Browsing by Author "Neuhaus, Fabian"

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    A Feminist GIS Approach for Identifying, Mapping and Evaluating Gender Inclusive Features in Urban Public Spaces
    (2024-04-30) Falahatkar, Hawjin; Fast, Victoria; Jacobson, Daniel; Neuhaus, Fabian
    This thesis thoroughly explores gender and movement disability inclusion in urban public open spaces, scrutinizing both physical design and digital mapping aspects. It illuminates the unique spatial behavior patterns observed among women and individuals with reduced mobility in urban settings, emphasizing the disparity between these behaviors and their representation in physical design and mapping systems. The study identifies the central concern of current urban designs’ inadequacy in providing safe and equitable access for these groups. Moreover, it recognizes the gender digital divide in mapping systems, where women are frequently underrepresented in spatial datasets, complicating accurate mapping of gender-place relations. To tackle these challenges, the research develops a feminist GIS framework focused on understanding, mapping, and evaluating urban public spaces from a gender and disability perspective. This framework includes defining a data topology containing various gender-inclusive features, collecting multiple data sets to represent these features, establishing a data source hierarchy, and utilizing Esri technology for data collection, mapping, analysis, and visualization. The study produces an interactive map and dashboard, the Inclusive UCalgary Campus Dashboard, to visualize gender-inclusive features and attributes publicly for UCalgary users. Furthermore, it establishes multiple assessment criteria to evaluate the condition of gender-inclusive features within UCalgary’s campus, gauging how UCalgary accommodates the spatial needs of women and those with reduced mobilities. The findings reveal diverse and often fine-scale map features representing women and individuals with reduced mobilities are absent from available datasets resulting in inadequate representation of this group on maps. Through a data source hierarchy, GIS functionalities, and online interactive mapping methods, it is possible to collect, store, manipulate, and map features that are crucial for this group’s space navigation and utilization. Furthermore, the assessment of UCalgary’s campus open space reveals significant challenges in gender and disability inclusion, particularly regarding the uneven distribution of gender-inclusive features and functions across campus areas which adversely affects safety, accessibility, and spatial quality, especially within campus peripheral zones. In conclusion, the study advocates for a purpose-led GIS by redefining the mapping process that prioritizes equity over efficiency. It highlights the feminist GIS framework’s potential to enhance accessibility, safety, and diversity in urban environments for less-represented groups, thereby promoting a sense of belonging and quality of life for all community members.
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    Colonial Zoning, Community Equity, and the Planner: A Guide for Communities to Address Resident Exclusion Resulting from an Institutionalized Relationship with Land
    (2024-06-20) East, Jacqueline; Neuhaus, Fabian; Macedo, Joseli
    Our relationship with land is shaped by the historical and ongoing processes of colonization and dispossession, which have established patterns of exclusion and inequality. Zoning regulations reflect and reinforce these patterns by privileging certain land uses and development patterns over others, often to benefit the dominant culture and to the detriment of those experiencing marginalization. The research examines the colonial foundations of zoning in Canada and takes inspiration from precedent equity in zoning work completed by the City of Edmonton, the American Planning Association, and the City of Ottawa. The study approaches the problem through design science research to explore the question of how planners, the writers and administrators of zoning, can recognize and act upon a colonial relationship with land that marginalizes some residents. The practice-based research generates and tests a prototype intervention for planners to access information about unjust land use rules as a precursor to public participation that centres the perspectives of those experiencing marginalization. The prototype evolves through application to three zoning bylaws – the District of Oak Bay, the Town of Sidney, and Salt Spring Island. The final prototype Zoning Equity Study Guide offers a mechanism to open the door guarding the institution of zoning and invites a relational path forward to deconstruct inequitable local laws that exclude.
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    Design Studio Matrix: Supporting the Decision-Making Process as Part of a Reflective Practice
    (2021-04) Abegglen, Sandra; Dall'Ara, Enrica; Livesey, Graham; Neuhaus, Fabian; Taylor, Mary-Ellen
    Design is described as a process of making decisions based on reflection in and on action (Schön, 1983). This report outlines the findings of the Design Studio Matrix: Supporting the Decision-Making Process as Part of a Reflective Practice research project, and provides recommendations for both future research and teaching. The Design Studio Matrix was funded by the grants program of the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning at the University of Calgary. The principal grant holder was Dr. Fabian Neuhaus, Associate Professor at the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, University of Calgary. The project was carried out at the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, University of Calgary, with a focus on three Masters design studio courses: the EVDS 620 Urban Design Studio/EVDA 782.01 Senior Architecture Design Studio course in fall 2019, the EVDP 644 B02 Advanced Professional Planning Studio course in winter 2020 and the EVDP 616 Planning course in fall 2020. The project ran for two years, from spring 2019 to Spring 2021. Its aim was to analyze design studio pedagogy and to further develop the Design Studio Matrix (DSM), a teaching and learning tool that was developed by Dr. Graham Livesey, Dr. Enrica Dall’Ara and Dr. Fabian Neuhaus. The hypothesis was that the DSM would help shift the focus of design education away from the product towards the process and the reflection thereof. The research was led by Sandra Abegglen and adopted a mixed or multi method approach consisting of focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews, in-class observations and questionnaires. In addition, material created by the students such as diagrams and survey data were analyzed. Ethical approval for the research was sought and granted by the University of Calgary Conjoint Faculties Ethics Board in August 2019. A total of 100 students have worked with the DSM to date. Of those, 53 students were registered for one of the courses included in this study, with 38 students fully participating in the research and 3 students partially participating. Participation in the research project was voluntary, with students being able to opt in or out of all, or particular research elements.
