INNER-CITY REVITALIZATION IN CANADA: A VANCOUVER CASE STUDY

The phenomenon of inner-city revitalization has recently stimulated attention in a number of advanced nations. The argument is extended to the Canadian city through a discussion of the housing market in Vancouver's inner neighbourhoods. The problem of the erosion of modestly priced accommodation in the inner city is emphasized, suggesting that present trends may reinstitute a zone of privilege adjacent to the downtown core, substantially modifying the residential morphology and land use models inherited from the industrial city. Le phénomène de la revivification de l' intérieur urbain, depuis peu, attire l'attention dans certains pays avancés. L'exposé en vient au case de la ville canadienne par une discussion du marché de l'habitation des quartiers centraux de Vancouver. Le problème de l'érosion du logement de prix abordable est mis en relief. Les tendances actuelles se mblent évoluer vers le rétablissement d'une zone privilégiée adjacente au centre ville, modifiant sensiblement la morphologie résidentielle et les modéles d'utilisation du sol hérités de la ville industrielle.     

RESEARCH,NARRATIVE, AND REPRESENTATION: A POSTNARRATIVE APPROACH

Narrativism or representationalism is founded on the idea that historical narratives and representations are 1) true and indivisible wholes, whereof 2) the truth needs to be maintained, although a narrativist or representationalist whole cannot be confirmed or disconfirmed, and wherein 3) the past is represented in a figurative sense. These fundamental aspects of narrativism have had a positive impact on historiography, but they are also the three reasons why narrativism has neglected historical research and argumentation. To remedy these problems postnarrativism has been evoked. It opts for presentation instead of representation, cutting through all the links between the past and the historiographical product. The product is not a narrative or a representation but a thesis, a proposal to see the past in a special way. The only element postnarrativism wants to retain of narrativism is colligation because it has an argumentative structure based on epistemic values. Postnarrativism leads to knowledge, built on the practice of warranted assertions instead of truth. My postnarrativism chooses a middle course between a strong narrativism and what I would like to call a “weak,” presentational postnarrativism. I agree with postnarrativists that more attention must be paid to argumentation and research. Moreover, I consider time a neglected issue in narrativism. Nevertheless, I don't want to give up the three above‐mentioned fundamental aspects of it. In my view the assumption of truth with regard to (figurative) representation needs to be maintained, but in a pragmatic, provisional form: a historical narrative or representation can be considered as true as long as it has not been replaced by a better one. Retaining truth and holism, but wanting more room for investigation and argumentation, requires that narrativism's role in historical research and history‐writing be revised. This implies the replacement of the usual research phase by a preparation phase, wherein, next to research, space must be reserved for so‐called writing activities. Preparation means the conversion of a germinal narrative or representation into an accomplished whole. Holism occurs in two representational forms: a narrative and a representation. In both forms, research concepts and the associated temporalities become visible under the surface of the narrativist or representational superstructure.     

GOVERNMENT AND THE CANADIAN URBAN SYSTEM: INCOME TAX,TRANSFER PAYMENTS,AND EMPLOYMENT

The impact of government on the Canadian urban system is explored using Revenue Canada data from personal income tax returns. Variations in taxes and in certain forms of government expenditure among urban places are linked with city size, economic base, per capita income, and rate of growth. It is found that many locations are heavily dependent on the public sector and that, overall, government programmes redistribute income toward smaller and less prosperous places. The most significant effect, however, is the stabilization of local economies by means of a large and relatively constant public sector. L'impact du gouvernement sur le système urbain canadien est étudié en utilisant des données de Revenu Canada qui proviennent des déclarations d'impǒt sur le revenu des particuliers. Les variations de taxes et de certains types de dépenses publiques parmi les régions urbaines sont associés avec les variables de taille urbaine, base économique, revenu per capita, et taux de croissance. Il est démontré que plusieurs régions sont fortement dépendantes du secteur public et que, globalement, les programmes gouvernementaux redistribuent le revenue vers les régions les plus petites et les moins prospères. Mais l'effet le plus significatif est celui de la stabilisation des économies locales par le biais d'un large et relativement constant secteur public.     

