The Development Of An Evaluation Methodology For The Neighbourhood Improvement Programme

Author : Emma C. Sicoli
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (143 download)

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Download or read book An Evaluation of the Canora Neighborhood Improvement Project written by Emma C. Sicoli and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thesis presents an ex-post evaluation of neighbourhood improvement projects implemented from 1974 to 1978 in the Canora district of Edmonton. Under the amended National Housing Act of 1973 the federal, provincial and municipal governments could enter into partnership to assist low-income neighbourhoods to upgrade municipal services and amenities. This was known as the Neighbourhood Improvement Program (NIP). Simultaneously, home-owners in these neighbourhoods could be assisted to rehabilitate their homes through the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RRAP). These programs were created in response to a national dissatisfaction with the social outcomes of previous urban renewal and public housing schemes, most notably the displacement of low-income residents to make way for non-residential redevelopment in inner-city areas. Where previous redevelopment had tended to be directed, first of all, at the worst possible residential areas, NIP and RRAP were to focus on minimally deteriorated areas that could be functionally restored through rehabilitation. Combined public and resident commitment to the provision of neighbourhood amenities and home improvements was also considered necessary to ensure that these neighbourhoods would be physically and socially stable after rehabilitation. In order to achieve this goal, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation set stringent selection criteria to identify neighbourhoods possessing those characteristics that would be conducive to neighbourhood revitalization. Among these criteria were a high rehabilitation need, low- to moderate-income households, neighbourhood deficiencies in recreational amenities and a stable population base. In recent years incumbent upgrading has been identified as a major trend within the larger urban revitalization movement. As a theoretical concept it entails the idea of established residents (incumbents) choosing to remain in the neighbourhood where they invest money and effort in refurbishing their homes, while public monies are used to improve neighbourhood infrastructure. This partnership is intended to minimize housing market discrimination, social externalities, property value inflation and resident displacement. The Canora improvement plan, although carried out under NIP and RRAP, was actually conceived before the new legislation was adopted. It therefore, demonstrated early notions of pubiic participation and incumbent control in the community decision-making process before these practices had become widespread in North American cities. It was also the first comprehensive area improvement scheme in Edmonton. The ex-post evaluation therefore focused on the effectiveness with which such a scheme was able to address the social costs and benefits accompaning changes to the physical environment, especially housing stock changes. The case study demonstrated that revitalization in Canora proceeded through private redevelopment in a manner that had not been anticipated by CMHC, planners or residents. Their optimistic vision of a stable, single-family neighbourhood was never realized and it is questionable whether it was a realistic scenario. Concomitantly with NIP and RRAP there occurred unexpected physical changes (duplex redevelopment and higher residential densities) and social changes (increased residential mobility, increased rental tenure and alterations to household age structure and composition). Not only were these changes unexpected, the Canora plan was specif icly aimed to prevent their development. These unforeseen changes have combined to create a quite different neighbourhood environment which does not meet the aspirations of the original incumbents as they had been represented under NIP and RRAP. Although these national housing policies stressed the retention and improvement of existing structures, the rehabilitation philosophy which supported them has not proven to reduce the social disruption associated with neighbourhood upgrading. Furthermore, the analysis of property assessment records illustrated that the private sector was not receptive to the maintenance of low-income residential housing stock. Despite community interests to the contrary, investment interests in Canora were better served by residential redevelopment than by rehabilitation.