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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Now showing 1 - 20 of 364

Comprehensive Settlement Planning in the MacKenzie River Delta, N.W.T.: A Proposed Planning Theory and Methodology (Northwest Territories)
(University of Waterloo, 1967) Aasen, Clarence T.
The arctic and subarctic regions of Canada are increasingly developing as integral, participating parts of the total Canadian and world scene. Basic to this development in the North are the human, natural physical, and designed or man- made environments. This study is concerned with one aspect of the designed environment: human settlements. On the basis of an evaluation of the existing settlement planning situation, an attempt is made to develop a skeletal, yet consistent, theory and methodology for settlement planning in the Mackenzie River Delta, Northwest Territories. The approach is from a comprehensive point of view, and includes social, economic and physical criteria directly in the planning process. A combined systems-factor analysis technique is experimentally developed as an aid to creativity in the planning process. Preliminary results indicate both an immediate practical use and a good potential for the further development of the approach as a panning tool.
Authenticating Cultural Tourism: Folk Villages in Hainan, China
(University of Waterloo, 2001) Xie, Philip Feifan
Cultural tourism provides opportunities for ethnic minorities to showcase their cultures, customs and heritage. At the same time, it causes a series of tensions and issues of authenticity and commodification have been the subjects of lively debate among tourism researchers. However, little research has been done to date concerning the roles of stakeholders who authenticate cultural resources. This thesis develops a conceptual framework that is employed to enhance understanding of the authenticity of cultural tourism when ethnic Li communities in Hainan Island, China, experience tourism development. Folk villages are used as a significant point of access for investigating the tensions which emerge in authenticating cultural resources. Four key stakeholders are identified: (1) governments; (2) tourism businesses; (3) visitors; and, (4) ethnic communities. Five pairs of yardsticks were developed based upon Swain's (1989) work to examine the issue of authentification. These constructs are: non-commercialization versus commodification, cultural evolution versus museumification, economic development versus cultural preservation, ethnic autonomy versus state regulation, and mass tourism development versus sustainable cultural tourism. The findings suggest that authenticity is relative rather than absolute and, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Therefore, it is necessary to shift from a previous focus on the nature and identification of authenticity to the more tractable question of authentification. The various stakeholders exhibit different positions with respect to the various paradoxes and the tensions that exist between their poles. For example, governments pay more attention on the control of ethnic autonomy whilst tourism businesses prioritize the economic development. Tourists exhibit blurred perceptions of authenticity whilst ethnic minority supports the maintenance of their of culture but gives priority to jobs and remuneration. This thesis demonstrates that it is more useful to evaluate who authenticates and the interests that such claims serve, rather than to adhere to some absolute standard of 'authentic' ethnicity. It makes recommendations for tourism planners, such as ethnic participation in the decision-making process, the development of strategic alliance among tourism stakeholders, and the taking of steps to promote the maintenance of Li culture. It also suggests opportunities for applying this conceptual framework of cultural tourism to other different situations, both within Hainan and elsewhere.
Landscape Grammar
(University of Waterloo, 2002) Mayall, Kevin
The protection and enhancement of visual resources constitute an on-going challenge to the planning authorities in many communities. The crux of this challenge is to guide development towards built and natural landscape forms that will not cause detriment to an existing landscape character. To understand and cope with this problem, there is the need for a means to define and model a landscape's character, to identify methods for constructing that character definition, to create tools for storing and using such a definition to visualize its spatial manifestations, and to incorporate alternative development regulatory parameters in order to assess their impact on landscape character. Current spatial data technologies are able to portray inventories of specific, real-world objects. While well established in the planning profession, these technologies and their attendant data manipulation tools do not easily facilitate the creation of generalized, non-specific statements that are applicable across a region. Such generalized statements regarding visual and spatial features are at the heart of descriptions of landscape character and implicit within most planning regulations intended to produce a desirable landscape character. Current spatial data tools therefore do not satisfy the stated needs of planning for landscape character. In satisfying these conceptual, methodological and technological deficiencies, the research presented in this dissertation defines and demonstrates a theory of landscape grammar which formally draws parallels between the structures of linguistics and the character of landscapes. A landscape grammar defines a landscape character using a spatial vocabulary and syntax rules and can be applied to a site to generate landscape forms that embody the defined character. In this dissertation, the spatial counterparts of the linguistic concepts of vocabulary and grammar rules are formalized and implemented for use in a custom-developed geographic information system. Methods that enable the use of landscape grammars in a planning environment are presented and subsequently applied through the formal expression of planning regulations into the grammar-based model. The theory, methods and software implementation are demonstrated using a residential area of the island of Bermuda. The iterative grammatical generation of an example two-dimensional landscape scene is demonstrated with further three-dimensional representations of the results for visualization purposes. Alternative planning regulations are also incorporated into the case study grammar and resultant three-dimensional landscapes are shown. Several suggestions for future research on landscape grammars are offered in the conclusions of the dissertation.
Ecotourism and Community Development: Case Studies From Hainan, China
(University of Waterloo, 2002) Stone, Michael J.
Ecotourism is one of the fastest expanding tourism markets. It has received much attention in developing countries and economically impoverished regions around the world. As an agent of change, ecotourism has been linked to sustainable development strategies and initiatives in many places. However, ecotourism can induce a variety of both positive and negative environmental, cultural and socioeconomic impacts at a destination. Operating in its ideal form (according to some), ecotourism provides the tourist with a quality nature experience, generates funds and support for conservation efforts, has minimal environmental impact and provides socioeconomic benefits to local host communities. While there is evidence that ecotourism's espoused benefits can be realized, there are equally as many, if not more, cases where ecotourism has fallen short of its proposed objectives. Indeed, ecotourism's impact has been highly variable. At the same time, some have criticized that there have been relatively few practical assessments of ecotourism's status at specific destinations. This study sought to assess the current status of ecotourism at two destinations where it is being promoted as a regional development strategy. The existing tourism-park/resource-community relationships and impacts are evaluated at Jianfengling and Diaoluoshan National Forest Parks, in Hainan Province, China. Hainan, although endowed with a wealth of natural resources, is one of China's most economically backward provinces. Ecotourism has been identified as an important provincial strategy for balancing economic growth and conservation. The study is intended to enhance the capacity of ecotourism to generate benefits for both the local communities and destinations (the protected areas), and thus contribute to the sustainable development of the region more generally. Given the exploratory nature of the