up with the infrastructure demands that growth has created. As a consequent, Informal Car Share (ICS) are self-organized systems that arose as a solution to fill the gap in the peripheral areas that government provided transportation have not addressed. ICS is the use of private vehicles to provide transportation for a fare that is neither taxed nor regulated by any type of government. Although this practice contributes significantly to development and economic growth, it is often stigmatized as unreliable, inconsistent, and little is known about it. This research explores existing definitions of ICS, using cases from Quito, Ecuador, a mountain city located in the Andes region in South America It does so by analyzing Quito's ICS perceived effectiveness and performance from its users and drivers, the disruptions this system faces in the communities it operates, and its ability to adapt to those disruptions. Findings suggested that despite its informality, users and drivers described ICS as reliable and consistent, and they all reported a positive experience with the service. Findings also suggested that Quito's ICS is disrupted by six natural and political disruptions that delay the ICS service for 10 to 40 minutes. However, ICS proved to be adaptable and able to overcome disruptions to ensure passenger connectivity to the city. Findings suggest that ICS developed eight adaptation strategies that align well with UN-Habitat (2018) characteristics of resilient urban systems. Expanding the understanding of how ICS operates is the first step to understanding the value ICS provide to cities and their urban resilience.

Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo principal analisar a apropriação do desenvolvimento geográfico desigual brasileiro pelas empresas de Contact Center. A constituição e expansão das operações brasileiras de teleatendimento estão atreladas às privatizações do setor de telecomunicações, com a aquisição das empresas estatais por grandes transnacionais, e a consequente terceirização dos serviços a partir do final da década de 1990. A análise da divisão territorial do trabalho das operações de teleatendimento revela a presença de forças centrípetas, com a manutenção do controle nas principais metrópoles brasileiras, e centrífugas, com a dispersão das unidades de produção para os centros urbanos não metropolitanos e para a região Nordeste. O uso seletivo da densidade técnica e informacional do território permite às empresas a incorporação lucrativa de áreas onde os recursos, principalmente, capital e trabalho, são desvalorizados. / The present work intends to analyze the exploitation of Brazilian uneven geographical development by Contact Center companies. Since the end of the 1990s, the establishment and expansion of Brazilian operations telemarketing has been linked to the privatization of the telecommunications sector, with the subsequent acquisition of state enterprises by large transnational corporations, with has resulted in the outsourcing of services. The corporations territorial division of labor shows the presence of both centripetal forces, with maintenance control in major Brazilian cities, and centrifugal forces, with the dispersion of production facilities in non-­ metropolitan and urban centers in the Northeast. The selective use of technical and informational density allows companies to lucratively incorporate areas where resources, especially labor and capital, are devalued.

Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo principal analisar a apropriação do desenvolvimento geográfico desigual brasileiro pelas empresas de Contact Center. A constituição e expansão das operações brasileiras de teleatendimento estão atreladas às privatizações do setor de telecomunicações, com a aquisição das empresas estatais por grandes transnacionais, e a consequente terceirização dos serviços a partir do final da década de 1990. A análise da divisão territorial do trabalho das operações de teleatendimento revela a presença de forças centrípetas, com a manutenção do controle nas principais metrópoles brasileiras, e centrífugas, com a dispersão das unidades de produção para os centros urbanos não metropolitanos e para a região Nordeste. O uso seletivo da densidade técnica e informacional do território permite às empresas a incorporação lucrativa de áreas onde os recursos, principalmente, capital e trabalho, são desvalorizados. / The present work intends to analyze the exploitation of Brazilian uneven geographical development by Contact Center companies. Since the end of the 1990s, the establishment and expansion of Brazilian operations telemarketing has been linked to the privatization of the telecommunications sector, with the subsequent acquisition of state enterprises by large transnational corporations, with has resulted in the outsourcing of services. The corporations territorial division of labor shows the presence of both centripetal forces, with maintenance control in major Brazilian cities, and centrifugal forces, with the dispersion of production facilities in non-­ metropolitan and urban centers in the Northeast. The selective use of technical and informational density allows companies to lucratively incorporate areas where resources, especially labor and capital, are devalued.

En érigeant un cadre théorique réunissant les concepts de fixation spatiale et d’état d’exception, la présente thèse vise à brosser un portrait des Zones franches d’exportation (ZF) à la lumière du cas salvadorien entre les années 1980 et 2000. L’objectif est de proposer des pistes de réflexion quant au caractère exceptionnel des ZF et leur insertion dans les cycles d’accumulation capitalistes. Sont ainsi abordés les discours légitimant la création des ZF et leur maintien, les moyens financiers, juridiques et logistiques déployés pour permettre leur construction, les relations de pouvoir exceptionnelles qui caractérisent les rapports intra et extra-ZF ainsi que les intérêts que les ZF servent. Cette thèse se veut donc une tentative de compréhension du processus général à l’oeuvre derrière les ZF, dans l’objectif de mieux cibler les possibilités de résistance. *** This thesis aims to analyse the emergence of export processing zones (EPZ) through a theoretical framework that combines the concepts of spatial fix and state of exception. Taking as an illustration the Salvadoran case in the 1980-2000 period, the objective is to suggest means for reflecting on the exceptional character of the EPZ and their insertion in cycles of capitalist accumulation. The thesis will also explore the discourses legitimizing the creation and the retention of EPZ, the logistical, juridical and financial means deployed to allow their construction, the exceptional power relations that characterize the intra and extra-EPZ relations and the interests served by EPZ. This thesis is thus an attempt to encompass the general process behind the EPZ, in order to identify the resistance possibilities.