Below is a selection of reports and papers I have researched and written during my Master's studies at York University, and on projects with the City of Toronto Planning Department and the City of Philadelphia Planning Department.
Report #1:
URBAN NEIGHBOURHOOD REVITALIZATION:
PHILADELPHIA’S NEIGHBORHOOD TRANSFORMATION INITIATIVE
Abstract - Since 1950, Philadelphia has suffered from high levels of population and economic loss, and has struggled with the subsequent abandonment and deterioration of once viable commercial corridors and vibrant neighbourhoods.
Federal, state, and local policies that encouraged decentralization have left
Philadelphia at a disadvantage to its neighboring suburban counties in many
aspects; namely, housing and economic market growth, quality of life, and taxation.
Attracting development has been difficult because legislative and operational
barriers to acquiring vacant property and abandoned housing for redevelopment
have hampered neighbourhood revitalization efforts. A municipal program called
the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI) aims to improve Philadelphia
residents’ quality of life by eliminating blight in deteriorated neighbourhoods,
and stabilizing healthy neighbourhoods. NTI is also taking serious action towards
the way Philadelphia approaches neighbourhood revitalization by reorganizing
and consolidating the city’s three housing and community development agencies.
Philadelphia’s future as a prosperous city for commerce, with desirable
neighbourhoods to live in, will be significantly affected by its ability to
change the way it thinks and operates with regard to development.
This paper looks at how several decades of abandonment and blight have shaped
Philadelphia’s urban landscape and how it has affected the quality of
life and housing markets in Philadelphia’s neighbourhoods. There is a
detailed exploration of NTI’s investment strategy and proposed changes
to municipal operations. Barriers to redevelopment and how they have contributed
to the current large inventory of vacant properties are also investigated. Specific
focus is given to Lower North Philadelphia, where population and business loss
is well above the city’s average. A case study of the Brewerytown neighbourhood
– a designated NTI planning area in Lower North Philadelphia – is
examined, and other aspects of neighbourhood revitalization, not addressed within
NTI’s mandate, are proposed.
Download the complete 
Philadlephia_NTI_Report.pdf
Report #2:
TALL BUILDINGS: A SUMMARY OF STUDIES AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS FROM NORTH AMERICA AND EUROPE
Abstract - Tall buildings can be positive forms on a city landscape by encouraging urban intensification, encouraging economic growth, and creating internationally recognizable skylines.
This report reviews several studies and regulatory frameworks, with regard to
tall building design and policy, from various North American and European cities.
It outlines what these cities have identified as important issues to address
and summarizes the controls they have in place for tall building development.
This report is intended to act as a guide for Urban Development Services as
they form a set of guidelines that will regulate the physical form of tall buildings
in Toronto.
The cities studied are: Birmingham and London, England; Niagara Falls, Ontario;
Vancouver, British Columbia; Boston, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine; New York,
New York; Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Houston, Texas; Seattle,
Washington; and San Francisco, California.
This report is divided into categories that reflect the planning and design
aspects involved in the development of tall buildings. Those categories are:
General Policy Strategies; Building Height and Density; Building Massing and
Spacing; Shadowing and Wind Controls; Historical Sites and Landmark Buildings;
Skylines and Views; Bonusing; and Design Review.
Download the complete
Tall_Buildings_Report.pdf