Engagement from the Community Perspective: Understanding the Role Community Associations Play in Planning and Development in Calgary

Poschmann, Rebecca Anne

Engagement from the Community Perspective: Understanding the Role Community Associations Play in Planning and Development in Calgary

dc.contributor.advisor	Neuhaus, Fabian
dc.contributor.author	Poschmann, Rebecca Anne
dc.contributor.committeemember	Macedo, Joseli
dc.contributor.committeemember	Tyler, Mary-Ellen
dc.date	2023-11
dc.date.accessioned	2023-09-27T16:25:15Z
dc.date.available	2023-09-27T16:25:15Z
dc.date.issued	2023-09-19
dc.description.abstract	Change, through urban planning, is inevitable and necessary because it responds to growth, community needs, and the ever-changing economy. To steer change, planning projects benefit when effective community engagement programs are applied. Community associations have long been advocating on behalf of their communities, however the level of influence they have on decision-making is unclear in part to their level of authority being unclear. Interviews helped answer two connected research questions. The first question focuses on community associations by asking: What is the role community associations play when an urban planning project is proposed within their community? The second question focuses on authority: Should the level of engagement vary based on the level of impact the planning project may have on the community, as identified by the community association? Community voices from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, shared their experiences with engagement on planning and development projects. Three overarching themes emerged through inductive and deductive analysis of the interview data: constraints community associations experience with community engagement; opportunities of community engagement; and frustrations felt by community associations in regard to community engagement opportunities. The study results suggest that community associations are limited to instill change through engagement, despite their perceived role. Based on the research data, three recommendations to support community associations are proposed: extending timelines and enforcing engagement on complex planning projects, redefining the role of a community association, and developing community engagement profiles. The impact of these recommendations presents three opportunities to evolve community engagement in planning at a community level.
dc.identifier.citation	Poschmann, R. A. (2023). Engagement from a community perspective: understanding the role community associations play in planning and development projects in Calgary (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/1880/117241
dc.language.iso	en
dc.publisher.faculty	Graduate Studies
dc.publisher.institution	University of Calgary
dc.rights	University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.subject	Community Engagement
dc.subject	Public Participation
dc.subject	Community Associations
dc.subject	Redevelopment
dc.subject	Urban Planning
dc.subject	Development
dc.subject	Volunteer Organizations
dc.subject.classification	Urban and Regional Planning
dc.title	Engagement from the Community Perspective: Understanding the Role Community Associations Play in Planning and Development in Calgary
dc.type	master thesis
thesis.degree.discipline	Environmental Design
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Calgary
thesis.degree.name	Master of Environmental Design (MEDes)
ucalgary.thesis.accesssetbystudent	I do not require a thesis withhold – my thesis will have open access and can be viewed and downloaded publicly as soon as possible.