The Massachusetts model illustrates the latest approach to smart growth - the incentive based program. This study examines the reasons for and actual outcomes of local smart growth efforts through one of the Massachusetts’ smart growth incentives - the Commonwealth Capital (CC) Program. The main objectives of this research are built on two conceptual models through a mixed approach that combines qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative method is mainly utilized to evaluate the implementation of the CC program. The results indicate that the program is a good measure of municipal smart growth efforts representative of goals of the state. Communities with diverse land bases have some advantage, as a variety of zoning methods can be employed. It is not obvious that communities have changed their own zoning in response to the stimuli of the CC program. The first model is applied through various statistical tests to investigate the relationships among the towns’ characteristics and CC data. Homeownership, education and access to the highway system are significant factors related to municipal smart growth efforts in Massachusetts. Wealth, population and quantity of open spaces are only significant for certain type of communities (e.g. maturing suburbs, developing towns etc). Municipal political preferences (e.g. forms of municipal governance, DEM/GOP preference etc) and municipal planners’ efforts have some influence on the adoptions of smart growth policies, though the specific outcomes might vary case by case. The second model tests the statistical relationships between CC data and the Urban Sprawl in Massachusetts. The urban sprawl are defined by Urban Sprawl Indicator (USI) as the amount of residential land consumed per building permit in the five past years per community in Massachusetts. The CC scores and USIs negatively fit the regression line well, indicating that local smart growth efforts have generally controlled land consumption in the past. In particular, the USIs in developing suburbs appear more responsive to the CC data. The spatial lag model shows sprawl is a net-effect phenomena and the cluster of sprawl in a region might weaken the effectiveness of particular municipal smart growth efforts. Lastly, this research suggests that the design of state land use policies ought to follow the nature of geographic segmentation of municipal smart growth preferences.

This thesis will study the resident’s perceptions of a community park in the new urbanism community of Mt Laurel, Alabama by evaluating the thirteen principles established by William Hollingsworth Whyte for creating successful urban parks. The thirteen principles established by Whyte for creating successful spaces are: •The parks proximity/relationship to the street •Location of the sidewalks to the street •Its ability to consistently sustain a constant flow of people through its boundaries •Its amount of defined spaces rather than large open spaces •Its amount of sitable space, in terms of ledges, steps, planters, chairs etc. •The parks sense of security among its users •The incorporation of water features within the parks boundaries •The extent of tree canopies within the park for shading purposes •The availability of food concessions •The parks number of waste receptacles •Routine performers •Outdoor cafes in the park •Occasional art and music exhibits

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis focuses on problems that have resulted from the increasing pressure facing urban and suburban land use in South Africa, brought on by a number of different factors including the political and historical background of the country, as well as by rapid urbanization. The objective of this thesis is to present the perspectives applied in the analysis of the built environment in selected case studies, in which different theoretical and methodological approaches have been developed to address the research questions. The empirical part of this thesis consists of four case studies, in which selected low-income housing projects are analyzed from a perspective of how to facilitate higher densities. A central question addressed is whether the provision of housing structures built at higher densities, maintain, improve, or aggravate spatial qualities; and whether the application of these types of projects can be considered as possible alternatives to address the problem of urban sprawl in South Africa. The study finds that the house types analyzed address the density dimension of urban sprawl, thus reducing the amount of land consumed. There is room for increasing densities and overall urban land use efficiency, to which the housing types analyzed in this study may contribute. This implies that cities such as Cape Town and Johannesburg, which suffer from urban sprawl, have the possibility to grow in terms of population without having to expand further in terms of land use. The analysis of spatial qualities shows the studied types maintain positive spatial qualities, and have the possibility of increasing living standards. Nevertheless, a number of other dimensions need to be included when addressing urban sprawl conditions, in order to consider the possibility of replicating these housing types. Furthermore, this study advances approaches in terms of methodologies and concepts applied, which aim to contribute to an increased understanding of the current knowledge in the housing and urban planning fields focusing on questions of urban sprawl in general / <p>QC 20100909</p>