research, qualitative analysis was used. Interviews, observations and secondary sources were the main vehicles of inquiry employed in this study. Basic quantitative analysis was used to aid in the interpretation of interview results. Triangulation, in terms of both data sources (primary and secondary) and methods (document collection, observations, interviews, quantitative analysis), was used wherever possible to limit personal and methodological biases. Similar results were found in both the Jianfengling and Diaoluoshan case studies. Ecotourism development is at an early stage. As such, socioeconomic benefits for the local communities have been very limited. At the same time, residents have had to cope with reduced access to resources since the Parks were established in the mid-1990s. Nevertheless, community residents generally support conservation and are optimistic that tourism growth will yield benefits. Both Parks receive relatively few tourists, and neither Park charges a user fee. As a result, (eco)tourism has not, to date, contributed revenues towards conservation efforts. Although the Parks offer spectacular tropical scenery, facilities are basic and educational opportunities for tourists are few. Planning direction and recommendations are offered based on the study findings and the salient ecotourism literature. Identified opportunities, constraints and recommendations are used to provide a potential framework for the development of a park (eco)tourism plan at each study site. Results and recommendations could inform planning and management processes, and thus enhance the capacity of ecotourism to generate benefits at the study sites and, more generally, throughout Hainan.
The Integration of Remote Sensing and GIS to Facilitate Sustainable Urban Environmental Management: The Case of Bangkok, Thailand
(University of Waterloo, 2002) Malcolm, Neil
Cities in developing countries are facing serious problems as a result of rapid urban population growth. Not the least of these problems is the creation of environmental stresses at the rural-urban fringe of these cities as they increase in area and envelop fertile surrounding agricultural lands. Because of this rapid rate of growth, sustainable urban environmental management (SUEM) policies and practices are often difficult to develop and implement proactively. This thesis argues that rapid population growth and subsequent urban expansion occurs such that urban form and function are built around the transportation network. In this context, a basic requirement for the facilitation of SUEM is the ability to be able to detect and extract indicators of urban expansion, in particular the road network, from available satellite remote sensing (RS) data. Subsequently, the indictors of growth derived from RS imagery can be integrated into a multi-source GIS database with ground-based census data to facilitate potential environmental stress analysis. The extraction of useful data from RS imagery for GIS-based analysis of urban growth is achieved through an integrated conceptual and operational framework presented in the thesis. This framework allows for environmental stress analysis at the urban periphery that can assist with the design of policies to contain urban growth.
Visioning Diversity: Planning Vancouver's Multicultural Communities
(University of Waterloo, 2002) Lee, Joyce C.
The roles and responsibilities of planners in managing culturally diverse cities are beginning to be articulated in the literature. "Visioning,"as planners have used it in recent years, has the potential to help realize "multicultural planning" because of its intentions to involve broad public participation and represent diverse interests, thereby promoting equity and facilitating democracy. This exploratory study examines how the City of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada has involved ethnocultural groups through a visioning process. To date, four Vancouver communities containing a sizeable immigrant population have participated in preparing plans for their neighbourhood through the city's Community Visions Program. Information for this study was gathered through a critical review of planning-related documents and key informant interviews with staff and community participants (including those of visible minority background) in the Visions Program. Results from the data collection were grouped into main themes and triangulated for analysis. Results indicate that visioning, as it has been used in Vancouver, is capable of being a useful technique in carrying out multicultural planning. There is evidence that planners have learned a great deal from engaging in multicultural planning, as seen through the increased success of outreach in the latter two communities to undergo the Visions Program. This suggests that Vancouver's visioning exercise will improve simply by virtue of continued outreach. However, it is important to differentiate between the public consultation process and the resultant products in regard to policy and land use change. There appears to be more general satisfaction with the inclusive visioning process than with the end results. Empirical research suggests that if planners are serious about engaging in a multicultural planning process, they will need to guarantee some tangible results that can be seen in the community and that acknowledge and respect cultural diversity.
Social Experiments in Innovative Environmental Management: The emergence of ecotechnology
(University of Waterloo, 2003) Rose, Gregory
Human production needs are met through the use of modern technology that is increasingly recognised as a threat to the planetary ecosystem and social sub-system. In light of this recognition, there is evidence that a planned transition towards more sustainable technological infrastructure is occurring across various production sectors. This change is often associated with re-orientating technology based on the concept of sustainable development and national-level strategies such as ecological modernisation, which prescribes phasing-out environmentally malignant conventional technology for cleaner post-industrial solutions. There is evidence, however, that a transition towards cleaner technological options is occurring at the local level. In southern Ontario, Canada ecological technology (ecotechnology) has been adopted in small-scale agricultural and educational facilities for the management of manure and domestic sewage. Ecotechnology is designed to meet human production requirements and to restore the environment through combining natural systems and engineered components to achieve cleaner production. Two types of ecotechnologies were investigated during this research: constructed treatment wetlands for the management of manure and greenhouse-based biological technologies for the management of domestic sewage. These options are novel and can be expected to encounter barriers resulting from a selection environment favouring pre-existing technological options that have previously become established. The overall objective of the research was to identify key factors both driving and constraining the adoption and implementation of the ecotechnology across four case studies. This objective was accomplished through employing a qualitative, collective case study approach. The case studies revealed the motivation behind the adoption of the ecotechnology arose from the environmental values of users and formed the basis for rejecting the conventional options because they were not viewed as capable of improving the environment. However, the ecotechnology also exceeded user's aesthetic and operational level expectations. Barriers to the implementation of ecotechnology were also identified. The investigation revealed the existence of a perspective-gap between the ecological engineering science and traditional engineering science, which constrained implementation of the ecotechnology. Skepticism was found to arise due to the unique performance parameters and soft operational characteristics of ecotechnology, which contrast the hard technological fixes that are familiar to traditional engineering science. This perspective-gap may account for the institutional inertia, which became clear after the 1996 provincial budget reductions decreased the level of support for research and environmental technology development programs in Ontario. These reductions also devolved authority for small-scale wastewater treatment to the municipal level where lack of technical expertise and reliance on standardised regulations has constrained the development of alternatives. Constructive technology assessment suggests that the development of technology must be guided in cooperative social learning processes capable of reflecting the needs and values of stakeholders in order to achieve beneficial social and technological change. Evidence from the case studies revealed that a significant amount of capacity was developed when stakeholders collaborated and legitimated the social experiments where the ecotechnology was applied. These experiments demonstrate the significance of creating settings where users, technology proponents and provincial and local approval agents can collaborate. Through collaboration, social learning can be facilitated during the development of alternative technological solutions that may be congruent with ecological modernisation and the re-orientation of technology towards options that are ecologically-oriented.
