de jong_2011_community plann and housing

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YORK UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

ENVS 6126 COMMUNITY PLANNING AND HOUSING

Course Director: Iain De Jong Office Hours: Monday, 1(ish)-2:15416-698-9700 ext. 2 Or by appointment.

416-432-0410

[email protected] Office Location: HNES 231

Class Hours: Mondays, 2:30-5:30 Class Location: HNES 143

This class examines community planning and housing, and the integrated relationship between thetwo. In the process, the course examines social issues such as poverty, service access, service

design, marginalization, social planning and housing. Housing is defined primarily as part of anintegrated community-based planning system, which includes issues of mental and physical health,

mobility, age and demographic profile, ethnicity, poverty, gender, marginality, and access, as well asissues such as land use and neighbourhood design.

The course is taught from a practitioner’s perspective, grounding the theoretical into current

practice. To that end, a number of classes have guest lecturers, all of whom are experts in their

field. This is an opportunity for students to contextualize their knowledge and understanding.

Students can expect to gain perspectives, knowledge and understanding on the following in this

course: definitions of community; community outreach; coalition-building; the changing nature of

public participation; housing and community planning for marginalized groups; relationships

between urban design and social planning issues; policy development; alternative development

standards; new community forms; homelessness; cooperative and non-profit housing; affordable

shelter and the economics of housing; housing strategies; the role of “planner” in community

planning and housing; resident participation in community planning and design; relationship of the

changing welfare state and devolution on community planning and housing; communityrevitalization; and the role of various sub-populations in community planning and housing issues.

The student is evaluated in four areas:

1. Attendance, preparedness and participation in class discussion;2. Two short written assignments;

3. 15 page paper;

4. Group presentation.

ASSIGNMENTS

1. Short Assignments

There are two short assignments.

One of the short assignments will be in-class. The Course Director will provide a question

related to the readings for the week and/or or theme of the week for students to respond to,

demonstrating understanding and critical awareness of the subject matter. Responses are



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handwritten or completed on laptop in class and emailed to the Course Director at the same time

that other students are submitting their handwritten responses.

The other short assignment is to be submitted on October 31. The response must be between

350- 500 words (not including references). It is expected that the short assignment submission

will be double-spaced with one inch margins on all sides of the paper and be written in TimesNew Roman 12-point font. The submission should have one single staple in the top left hand

corner. A hard copy must be handed in – email copies are not accepted. The short assignmentmust be handed in at the class and cannot be submitted to the Course Director’s mailbox. Your

name must be included in the header or footer of each page. The submission must begin by

identifying which of the questions (below) you are responding to (which is not included in yourword count). A cover page is not required for the short assignment.

For this short assignment, the student must answer ONE of the following questions:

a. From a policy perspective should housing be considered a right or a commodity?

b.

How does the evolution of our understanding of community in the 21

st

Century impactCommunity Planning?c. What is the relationship between housing and the welfare state?

d. How do social determinants of health relate to housing and community planning?

e. What role should social housing play in the continuum of housing in Canada?f. What is the most appropriate definition to use for “affordable housing” in Canada and

why?

g. Is the “broken windows theory” applicable in Canada? Why or why not?

h. Is the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation definition of “Core Housing Need”sufficient for quantifying housing need? Why or why not?

i. What are the implications on housing research and our understanding of community

resulting from changes to the census long form? j. How does community planning and housing impact food security?

k. What is the single greatest impact that Places to Grow has on community planning and

housing – and why?l. Do we need a national housing policy in Canada? Why or why not?

m. In a nation (even individual provinces and regions) that has urban, rural and remote areas,

how should community planning and housing be considered and implemented such that it

promotes unity and fairness across the nation?

2. Presentation

Classes on November 28 and December 5 are dedicated to student presentations. The

presentations will be made by groups of no more than four students. Students will be allowed to

self-select their groups based upon areas of interest; however, the Course Director reserves theright to add or delete members to any group.

