The Community Design Workshop in Pointe St. Charles
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LONG-TERM RESULTS OF USER PARTICIPATION IN HOUSING REHABILITATION: The Community Design Workshop in Pointe St. Charles A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Snidies and Research in Partiai Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Architecture DANHUI YOU School of Architecture McGill University Montreal November 1998 O Danhui You, 1998 National Library Bibiiotheque nationale M ofGnaa du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services seivices bibliographiques 395 Wellingbn Street 395. nie WdmWl OnawaON KlAON4 Oniwaffl K1A ûN4 canada CMede The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive Licence dowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Biblioîhèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiorn it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or othenwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of al1 I would like to express my deep gratitude to Prof. Vikram Bhatt and Prof. Pieter Sijpkes. my thesis supervisors, for their continued counsel. encouragement and assistance in the execution of this research, I am also greatly indebted to Prof. Joseph Baker for his invaluable advice and interests in the research. Many thds to Prof. Norbert Schoenauer. Prof. Annmarie Adams and Prof. Abraham Friedman for their unfailing guidance and suggestions. Many individuals have contributed to the realization of this study. 1 would especiaily like to express my gratitude to the following: the residents in Pointe St. Charles who participated in the study for their generosity and warmtb which will always be remembered and appreciated; Mrs. Sarah Humphrey. Mr. Emest Vaudry, Mr. Pierre Sylvestre and Mrs. July Stevens for their endiess support and assistance during my field work; and Batir son quartier. the technical resource group in Pointe St. Charles, for its cooperation throughout the entire study. Finally. rny deepest appreciation should be extended to my parents, whose love and encomagement have been constant and unreserved throughout the years. ABSTRACT User participation has ken regarded as an empowerment tooi to help low-income people to improve housing at a low cost. It was implernented by the Cornmuniy Design Workshop during the attempts at housing rehabilitation in Pointe St. Charles in the early 1970's. This thesis is focused on the long-term results of user participation employed by the CDW. Both the current physical conditions of the CDW's projects and the inhabitants' attitudes towards participation, one generation after its implementation, were studied. The research shows that the CDW's efforts involving users in housing rehabilitation not only resulted in improved housing conditions for the urban poor in the long run but had some positive impacts on the inhabitants as well. The success and failure of the CDW's work also provided empirical lessons for later participatory practice, La participation de l'usager hit considérée comme instrument de pouvoir pour aider les gens à bas revenus à améliorer le logement pour peu de frais. Ceci fut mis en pratique au début des années 70 par le Cornmunity Design Workshop durant les tentatives de réhabilitation du logement à Pointe St-Charles. Cette thèse se concentre sur les résultats à long terme de la participation de l'usager tel qu'employée par le CDW- Non seulement les conditions physiques courantes des projets du CDW mais aussi l'attitude des habitants envers la participation une génération après la réalisation des projets, furent étudiés. Cette recherche démontre que les efforts du CDW impliquant les usagers dans la réhabilitation du logement non seulement résultaient en des a conditions de logement à long terme améliorées pour le pauvre urbain, mais avaient aussi des effets positifs sur les habitants. Les succès et les échecs du travail du CDW ont aussi procurés des Ieçons empiriques pour une pratique de participation ultérieure. