Neighbourhoods In Transition

This open access book is focused on the intersection between urban brownfields and the sustainability transitions of metreopolitan areas, cities and neighbourhoods. It provides both a theoretical and practical approach to the topic, offering a thorough introduction to urban brownfields and regeneration projects as well as an operational monitoring tool. Neighbourhoods in Transition begins with an overview of historic urban development and strategic areas in the hearts of towns to be developed. It then defines several key issues related to the topic, including urban brownfields, regeneration projects, and sustainability issues related to neighbourhood development. The second part of this book is focused on support tools, explaining the challenges faced, the steps involved in a regeneration process, and offering an operational monitoring tool. It applies the unique tool to case studies in three selected neighbourhoods and the outcomes of one case study are also presented and discussed, highlighting its benefits. The audience for this book will be both professional and academic. It will support researchers as an up-to-date reference book on urban brownfield regeneration projects, and also the work of architects, urban designers, urban planners and engineers involved in sustainability transitions of the built environment.

Ethnic and nonconformist communities, despite their frequent proximity, seldom are analyzed as interlocking elements of the metropolitan core. In this comparative study of San Francisco neighborhoods, Brian Godfrey contrasts the formation of ethnic enclaves by European, Asian, Black, and Hispanic groups with the emergence of Bohemian, counter-cultural, and gay communities. He focuses especially closely on Latin American immigration into the Mission District and gentrification in the Haight-Ashbury. To explain the historical geography of such inner-city neighborhoods, the author proposes alternate sequences of community evolution, based on the interplay of social class and subcultural forces. He shows how both ethnic and nontraditional minority communities tend to form initially in declining central neighborhoods, with their divergent successional processes reflecting characteristic differences in social mobility and cultural cohesion.

Housing is increasingly unattainable in successful global cities, and Toronto is no exception -- in part because of zoning that protects “stable” residential neighborhoods with high property values. House Divided is a citizen’s guide for changing the way housing can work in big cities. Using Toronto as a case study, this anthology unpacks the affordability crisis and offers innovative ideas for creating housing for all ages and demographic groups. With charts, maps, data, and policy prescriptions, House Divided poses tough questions about the issue that will make or break the global city of the future.

As the federal government's recent 'New Deal for Cities' suggests, the importance of cities is now widely recognized. Large urban centres are seen at once as primary engines of the economy and as concentrations of societal problems: poverty, homelessness, criminality, environmental degradation. Calls are thus mounting not only for the allocation of more resources but for the adoption of new policies, grounded in urban realities, that will enable Canadian cities to function more effectively. This third edition of Canadian Cities in Transition has been completely revised and updated. Examining the uneven development and uncertain future of Canadian cities, 41 specialists in the field-urban geographers, political scientists, urban planners, civil engineers-offer state-of-the-art understanding of everything from the evolution of the Canadian urban system to site-specific design, problems of transportation and infrastructure, the containment of urban sprawl, the impacts of immigration and gentrification, and the sustainability of cities-both environmentally and economically. The 27 chapters are supported by abundant illustrative material-maps, tables, figures, and photographs-and followed by two appendices, one discussing the changing nature of urban research and the other presenting essential data on Canada's census metropolitan areas. In addition, for the first time this new edition includes a comprehensive bibliography. Required reading for students of Canadian urban geography and urban studies, Canadian Cities in Transition: Local Through Global Perspectives will also be an invaluable resource for anyone concerned about the future of Canada's cities. Book jacket.

This volume explores new opportunities to reshape local economies in rural areas during the next decade by exploring successful efforts already underway. While reported population declines can paint a bleak picture for rural areas, a different story can be told in looking at the numbers of households, employment, and housing markets. In fact, many rural areas have had steady employment and healthy housing markets. Rural attractions often include proximity to natural recreation areas, personal safety, social interaction, less expensive housing, and high-quality education. This book shows that rural areas are in a major long-term transition and that local leaders who take advantage of these opportunities in their community and economic development strategies can create a very positive future for residents. Students and policymakers in local economic development, sociology of population change, business finance, political economy, and geography will find this a useful resource.

This is an up-to-date and topical treatment of how six major cities in Europe, North America and Asia are coping with the new demands on urban government. Population expansion, the migration of new peoples and disparities between cities and suburbs are longstanding features of the urban crisis. Today, city governments also face demands for popular participation and better public services while they struggle to position themselves in the new world economy. While each of the cities is located in its unique historical setting, the emphasis of the book is upon the common dilemmas raised by major planning problems and the search for more suitable approaches to governance and citizen involvement. A principal theme is the re-engineering of institutional structures designed to foster local responsiveness and popular participation. The discussion is set in the context of the globalizing forces that have impacted to different degrees, at different times, upon London, Tokyo, Toronto, Berlin, Hyderabad and Atlanta. Cities in Transition is a major and original addition to the comparative literature on urban governance.