Students should prepare their presentations on thematic areas related to their areas of interest/concentration and complimentary to the materials covered in the course. Some ideas to

stimulate thinking (students do not have to select from this list) include:



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• Community organizing, mobilization and planning

• Responses to homelessness/marginality/poverty

• Land use models/zoning for community engagement and/or housing design (for example,inclusionary zoning, density bonusing, zipper lots, etc.)

• Flexible and incremental models of housing development (for example, Grow Home, Sprout

Home, flex-housing, etc.)• Adaptive reuse of buildings (for example, loft conversions)

• Shared facility housing models (for example, co-housing, feminist housing design, etc.)

• Alternative finance models (for example, community land trusts, revolving loan funds)

• Housing markets and its relation to housing/social policy

• Secondary rental markets (for example, basement apartments, garden cottages, etc.)

• Community consultation strategies (for example, open houses, forums, expert panels)

• Social infrastructure planning (for example, long term care, child care, affordable housing,emergency shelter, etc.)

• Housing for marginalized communities (for example, HIV/AIDS housing, trans-housingdesign, harm reduction housing, transitional housing, post-incarceration housing, etc.)

• Social development

• Social capital and community

• Housing economics

• Social purpose enterprises and the social economy

• Advancements in “green” technology and applicability to affordable housing

Specific topics must be submitted to the Course Director for approval on or before October 17

via email. The submission must provide a brief overview of the subject area, the roles of teammembers, and identify the objective(s) of the presentation. The Course Director must approve

the topic. Approval will come by way of “Reply” email.

Students should conduct their presentation as if they were providing a professional presentationto a third party. As such, the presentation must achieve excellence in content and delivery. It is

recommended that presentations be provided in PowerPoint format and that supplemental

information be provided to the instructor as necessary. All members of each team mustparticipate in some capacity in the presentation. Each presentation can be no longer than 60

minutes in length. Questions and answers will follow the conclusion of each presentation.

In the course of the presentation, groups must provide:

a. content on the theoretical underpinnings of the topic area and main currents of thought

b. specific case studies of the existing application of the topic, and,c. a link to the relationship the presentation has to the course material.

An electronic copy and a hard copy of the presentation must be provided to the Course Director

at the start of the presentation.

Please note that students presenting on November 28 are expected to be in class to participate in

discussion of presentations on December 5.



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3. Papers

Students are encouraged to choose a paper topic that relates in some capacity to community

planning and housing, compliments their area of interest and concentration in their plan of study,

and will facilitate growing their knowledge base for their evolution in the MES program.

Paper topics are due to the Course Director via email on or before October 17. In one paragraphthe topic submission should identify what the paper will be about and why you are choosing to

write about the topic. Each topic requires approval from the Course Director. Approval will be

received by way of a “Reply” email within one week of submitting the paper topic.

Papers are due on or before the beginning of class on November 21. The MAXIMUM length of

the paper is 15 pages1

(not including cover page or bibliography). It is expected that papers will

be double-spaced with one inch margins on all sides and be written in Times New Roman 12-point font. Papers should have one single staple in the top left hand corner. A hard copy of the

paper must be handed in – email copies of papers are not accepted. Papers must be handed in atthe class and cannot be submitted to the Course Director’s mailbox.

Some important reminders/tips concerning your paper:

• Academic integrity is paramount.

• The Course Director is NOT your editor.

• Style, format, length and font expectations outlined above are NOT just suggestions.

• Spell the Course Director’s name correctly on the cover page.

• Other than the staple in the top left hand corner, do NOT otherwise bind your paper.

• Provide a proper academic citation to every idea that is not your own.

• Bad planning on your part is insufficient reason for the Course Director to even consider an

extension.

Students who feel that there are extenuating circumstances which may interfere with the

successful completion of the course requirements are encouraged to discuss the matter with the

Course Director as soon as possible. Students with physical, learning or other disabilities whorequire reasonable accommodations in teaching style or evaluation methods should discuss this

with the Course Director early in the term so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

1When a student has the permission of the Course Director to take the course for 6 credits, the expectation

is that the paper will be 30-40 pages on one topic, or else two separate papers each 15 pages in length, not including

bibliography or cover page. The due date for students taking the course for 6 credits is April 1.



