Urban renewal and manpower training : the relationship between a social program and urban development
Creators: name: Adderley, Erwin Percy
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2011

description: One of the goals of developed countries is the optimization of the urban environment. This goal is reflected in the policies of both Canada and the United States regarding urban renewal and manpower training. Urban renewal has primarily been one of the concerns of the physical planner. Policies, programs, and techniques have been devised in order to solve the problems of urban renewal, but to date a satisfactory solution has not been realized. With the current interest in human resource optimization as reflected in the manpower training policies and programs, and with the realization that both manpower training and urban renewal are concerned with a common problem that of communal living and are therefore somewhat inter-related. The search for a more effective solution to the urban renewal problem, coupled with the realization of the inter-relationship of manpower training and urban renewal problems led to the study hypothesis: That manpower training can be an effective tool in the urban renewal process. Although these problems appear to be inter-related to date no policy or programs aimed at a coordinated solution exists. The investigation of the adaptability of manpower training to urban renewal problems, therefore begins with an evaluation of present urban renewal p o l i c i e s , programs and problems, and from analysis of the cause of these problems being determined. By means of the case study method, the conclusion made with respect to the causes of these problems were verified. The significant conclusion so drawn are that to a great extent the problems that urban renewal has been unable to solve are to a great extent attributable to poverty. Further, it was ascertained that this poverty was to a large extent due to the low level of skills possessed by the inhabitants of the area. In light of these findings and in view of the fact that manpower training is specifically aimed at the optimization of skills, the thesis investigates not only the effectiveness of such a program to the acquisition of skills but also its effectiveness of solving other problems of urban renewal. The significant findings have been that manpower training is capable of improving the earning power of the inhabitants by providing them with wider and better skills; the improvement of this earning power also provides a greater range of social choice. It has also been demonstrated that manpower training is a process which can be used to rebuild, renovate or refurbish an urban renewal area, and when applied in conjunction with the urban renewal program, it can not only eliminate substandard dwelling units, but would also substantially reduce the need for such structures. The final conclusion being drawn is that the investigations in this thesis has demonstrated the validity of the hypothesis: That manpower training can be an effective tool in the urban renewal process. Also of great significance is the fact that this investigation has demonstrated the ability of the urban renewal program to be combined with other programs. This flexibility indicates its potential for becoming the nucleus of a set of programs aimed at solving all aspects of communal living.