The purpose of this thesis is to ascertain (1) whether suburban sprawl is as widespread in Canadian metropolitan areas as in their American counterparts, and (2) whether Canadian government policies, and in particular Canadian municipal land use and transportation policies, encourage sprawl. The thesis concludes that sprawl is less widespread in two respects. First, Canadian central cities have not declined to the same extent as American central cities. Second, urban and suburban Canadians are less dependent on automobiles than are Americans. The thesis goes on to point out that in Canada, as in the United States, government land use and transportation policies often encourage sprawl.

The purpose of this thesis is to ascertain (1) whether suburban sprawl is as widespread in Canadian metropolitan areas as in their American counterparts, and (2) whether Canadian government policies, and in particular Canadian municipal land use and transportation policies, encourage sprawl. The thesis concludes that sprawl is less widespread in two respects. First, Canadian central cities have not declined to the same extent as American central cities. Second, urban and suburban Canadians are less dependent on automobiles than are Americans. The thesis goes on to point out that in Canada, as in the United States, government land use and transportation policies often encourage sprawl.

Urban sprawl in North America and superblock in China are two typical urban forms with diametrically opposed density. However, when sprawl has been considered to be curbed, can supWerblock be a solution with its more compact urban form? This practicum is derived from this question and is focused on the research and design of shaping a good superblock. It is mainly driven by two research questions: how to use superblock model as a solution to curb urban sprawl and how to shape a good superblock neighbourhood from a landscape architecture perspective. There is a great opportunity to tackle such an inter-discipline topic from a landscape architecture dominated perspective, which could flexibly switch over context scales for this type of urban design. The topic would also be significant today due to an increased desire for ecological sustainability and cultural identity for neighbourhoods within the city.

Boston University. University Professors Program Senior theses. / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-02

Expansion of large metropolitan areas has rapidly increased at such a rate that development has begun to spill over original city boundaries. Almost every large city in the United States has accumulated smaller satellite cities on the periphery of the metropolitan area. These satellite cities house resources that exist because of their proximity to a larger urban core allowing them to harbor communities of people looking for inexpensive yet accessible housing close to a strong job market. The satellite city's location, stuck between a dense urban core and suburbia, lends itself to an identity that can be determined as neither urban or suburban. This confusing identity has resulted in high density urban infrastructure that is independent of an identifiable urban core, therefore spread out and sparse. As both the desire to live in major city centers and the cost of living in these city centers grows, satellite cities are becoming a destination where people within the city can escape huge expenses and suburban families can achieve urban living at an affordable cost. In turn, the future of satellite cities is a frontier to affordable urban living. One such city is Harrison, New Jersey; a city just a twenty-minute subway ride away from downtown Manhattan. This commuter city has become a bridge between the suburbs of New Jersey and Manhattan's central business district. Every day people drive into Harrison with the intent to switch to rail transportation into downtown Manhattan. Because of this role in daily commuting patterns and accessibility to resources from New York City, Harrison is growing at an extremely rapid rate with over 8,000 residential units proposed to be built in the next ten years1. This remarkable growth has resulted in cheaply built and loosely planned city infrastructure ignoring key factors in the city's expansion. Subsequentially, Harrison's city fabric has become victim to residential sprawl with many missing pieces, having failed to take advantage of the potential in the centrally located commuter city transit infrastructure. As developers continue to propose high profit residential housing scattered throughout the city, they fail to meet the demands of growing density, parking, and public amenities. The centrally located transit accommodations that exist allow Harrison to be a lucrative city with an identifiable city center that can provide housing communities to people looking for inexpensive yet accessible housing close to New York City. With these existing circumstances, there is possibility to improve Harrison's physical environment and its residents' quality of life by introducing a transit oriented development plan surrounding public transportation hubs located in the core of the city. Establishing a connection between existing parking structures, housing, and public amenities will create a satellite city typology that can adapt to the drastically changing habitation throughout a typical work day. As the push towards a new urbanization becomes more prevalent in our future, satellite cities like Harrison can be designed to adapt to growing numbers of urban residents and their transportation patterns and ultimately brand themselves with a new identity and role in sustainable urban futures. / 0 / SPK / specialcollections@tulane.edu