Les dynamiques urbaines consécutives à la baisse sur le temps long des coûts de transport conduisent à l'émergence de régions métropolitaines à l'urbanisation étalée, diffuse, polycentrique. Les enjeux actuels du développement soutenable soulèvent des questionnements sur l'aménagement des métropoles européennes, qui mêlent de multiples objectifs environnementaux, économiques et sociaux, à différentes échelles géographiques. Au travers de la construction d'indicateurs quantifiant les formes d'usage du sol, à plusieurs niveaux (communes françaises, bassins d'emplois, aires fonctionnelles, régions métropolitaines), des liens complexes sont mis en évidence entre types d'urbanisation, pratiques de mobilité quotidienne, et attributs de soutenabilité, co-produits sur le temps long par des choix de multiples acteurs urbains. Plusieurs bases de données sont mobilisées à cet effet : UITP, Audit Urbain, données nationales et régionales de France et d'Allemagne, ainsi qu'une base de données de densité de population, à une échelle géographique fine pour l'ensemble du continent européen (Agence Européenne de l'Environnement). En particulier, l'analyse des liens entre polycentrisme et consommation d'énergie due aux transport, en Ile-de-France et dans la région Rhin-Ruhr, conduit à des résultats nuancés, dans lesquels le coût de transport et la mutualisation des ressources énergétiques via des infrastructures de transport collectif performantes jouent un rôle important, au cœur des liens entre échelles spatiales de fonctionnement. L'aménagement de métropoles européennes soutenables passe sans doute par la compréhension des spécificités historiques de chaque territoire, et des multiples équilibres possibles entre villes, transport et environnement / The long-term decrease in transport costs made possible the emergence of sprawled, non-continuous and polycentric metropolitan urban regions. Sustainable development raises the question of smart planning of European metropolitan regions, with multiple environmental, economical and social objectives, at various geographical scales. Complex relationships are found between urban form, daily mobility patterns and sustainable aspects, through a quantification of several dimensions of urban form at various levels –local communities, employment catching areas, functional urban regions and metropolitan areas. International and national databases are used : UITP, Urban Audit, French and German statistical offices, as well as a pan European land use database (European Environment Agency). Links between polycentricity and energy consumed in daily mobility for Paris and Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan regions demonstrates shaded results, in which transport costs and effective public transport infrastructures play great role, interfacing several scales of functioning. Planning of European sustainable metropolitan regions would certainly benefit from a better knowledge of the long-term specificities of each area, as well as the multiple equilibriums which may arise between cities, transport and environment

L’étalement urbain constitue un enjeu de société qui préoccupe tous les acteurs de l’aménagement du territoire. Le développement de superficies urbanisées à la périphérie des villes à des fins résidentielle, industrielle, commerciale et d’infrastructures se caractérise par une faible densité des structures bâties et par une perte de terres agricoles. Les conséquences sont importantes notamment parce que ces pertes sont irréversibles. Ce projet de recherche analyse les tendances actuelles de l’étalement urbain dans la RMR de Montréal et au-delà de celle-ci ainsi que ses impacts sur les territoires agricoles. Il comporte trois objectifs secondaires. Le premier objectif vise à analyser l’importance de la multifonctionnalité de l’agriculture et sa prise en compte dans les stratégies d’aménagement et de revitalisation agricole dans les MRC. Le deuxième objectif vise à établir les liens entre ces stratégies et les pressions urbaines dans la région métropolitaine de Montréal. Les pressions urbaines des 88 municipalités sont analysées en fonction de l’augmentation de la population et des ménages, par le nombre de mises en chantier ainsi que par les demandes de modification de la zone agricole déposées par les municipalités auprès de la CPTAQ entre 2000 et 2009. Le dernier objectif vise à identifier les MRC qui ont développé ces stratégies dans leur schéma d’aménagement et de développement (SAD), pour ensuite comparer les intentions et les actions des MRC par rapport à l’étalement urbain qui se développe concrètement sur leur territoire depuis l’an 2000. Pour ce faire, deux critères ont été retenus : une typologie des stratégies d’aménagement et de revitalisation agricole des SAD et les positions adoptées par les acteurs impliqués dans les demandes de modification. En conclusion, les cinq MRC analysées en détail ont demandé entre 2,1 % et 2,6 % de leur propre zone agricole au cours des dix dernières années, peu importe l’élaboration de leur SAD et les pressions urbaines qu’elles subissent. / Urban sprawl represents a challenge to society of concern for all the players in regional land use planning. The development of urbanised areas on the edges of cities for residential, industrial, commercial and infrastructure purposes is characterised by low density development and a loss of farmland. The consequences are important because these losses are irreversible. This research project analyses current trends of urban sprawl in the Montreal Census Metropolitan Region and the surrounding area as well as its impacts on agricultural areas. There are three secondary objectives. The first one is to analyse the importance of the multi-functionality of agriculture and how it has been taken into account in the strategies for agricultural planning and revitalisation in the Regional Municipal Counties (RMC). The second one aims to establish the linkages between these strategies and the urban pressures in the Montreal metropolitan region. Urban pressures are analysed in the context of 88 municipalities as a function of the increases in population and households and the number of construction projects initiated as well as the requests for modification of their agricultural zones submitted by the municipalities to Quebec’s Agricultural Land Protection Commission between 2000 and 2009. The final objective aims to identify those RMC which have developed strategies in their regional land use development plan for their agricultural zone, in order then to compare the intentions and actions of the RMC with the urban sprawl which has actually taken place in their territory since 2000. To accomplish this, two criteria were used: a typology of the planning and revitalisation strategies for the agricultural zones and the positions adopted by the players involved in formulating the requests for modification. By way of conclusion, the 5 RMC analysed in detail requested the withdrawal of between 2.1 % and 2.6 % of their own agricultural zone during the last 10 years, regardless of their own agricultural development plan and the actual urban pressures they had experienced.

