S o c ío -E c o no mic P o larizatin n of P o s t - I n du s trialize d C íÍíe s : The Challenge to Planning By DarrenW. Lezubsla A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Desree of MASTER OF CITY PLANNING Deparnnent of City Planning University of Manitoba Winnþg, Manitoba @ September 1992 Bibfrothèque nat¡onaf e H*H 5¡3ä1!i"* du Canada Canadian Theses Serv¡oe Serv'rce des thèSes canacriernes Ot{ewa Canada KIA ON4 The. agthor has granted an inevocable nori. exc|usive L'autzuraaccordé une licence irrévocabte licencedþ"frg üte NaUonaI Ubrary et non exdusive permethnt ä fa B¡bt¡otrrèque 9f reproducq. É*:d¡"tbut" ors€{r oopres9*q.t9 natior¡ale du Car¡ada de reprodulre, prêtär. o[ his/her hes¡s byar¡y means and ¡n font dishibuer oü vendre des cobtes ¿è sd ü¡èsd gny or forrnat, matdng-üús-üæs¡s;i¡a¡tbbË queeue ro tnterested de ¡runière et souà qudquã forme persons, qu9 ce_ soit por¡r mettre des exemplaires de cette thèse à la disposition des per"onn", intéressées. The author retains ownership of the'nãs¡s copyright in L'auteur consefl/e fa propriété du drc¡it d,auteur . his/her thesis. Neithei ttre no, qui protege sa thèse- substantial extracts from it.nuy Orpänted N¡ ¡a thèse n¡ Aés ãxHa¡ts otherwise or substantiels de celleci ¿o¡vãnì reproduced withoút trìjner per- ne être mission. imprimés ou autrement reproduit.-"ä" autorisation- "on I5B¡¡ Ø-315-76966-L Canadä SOCIO-ECONOMIC POLARIZATION OF POST-INDUSTRIAI.IZED CITIES: THE CHALLENGE TO PLANNING tlr DARREN W. LEZUBSK] A Thesis submitted to the Faculry of G¡aduate Studies of the Universify of Manitoba in partial fuIfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF CITY PLANNING @ t99Z Pennission has been granted to ihe LIBR.ARY oF TI{E uNTyERsITy oF tvfaNTToBA to lend or sell copies of this thesis, to the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF CåÀIADA to mic¡ofilm this thesis and to lend or sell copies of the film, and tiNTtrERSITy MICROEII.MS to publish an abstract of this thesis. Tfre author reseJr/es other publication rights, and neithe¡ the thesis nor extensive extracts Êom it may be printed or othe¡wise reproduced without the autho/s permission- -I- This thesís ís dedicated to my parents,Walter and Camelia, and to the memory of Dr. Kent Gerecke ( 1937 - 1992 ) -u- I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. I authorize the University of Manitoba to lend this thesis to other individuals for the purpose of scholarly resea¡ch. Daren W. Lezubski I further authorize the University of Manitoba to reproduce this thesis by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly resea¡ch. Darren W. l,ezubski -lll- Table of Contents Thesis dedication i Thesis declaration ü Table of contents üi Acknowledgements iv Abst¡act v Chapter one: The Polarízatíon Questíon: an introductíon 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 Thesis inquiry, methodology and organization ............. 2 1.2 The origins of the polarization question 4 1.3 Polarization and planning l6 Chapter Two: Polarization Concepts: øn overview 2.0 Introduction t9 2.I Polarization then and now: early uses of the terrn ........ 22 2.1.1 Social polarization in America 25 2.1.2 Social polarization in Britain 26 2.1.3 Consequences of polarization ...... 28 2.2 Polarization and recent literature 31 2.2.1 Social polarization in housing tenure J+ 2.2.2 Information polarization 37 2.2.3 Polanzation in an urban context 39 2.2.4 Economic polarization 43 2.2.5 Economic and social polarization ............. 45 2.2.6 Polarization of Canadian housing ............. 47 2.2.7 Polarization and Canadian cities 51 2.3 Conclusion 56 Chøpter Three: The Rise and Cause of Polørizatíon 3.0 Introduction 58 3.1 The service economy: occupational shift and the declining middle 60 3.2 The global economy: restructuring and de-industrializatlon 68 3.3 The faltering welfare state and revival of neo-conservatism 75 3.4 Conclusion 83 Chøpter Four: Towørd øn Urban Perspective 4.0 Introduction 86 4.1 The prevailing vision of planning ....... 88 4.2 Alternative vision(s) of planning ....... 94 4.3 The challenge I: planning the contemporary environment 99 4.4 The challenge II: planning thought and acrion r02 4.5 Conclusion 108 Chøpter Five: Conclusion 5.0 Introduction 111 5.1 Thesis objective and conclusions 111 5.2 A final word 113 Biblíography 115 lv- Acknowledgements At the outset I must acknowledge Dr. Kent Gerecke. With a masterful hand Kent guided this thesis through is developmental stage. He afforded constructive criticism and provided ample encouragement when needed most. He was a wise and learned council and I am proud to have had the privilege of knowing him. Due to his untimely death Kenr never got to see rhis thesis completed. I wish to express my sincere thanks to my thesis committee: Dr. Mario Carvalho (Depafrment of City Planning), Christine