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PUBLICATIONS
Research Reports
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Friendly, A. & De Souza, F. F. (2021). The Statute of the Metropolis and Planning Reform in Brazil: Analyzing Land Use Planning Practices and Metropolitan Land Conflicts. Working Paper WP21AF1. Cambridge, MA: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
In 2015, Brazil enacted the Statute of the Metropolis to regulate the establishment of metropolitan areas and regional public policies throughout the country. This research comparatively analyzes land use planning practices in metropolitan areas before and after the enactment of the Statute. Based on historical institutionalism and legislative clustergrams, the research aims to understand whether the adoption of the Statute of the Metropolis has influenced or changed land use planning practices focusing on metropolitan land conflicts. The results of this study are expressed through two divergent processes. While Baixada Santista has years of experience with metropolitan governance, the promise that certain provisions of the Statute of the Metropolis might lead to greater technical advances, more consistent proposals for solutions to metropolitan land conflicts, and restrictions to the interests of the unbridled real estate market, was not fulfilled in this case. The analysis of municipal master plans in the metropolitan area of Baixada Santista before and after the Statute’s enactment demonstrates that post-2015 municipal master plans saw an increase in density, with more content, but almost the same metropolitan-related content as before 2015. By contrast, the metropolitan area of Vale do Rio Cuiabá has a very short history of metropolitan governance, yet over the past few years it has advanced considerably during the development of its metropolitan plan to incorporate the tenets of the Statute of the Metropolis. However, termination, in early 2019, of the metropolitan agency of Vale do Rio Cuiabá has made it hard to recognize whether its metropolitan plan will be folded into future municipal master plans. Despite the promise that 2015 would establish a legacy that favored a culture of planning in Brazil, critical decisions made later limited any possibility of positive feedback — or self-reinforcement — of metropolitan governance in the country, including federal legislation in 2018 altering the content of the Statute of the Metropolis and state actions weakening or terminating metropolitan agencies in 2019. These events signal the rise of a more neoliberal vision of a minimal state in Brazil, and the loss of many of the institutional and technical achievements in metropolitan areas since the 1990s. Beyond the promise of the Statute of the Metropolis, this research offers an analytical model for monitoring and assessment of future metropolitan efforts over time. It became clear, though, that the original scope and promise of the analytical framework require more time to be effective. More time is needed for more municipal master plans enacted after 2015 in different metropolitan areas to fully embrace the theory on historical institutionalism. However, this study serves as an alert for processes to come that variables sensitive to metropolitan planning may not be effective, or may not continue, due to various factors. The main goals of the research were to understand the limitations of implementing the Statute of the Metropolis, and to highlight possible outcomes in upcoming metropolitan planning processes in Brazil. |
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Friendly, A. (2017). Land Value Capture and Social Benefits: Toronto and São Paulo Compared. IMFG Papers on Municipal Finance and Governance 33.
To read the report, click here. This paper describes and compares land value capture (LVC) tools in São Paulo and Toronto. LVC refers to the public sector’s recovery of part or all of the land value increments or “windfalls” accruing to new development through taxes, fees, exactions, or improvements that benefit the wider community. In São Paulo, a tool known as the onerous grant of the right to build (OODC) allows developers to pay for development rights in exchange for providing urban improvements of social interest to the community. In Toronto, a tool known as Section 37 allows developers certain development rights in exchange for cash or in-kind contributions. The paper has three goals: (1) to evaluate the effectiveness of, challenges to, and benefits derived from land value capture for generating urban financing; (2) to explore where such funds are allocated and how these allocation decisions are made; and (3) to identify who benefits from such decisions. The paper uses quantitative data to determine the benefits derived from the tools and expert interviews that explore the political and historical background associated with the use of both tools. See an article in Novae Res Urbis that mentions this research. (Posted with permission of the publisher of NRU Publishing Inc. Original article first appeared in Novae Res Urbis - Toronto. Vol. 21, No. 28, Friday, July 14, 2017). |
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Friendly, A. (2016). National Urban Policy: A Roadmap for Canadian Cities. IMFG Perspectives 14.
To read the report, click here. Executive Summary: Over the past 50 years, interest in a national urban policy in Canada has waxed and waned. Although the 1960s represented a high water mark in terms of creating national institutions on urban issues, efforts to develop a national urban policy languished until the early 2000s. While national urban policy can mean different things, a useful distinction is made between explicit urban policies directed to cities and implicit policies that may significantly affect cities, but are not targeted at cities.The 21st century has seen a renewed interest internationally in national urban policies.This paper draws on the experience of countries that have explicitly pursued national urban policies to solve complex and interrelated urban challenges:
See an article in Novae Res Urbis that mentions this research. (Posted with permission of the publisher of NRU Publishing Inc. Original article first appeared in Novae Res Urbis - Toronto. Vol. 22, No. 46, Friday, November 23, 2017). |
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Friendly, A. (2016). Participatory Budgeting: The Practice and the Potential. IMFG Forum 6.