In the United States, the urban sprawl debate has closely paralleled urban growth trends over the past few decades. Many studies indicate that it is the pattern, density, and rate of new urban growth that create the appearance of sprawl. Population dynamics are often cited as a driving force behind urban sprawl. This thesis uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping and land cover change analysis, neighborhood statistics, community surveying, key-informant interviews with planners and developers, and planning documents to measure sprawl. The study area includes the jurisdictions that comprise the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) of Richmond (The City of Richmond, Chesterfield County, Hanover County, and Henrico County). Urban land cover increased by one-fourth, from approximately 559 square kilometers to approximately 746 square kilometers from 1992 to 2001. Over the nine year time period, population within The City of Richmond decreased from 203,056 in 1990 to 197,790 in 2000, while Chesterfield, Henrico, and Hanover Counties increased in population from 1990 to 2001. Until the early part of the 20th century, cities in the United States experienced dramatic densification as industry set up shop in the city and workers flocked there in large numbers to claim jobs. As population grew and technology became more advanced, many people left rural farming areas to settle near industrialized urban core areas. This allowed the population to earn more money and with the introduction of cheap transportation in the form of the automobile, suburbanization began to take place. With more cars came the need for more roads. With more roads came more opportunities for people and employment to move away from the city into rural areas, thereby setting up communities which some refer to as sprawling developments. GIS maps suburbanization in the form of urban land cover, transportation networks, and population densities within and outside core urban areas over any given time period in order to assess trends in urban growth. This study analyzes urban land cover data as well as interviews with local developers and planning documentation to understand development trends in Richmond from 1992 to 2001. These dates reflect the availability of National Land Cover Data (NLCD), which I reclassified in the GIS to show only those classes that represent urbanized land. I then compared the two years to show the level of urban growth over the nine year time period. Next, I analyze patterns of urban expansion by using mapping capabilities within the GIS and neighborhood statistics in order to show the density and connectivity of patches of new growth. Based on the density and connectivity of new growth areas, I classify patterns as one of three types of sprawl: linear along highways, cluster, and leapfrog. My threshold densities are; 0 to 400 30 meter pixels per square kilometer for low density, 401 to 700 for medium density, and 701 to 1200 for high density. I also interviewed local developers and planners to gauge their opinions on the issue of urban sprawl versus urban growth. Developers do not see themselves as contributors to sprawl while planners see their roles as buffers between unfettered growth and market forces. The results indicate that the Richmond MSA did experience an increase in urban land from 1992 to 2001 and that urban growth in the study area can be classified as urban sprawl with the use of GIS mapping, neighborhood statistics, and analysis of jurisdictional planning documentation coupled with interviews with developers, land owners, and local planners. The density of new development is greatest in Henrico and Chesterfield, but the pattern and character with which development has occurred in Hanover is synonymous with sprawl. Sprawl is also facilitated by inexpensive land with available infrastructure (water, sewer lines). / Master of Science

Regionalism and smart growth are two planning principles that in recent years have garnered more support from academia and environmental groups. In spite of this support, the mitigation of sprawl at the local level seems to be stymied. Central Florida's projected population increase and current patterns of sprawl provide an appropriate context to study the public policy/citizen participation disconnect. Understanding the disconnect between the state's enactment of policy regarding growth management and the ability of local planners to successfully curb sprawl will contribute to promoting comprehensive 'management of Florida's natural resources while accommodating the population growth that is expected to continue, in Central Florida. Research into why these ideas are getting lost in the translation from policy to practice is necessary to assist cities in better serving their citizenry. A survey was mailed to city planners in eighteen local governments within the four counties that make up the greater Orlando metropolitan area. These counties are Orange, Seminole, Lake, and Osceola. Local planners often act as the intermediary between policy formulation and public perception of those planning policies. Since planners must blend their implementation of state mandated policy with informing the public of the associated benefits, focusing the research on their opinions will provide a new perspective on the effectiveness of state-mandated growth management at the local level. The research intends to show that the only way comprehensive growth management will truly combat sprawl in the greater Orlando MSA is with support from both an informed and active citizenry, and state policy makers who are willing to not only allocate the funding necessary to promote all parts of the 1985 Growth Management Act and its subsequent amendments, but who also work in concert with local efforts in comprehensive planning.

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Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone Project / The era of Urban Sprawl created a wave of single family residences moving farther and farther away from city centers. This also caused a series of unintended problems that affect our own health and the health of our natural environment. This paper seeks to find the most effective methods of implementing sustainable, mixed use development in our existing communities, as well as any mistakes that should be avoided in the process. This paper will examine successes and failures of previously implemented designs in order to inform and make recommendations for future designs and developments. The aim of this study is to identify factors that contribute to the success of a mixed use development and also encompass all aspects of sustainability.