Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Department of History, December 1999. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.Hous.M.)--University of Hong Kong, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Inauguraldissertation (Ph. D.)--Universität Basel. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 159-166).

M.A. (History) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Countries and cities around the world are searching for ways to plan urban development to accommodate the growing demand for public infrastructure and amenities due to high rates of urbanization. Urban policies deemed to be successful are often adopted by other cities and hence applied across contexts. Urban Policy Mobility (UPM) theories study the ways in which political relationships, power dynamics, and other potential drivers influence the circulation of urban policies. UPM provides a guiding framework to analyze the policymaking associated with mobilized urban policies to understand the socio-spatial processes that motivate the adoption of urban policies from elsewhere. This dissertation engages with the UPM literature by investigating the assemblage and implementation processes of a mobilized urban policy to explore how the fixed socio-spatial processes embedded within a particular planning culture interact with and absorb a flowing urban policy. The term flowing in this study refers to the process of transposing policies from one place to another. Little attention has been paid to how the planning culture in a developing country can shape the adoption (or non-adoption) of certain policy elements, and what challenges arise during the implementation of a flowing urban policy. Given this context, this study answers two research questions: (a) How does urban policy mobility unpack in practice in response to local socio-spatial processes? and (b) What challenges emerge when policies are transposed into new urban policy environments that are dissimilar from those in which they originated? A case study methodology was used to study the changes that occurred when a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) urban policy was introduced in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A qualitative content analysis of archival resources, documents, and semi-structured interviews revealed how local urban planning conditions and challenges influenced Riyadh's TOD assemblage and implementation. Public officials and consultants from Riyadh, national officials, and experts were interviewed to develop a clear understanding of the TOD policy assemblage and implementation processes. The two main findings from this research are that: 1) there was an incomplete translation of TOD into the local planning culture, primarily due to Riyadh's stronger emphasis on the density, diversity, and design features of TOD and less concern with the sustainability dimensions; and 2) several governance and prioritization challenges emerged during the policy implementation process, which stem from institutional constraints and institutional and resource gaps. This research expands the UPM field by tracing the trajectory of policy mutation due to local socio-spatial processes. Additionally, this study provides a conceptual framework that synthesizes three heterogeneous elements: planning culture, planning policy, and policy carriers. It offers a methodological contribution that advances UPM analysis to better explain policy mutation. This study can be used as a cautionary tale for officials engaged in adopting urban policies that originate in other jurisdictions. / Doctor of Philosophy / City officials around the world are looking beyond their borders for urban policies that can promote sustainability and improve quality of life. However, those officials rarely consider how differences between urban areas can alter the nature of policies being adopted. To address this challenge, the field of Urban Policy Mobility (UPM) emerged to shed light on how the unique local factors that shape each city environment affect what elements of an urban policy are and are not adopted. This study examines the changes that occurred when a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) urban policy was introduced in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In order to learn about the changes and challenges associated with Riyadh's TOD policy, interviews were conducted with employees responsible for the policy. Additionally, TOD policy documents and other publications that contained information about Riyadh's TOD were reviewed to build a deeper understanding of why certain policy elements were implemented and others were not. This study found that: 1) the TOD policy was not completely translated into Riyadh, with greater emphasis placed on increasing building density, diversifying land uses, and enhancing design aesthetics, and less on other important policy elements that enhance economic and social sustainability; and 2) the implementation of the TOD policy led to governance challenges due to the differences in how urban planning is undertaken in Riyadh compared to western countries. This in-depth study of Riyadh's experience can inform other cities that are looking to implement urban policies borrowed from other countries.

This dissertation focuses on the dynamics of gated communities with attention to the municipality of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Despite the growing numbers of gated communities worldwide, research on this matter remains scarce. I argue that a “gated community consensus” has emerged in Puerto Rico. The hypothesis is that in Guaynabo, the municipality facilitates the emergence of gated communities in order to change the face of the city and reap an economic windfall. Interviews demonstrate the municipality’s commitment to facilitating the construction of new communities and lending support to older communities. Most of these gated communities respond to high end income projects, thus altering the profile of Guaynabo’s residents. This has all led to the development of Guaynabo as a commodity, Guaynabo City, suitable to contractors, the municipality, and interested buyers. The gates confer prestige in the municipality.

No description available.

Advancement in science and technology has brought about tremendous changes in the world. Under the influence of globalization, increasing competition among cities has been witnessed all over the world and urban competitiveness has become a new research topic. This study conducts a comparative analysis of 253 Chinese cities at prefecture-level or above based on a conceptual framework of urban competitiveness. Two methodological issues are addressed and carefully examined which are the selection of weighting methods and the assessment of the impact of population data on the result of urban competitiveness analysis. Based on the empirical results, this research further analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of Chinese cities and the regional pattern of urban competitiveness in China. / In this study, urban competitiveness is understood from a comprehensive perspective including economic, social and environmental components. Adopting a three-level hierarchical indicator system, this study compares the different results derived from the use of two different weighting methods, Equal Weighting and Factor Analysis. Through tracing the calculation process, it is found that Factor Analysis generates problematic weights to some indicators and it also has a tendency to ignore the environmental performance of the cities in this study. Thus the Equal Weighting method seems better to fit urban competitiveness study. / The impact of the quality of population data is addressed by comparing the results using the population data from the 2000 Population Census and from the 2001 Urban Statistical Yearbook. Although the general inconsistency in the result of urban competitiveness analysis caused by using different population data was not as serious as the one caused by using different weighting methods, the results from using population data from the 2001 Urban Statistical Yearbook were inaccurate. / The inter-regional differences and intra-regional variations within regions and provinces have been significant in the reform period. The eastern region outstripped the central and western regions not only in economic, but also in social and environmental competitiveness. Economic competitiveness driven by a large amount of FDI in the eastern region was the most outstanding among the three competitiveness dimensions. Cities in the central region were better off than the western region with the exception of Economic Performance. It is worth noting that a few cities in the central and western regions demonstrated strong competitiveness which even outscored many eastern cities. However, the large disparity among the cities in the western region increased the difficulties of reducing the overall regional disparity. The variation of urban competitiveness also shaped the inter-provincial disparity within each region. / These methodological considerations have led to the selection of Equal Weighting as the weighting method and the 2000 Population Census as the population data source with which to measure urban competitiveness. As revealed by the analysis, the cities varied by having either consistent or inconsistent ranks in their economic, social and environmental competitiveness. Hangzhou, Zhuhai, Beijing, and Shenzhen ranked at the top for the country, while Bazhong, Baoshan, Suining, and Guang'an ranked near the bottom in total urban competitiveness. / This research contributes to the understanding of and measurement of urban competitiveness in Chinese cities. It provides a useful reference on the strengths and weaknesses of Chinese cities. Furthermore, the regional pattern of urban competitiveness also helps to improve the general understanding of China's uneven development. / Jiang, Yihong. / "January 2007." / Adviser: Jianfa Shen. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-08, Section: A, page: 3537. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 229-248). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

Thesis (doctoral)--Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, 1996. / "NUGI 672/681"--T.p. verso. Includes bibliographical references (p. 141-146).

Thesis (doctoral)--Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, 1996. / "NUGI 672/681"--T.p. verso. Includes bibliographical references (p. 141-146).