Achieving Cultural Diversity in Wilderness Recreation: A Study of the Chinese in Vancouver
(University of Waterloo, 2003) Hung, Karin
As Canada welcomes immigrants from around the world, planners increasingly strive for policies and initiatives that meet culturally diverse needs. In Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, park planners have directed more attention to wilderness use by ethnic minority groups, particularly the Chinese population. Nowhere in Canada are people of Chinese ancestry more prominent than in Greater Vancouver, where they comprise 47% of the visible minority population and 17% of the total population. However, the rate of Chinese participation in wilderness recreation is less than that of the general population. This exploratory study examines the cultural nuances and institutional barriers that impede Chinese participation in wilderness recreation activities. It is primarily based on 51 in-depth interviews with members of the Chinese community in Greater Vancouver during 2002. Recruitment was by a hybrid convenience-purposive-snowball sampling method, which resulted in a non-random sample. Interview questions addressed views about wilderness, outdoor recreation and wilderness experience, awareness of local recreation opportunities, means to retrieve park information, and preferences for park settings and facilities. The Vancouver Index of Acculturation was used to measure participants' levels of acculturation. Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed, and information from field notes and transcripts were organized into main themes and triangulated with secondary data sources for analysis. Results indicate that Chinese who are more acculturated to Canadian culture ('High Mainstream Chinese') visit a greater number of parks and are willing to travel a further distance to access them. They also tend to visit parks more often, stay longer, and tend to be attracted to more physically demanding or 'hard adventure' activities, whereas less acculturated individuals ('Low Mainstream Chinese') are inclined to more passive outdoor activities. The study points to reasons that explain why Low Mainstream Chinese ? particularly recent immigrants ? are participating less in wilderness recreation. Factors include fear of the wilderness environment, preference for more highly developed parks, a lack of awareness of wilderness opportunities, and inadequate access to park information. Subtle aspects of the Chinese subcultural identity, such as importance of cleanliness, emphasis on academics, priorities on work, and clannishness, also play a role in Chinese under-participation. Thus if park planners want to facilitate Chinese use of designated wilderness areas, they should address issues such as safety, level of park development, availability of information, and awareness of wilderness opportunities in a culturally sensitive way. Doing so would promote more equitable access to a public resource. Increased awareness and appreciation of wilderness by ethnic minority groups may also help garner political support for future conservation initiatives and build a stronger local economy.
DISCONNECT: Assessing and Managing the Social Effects of Development in the Athabasca Oil Sands
(University of Waterloo, 2003) Earley, Robert
This research investigated the system by which the social effects of oil sands development on Fort McMurray, a city in northeastern Alberta, are assessed and managed. The research focused on Social Impact Assessment (SIA), Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), and the work of an industry initiative, the Regional Issues Working Group (RIWG). The oil sands industry, which involves large, labour-intensive mining and drilling operations in a boom-bust cycle, places considerable pressure on Fort McMurray, a city of approximately 50,000 inhabitants and the only urban area within 350 km of the oil sands. The social effects experienced there include exorbitant housing prices, shortages in service industry labour, insufficient social services, at times, to assist individuals and families who can no longer cope with the difficult conditions in the area, and a variety of other negative effects. Sixteen key informant interviews were conducted with urban planners, municipal politicians, provincial employees, a spokesperson for one of the First Nations in the area, community NGOs, and oil sands industry representatives. Data from the interviews were combined with a literature review and a document analysis. A modified McKinsey 7S Integrated Management Framework was used as a structure for describing and analyzing the Social Effects Assessment and Management System (SEAMS) in Fort McMurray. The SEAMS was found to be weak in comparison to the needs of the community. Project-by-project assessment of oil sands development was found to downplay the cumulative nature of social effects. Furthermore, no legislation or regulation existed that demanded action based on the findings of SIA. As a result, mitigation and management of social effects was insufficient, often occurring only when it was directly in the interests of the oil sands industry. While government and industry have plans in place to resolve some of the negative social effects, their actions were criticized by informants as being uncoordinated, inconsistent and often ineffective. The findings indicate that a strategy for exploiting Alberta's oil sands is necessary. The project-by-project evaluation of oil sands development proposals is not addressing the important long-term and regional social issues that arise as a result of construction and operation of the mines and facilities. A tool recommended for incorporating resolutions to long-term, regional social effects into the development plan is SEA with an explicit Strategic Social Assessment component. This strategic assessment and planning process should be undertaken by a publicly-accountable government body empowered to rationalize the pace of oil sands development based on social, environmental and economic effects, and to coordinate long-term responses by government and industry.
Planning for selective use and ecologically compatible forms of outdoor recreation: One means of core area revitalization in the City of Waterloo, Ontario.
(University of Waterloo, 2003) Nowaczek, Agnes
This thesis explores the potential contribution that could be made to core area revitalization through the integration of outdoor recreation planning, ecological planning, and urban planning. The revitalization of urban centres, and especially those of mid-size cities, has typically been explored through policy planning, economic vitality, and urban design. An area, which often has been neglected, is that of urban outdoor recreation, specifically recreation that is carried out in an ecologically compatible fashion. The thesis examines theoretical and practical approaches in outdoor recreation planning, ecological planning, and urban planning, addressing any gaps and insufficiencies that seem to hinder the integration of the three disciplines in terms of devising practical solutions to identified issues. The core area in the city of Waterloo serves as a case study to examine the feasibility of integrating ecological planning, outdoor recreation planning, and urban planning. This research indicates that ecological planning is a versatile and responsive planning approach whereas outdoor recreation planning and urban planning seem disconnected from each other. Planning for outdoor recreation needs to be more inclusive and coordinated with other disciplines, such as urban planning and ecological planning. The thesis applies these findings in recommendations for the City of Waterloo to consider when planning its core area.
Balancing Act: Local fair trade in Kitchener-Waterloo
(University of Waterloo, 2004) Clegg, Alison
