John Curry - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by John Curry

Research paper thumbnail of Community-based sustainability in an export dependent resource economy: The British Columbian experiment to deliver sustainability in one province

Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 14794010408656806, Nov 7, 2008

Research paper thumbnail of The Revitalization of Downtown Prince George

BC STUDIES, 1999

A S A RESULT OF SHRINKING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONS and the degradation of physical form, the... more A S A RESULT OF SHRINKING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONS and the degradation of physical form, the majority of Canadian cities have embarked on some form of downtown revitalization. 1 Planners, merchants, and politicians seek to increase the vitality of downtowns for a number of reasons. Downtowns are thought to influence how tourists and other visitors, investors, and residents perceive the vitality of the city as a whole. Although comprising fully serviced, centrally located properties, they often contribute weakly to the municipal tax base due to declining property values. Their economic function decreases as they become increasingly dilapidated and tawdry, and they lose their ability to function as the cultural and social heart of the city. Most of the research on downtown revitalization has focused on large cities located along the southern Canadian border. In these cities, the dominant contributors to inner-city decline have been identified as industrial-and service-sector relocation, increased private automobile ownership, expansion of the transportation infrastructure, growth of the service sector, movement of senior levels of government out of the housing market, and lack of comprehensive regional planning. 2 The forms, functions, and urban development processes associated with Canada's largest cities are not, however, the same as those in the country's smaller, more northerly cities. 1 Downtown revitalization is defined as the purposeful process of redeveloping the central business district with the primary goal of enriching the quality of life through improvements to the physical, economic, social, cultural, and/or ecological elements of community. 2 For a discussion regarding inner-city decline in large cities, see Michael Broadway, "Differences in Inner-city Deprivation: An Analysis of Seven Canadian Cities," Canadian

Research paper thumbnail of Planning for climate change adaptation: lessons learned from a community-based workshop

Environmental Science & Policy, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Learning with practitioners: climate change adaptation priorities in a Canadian community

Climatic Change, 2013

Adaptation is already a necessary response to climate change for northern communities. The City o... more Adaptation is already a necessary response to climate change for northern communities. The City of Prince George, in British Columbia, Canada, has been adjusting to impacts for years and there is a high level of local awareness of climate change. The purpose of this study was to collaborate with City staff and other organizations to undertake action-oriented research with the goal of creating a local adaptation strategy. Steps taken toward this goal included: producing downscaled climate scenarios; facilitating a workshop with local practitioners to prioritize impacts; gathering public feedback regarding impacts; and triangulating sources of information to determine community adaptation priorities. Changes to forests and increased flooding are the top local adaptation priorities, and impacts related to transportation, severe weather and water supply are high priorities. Other impacts, such as health effects and agricultural changes, are also important but did not rank highly using a risk framework focused on negative physical effects. Local impacts, actions the City is undertaking to address them and suggestions for implementing adaptation measures are summarized. The process of creating an adaptation strategy has proven highly valuable in Prince George and has precipitated further engagement and action. Due to the low profile of adaptation and limited resources in many communities, researchers and practitioners must capitalize on opportunities to incorporate adaptation into existing plans and processes. Lessons from the Prince George experience can be applied to other communities as they strive to effectively adapt to climate change.

Research paper thumbnail of Learning with practitioners: climate change adaptation priorities in a Canadian community

Climatic Change, 2013

Adaptation is already a necessary response to climate change for northern communities. The City o... more Adaptation is already a necessary response to climate change for northern communities. The City of Prince George, in British Columbia, Canada, has been adjusting to impacts for years and there is a high level of local awareness of climate change. The purpose of this study was to collaborate with City staff and other organizations to undertake action-oriented research with the goal of creating a local adaptation strategy. Steps taken toward this goal included: producing downscaled climate scenarios; facilitating a workshop with local practitioners to prioritize impacts; gathering public feedback regarding impacts; and triangulating sources of information to determine community adaptation priorities. Changes to forests and increased flooding are the top local adaptation priorities, and impacts related to transportation, severe weather and water supply are high priorities. Other impacts, such as health effects and agricultural changes, are also important but did not rank highly using a risk framework focused on negative physical effects. Local impacts, actions the City is undertaking to address them and suggestions for implementing adaptation measures are summarized. The process of creating an adaptation strategy has proven highly valuable in Prince George and has precipitated further engagement and action. Due to the low profile of adaptation and limited resources in many communities, researchers and practitioners must capitalize on opportunities to incorporate adaptation into existing plans and processes. Lessons from the Prince George experience can be applied to other communities as they strive to effectively adapt to climate change.

Research paper thumbnail of Incorporating climate change adaptation into local plans

Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, May 8, 2014

Local governments can encourage proactive action on climate change by incorporating adaptation me... more Local governments can encourage proactive action on climate change by incorporating adaptation measures into long-term planning documents. The authors undertook action-oriented, case study research by participating (as adaptation experts) in the process to create a sustainability and land use policy plan for the City of Prince George, Canada. A range of adaptation measures was incorporated into both documents. Factors enabling the incorporation of adaptation included a high level of local awareness, an existing adaptation strategy to draw upon and the flexible process used to create the plans. Challenges such as a lack of priority, limited policy direction and perceptions of climate change as solely an environmental challenge persist as barriers to incorporating adaptation into local plans, particularly in smaller centres.

