Planning theorists often espouse the value of citizen participation and the sharing of
ideas and opinions in planning processes, and encourage collaborative discussions
between professionals and the public. On the issue of sustainability planning, there can
be many differing beliefs and opinions within society. In order to construct meaningful
dialogue around sustainability goals, it is important for planners to understand the
diverse opinions of the public.
This thesis examines the belief systems of people who support the idea of building a
"third crossing" of Vancouver's Burrard Inlet, looking to draw conclusions that could be
useful in planning for similar transportation infrastructure projects. I interviewed nine
third crossing supporters using two theories from psychology and social psychology,
Leon Festinger's notion of cognitive dissonance and Daniel Yankelovich's definitions of
mass opinion and public judgment, to identify conflict within beliefs and evaluate the
quality of opinion.
I discovered that cognitive dissonance, or conflict between an individual's beliefs, was
not reflected significantly in the views of crossing supporters. They also exhibited high
quality opinion, as defined by Yankelovich using his criteria of responsibility, stability and
consistency. Further, in comparing the interview responses to transportation policies
contained in the Greater Vancouver Regional District's Livable Region Strategic Plan, I
determined that two conflicting visions, which I refer to as the mobility vision and the
sustainability/livability vision, lie at the heart of this transportation debate and likely
others with similar foundations. With the knowledge that crossing advocates have a
well-developed and logically constructed vision, planners must think about ways to
establish constructive dialogue and address the fundamental values and assumptions
upon which the two visions are based in order to foster social learning on the issue of
sustainability-oriented transportation. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/16592 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Johnson, Melissa Christine |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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