A comparative analysis of CBD planning initiatives in Kitchener and London, Ontario, 1961-199

The major aims of research presented in this thesis are to examine the nature and effects of land use planning initiatives on the relative "health" of the CBDs of medium size (i.e. 100,000-500,000 person) Canadian cities between 1961 and 1991 and to identify the implications that this research has with respect to: (1) improving our understanding of the relationships between CBD planning initiatives and CBD change; (2) the development of alternative approaches to CBD planning based on this improved understanding; and (3) identifying opportunities for future CBD research. The empirical analysis is based on a detailed investigation of CBD planning in the cities of Kitchener and London, Ontario.;The conclusions of the research are that: (1) there are many similarities between the initiatives that were used because of a reliance upon senior-level government programs; (2) the initiatives failed to revitalize Kictchener's CBD and prevent the decline of London's CBD because CBD decline is inevitable as cities evolve from manufacturing-oriented, monocentric, compact urban areas to service-oriented, polycentric, dispersed urban areas in response to society-wide processes of change; and (3) the relative "health" of a CBD is largely a function of unique local conditions such as the structure of the urban system, the presence of cultural heritage and natural amenities in and around the CBD, and the degree to which the CBD has remained accessible to the surrounding region.;The thesis concludes with: (1) a discussion concerning the relationships between CBD planning initiatives and the nature, extent, rate and location of change in the CBDs of contemporary Canadian cities; (2) the presentation of a preliminary, inferential model of CBD change in medium size Ontario cities; (3) consideration of the links between the current research and the existing body of North American CBD research; (4) an assessment of the thesis research methodology; (5) the development of general planning principles and objectives based on a re-thinking of the role, function and structure of CBDs in contemporary Canadian cities and the subsequent identification of an alternative strategic approach to CBD planning; and (6) a discussion of potential areas for further research. Abstract Shortened by UMI.