McKee @epartment of City Planning) and Dr. Ruban Bellan (Department of Economics) who stepped in and did a tremendous job in rather difficult circumstances. Their learned comments improved this thesis immensely. A special note of thanks to professor Bellan who put up with delays and rough d¡afts. My fellow planning students cannot not go unacknowledged. While too numerous to name individually they have collectively been instrumental in fostering my interest in planning. More than that they have proven to be good friends. They are a part of the memories of Graduate Schoot I will always cherish. One student who deserves special recognition is Theodore McFa¡lane. Theodore happüy read drafts of this thesis and his suggestions have always been welcomed. He is a true friend. Finally, to my parents. Mere words cannot describe the indebtedness I feel toward them. They have been supportive, loving and generous. Thank you. I love you. Abstract Given social stratification exists in Western industrialized nations, one of the implications of an "post-industrial" era is that some segments of the population stand poised to gain while others suffer. This is expected to result in an accentuation of the extremes socially and economically. In other words, a polarízatíon of the population between those who prosper and those laggtng further behind. Through analysis of existing literature this thesis strives to examine the question of polarization, determine its characteristics and consider what polarization means for the theory and practice of urban planning. Examining the effects of social and economic polarization is a precondition for exploring contemporary urban dynamics in post-industrial society. Polarization is a more apt term today than in any other time in history due to a culmination of demographic shifts, changing political realities and a fundamental change in the nature of the economy. As the fundamental nature of the economy changes, so to does the form and function of cities. Emerging evidence suggests that the conventional wisdom regarding urban strategies to regenerate cities for the post-industrial era are in themselves problem creating. Growth industries tend to employ professionals and those with special skills while industries which historically employed the less educated, semi-skilled and unskilled decline. Therefore, "successful" adaptation to a post-industrial economy creates an environment where the potential for social and economic polarization is intensified. For planners, polarization engenders the need to re-examine problems identified and ascertain whether possible remedies exist. The thesis concludes that planning is one of the few professions which is in a position to raise the question of whether we are ignoring alternative options to the myriad of social and economic woes facing cities at the present. If planners do otherwise the urban landscape will adapt to the polarization of earnings and begin to reflect greatil segregation and inequality in the future. -1- The Polarization Question: an íntroductíon 1.0 Introduction "Timing is everything" an old adage declares. The same rings true for academic inquiries since grasping an idea, trend or phenomenon at the conect time is indispensable to sparking serious debate. After a rather confusing and turbulent 1980s when political attitudes polarized between neo-conservative Right and social welfare Left; corporate takeovers and mergers made greed and consumption admired commodities; and the Uniæd Nations International Year of Shelter for the Homeless illustrated the severity of poverty across the globe, the issue of socio-economic polarization is ripe for examination. Pervasive throughout the past decade has been the sense we are playing out a zero-sum game with only winners and losers as divisions between the "haves" and "have nots" sharpen. As a result, there is a sense of imminent conflict in the 1990s as a number of fundamental issues converge head on. Pessimism however need not be the message of the day. One of the undervalued results of living in such a fascinating era is that everything comes into question. The coming decade will force humankind to show its mettle in the face of a dramatic period of social, economic, political and environmental unrest. In this regard we will likely see the continued emergence of numerous works stressing the need to re-examine directions (economic, social and political) undertaken over the past few decades. Debate will be seen on many fronts: global as social, economic and environmental relations benveen countries are examined; national as similar relations are scrutinized within individual countries; and local as more individuals and neighbourhoods re-examine issues of land use, housing options and segregation as well as turn an eye to empowerment and community economic deveþment.