Research paper thumbnail of Community-based sustainability in an export dependent resource economy: The British Columbian experiment to deliver sustainability in one province

Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 14794010408656806, Nov 7, 2008

Research paper thumbnail of The Revitalization of Downtown Prince George

BC STUDIES, 1999

A S A RESULT OF SHRINKING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONS and the degradation of physical form, the... more A S A RESULT OF SHRINKING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONS and the degradation of physical form, the majority of Canadian cities have embarked on some form of downtown revitalization. 1 Planners, merchants, and politicians seek to increase the vitality of downtowns for a number of reasons. Downtowns are thought to influence how tourists and other visitors, investors, and residents perceive the vitality of the city as a whole. Although comprising fully serviced, centrally located properties, they often contribute weakly to the municipal tax base due to declining property values. Their economic function decreases as they become increasingly dilapidated and tawdry, and they lose their ability to function as the cultural and social heart of the city. Most of the research on downtown revitalization has focused on large cities located along the southern Canadian border. In these cities, the dominant contributors to inner-city decline have been identified as industrial-and service-sector relocation, increased private automobile ownership, expansion of the transportation infrastructure, growth of the service sector, movement of senior levels of government out of the housing market, and lack of comprehensive regional planning. 2 The forms, functions, and urban development processes associated with Canada's largest cities are not, however, the same as those in the country's smaller, more northerly cities. 1 Downtown revitalization is defined as the purposeful process of redeveloping the central business district with the primary goal of enriching the quality of life through improvements to the physical, economic, social, cultural, and/or ecological elements of community. 2 For a discussion regarding inner-city decline in large cities, see Michael Broadway, "Differences in Inner-city Deprivation: An Analysis of Seven Canadian Cities," Canadian

Research paper thumbnail of Planning for climate change adaptation: lessons learned from a community-based workshop

Environmental Science & Policy, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Learning with practitioners: climate change adaptation priorities in a Canadian community

Climatic Change, 2013

Adaptation is already a necessary response to climate change for northern communities. The City o... more Adaptation is already a necessary response to climate change for northern communities. The City of Prince George, in British Columbia, Canada, has been adjusting to impacts for years and there is a high level of local awareness of climate change. The purpose of this study was to collaborate with City staff and other organizations to undertake action-oriented research with the goal of creating a local adaptation strategy. Steps taken toward this goal included: producing downscaled climate scenarios; facilitating a workshop with local practitioners to prioritize impacts; gathering public feedback regarding impacts; and triangulating sources of information to determine community adaptation priorities. Changes to forests and increased flooding are the top local adaptation priorities, and impacts related to transportation, severe weather and water supply are high priorities. Other impacts, such as health effects and agricultural changes, are also important but did not rank highly using a risk framework focused on negative physical effects. Local impacts, actions the City is undertaking to address them and suggestions for implementing adaptation measures are summarized. The process of creating an adaptation strategy has proven highly valuable in Prince George and has precipitated further engagement and action. Due to the low profile of adaptation and limited resources in many communities, researchers and practitioners must capitalize on opportunities to incorporate adaptation into existing plans and processes. Lessons from the Prince George experience can be applied to other communities as they strive to effectively adapt to climate change.

Research paper thumbnail of Learning with practitioners: climate change adaptation priorities in a Canadian community

Climatic Change, 2013

Adaptation is already a necessary response to climate change for northern communities. The City o... more Adaptation is already a necessary response to climate change for northern communities. The City of Prince George, in British Columbia, Canada, has been adjusting to impacts for years and there is a high level of local awareness of climate change. The purpose of this study was to collaborate with City staff and other organizations to undertake action-oriented research with the goal of creating a local adaptation strategy. Steps taken toward this goal included: producing downscaled climate scenarios; facilitating a workshop with local practitioners to prioritize impacts; gathering public feedback regarding impacts; and triangulating sources of information to determine community adaptation priorities. Changes to forests and increased flooding are the top local adaptation priorities, and impacts related to transportation, severe weather and water supply are high priorities. Other impacts, such as health effects and agricultural changes, are also important but did not rank highly using a risk framework focused on negative physical effects. Local impacts, actions the City is undertaking to address them and suggestions for implementing adaptation measures are summarized. The process of creating an adaptation strategy has proven highly valuable in Prince George and has precipitated further engagement and action. Due to the low profile of adaptation and limited resources in many communities, researchers and practitioners must capitalize on opportunities to incorporate adaptation into existing plans and processes. Lessons from the Prince George experience can be applied to other communities as they strive to effectively adapt to climate change.

Research paper thumbnail of Incorporating climate change adaptation into local plans

Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, May 8, 2014

Local governments can encourage proactive action on climate change by incorporating adaptation me... more Local governments can encourage proactive action on climate change by incorporating adaptation measures into long-term planning documents. The authors undertook action-oriented, case study research by participating (as adaptation experts) in the process to create a sustainability and land use policy plan for the City of Prince George, Canada. A range of adaptation measures was incorporated into both documents. Factors enabling the incorporation of adaptation included a high level of local awareness, an existing adaptation strategy to draw upon and the flexible process used to create the plans. Challenges such as a lack of priority, limited policy direction and perceptions of climate change as solely an environmental challenge persist as barriers to incorporating adaptation into local plans, particularly in smaller centres.