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    Engagement from the Community Perspective: Understanding the Role Community Associations Play in Planning and Development in Calgary
    (2023-09-19) Poschmann, Rebecca Anne; Neuhaus, Fabian; Macedo, Joseli; Tyler, Mary-Ellen
    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.
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    Incorporating Universal Design for Learning in Disciplinary Contexts in Higher Education
    (University of Calgary, 2021) Abegglen, Sandra; Aparicio-Ting, Fabiola; Arcellana-Panlilio, Mayi; Behjat, Laleh; Brown, Barbara; Clancy, Tracy; DesJardine, Patricia; Din, Cari; Ferreira, Carla; Hughson, E. Anne; Kassan, Anusha; Klinke, Chelsea; Kurz, Ebba; Neuhaus, Fabian; Pletnyova, Ganna (Anna); Paul, Robyn Mae; Peschl, Houston; Peschl, Rosalynn; Squance, Rod; Dyjur, Patti
    Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a set of principles that can be used to guide course design and delivery with the goal of enhancing the learning for the greatest number of students. Incorporating UDL in higher education is complex, varied and nuanced work that instructors are doing to meet the learning needs of students in their classes. In this guide we illuminate different ways in which UDL principles have been implemented across disciplines and in different ways to enhance student learning. Each chapter offers a case of how UDL has been incorporated into learning experiences in higher education. Our goal is to provide discipline-based examples of courses that illustrate how UDL can be incorporated into a higher education context. Along the way, we hope you will be inspired by the work of others. We wish you great success in your journey to teach courses that are increasingly accessible and inclusive!
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    Investigating the Design of an Immersive Smart Home System for Supporting Seniors Living with Neurocognitive Disorders
    (2022-09-16) Alabood, Lorans; Maurer, Frank; Neuhaus, Fabian; Levy, Richard; Duffett-Leger, Linda
    The Internet of Things (IoT) technology allows for creating customized and accessible smart home systems for supporting aging in place. These systems are called Supportive Smart Home Systems (SSHS). Nonetheless, this approach comes with two main challenges. Firstly, customizing and interacting with IoT devices requires a certain level of technology literacy which many Seniors with Neurocognitive Disorders (SwNCDs) and caregivers may not have. Secondly, relying solely on smartphone applications is impractical for homecare purposes. Head-mounted Mixed Reality (MR) devices blend the physical and digital worlds to unlock natural and intuitive holographic interactions. This model makes designing tailored and seamless user experiences for SwNCDs more feasible. In addition, integrating a wearable MR device into an SSHS provides instant and effortless user interactions. However, considering MR is an emerging field of study, there is a major lack of design recommendations, especially for SwNCDs users. In this thesis, we applied a comprehensive User-Centered Design approach to introduce an immersive supportive smart home system for SwNCDs. During the investigation phase, we conducted a systematic literature review study to provide a taxonomy of the SSHS literature. Thereafter, we investigated the special requirements of SwNCDs by conducting a requirements elicitation study. Based on findings from these two studies, we introduced an initial system design. We leveraged video prototypes demonstrating all possible user-system interactions of the initial prototype to run an online Design Critique evaluation with 24 participants across Canada and the USA. After running all Design Critique sessions, a course of Thematic Analysis was conducted on the qualitative data to extract design recommendations for immersive smart home systems. Finally, we used the newly extracted design recommendations to reiterate our initial system design to produce a high-fidelity prototype and implemented it on a HoloLens2 device. We conducted usability evaluations using the Cognitive Walkthrough and Heuristic Evaluation methods. The evaluations did not identify any major usability issues in the prototype. These findings indicates that our design and evaluation process has the potential to introduce highly usable smart home system concepts.
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    Voices From the Digital Classroom: 25 Interviews About Teaching and Learning in the Face of a Global Pandemic
    (University of Calgary Press, 2022-08) Abegglen, Sandra; Neuhaus, Fabian; Wilson, Kylie