This research has investigated local fair trade in Kitchener-Waterloo, seeking to determine its extent, the supports and obstacles it experiences, and the reasons people engage in it. Local fair trade combines localism with the ethical principles of fair trade, and is defined as 'any business for which profit-making is a means to achievement of social goals through local action'. Twenty-eight key informant interviews were conducted with local practitioners of fair trade, and with experts knowledgeable about fair trade, business, and Kitchener-Waterloo. Five follow-up interviews with practitioners added to the data on people's motivations for working in local fair trade businesses and organizations. The research revealed that many local fair trade businesses exist in Kitchener-Waterloo, but these businesses do not see themselves as connected with one another in the practice of local fair trade. No formal or informal network exists among them. The research findings indicated numerous major supports for local fair trade including: funding, volunteers, public awareness, a focus on business management, connections between producers and consumers, support from community and individuals, and action for change on multiple levels. Interestingly, the major obstacles to local fair trade were all associated with major supports. Obstacles included financial issues (high costs, low income), need for funding, difficulties with business operations, and a lack of public support, awareness, and understanding. People were motivated to work in local fair trade by a sense that what they did was 'good' or 'right', by a desire to work towards increasing people's economic security and human development, and because they wanted to promote sustainability, human health, and a healthy environment. The findings suggested that business issues are an ongoing source of challenge for many local fair trade businesses and organizations. They also suggested that local fair trade involves a difficult balancing act between business goals and social goals. The research highlighted a perceived need for greater public awareness and support for the goals of local fair trade, as well as, contradictorily, a sense that local fair trade would be more successful if it could reach 'mainstream' consumers through good business practice (rather than shared values). The research concluded that local fair trade, while present in Kitchener-Waterloo, needs better support and promotion for existing businesses to represent a serious alternative to conventional economics. Promotion must occur on various levels, from the education of individuals to advocacy at the international level, in order to promote fair trading rules and the rights of localities to make decisions in favour of localization and of environmental protection. Promotion should also include making information on local fair trade available to prospective and current business-people, investigating a long-term solution to the problem of funding, and developing a network for local fair trade business and organizations.
A Case Study of a Hotel Solid Waste Management Program in Bali, Indonesia
(University of Waterloo, 2004) Tang, Janeen
The main objectives of this study were: to provide a review of key concepts and issues relevant to solid waste management in developing countries; to analyse and evaluate the hotel solid waste management (HSWM) program in Bali, Indonesia; and to suggest recommendations and areas for further research. The following data collection methods were used in this study: review of documents and literature, interviews, surveys and field observations. Tourism in host regions such as Bali can bring both positive and negative impacts. One aspect of tourism that can have an impact on local communities is solid waste management (SWM). Improper SWM can lead to pollution and deterioration of the aesthetic appeal of tourist destinations. Conversely, solid waste can be a resource to the local community, providing opportunities for business development and the achievement of social, political and environmental objectives. Planning for SWM is complex, involving the consideration of multiple and interconnected issues. Therefore, in addressing SWM issues, it is appropriate to use an integrated approach that recognises the various stakeholders, activities and perspectives involved. In addition, concepts such as appropriate technology, cleaner production, life cycle assessment and environmental management systems can be useful for improving how solid waste management is approached. A local environmental non-governmental organisation (NGO), waste hauler and hotels in Bali developed a program to improve the management of solid waste from hotels. The history, planning, management and stakeholders involved with the development of this program are described in this study. Various issues pertaining to the achievement of social, environmental and economic objectives are investigated to provide a view of program realities and the range of challenges faced by program participants. Conclusions and lessons learned from the case study are presented and links between concepts in the literature and findings from the case study are discussed. Recommendations concerning topics such as planning, management, stakeholder involvement, health and safety, data management and source separation are suggested and future research directions are outlined.
Managing Change: Considering the Relevance of Place Identity for Planning in British Columbia?s Communities in Transition. An Applied Research Case Study of Three Vancouver Island Communities.
(University of Waterloo, 2005) Gill, Ronald
Beginning in 1980, large forestry corporations in British Columbia began to rapidly downsize and restructure their operations. The combination of volatile international market conditions, increasing demands for environmental conservation, First Nation?s land claims, higher stumpage rates, American protectionism, a declining timber supply, and introduction of labor saving technologies, made it no longer profitable for these companies to employ large numbers of workers under a Fordist organizational structure. The tremendous job losses seriously compromised the sustainability of forestry dependent communities throughout the province. The responses from forestry based communities in B. C. have been diverse. Some have chosen to take a more passive approach and have become bedroom communities to larger urban centers or retirement destinations. Others have actively pursued economic diversification through increased entrepreneurial activities. No matter which alternative individual communities have chosen to pursue, it is evident that they are all undergoing a significant transformation. This exploratory study examines how the identity (or image) of these places has evolved, and investigates the impact this has had on local residents. The three Vancouver Island communities of Chemainus, Sooke, and Port Alberni have been selected as case studies. A variety of quantitative and qualitative research methods are employed including a resident survey, personal interviews, and review of real estate guides and promotional materials. Overall the findings suggest that the identity associated with each case study community has both positively and negatively perceived elements. With a greater appreciation for these elements, it was possible for the researcher to make a variety of justifiable recommendations to improve current planning policies and processes, in each of the case studies, which will help them build a stronger, more positive image, and therefore become healthier, more viable, and sustainable communities. By emphasizing the significance of identity for community planning, and by outlining the participatory methods necessary to conduct an in depth identity investigation, this study also paves the way for future investigations on other British Columbia communities in transition and for the widespread use of the principle of identity as a contributory decision-making strategy in the planning profession.
Future climate change impacts on the boreal forest in northwestern Ontario. Implications for the forestry sector and the local community.
(University of Waterloo, 2005) Munoz-Marquez Trujillo, Rafael Arturo
A large body of research has documented evidence of climate change impact already occurring on different systems on earth, future impacts can be expected. Accordingly, research is urgently needed to analyze the potential impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems in order to contribute to better landscape planning and management. This thesis investigates how climate change affects landscape change, and how to use this understanding in the analysis of land-use and landscape planning and management to adapt to climate change impacts. In particular, this study examines how climate change may impact a managed forest in terms of timber availability, and the regional community that relies on it for its survival.

