Communicative Regionalism and Metropolitan Growth Management Outcomes a Case Study of Three Employment Nodes in Burnaby – an Inner Suburb of Greater Vancouver
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COMMUNICATIVE REGIONALISM AND METROPOLITAN GROWTH MANAGEMENT OUTCOMES A CASE STUDY OF THREE EMPLOYMENT NODES IN BURNABY – AN INNER SUBURB OF GREATER VANCOUVER by LAURA ELLEN TATE B.A., McGill University, 1988 M.A. (Planning), The University of British Columbia, 1991 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Planning) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) September 2009 © Laura Ellen Tate, 2009 Abstract In North America, metropolitan growth management (MGM) has been significantly influenced by what I term communicative regionalism. The latter concept is rooted in communicative planning theory, and thus stresses dialogue and consensus in problem- solving. To explore the impact of communicative regionalism on actual growth management outcomes, this dissertation investigates a case study on the implementation of communicatively-informed regional plans in metropolitan or GreaterVancouver, Canada, as they have impacted three employment nodes in suburban Burnaby. The dissertation applied a three-part methodology, involving the collection of empirical data on outcomes, analysis of plan development against communicative planning criteria, and the critical application of an Actor Network Theory (ANT) lens to better examine the relationships and interactions of key government agencies during MGM plan development and implementation. The analysis suggested mixed results in terms of goal outcomes. Notably, it found that longstanding goals for attracting office employment to a designated Regional Town Centre had not been achieved to the desired degree. In explaining how this occurred, the analysis supplied empirical evidence of recent critiques made against communicative planning theory. Such results appear to support calls made by other theorists for the development of a post- communicative approach to theory and practice. The dissertation concludes with recommendations for five areas of more concerted research to help in this regard. First, researchers interested in planning processes would be wise to make more in-depth explorations of the link between power and action. Second, the presence and degree of instability in any given network of actors participating in growth management can create constraints or opportunities for this process. The role of instability needs to be better reflected and appreciated in communicative and/or post-communicative regionalism. Third, there must be greater recognition of differentiated stakeholder needs for consultation, as well as place-specific receptivities to consultation short cuts. Fourth, more detailed work is needed to develop best practices for the information-sharing aspects of growth management. Finally, there is a value in examining further the roles and skill sets of various individuals playing a translation role (i.e., bridging interests between two or more different stakeholders or groups). This translation role occurs in growth strategy development as well as other types of planning exercise, as a means of enabling both better information exchange and of facilitating the ongoing involvement of relevant stakeholders throughout the plan implementation phase. | Page ii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures .................................................................................................................. viii List of Interviewees..............................................................................................................x List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ................................................................................. xi Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... xiii Preface................................................................................................................................xv Executive Summary ......................................................................................................... xix 1.0 Communicative Regionalism – Research Context and Approach .................................1 1.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 1.2 Proposed Case Study and Research Questions ..............................................................6 1.3 How This Dissertation is Structured ...........................................................................17 2.0 Theoretical Foundations of Communicative Regionalism .........................................19 2.1 Why Critique Communicative Planning Theory Instead of Other Theories? ..............20 2.2 Process-Based Planning Theories (How Planning Should Unfold) .............................21 2.3 Origins and Key Theorists of Communicative Planning .............................................29 2.4 Major Critiques of Communicative Planning ..............................................................41 3.0 Research Methodology and Methods ...........................................................................55 3.1 Three Dimensions of the Methodology .......................................................................57 3.2 Research Steps .............................................................................................................73 4.0 The History and Practical Application of MGM in North America ...........................78 4.1 Origins and Early Applications ....................................................................................79 4.2 Post-War MGM Efforts in North America ..................................................................82 4.3 A Review of Outcome-Based Theories .......................................................................89 4.4 Important MGM Terms and Their Relationships to Practical Applications ................98 4.5 Governance ................................................................................................................112 | Page iii 4.6 Examples of Recent MGM Plans – Los Angeles and Toronto ..................................114 4.7 Summing Up ..............................................................................................................132 5.0 Provincial and Regional Relations in MGM Planning ..............................................135 5.1 MGM Foundations in Greater Vancouver: Settlement to 1965 .................................137 5.2 Gathering Steam to Face an Abrupt Halt: MGM Legislation and Plans, 1966-1983 ..................................................................................................................157 5.3 From Loss to Stabilization to Strength: 1984 to 2006 ...............................................179 5.4 Preliminary Conclusions: Communicative Regionalism at Broader Scales ..............209 6.0 The Burnaby Planning Context ..................................................................................218 6.1 Burnaby as a Focus of MGM Study ..........................................................................218 6.2 Burnaby – Origins and Early Days ............................................................................223 6.3 The Burnaby Planning Department ...........................................................................226 6.4 Burnaby‘s Zoning Bylaw ...........................................................................................229 6.5 Burnaby‘s Official Community Plan and Area Plans ................................................233 6.6 Summing Up ..............................................................................................................245 7.0 The Metrotown Employment Node ...........................................................................247 7.1 A Policy-Driven Space with Good Bones .................................................................251 7.2 A Decade of Active Intervention: 1976-1986 ............................................................262 7.3 Metrotown Since 1996 ...............................................................................................287 7.4 Taking Stock: Metrotown, Communicative Regionalism, and MGM Implementation ..........................................................................................................293 8.0 The Big Bend Area ....................................................................................................305 8.1 Overview of Big Bend‘s Pre-1976 Land Use and Planning History .........................309 8.2 Evolution from 1976 to 1996 .....................................................................................320 8.3 Developments from 1996 to 2006..............................................................................338 8.4 Big Bend, Communicative Regionalism, and MGM Outcomes ...............................349 9.0 The Discovery Place Employment Node ...................................................................359 9.1 Overview of Discovery Place‘s Pre-1976 Land Use and Planning History ..............361 | Page iv 9.2 1976 To 2006 and Beyond .........................................................................................365