Planning

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This is the collection for the University of Waterloo's School of Planning.

Research outputs are organized by type (eg. Master Thesis, Article, Conference Paper).

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Browsing Planning by Author "Feick, Rob"

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    Does initial background matter in evaluating Light Rail Transit feasibility in North America mid-size cities?
    (University of Waterloo, 2024-08-30) Yu, Shangwei; Casello, Jeff; Feick, Rob
    A transit system may be one of the most profoundly influential investments in modern cities. In declining cities, local governments consider new transit investment as medicine to cure their problems. However, in emerging cities, transit investment is considered a booster. Considering the complexity and uncertainty, a feasibility study for Light Rail Transit systems is very challenging. Existing studies usually follow a similar assessment method. With different starting backgrounds, the transit systems could have significantly different performances. Typical assessment methods fail in every project. Many LRT projects failed to meet their design goals. Existing research and planning processes usually do not take a city’s initial condition as a meaningful factor in the assessment process. This research aims at exploring if the initial condition is an influential factor in the success of transit investment and the performance of the transit project. The City of Buffalo and Region of Waterloo are selected as two case studies to achieve this goal. They have dramatically different initial conditions and LRT performance. A series of demographic and social-economic census data are collected to complete a multi-variable analysis. This research shows that the initial condition has a critical impact on the transit investment, and the declining city cannot automatically benefit from the transit investment.
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    Infill Planner: A geo-questionnaire to gather public input on infill developments
    (University of Waterloo, 2021-08-31) Arku, Robert; Feick, Rob
    Urban infill and intensification planning strategies aim to lead toward more efficient use urban land and ultimately urban forms that more sustainable and offer citizens improved quality of life. Due to the potential impacts of introducing change into established neighborhoods, the implementation of these planning strategies is not straightforward. Urban infill strategies often elicit public reactions, either positively or negatively, which ultimately influence the successes or failures of infill projects. Local knowledge and public input must therefore be considered during these planning processes. Map-based tools are increasingly being adopted to solicit public input in urban planning. However, the varying designs and implementation of these tools outpaces planning research. A research gap relating to what works, how and in which context therefore exists. This thesis seeks to understand how the public considers both site (i.e., property) and situation (i.e., neighborhood) factors when considering potential infill developments. Infill Planner, a web-based tool that combines interactive maps and questionnaires, was developed to allow participants to designate future land uses for potential infill development sites. The tool was tested in a simulated urban infill planning process for selected sites in the City of Stratford, Ontario. Despite the simulated nature of the planning exercise, the research contributes to our understanding of how individuals use map-based data and tools when considering the site-specific and neighbourhood level implications of infill developments. Lessons from the design and implementation testing as well as implications for planning practice and academia, are also discussed.