I hypothesized that the Boreal forest in north western Ontario will change in the short term (i. e. 60 years) in species composition and will produce less available timber as a result of human-induced climate change as modeled by different General Circulation Models plus harvesting, compared to a baseline climate. The study objectives were (a) to evaluate the degree of change in land cover (species composition) under forest harvesting and various climate change scenarios; (b) to analyze timber availability under different climate change scenarios, and harvesting; (c) to describe possible scenarios of land cover change as a result of climate change impact and harvesting to assist in policy-making related to land-use and landscape planning; and (d) to identify possible sources of both land-use conflicts and synergies as a result of changes in landscape composition caused by climate change.

The study area was the Dog-River Matawin forest in north western Ontario (? 8 x 104 ha). It is currently under harvesting. I used the Boreal Forest Landscape Dynamic Simulator (BFOLDS) fire model to simulate landscape change under different climate change scenarios (CCSRNIES A21, CGCM2 A22), which were then compared to simulations under a baseline climate scenario (1961-1990). I also developed an algorithm for the geographic information systems Arc View©, that selected useful stands, and simulated harvesting and regeneration rules after logging, processes not currently included in BFOLDS. The studied period covered 60 years to analyze impacts in the medium term in the landscape change.

Results obtained were the following. (1) There will be a shortage in timber availability under all scenarios including the baseline. The impacts of climate change will cause a deficit in timber availability much earlier under a warmer scenario with respect to the baseline. The combined impact of climate change and harvesting could diminish timber availability up to 35% compared to the baseline by year 2040 under the CCSRNIES A21 scenario mainly due to an increase in fires. Deficits will occur 10 years before in the same scenario compared to the baseline (by year 2035). (2) In both scenarios and the baseline, there will be a younger forest. In 60 years, there will not be mature forest to support ecological, social and economic processes, as the forest will only have young stands. (3) Results obtained indicated that species composition will not change importantly among the scenarios of climate change and the baseline every decade, but there will be a change in dominance along the 60 years of the simulation under each scenario including the baseline. Softwood increased in dominance and hardwood decreased in all scenarios.