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September 12 – INTRODUCTION/OVERVIEW

This class is dedicated to explaining course materials and assignments, understanding the interest of each student in the class, and broadly defining community planning and housing.

September 19 – “COMMUNITY” in COMMUNITY PLANNING; COMMUNITY

INFRASTRUCTRE AND SOCIAL AGENCY

Themes to be discussed include: defining “community”; consultation processes and strategies;

consultation requirements in planning; principle based planning; participatory planning;

inclusionary planning; the three Cs of decision making; community infrastructure; neighbourhood;

social development; social agency; devolution; welfare state.

Required reading:

Elishiva, S. Empowerment and Community Practice. Hakibutz Hameuchad, 1997.

NOTE: You only need to read Chapter 4 found here:

http://www.mpow.org/elisheva_sadan_empowerment_chapter4.pdf

And if you enjoy it, you can download the whole book for free here: http://www.mpow.org/

Evans H and E Advokaat The Language of Community In Canada Ottawa: Law Commission of Canada, 2001.

(http://dalspace.library.dal.ca/bitstream/handle/10222/10281/Evans_Advokaat%20Rese

arch%20Language%20of%20Community%20EN.pdf?sequence=1)

September 26 – SIMPLE, COMPLICATED AND COMPLEX: THE

COLLABORATION CHALLENGE

Themes to be discussed include: social innovation; complexity theory and organizations; multi-sector engagement and collaboration; also to be covered this class: social capital, social capacity.

Required reading:

Westley, F., Zimmerman, B. and Patton, M. Getting to Maybe: How the World is Changed . RandomHouse Canada, 2006.



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October 3 – PREVENTING LOSS OF COMMUNITY/HOUSING

Themes to be discussed include: community identity; anchoring; homelessness preventionprograms and alternatives; crisis diversion vs permanent solutions.

Required reading:

Culhane, Dennis P. and Stephen Metraux. "Rearranging the Deck Chairs or Reallocating the

Lifeboats?: Homelessness Assistance and Its Alternatives" Journal of the American Planning

Association 74.1 (2008): 111-121.

(http://works.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1050&context=dennis_culhane)

Culhane, Dennis P. and Stpehen Metraux and Thomas Byrne. A Prevention Centered Approach to

Homelessness Assistance. UNITED STATES INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS – FSPSupplemental Document #18. June 2010.

(http://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/DennisCulhane_PrevCentApproH

omelessnessAssist.pdf )

Gale, Katharine and Debbie Raucher. Homeless Prevention in Alameda County: Phase 1 Report .

EveryOne Home, Alameda County. 2008.

(http://www.everyonehome.org/media/resources_Phase-1-Prev-Report.pdf )

October 10 – THANKSGIVING/BLOCK WEEK (NO CLASS)

October 17 – MARGINALIZATION IN COMMUNITY; HOMELESSNESS

NOTE: PRESENTATION TOPICS DUE &

PAPER TOPICS DUE

Guest Lecture: Toby Druce

Toby is a Street Outreach Program Officer with the Streets to Homes Program at the City of Torontoand a MARS Innovator and inventor of the Virtual Wallet. He is an accomplished national speaker

on homelessness.

Themes to be discussed include: marginalization; reasons for homelessness; homeless programs

and services; social services spending; solutions to homelessness; Housing First; urban poverty.

Required reading:

Gladwell, Malcolm. Million Dollar Murray . The New Yorker, February 2006.

(http://www.gladwell.com/pdf/murray.pdf )

PLUS

Choose ONE of the following books to read:



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Bishop-Stall, S. Down to This: Squalor and Splendor in a Big City Shantytown. Toronto: Vintage

Canada, 2005.

OR

Mate, G. In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction. Toronto: Random House,

2008.

OR

Daly, G. Homeless: Policies, strategies and Lives on the Streets. Toronto: Routledge, 1996.

