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The quest to negotiate equitable civic engagement : response of Toronto’s Sri Lankan Tamil community to social development planning in Canada’s largest multicultural metropolis

In this study I examine the connections between urban governance, social planning, civic
participation and engagement, and the quest for full, active, democratic citizenship by marginalized
groups, particularly immigrant communities living in Canada's multicultural cities. The notion of
'inclusive planning' within an ethno-culturally diverse urban context is explored through the
examination of both the City of Toronto's approach to social development planning and the
response of one newcomer community, the Sri Lankan Tamils, particularly through the work of the
newly formed national organization, the Canadian Tamil Congress. My study is guided by five
research questions that explore the roles and responsibilities of government, planners and
communities in this context. I conclude by presenting a number of recommendations related to
how planners can work toward a democratic renewal of planning in multicultural cities such as
Toronto through the support and development of planning policies and practices that recognize
equitable engagement, communication, negotiation, and partnership as guiding principles. These
include a wide range of ideas related to identifying and challenging the forces of exclusion
identified within my research, in order to construct a form of citizenship that is grounded in ongoing
negotiation between the state and its citizenry.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/15449
Date11 1900
CreatorsDickout, Leslie
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
RelationUBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/]

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