The period length used in the simulation of 60 years appeared to be too short to reveal conspicuous changes in species composition. Increases observed in softwood over hardwood related to the increase in fires which promoted the establishment of species such as jack pine as well as the application of regeneration rules after logging. This finding did not agree with the hypothesis. Results of timber availability were consistent with what I expected. Warmest climate change scenarios (CCSRNIES A21) impacted both the amount of timber available (less availability every ten years) from the beginning of the simulation and the time when deficits occurred.

There are important economic, social and environmental implications of the results of this study, namely a future forest that would be young and would supply much less timber. For the forestry industry, production goals would be hindered in the medium term, falling short of industry demands. For a society that depends heavily upon the forest to survive, declining production can imply unemployment, thus affecting the welfare of the community. For the environment, such a young, fragmented forest could be unable to sustain important key species and ecological processes, leading to a loss of biodiversity, Land-use and landscape planning should be used to regulate how the land is used to minimize climate change impact. They should be further used as adaptation tools, to help in ameliorate those climate change impacts that do occur.
The Effect of Season of Fire on Post-fire Legacies in Northwestern Ontario Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) Mixedwoods
(University of Waterloo, 2005) Woodman, Brett
Prescribed burns are employed in the southern boreal forest of northwest Ontario, Canada, as a method of re-instating fire in this fire-dependent landscape. They are also used to manage fuel loads associated with tree mortality from defoliating insects and from blow-downs, as well as in-site preparation following harvest. The natural fire season in boreal Canada typically runs from April through September and is most often characterized by stand replacing fires. However, prescribed burns in northwestern Ontario are mostly scheduled for October when fire crews and equipment are available and fire hazard is reduced. In this study, three recent fires: a spring prescribed natural fire, a summer wildfire, and a fall prescribed burn were examined to assess the effect of season on post-fire legacies in red-pine mixedwood stands in Quetico Provincial Park, northwestern Ontario. Legacies were assessed by tree, shrub and herb species composition, and by measurements of structure such as litter depth, basal areas of live trees and coarse woody debris. Tree species diversity was nearly identical. Post-fire stand structure varied widely between the different sites. The spring treatment experienced the least mortality of trees (10% of basal area dead); the summer treatment had the highest mortality (100%); and the fall prescribed burn was intermediate with 49% dead. The effect of the fall burn on the forest was probably more intense than that of a comparable natural fall fire because of the way in which it was managed, thus partly compensating for the late season.

This research suggests that all fires are not equal. Different post-fire structure will have lasting ecological implications such as varying edge to interior ratios, and forest habitats. From a policy perspective this is important because maintaining ecological processes including fire is mandated for some provincial parks. In addition, the new Fire Policy for Ontario has established targets to limit wildfires, and permit ecologically renewing fires, without recognition of the variability of the effects of fire or fire legacies.
How Ontario's urban householders manage their ecosystem: A ten-year study in Kitchener-Waterloo
(University of Waterloo, 2006) Ellis, Peter
As much of the growing population of North America is accommodated within cities or on their fringes, one needs to understand how these people are managing their private outdoor space. Within the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario, Canada a randomly selected set of residential occupancies were surveyed in 1994 and 2004 about their yard landscaping and maintenance practices. Parallel mail-out questionnaires were delivered to more than 1,000 randomly selected addresses in both 1994 and 2004. Approximately 30 percent of surveyed occupancies completed the questionnaire in both years. Over one-third of respondents from both 1994 and 2004 were matched together based on individual, household, or address information. The matched respondent results were used to validate similarities and identify any inconsistencies between survey years. In general, matched respondent trends did not differ substantially from the overall study trends.

This study found that much of the outdoor space on residential properties consists of turfgrass lawn. Lawns were the dominant form of landscaping in both 1994 and 2004. Although respondents' attitudes towards lawns shifted slightly in favour of more gardens in the 2004 survey compared to 1994, respondents' actual landscaping styles and behaviours did not follow suit. Regardless of minor differences in attitudes between survey years, turfgrass was reported to be present in more than 85 percent of respondents' yards. On average, lawns were estimated to cover more than half of respondents' total private outdoor space in both 1994 and 2004. Likewise, more than 60 percent of respondents in both survey years indicated that their yard reflected a monoculture lawn. When compared with five other styles of landscaping, the monoculture lawn was found attractive and well-liked by approximately half the respondents in both survey years. In addition to the prevalence and preference for lawns, lawns were seen as practical to maintain as: the majority of respondents had a lawnmower ? mostly gas-powered; respondents were willing to spend almost $200 a year to water their lawn, on average; the application of chemicals, particularly fertilizers, was common with approximately half the respondents; and more than 40 percent of respondents were willing to pay lawn-care professionals to look after their yards. Lawns were also perceived to be the landscaping style most acceptable to neighbours. Thus, given the ubiquitousness of lawns in urban residential environments, the presence of lawns not only represents the yard design preferences of homeowners, but is part of deeply entrenched societal norms.