October 24 – MEASURING SUCCESS/FAILURE: PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT

Guest Lecture: Dr. John Whitesell

John has a PhD in Organizational Psychology from Duke University. After more than 20 years of

working almost exclusively with Fortune 500 companies, John shifted his attention to government

and non-profits. He is an expert in change, governance and performance measurement. He has been

a featured speaker at the likes of the Ending Homelessness Summit in Michigan in 2010. His current

focus of attention is helping the Province of Newfoundland & Labrador create a meaningful

evaluation framework for their nationally acclaimed Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Themes to be discussed include the use of data in the community planning and housing policy field.

Required reading:

TBD

October 31 – POLICY DEVELOPMENT; INTRO TO HOUSING POLICY

NOTE: SMALL ASSIGNMENT DUE!!!

Themes to be discussed include: policy making; policy implementation; social statistics;

consultation processes; intergovernmental relationships; history of housing policy in Canada; role

and function of social housing; role of government in housing development and maintenance;

intergovernmental relationships in housing; the future of housing policy.

Required reading:

Carter, T and C Polevychok Housing is Good Social Policy . Ottawa: Canadian Policy ResearchNetworks, 2004. (http://geograph.uwinnipeg.ca/Carter/Publications/Journals/cprn-

paper.pdf )

Hulchanski, J. David. Rethinking Canada’s Housing Affordability Challenge. Discussion Paper for theGovernment of Canada’s Canadian Housing Framework Initiative, 2005.

http://www.urbancentre.utoronto.ca/pdfs/elibrary/Hulchanski-Housing-Affd-pap.pdf



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November 7 – “PLANNING” & HOUSING

Themes to be discussed include: suggested role for “Planners” in housing strategies; housing policyin the Official Plan; housing policy and the Ontario Municipal Board; maintaining affordable housing

stock.

Required reading:

City of Toronto. Official Plan: Section 3.2.1 Housing. Toronto: City Planning, 2007.

(http://www.toronto.ca/planning/pdf/op_housing_policies_apr3_2007.pdf )

City of Toronto. Perspectives on Housing Tenure. Toronto: City Planning, 2006.

(http://www.toronto.ca/planning/pdf/housing_tenure.pdf )

City of Toronto. Residential Rental Property Demolition and Conversion Control By-law . Toronto,

2007 (http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/bylaws/2007/law0885.pdf )

Government of Ontario. Provincial Policy Statement: Section 1.4 Housing. Toronto: Queens Printer

for Ontario, 2005. (http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page1485.aspx#1.4 )

Ontario Professional Planners Institute. The Municipal Role in Meeting Ontario’s AffordableHousing Needs: A Handbook for Preparing a Community Strategy For Affordable Housing, OPPI,

2001.

(http://www.ontarioplanners.on.ca/pdf/Handbook_022801.pdf )

November 14 – MUNICIPAL HOUSING STRATEGIES

Themes to be discussed include: municipal role in housing; advent of municipal housing strategies;

targets and advocacy; housing policy and social policy at the local level.

Required reading:

City of London. London Community Housing Strategy, June 2010.

(http://www.housing.london.ca/LCHSJune2010Report.pdf )



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November 21 – BRICKS, STICKS AND DOUGH

(PAPERS ARE DUE!!!)

Guest Lecture: Drew Goursky

Drew is the Manager of Program Design and Development for the Region of Peel. The Region of Peel

faces unique challenges in meeting the housing needs of its population and has one of the longest

waiting lists for government-subsidized housing in all of Canada. Drew has been focused on

solutions to address this issue.

Themes to be discussed include: legal aspects of development; stages in the development process;

urban design; development economics; case studies of successful projects.

Required reading:

Government of Ontario. (2010) Building Foundations: Building Futures – Ontario’s Long Term Affordable Housing Strategy. Toronto: Queen’s Printer.http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=8590

November 28 - PRESENTATIONS

December 5 - PRESENTATIONS & COURSE CONCLUSIONS

de jong_2011_community plann and housing

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