To read this report, click here. Overview: Participatory budgeting is a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of a public budget. The practice, which first emerged in Brazil, includes four steps: (1) residents brainstorm ideas about how the money should be spent; (2) budget delegates develop proposals based on the community’s initial ideas; (3) the community is invited to vote on their top projects; and (4) the government implements the winning projects. Since the height of participatory budgeting in Brazil in the late 1980s, the practice has expanded around the world and has been documented in about 1,500 cities. Several Canadian cities are experimenting with participatory budgeting. Two examples of participatory budgeting are explored here: Toronto Community Housing's use of participatory budgeting since 2001, which allows residents to play a role in decision-making; and the City of Toronto's participatory budgeting pilot program in three areas of Toronto (Ward 33, and two Neighbourhood Improvement Areas: Oakridge in Ward 35 and Rustic in Ward 12). Participatory budgeting: (1) broadens political participation; (2) strengthens relationships between government and the community; (3) functions as a school of democracy and citizenship; and (4) may improve budget literacy among city residents. At the same time, the process involves challenges, including the time required to participate and inequities in the process.This Forum paper describes participatory budgeting efforts in Toronto and elsewhere and notes: the importance of equity in participatory budgeting that engages marginalized communities and brings diverse interests to the table; that participatory budgeting is evolutionary and builds progressively over time; the issue of scale in building a solid foundation for participatory budgeting in Canadian cities; the role of city councillors in supporting the participatory budgeting process; and possibilities for improving the practice of participatory budgeting in Canadian cities, including opportunities for partnering with community organizations and the importance of a long-term vision. |
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Avila, M. & Friendly, A. (2015). Safe Cities Global Programme Evaluation. ActionAid International.
Executive summary: This report presents the findings of an external evaluation designed to assess the implementation of ActionAid’s Safe Cities Programme in four of the five countries that began as pilot countries in late 2011: Brazil, Cambodia, Ethiopia and Liberia, from inception to date (2011-2015). The scope of the evaluation, which was established by ActionAid’s International Women’s Rights Team in consultation with national country teams, covers the relevance, effectiveness, impact and sustainability of the programme in the four countries. The evaluation did not consider the programme’s efficiency in detail, but provides an initial assessment to inform ActionAid’s future efforts in evaluating this aspect of the programme.The evaluation took place from September 2015 to January 2016. The data collection process was primarily qualitative and emphasized the use of participatory methods of data collection. A total of 9 focus group discussions and 23 key informant interviews were conducted, involving 83 women and girls and 40 key informants in the four pilot countries. |
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Friendly, A. (2011). Urban Agriculture Strategic Plan. Toronto: Housing Services Corporation.
Summary: This report focuses building on and improving community-based solutions in social housing communities across Ontario. Given the need to address food security in the social housing sector, and the fact that ad hoc, community-based solutions are not enough, solutions need to be scaled-up to improve sustainable food systems in Ontario. The report outlines a plan for urban agriculture within Housing Services Corporation including the opportunities for social enterprises, what is needed to make an investment into the businesses, and how to connect to other initiatives already functioning across the province. |
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Friendly, A. (2008). Towards Food Security Policy for Canada’s Social Housing Sector. Ottawa: Canadian Policy Research Networks.
To read this report, click here. Abstract: Despite high levels of economic prosperity in Canada, food insecurity is increasingly being recognized as a crucial issue that lacks a coherent policy response at both federal and local levels. The concentration of low-income populations in social housing makes the problem especially acute for social housing residents and providers. The purpose of this report is to help develop food security policy, with a specific focus on social housing providers in Canadian cities. Using secondary sources, key informant interviews and case study primary research, this study focuses on developing a policy framework around the notion of community food security (CFS), an alternative approach for dealing with food insecurity that applies participatory community development strategies. Drawing on the literature on food security and CFS from a variety of disciplines, the study will review the overall Canadian policy context to assess Canada’s past and present performance on food security. Interviews and case studies, in particular, focus on three community food security initiatives in Toronto. The report concludes with CFS policy recommendations aimed at social housing providers in Canadian cities. |
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Friendly, A. (2007). Toronto Community Housing Community Gardening Manual. Toronto: Toronto Community Housing.
To read the community gardening manual, click here. To see the resource guide, click here. The community gardening manual and accompanying resource guide were created to help guide existing and new community garden projects within Toronto Community Housing. |
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Friendly, A. (2006). Social Production of Habitat and the Millennium Development Goals – A tool to raise community awareness on the indicators of the MDGs. Rio de Janeiro: UN-Habitat.
This toolkit was prepared to promote awareness among community organizations, NGOs and local governments on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) working on projects related to the social production of habitat. The tool also had the goal of stimulating debate on social production of habitat, urban development and housing.
This toolkit was prepared to promote awareness among community organizations, NGOs and local governments on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) working on projects related to the social production of habitat. The tool also had the goal of stimulating debate on social production of habitat, urban development and housing.
Friendly, A. (2004). Process and Criteria in Public Broadcasting Governance: Appointments to the CBC and CRTC. Toronto: Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.
To read this report, click here.
Using public sources, including biographical directories, media archives, government reports and legal statutes, this report examines a wide variety of characteristics, including political affiliation, gender, education, and experience, of the individuals who have been appointed to the CBC and CRTC during their histories.
The report begins by identifying the desirable characteristics of governing bodies that can be inferred from several decades of broadcasting legislation. Second, given those expectations, the report proposes a normative range of skills, experiences, and characteristics that appointees to the governing bodies might or should possess as a group. Third, the report surveys the more than 200 individuals who have served on the governing bodies of the CBC and CRTC and draws conclusions about how their skills, experiences, and characteristics compare to these normative standards. Finally, the report suggests that a new appointments procedure might better meet current legislative expectations
To read this report, click here.
Using public sources, including biographical directories, media archives, government reports and legal statutes, this report examines a wide variety of characteristics, including political affiliation, gender, education, and experience, of the individuals who have been appointed to the CBC and CRTC during their histories.
The report begins by identifying the desirable characteristics of governing bodies that can be inferred from several decades of broadcasting legislation. Second, given those expectations, the report proposes a normative range of skills, experiences, and characteristics that appointees to the governing bodies might or should possess as a group. Third, the report surveys the more than 200 individuals who have served on the governing bodies of the CBC and CRTC and draws conclusions about how their skills, experiences, and characteristics compare to these normative standards. Finally, the report suggests that a new appointments procedure might better meet current legislative expectations