L'étalement urbain et le transport sont deux problématiques prépondérantes à La Réunion. Dans un contexte de forte croissance démographique où le million démographique est prévu pour 2030, la question de l'occupation du sol devient primordiale. Le relief réunionnais présentant des spécificités telles, que presque deux tiers de l'île sont indisponibles à l'urbanisation, la problématique de l'étalement urbain devient de plus en plus importante. Dans le même temps, le réseau routier réunionnais, limité également par le relief, est déjà saturé et la problématique transport occupe une grande place dans les préoccupations en matière d'aménagement, à l'exemple de la Route du Littoral. Ainsi, cette relation transport et aménagement est particulièrement importante. Cette thèse propose ainsi de découvrir, à l'échelle des aires urbaines, les différentes formes d'étalement urbain visibles à la Réunion et s'interrogeant sur d'éventuelles similarités avec des territoires non limités par le relief. En effet, une question est posée : le milieu insulaire favorise-t-il des formes d'étalement spécifiques ? De même, la relation entre transport et étalement urbain est mise en exergue à travers les exemples des trois principales aires urbaines de l'Île : Saint-Denis, Saint-Paul- Le Port et Saint-Pierre. A partir de leur évolution depuis 1990 nous proposons quelques scénarios d'évolution qui permettent d'alerter sur la nécessité d'une approche transport-urbanisme dans les futurs projets d'aménagement de l'Île de La Réunion. / Urban sprawl and transport are two dominating problems in Reunion Island. In a context of strong population growth where the demographic million is planned for 2030, the question of the land use becomes essential. The relief of the island is so difficult, that almost two-thirds of the island are unavailable to urbanization. Thus, the urban sprawl question is becoming increasingly important. At the same time, the road network of Reunion Island is also limited by the relief and already saturated. The transportation problem occupies an important place in the development concerns, like the Route du Littoral. This interaction between transport and planning is particularly important. This thesis proposes to discover, on the scale of urban areas, various forms of urban sprawl visible in Reunion, and questions on possible similarities with territories not limited by relief. Indeed, a question is raised: do the island environment favors specific forms of urban sprawl? Similarly, the relationship between transport and urban sprawl is highlighted through examples of the three main urban areas of the island: Saint-Denis, Saint-Paul- Le Port and Saint-Pierre. From their evolution since 1990, we offer a few evolution scenarios that allow to alert the need for a transportation-planning in future development projects on the island of Reunion Island.