With assistance from the media and advertisements, these implicit societal norms were found to influence household attitudes and preferences towards what is dubbed 'lawn-scaping'. As confirmation of these subtle norms, more than 60 percent of respondents in both survey years agreed that 'a yard has to have a lawn'. However, these landscaping norms are also explicitly established in municipal property regulations and lot-maintenance by-laws. Hence, the lawn landscape is implicitly linked with social norms and explicitly articulated in legal agreements, making it the unquestioned standard of landscaping styles. It is concluded that a change in local policies and regulations, along with greater education and awareness, will lay the foundation for more alternative styles of landscaping within urban residential areas.
Planning For Wind Energy: Evaluating Municipal Wind Energy Land Use Planning Frameworks in Southwestern Ontario with a Focus on Developing Wind Energy Planning Policies for the City of Stratford
(University of Waterloo, 2006) Longston, Kristopher, J.
Wind energy provides an environmentally friendly and renewable source of electricity, that can help meet Canada's Kyoto commitments, help safeguard against future blackouts, reduce air pollution and create economic opportunities in the form of manufacturing jobs and land leases for farmers. From a land use planning perspective, however, wind turbines create challenges that municipalities and planners have to deal with more frequently. Ontario in particular lags behind countries such as Ireland and Australia in terms of providing a clear, equitable and comprehensive land use planning framework to deal with wind energy.

What is lacking in particular is a clear understanding of how Ontario municipalities are dealing with the issue of wind energy developments, whether the policies that are being developed adhere to good planning principles, what are the land use planning issues that are impacting wind energy development in Ontario and what are some recommendations that could be made to improve wind energy policies. A secondary goal of this thesis was to identify common elements of good wind energy planning frameworks that could be used to develop wind energy planning policies in the City of Stratford, which currently does not have any policies or a wind energy land use planning framework and is also where the author is employed as the City Planner.

To address this lack of information, this report focuses on the current state of wind energy planning policy development in southwestern Ontario and in particular; the types of wind energy planning frameworks have been developed in the world, the elements of "good" planning principles and frameworks and whether or not they are found in these frameworks, whether there are components of these policies that would be appropriate for wider adoption in Ontario and finally, what types of framework should the City of Stratford develop for wind energy?

To address these questions, a literature review was conducted on wind energy land use planning issues and examples of international wind energy planning guidelines were reviewed. Additionally, five southwestern Ontario municipalities with wind energy policies were selected as case studies and Planners and other wind energy stakeholders were interviewed.

This study found that the main issues and barriers surrounding wind energy planning policy development in Ontario are visual impact, lack of education and a lack of a municipal planning framework. It was also determined that, the public reaction to wind energy proposals in Southwestern Ontario has been mostly positive and the conflicts that have arisen have been in instances where wind turbines are proposed in the vicinity of recreational properties. In terms of a wind energy planning framework, southwestern Ontario municipalities have for the most part opted for General Official Plan policies supporting wind energy development in principle and directing its development to certain land use designations subject to a zoning by-law amendment. The planning frameworks in the case studies for the most part conform to good planning principles identified, however, there was a large variation between the municipalities in terms of the level of detail within the planning framework. Finally, it was determined that the City of Stratford Official Plan and Zoning By-law are inadequate in terms of policy and regulations for wind energy.

This study recommends that the Ontario Provincial Government should follow up on the Wind Energy Information Sheet and the recent Provincial Policy Statement with a comprehensive land use-planning framework for wind energy developments that should borrow on existing international guidelines that have been developed. This study also recommends that the City of Stratford should update its Official Plan to include policies that address wind energy generation, should initiate a study to determine if there are any areas within the City that are considered to be natural heritage views or areas that should be protected from the visual impacts of wind energy production, should investigate permitting wind energy facilities in certain industrial areas of the City, subject to a zoning by-law amendment and should work with the County of Perth to develop a common set of zoning by-law regulations for wind energy developments.
Exploring Usage of the Word "Values": Implications and Opportunities for Planning
(University of Waterloo, 2006) Varangu, Anne
Explicitly and implicitly, planners make choices about values and use values to make choices. Values are presented as reasons to do and not to do in setting goals and during participatory planning processes, cited in scholarly articles used as planning knowledge, and purposefully collected by surveys. Attention to values is generally focused on substantive and procedural dimensions, such as determining what peoples' values are or deciding which values are relevant, in what circumstances, and at what point in planning processes. As well, planners may have a particular interest in understanding why people take particular positions on values, especially when values appear to conflict with values embedded in particular planning purposes and proposals.

Most of such usage of "values" takes the meaning of values for granted. It begins with an assumption of shared understanding about what "values" are. This thesis takes a step backwards to explore whether or not this assumption is warranted by identifying what appear to be different and disconnected usages of the word "values".

The first part of the thesis considers the history of usage of the word "values" and objections to using values language before proposing a theory about diverse usage of values. This theory was developed using grounded theory methodology, an iterative method of constant comparison and contrast applied to thousands of examples of values usage. Examples were gathered from contemporary everyday usage and from a broad range of scholarly material dating back to the late 1800s. These examples included but were not limited to examples from planning. Conclusions reached in the study of values are then used as a basis for developing three propositions that are applied to planning: (1) Calling something "a value", instead of a belief, principle, attitude and so on, can make a difference; (2) Particular usages of "values", no matter how diverse, are expressions of a concept of values in general; and (3) A questioning attitude should be attached to all values usage by default. For values to be a useful planning tool, the propositions should have explanatory value and create new opportunities for analysis and understanding of values usage in planning.