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ABSTRACT RESUME LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1. Purposes of the Study 1 -2. Methodology 1 -3. Scope of the Study 1 -4. Organization of the Thesis CHAPTER 2: USER PARTICIPATlON IN HOUSING: A LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1. Definition, Forrns and Functions of User Participation 5 2.2. An Analytical Ovewiew of User Participation in Housing 6 CHAPTER 3: THE COMMUNITY DESIGN WORKSHOP 3.1. A Historical Review 3.1.1 . Background 3.1.2. The Establishment of the Community Design Workshop 3.1.3. Activities of the Community Design Workshop in Montreal 3.1.4. Organizations Subsequent to the Community Design Workshop 3.2. User Participation in the CDW's Work 3 2.1. Analysis of the CDW's Objectives Relating to User Participation 3-22Strategies of the CDW to Implement User Participation 3.2.3. Characteristics of User Participation Implemented by the CDW CHAPTER 4: CDW'S WORK IN POINTE ST. CHARI[JES 4.1. Pointe St. Charles 4.1.1. General Description 4.1 -2. Situation in the Late 1960s 4.2. Housing Rehabilitation in Pointe St. Charles in the Early 1970s 4.2-1. Initiation of the Rehabilitation Project 4.2-2. The Community Design Workshop in the Rehabilitation 4.2.2.1. Technical Phases before the Acquisition and Renovation of Older Housing 4.2.2.2. Renovation Design i. Procedures of the Renovation Design ii. Residents' Reaction to the Participatory Design iii. Analysis of the CDW's Working Drawings 4.2.3. Construction Work 4.2.4. Financial Problems 4.2.5. Formation of Housing Co-ops 4.3. CDW's Projects Related to the Youngsters in Pointe St. Charles 4.3.1. Green Thurnbs and Sore Thurnbs 4.3 .S. Adventure Playgrounds 4.4. Relevant Events afier the Rehabilitation 4.4.1. End of the Housing Cooperative Formed in 1974 4.4.2, Second Renovation to the Co-op Buildings Rehabilitated by the CDW CHAPTER 5: CURRENT STATUS OF THE CDW'S PROJECTS IN POINTE ST. CHARLES 5.1. Present Ownership of the CDW's Projects 5.2. General Description of Current Housing Situation in Pointe St. Charles 5.3.1. Co-op Housing 5.2.2. Housing of the City and Non-Profit Organizations 5.2.3. Private Rental Housing 5.3. Inspection of the CDW's Projects 5.3.1. Residentid Buildings 5.3.1.1. Site Inspection 5.3.1.2. Envelope of the Buildings 5.3.1 -3. Interior of the Buildings 5-32Cornrnunity Gardens and Playgrounds 5 -4. Modifications of the CDW's Projects afier the Rehabilitation 5.5. Sumrnary and Discussion CHAPTER 6: INHABITANTS' ATTITUDES AND EVALUATION 6.1. Description of Respondents 6.1.1. Selection of Respondents 6.1 .S. Interview Process 6.1 -3. Respondents' Situation in the Early 1970's and at Present 6.2. Respondents' Attitudes and Evaluation of the Rehabilitation 6.2.1. Respondents' Description of the Rehabilitation 6.2.2. Success and Failure of the Rehabilitation 6.2.3. Inhabitants' Learning from the Rehabilitation 6.3. Respondents' Attitudes and Evaluation of Their Dwelling and Neighborhood 6.3.1, Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction with the Dwelling and the Co-op 6.3.2. Sense of Community 6.4. Inhabitants' Attitudes towards User Participation vii 6.4.1. Current Participation Practice of the inhabitants 91 6.4.2. Onginal uihabitants' Attitudes towards User Participation 94 6.4.3. Attimdes of Chilâren of Original Inhabitants towards User Participation 99 6.5. Summary and Discussion 100 CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 7.1 . Summary of the Researcb 7.2. General Findings 7.3. Recommendations for Future Research REFERENCES 106 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 5.1. Characteristics of Dwellings in Pointe St. Charles and in Metropolitan Montreal Table 5.2. Need of Repair of Dwellings in Pointe St. Charles and in Metropolitan Montreal Table 5.3. Remaining Life Spans of the Components of the Buildings' Envelope Table 5.4. Remaining Life Spans of the Interior Components of the Buildings Table 5.5. Percentage of the Five Inspected Buildings with Structural Problems Table 6.1. Resident Respondents in Pointe St. Charles Table 6.2. M 1's Situation in the Early 1970's and at the Time of Interview Table 6.3. Situation of M 1's Residence in the Early 1970's and at the Time of Interview Table 6.4. M2's Situation in the Early 1970's and at the Time of Interview Table 6.5. Situation of M2's Residence in the Early 1970's and at the Time of Interview Table 6.6. Fl 's Situation in the Early 1970's and at the Time of Interview Table 6.7. Situation of F l 's Residence in the Early 1970's and at the Time of Interview Table 6.8. F2's Situation in the Early 1970's and at the Time of Interview Table 6.9. Situation of F2's Residence in the Early 1970's and at the Time of Interview LIST OF FIGURES F ig . 3.1 . Areas that the CDW intervened in Montreal. Fig. 3 -2. The Bon Pasteur project in Quebec City. Fig. 3 -3. The user-needs gap. Fig. 3.4. Tenant initiated renovation. Fig. 4.1. Axonometric view of Pointe St. Charles in 197 1. Fig. 4.2. The rehabilitation process in Pointe St. Charles in the early 1970's.