Geographic space is the large-scale and continuous space that encircles the earth and in which human activities occur. The study of geographic space has drawn attention in many different fields and has been applied in a variety of studies, including those on cognition, urban planning and navigation systems. A scaling property indicates that small objects are far more numerous than large ones, i.e., the size of objects is extremely diverse. The concept of scaling resembles a fractal in geometric terms and a power law distribution from the perspective of statistical physics, but it is different from both in terms of application. Combining the concepts of geographic space and scaling, this thesis proposes the concept of the scaling of geographic space, which refers to the phenomenon that small geographic objects or representations are far more numerous than large ones. From the perspectives of statistics and mathematics, the scaling of geographic space can be characterized by the fact that the sizes of geographic objects follow heavy-tailed distributions, i.e., the special non-linear relationships between variables and their probability. In this thesis, the heavy-tailed distributions refer to the power law, lognormal, exponential, power law with an exponential cutoff and stretched exponential. The first three are the basic distributions, and the last two are their degenerate versions. If the measurements of the geographic objects follow a heavy-tailed distribution, then their mean value can divide them into two groups: large ones (a low percentage) whose values lie above the mean value and small ones (a high percentage) whose values lie below. This regularity is termed as the head/tail division rule. That is, a two-tier hierarchical structure can be obtained naturally. The scaling property of geographic space and the head/tail division rule are verified at city and country levels from the perspectives of axial lines and blocks, respectively. In the study of geographic space, the most important concept is geographic representation, which represents or partitions a large-scale geographic space into numerous small pieces, e.g., vector and raster data in conventional spatial analysis. In a different context, each geographic representation possesses different geographic implications and a rich partial knowledge of space. The emergence of geographic information science (GIScience) and volunteered geographic information (VGI) greatly enable the generation of new types of geographic representations. In addition to the old axial lines, this thesis generated several types of representations of geographic space: (a) blocks that were decomposed from road segments, each of which forms a minimum cycle such as city and field blocks (b) natural streets that were generated from street center lines using the Gestalt principle of good continuity; (c) new axial lines that were defined as the least number of individual straight line segments mutually intersected along natural streets; (d) the fewest-turn map direction (route) that possesses the hierarchical structure and indicates the scaling of geographic space; (e) spatio-temporal clusters of the stop points in the trajectories of large-scale floating car data. Based on the generated geographic representations, this thesis further applies the scaling property and the head/tail division rule to these representations for urban studies. First, all of the above geographic representations demonstrate the scaling property, which indicates the scaling of geographic space. Furthermore, the head/tail division rule performs well in obtaining the hierarchical structures of geographic objects. In a sense, the scaling property reveals the hierarchical structures of geographic objects. According to the above analysis and findings, several urban studies are performed as follows: (1) generate new axial lines based on natural streets for a better understanding of urban morphologies; (2) compute the fewest-turn and shortest map direction; (3) identify urban sprawl patches based on the statistics of blocks and natural cities; (4) categorize spatio-temporal clusters of long stop points into hotspots and traffic jams; and (5) perform an across-country comparison of hierarchical spatial structures. The overall contribution of this thesis is first to propose the principle of scaling of geographic space as well as the head/tail division rule, which provide a new and quantitative perspective to efficiently reduce the high degree of complexity and effectively solve the issues in urban studies. Several successful applications prove that the scaling of geographic space and the head/tail division rule are inspiring and can in fact be applied as a universal law, in particular, to urban studies and other fields. The data sets that were generated via an intensive geo-computation process are as large as hundreds of gigabytes and will be of great value to further data mining studies. / <p>QC 20120301</p> / Hägerstrand project entitled “GIS-based mobility information for sustainable urban planning and design”

Das Thema Fläche gewinnt angesichts zunehmender Flächenkonkurrenzen und ambitionierter Flächensparziele an Bedeutung. Ein der Nachhaltigkeit verpflichtetes Flächenmanagement und ein zuverlässiges Flächennutzungsmonitoring sind für die Flächenhaushaltspolitik und die Bewertung der Flächenentwicklung unerlässlich. Doch wie implementiert man ein effizientes Siedlungsflächenmanagement und wie entwickeln sich die dafür notwendigen Geobasisdaten? Darauf neue Antworten aus Wissenschaft und Praxis zu geben ist Ziel der Buchreihe Flächennutzungsmonitoring. Im sechsten Band werden aktuelle Entwicklungen der Flächenhaushaltspolitik, der modellhafte Handel mit Flächenzertifikaten, die Erfassung von Innenentwicklungspotenzialen, Methoden zur Generierung kleinräumiger Daten, Indikatoren zur Beschreibung von Zersiedelung und Biodiversität, der Entwicklungsstand relevanter Geobasisdaten, sowie Methoden der Regional- und Städtestatistik einschließlich Prognosetechniken vorgestellt.