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University housing : an assessment of current policies and practices at the University of British Columbia

University of British Columbia

The pressures or urbanization are felt throughout almost every aspect of Twentieth Century North American society. The gap created by the unprecedented rate of change accompanying this process between existing resources and demands has exerted a profound impact in many facets or urbanized society, certainly in the area of education. University housing is one particular aspect of education which has experienced the demanding pressures of urbanized change, largely due to the expanded role of the university in contemporary society, and the concomitant increases in enrollment this has fostered. The intention of this thesis is to examine current trends in university housing in the North American context, and to relate these to student housing policy and practice at the University of British Columbia as a case study. From this process of analysis and evaluation, specific policy proposals and recommendations in relation to student housing at U.B.C. will be made. The thesis hypothesizes that university housing policy at the case study level is limited by economic and quantitative considerations to the provision of accommodation on a scale largely disregarding both the diversity of student housing determinants and the larger university community as a whole, coinciding closely with housing policies at universities elsewhere throughout the continent. University housing trends and developments in the North American context are examined through a review of current literature in terms of their historical traditions, current reactions to the pressures of growth and urbanization, financial implications, and their relationship to the university and the city. Student housing at the case study level is examined in terms of current university housing policy, housing demand, and existing housing determinants and locational factors. The basic conclusions of the thesis recommend greater university initiative in the establishment of a realistic and comprehensive housing policy at U.B.C, reflecting student demand as well as the broader development goals of the university itself, and suggest a method of integrating this process within the larger process of planning the university district within the context of a comprehensive development authority.

Text

2011-06-17

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/35572

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University of British Columbia

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