TECHNICAL CHANGE AND PROFITS IN CANADIAN MANUFACTURING: A REGIONAL ANALYSIS

Manufacturing profitability and growth declined sharply in Canada between 1955 and 1984. The spatial extent of this decline has not previously been documented. This article examines manufacturing performance in six regions of Canada. The analysis reveals significant interregional performance differences that appear to be increasing. Two different types of inter-firm competition are identified in the article: competition in production and competition in the market. Empirical investigation reveals that changes in production conditions had a greater impact on regional profitability in five of the six regions studied. In the remaining region, poor market performance was the primary cause of the reduction in profits after 1955.
Au Canada la rentabilité et la croissance industrielle ont profondément diminué entre les années 1955 et 1984. L'ampleur spatiale de cette baisse n'a jamais été docu-mentée. Cette étude examine le comportement et les performances de fabrication dans six régions canadien-nes. De considérables différences inter-régionales, qui semblent toujours s'accentuer sont mises en évidence. Dans cette recherche, deux genres de concurrence entre les societes son identifiés: la concurrence dans la production, et la concurrence dans le marché. L'analyse empi-rique montre que certains changements dans les conditions de production ont eu un effet considérable sur la rentabilité régionale pour cinq des six régions en question. En ce qui concerne la dernière région, la baisse des profits a partir de 1955 est dûe essentiellement à la mauvaise performance du marché.     

LANGUAGE POLICY AND THE POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF TERRITORY: A CANADIAN DILEMMA

Within the Official Languages Act of Canada, 1969, a territorial concept was incorporated to facilitate the extension of federal services in English and French and attend the spirit and purpose of the act. This was to be accomplished through the designation of bilingual districts. In spite of the recommendations of two commissions, however, no districts have been designated in Canada. Elements that have tended to prevent the application of this concept are therefore analysed, and an alternative form of application to accommodate the act is suggested. Lorsque l'Acte des Langues officielles du Canada fut formulé (1969), il y avait considérablement de confiance dans le concept du territoire bilingue, ce qui devait faciliter l'accroissement de service fédéral en anglais et en français. II était anticipé que l'essence ou l'esprit de l'acte serait réalisé par la désignation des districts bilingues. En dépit des recommendations de deux commissions aucun district n'a été designé. L'objet de la présente communication est d'analiser les éléments qui ont eu tendance à empêcher l'application du concept de tels districts et de suggérer une autre forme d'application de l'acte.     

LANGUAGE POLICY AND THE POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF TERRITORY: A CANADIAN DILEMMA

Within the Official Languages Act of Canada, 1969, a territorial concept was incorporated to facilitate the extension of federal services in English and French and attend the spirit and purpose of the act. This was to be accomplished through the designation of bilingual districts. In spite of the recommendations of two commissions, however, no districts have been designated in Canada. Elements that have tended to prevent the application of this concept are therefore analysed, and an alternative form of application to accommodate the act is suggested.
Lorsque l'Acte des Langues officielles du Canada fut formulé (1969), il y avait considérablement de confiance dans le concept du territoire bilingue, ce qui devait faciliter l'accroissement de service fédéral en anglais et en français. II était anticipé que l'essence ou l'esprit de l'acte serait réalisé par la désignation des districts bilingues. En dépit des recommendations de deux commissions aucun district n'a été designé. L'objet de la présente communication est d'analiser les éléments qui ont eu tendance à empêcher l'application du concept de tels districts et de suggérer une autre forme d'application de l'acte.     

A SIMPLIFICATION AND GENERALIZATION OF THE EXCLUSION THEOREM: A TECHNICAL NOTE

Several researchers have proven that for the integrated production-location problem on the Weberian triangle, intermediate points on the edge of the triangle can never be optimal locations. Authors of previous proofs of this result have used cumbersome trigonometric arguments. We present a much simpler algebraic proof of the result, and present it in terms of the more general n -input model, where the feasible location space is a convex polygon rather than a triangle. In addition, the result generalizes immediately to other cases, such as (1) multifacility production-location problems, (2) stochastic versions of one-facility and multifacility production-location problems, and (3) comparable pure location problems (e.g., the Weber problem).     

CANADIAN ENERGY FUTURES: POLICY SCENARIOS AND PUBLIC PREFERENCES

Alternative Canadian energy futures as articulated by forecasting agencies and as perceived by a sample of the Albertan public are examined. The use of environmental world views as a conceptual framework facilitates the analyses of both the energy scenarios and public perspectives in an analogous manner in order to establish areas of congruence and disagreement.
The results indicate that energy projections were consistent with the forecasting methodology selected, as well as the attitudes, values, and assumptions incorporated into the forecasting models. A relationship between environmental attitudes, energy preferences, and reasons expressed for those preferences was also found amongst the public sample.