That there are multiple ways of using "values" suggests that planners have a choice in deciding how to use values. The third proposition is used as a starting point for proposing a usage of values that may be particularly suited to sustainability planning. The proposed usage takes into consideration the implications of a theory about diverse usage and a flexible and vague concept of values in general, the diverse history of usage of the word "values", objections to the use of values language, diverse usage of "values" in planning in general and the needs of planning.

Sustainability planning appears to have a particularly desperate need for integrating values across sectors into which society and ideas about society are organized. The usage of values proposed for sustainability planning is applied to a case study of a municipal sustainability initiative to consider its explanatory value and how a different understanding of values might have affected the planning process and subsequent implementation of the sustainability policy. If this theory about values holds in application to planning, then values may be a powerful tool with which to challenge convention and the status quo.

Conclusions are drawn about the desirability and feasibility of explicit and deliberate use of the word and idea of "values" in planning and suggestions are made for further research.
Attitudes toward Urban Living, Landscape, and Growth at the Dawn of Greater Toronto's Growth Management Era
(University of Waterloo, 2006) Appleby, Bradley
The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is Canada's largest metropolitan area and principal destination for international migration and investment. Over the next 25 years, the GTA is anticipated to grow by approximately 2. 5 million people to a population of almost 8 million. While many view this growth as a symbol of economic prosperity, others see it as a threat to Toronto's economic, environmental and social well-being due to the dispersed, automobile-oriented way in which the city has accommodated its growth since the 1950s.

Over the last two decades, planners have focused much energy on ameliorating the shortcomings of post World War II urbanization by developing policy measures such as Smart Growth, Growth Management, and New Urbanism that aim to alter the way in which cities are built and thereby effect change in the lifestyles that have precipitated from this landscape. In Ontario, the Provincial Government recently launched a Growth Management campaign for the Toronto area called Places to Grow. Although many have attempted to define this relationship between environment and behaviour, little attention has been given to attitudes, preferences, and behavioural tendencies of those who will be most directly affected by such policies: the general public.

This study surveys residents from six GTA neighbourhoods in order to understand their attitudes and preferences toward urban living and accommodating urban growth and thereby shed light on where support may be found for implementing Places to Grow. Academic literature suggests that residents generally oppose changes to the physical landscape that do not conform to prevailing cultural values and attitudes. The results of this work indicate that people generally support development that is in keeping with the landscape to which they are habituated. Given that most Torontonians live a suburban lifestyle and that most of Toronto's growth occurs in the suburbs, municipalities may be challenged to implement Places to Grow which stands to impact the suburban landscape more than other areas of the region. If Places to Grow is to be successful, planners must have a better understanding of residents' preferences and motivations in order to attract and maintain their interest in community development throughout the entire planning process.
Worship in the suburbs: the development experience of recent immigrant religious communities
(University of Waterloo, 2006) Hoernig, Heidi
Immigration is transforming large Canadian urban regions. Rapidly increasing religious diversity is one dimension of the dramatic, multicultural shift accompanying this sea-change. Over the past decade, many important questions have emerged concerning urban planning and management amidst ethnoracial diversity. The development of places of worship, key activity centres for many recent immigrant communities, intersects many of these questions. Land use conflict related to place of worship development has been a common feature of much of the empirical, urban literature.

This study explored the development experience of religious communities from five religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism, in three suburban communities of the Greater Toronto Area: Mississauga, Brampton and Markham. The key objectives of the study were to compare experiences across minority religious groups in order to explore development issues, to better understand relationships between religion, culture and land use, and to examine municipal planning implications of and responses to religious diversity.

The study findings show that most place of worship development experiences have been characterized by adaptation rather than conflict. The findings reveal involved and nuanced stories about the development process in which many recent immigrant, minority religious communities participate. As such, the study highlights the inter-woven complexities and challenges of establishing these significant religious, cultural and social institutions, difficulties that cannot be easily teased apart to isolate one or two problematic variables.

In this way, the study findings accord with the recent urban literature on difference which argues that urban experiences of difference are simultaneously produced by structuring processes of political-economy and socially constructed by multi-faceted, changing subjects (Bridge & Watson, 2003; Eade & Mele, 2002; Jacobs & Fincher, 1998; Low, 1996). Findings show that minority place of worship development is constrained by suburban form, land use planning policy and land economics. At the same time, these constraints are differentially mediated by the resources and strategies of religious communities. Religion and culture play a role in the needs and experiences of place of worship development, but high or unconventional needs are not necessarily tied to challenging development experiences.

The study recommendations build upon the current normative literature in the broader field of multicultural planning. I argue that the common prescriptions set forward by multicultural planning advocates, such as improved cultural knowledge and communication in policy development and implementation are not sufficient to address the challenges of urban planning and management amidst religious and ethnoracial diversity. The study findings suggest that proponents of multicultural planning need to approach the challenges of diversity strategically, to reconsider points, means and agents of intervention. Study recommendations call for a return to the role of the planning expert, to proactively address key land use planning issues such as transportation planning and land use conflict before problems occur. Such a move would concomitantly benefit all community residents, not only those belonging to religious communities. This is because two of the more challenging dimensions of place of worship development: transportation planning and neighbour relations, are issues common to suburban land use development, regardless of the religion, ethnicity or race of the participants. Recommendations also suggest that multicultural planning must be a collective project, requiring the involvement of many actors, including urban academics, immigrant communities and their advocates, political and community leadership as well as urban practitioners both inside and outside of the municipal planning department.

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