Strategies for Infrastructure Improvements in Urban Neighbourhoods: An Issue-Oriented Action Agenda for Community Associations Professor Barry Wellar, Department of Geography, University of Ottawa Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 Canada Shaping Ontario’s Urban Neighourhoods Hamilton Convention Centre May 5-6, 2001 Hamilton, Ontario

ROLES AND RELATIONSHIPS IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS PROCESS: THE MATTER OF LEGITIMACY ELECTED OFFICIALS PROFESSIONAL STAFF THE PUBLIC COMMUNITY ASSOCIATIONS Decisions Advice Values & Attitudes

Rational Model of Roles and Relationships in Defining and Achieving Infrastructure Improvements Citizens, Shareholders, Members Consumers, Voters, Interest Groups Values and Attitudes Opinions, Participation, Support, Votes, Rejection Professionals Advice Interpretations, Implications, Recommendations Executives / Electeds Decisions Choices, Priorities

Strategies (1) Alternatives Asphalt / Pavement Back-to-Basics BANANA Bang-for-the-Buck Big Picture Conservation First Copy-the-USA Crisis Management Economic Imperative

Alternatives

Asphalt / Pavement

Back-to-Basics

BANANA

Bang-for-the-Buck

Big Picture

Conservation First

Copy-the-USA

Crisis Management

Economic Imperative

Strategies (2) Hearts-and-Minds Holistic If It Ain’t Broke Jobs, Jobs, Jobs NIMBY OPM (Other People’s Money) Pay-As-You-Go Positive Reinforcement Piecemeal Quid Pro Quo Ready, Fire, Aim!

Hearts-and-Minds

Holistic

If It Ain’t Broke

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

NIMBY

OPM (Other People’s Money)

Pay-As-You-Go

Positive Reinforcement

Piecemeal

Quid Pro Quo

Ready, Fire, Aim!

Strategies (3) Research-Based Risk Avoidance Seat-of-the-Pants Squeaky Wheel Sustainable Development Triage User Pay Veneering Where’s the Money? YIMBY

Research-Based

Risk Avoidance

Seat-of-the-Pants

Squeaky Wheel

Sustainable Development

Triage

User Pay

Veneering

Where’s the Money?

YIMBY

Infrastructure: Physical and Human Components (1) Ambulance Arenas Bikepaths Bridges Colleges Community Centres Computers / Communications Electrical System Fire Stations Food Banks Galleries

Ambulance

Arenas

Bikepaths

Bridges

Colleges

Community Centres

Computers / Communications

Electrical System

Fire Stations

Food Banks

Galleries

Infrastructure: Physical and Human Components (2) Green Spaces Health Hospitals Housing Information Technology Intersections Libraries Medical Museums Open Spaces Parking Lots Parks Playgrounds

Green Spaces

Health

Hospitals

Housing

Information Technology

Intersections

Libraries

Medical

Museums

Open Spaces

Parking Lots

Parks

Playgrounds

Infrastructure: Physical and Human Components (3) Police Power Supply/Grid Pools Roads Schools Sewerage Sidewalks Sports Fields Telecommunications Trash/Waste Trees Universities Utilities Water

Police

Power Supply/Grid

Pools

Roads

Schools

Sewerage

Sidewalks

Sports Fields

Telecommunications

Trash/Waste

Trees

Universities

Utilities

Water

“Improvements” As defined by… The Province of Ontario? The Ontario Ministry of Transportation? The Ontario Ministry of the Environment? The Municipality of ___________? The ___________Community Association?

As defined by…

The Province of Ontario?

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation?

The Ontario Ministry of the Environment?

The Municipality of ___________?

The ___________Community Association?

“Smart Growth” Questions, Questions, Questions What was it before we got smart? When did we get smart? How do we know? What caused us to get smart? Is it contagious? How long will it last? How do you spell OOPS?

Questions, Questions, Questions

What was it before we got smart?

When did we get smart?

How do we know?

What caused us to get smart?

Is it contagious?

How long will it last?

How do you spell OOPS?

Stages of Applied Operational Research Pilot Studies Pre-Test Studies Trial Run Studies Monitoring and Evaluation Studies • Emphasis here is on fundamentals , so the stages are limited to what are deemed to be ‘must’ types of studies for non-trivial projects .

Pilot Studies

Pre-Test Studies

Trial Run Studies

Monitoring and Evaluation Studies

• Emphasis here is on fundamentals , so the stages are limited to what are deemed to be ‘must’ types of studies for non-trivial projects .

Research Variable Evaluation Criteria Pertinence Support Degree of difficulty Knowledge / information / data characteristics and features (status, ownership, openness, access, etc) of variables and about variables.

Pertinence

Support

Degree of difficulty

Knowledge / information / data characteristics and features (status, ownership, openness, access, etc) of variables and about variables.

Research Variable Evaluation Criteria Knowledge/Information/Data Variables (cont.) Availability Sustainability Durability Robustness Reliability Completeness Marketability • Vigorous application of these criteria by the researcher, and/or by project evaluators (executives, electeds, professionals, citizens) is an effective and efficient means of moving from potential variables to essential and high priority variables.

Availability

Sustainability

Durability

Robustness

Reliability

Completeness

Marketability

Learning Triangles Learning Triangles have the capacity to get us beyond the simplistic to the necessary, but without unduly devilling us with details. Learning Triangles cause and assist us to explicitly deal with essential relationships. Learning Triangles can readily be turned into inter-linked chains, which is a powerful research device for comparing and contrasting concepts, variables, priorities, procedures, objectives, etc.

Learning Triangles have the capacity to get us beyond the simplistic to the necessary, but without unduly devilling us with details.

Learning Triangles cause and assist us to explicitly deal with essential relationships.

Learning Triangles can readily be turned into inter-linked chains, which is a powerful research device for comparing and contrasting concepts, variables, priorities, procedures, objectives, etc.

Key Learning Triangles: Project Evaluation Decisions / Values & Attitudes / Evidence Outputs / Throughputs / Inputs Structure / Function / Performance Utility / Complexity / Reliability Benefits / Costs / Alternatives Pilot Study / Pre-Test / Trial Run Scope / Scale / Functionality

Decisions / Values & Attitudes / Evidence

Outputs / Throughputs / Inputs

Structure / Function / Performance

Utility / Complexity / Reliability

Benefits / Costs / Alternatives

Pilot Study / Pre-Test / Trial Run

Scope / Scale / Functionality

Learning Triangles (cont.) Utility Complexity Sustainability Utility Sustainability Reliability Benefits Costs Risks Costs Risks Alternatives Complexity Sustainability Reliability Complexity Utility Reliability Benefits Risks Alternatives Benefits Costs Alternatives

THAT WAS THEN Context materials for a presentation on “Infrastructure” by Prof. B. Wellar at the 2001 Symposium, Shaping Ontario’s Urban Neighbourhoods, Hamilton Convention Centre, Hamilton, Ontario, May 5 and 6, 2001

THIS IS NOW Context materials for a presentation on “Infrastructure” by Prof. B. Wellar at the 2001 Symposium, Shaping Ontario’s Urban Neighbourhoods, Hamilton Convention Centre, Hamilton, Ontario, May 5 and 6, 2001

Walking Security Index The Walking Security Index was developed by Prof. B. Wellar for the City of Ottawa because … .

The Walking Security Index was developed by Prof. B. Wellar for the City of Ottawa because … .