This project involved the adaptive reuse of Maw Garage at 112 King Street. The building was transformed into an interpretive centre for Winnipeg’s Exchange District. As museums are faced with challenges of being relevant in today’s context, museum planners have started to shift their attention toward new approaches for the design of these environments. The purpose of this project was to investigate the evolving nature of the museum, and to determine how its role in society could be modified to better accommodate its audience’s needs. Society’s understanding of heritage in regard to the way we interpret, relate to, and connect with objects, each other, and environments has changed. A thorough review of literature resulted in a broad understanding of post-museum, constructivist learning, and public space theories. Combined with knowledge gained from the analysis of three precedents and programming, these theories enabled the development of a contemporary museum that challenges stereotypical ideas of the museum. This design proposal illustrates one possible way in which post-museum, constructivist learning, and public space theories could be used to design a new museum. Although the solution presented here is specific to Winnipeg’s Exchange District and the Heritage Winnipeg client, conceivably, the same theories could be used to design interpretive centres elsewhere in North America.

This project involved the adaptive reuse of Maw Garage at 112 King Street. The building was transformed into an interpretive centre for Winnipeg’s Exchange District. As museums are faced with challenges of being relevant in today’s context, museum planners have started to shift their attention toward new approaches for the design of these environments. The purpose of this project was to investigate the evolving nature of the museum, and to determine how its role in society could be modified to better accommodate its audience’s needs. Society’s understanding of heritage in regard to the way we interpret, relate to, and connect with objects, each other, and environments has changed. A thorough review of literature resulted in a broad understanding of post-museum, constructivist learning, and public space theories. Combined with knowledge gained from the analysis of three precedents and programming, these theories enabled the development of a contemporary museum that challenges stereotypical ideas of the museum. This design proposal illustrates one possible way in which post-museum, constructivist learning, and public space theories could be used to design a new museum. Although the solution presented here is specific to Winnipeg’s Exchange District and the Heritage Winnipeg client, conceivably, the same theories could be used to design interpretive centres elsewhere in North America.

Šiame darbe teorinį galios diskurso pagrindą sudaro keturi prancūzų tradicijos teoretikai – M. Foucault, P. Bourdieu, M. de Certeau ir J. Baudrillard. Remiantis jų darbais yra analizuojami skirtingi aspektai, kurie sudaro galios cirkuliacijos sistemą šiuolaikiniuose miestuose. Esminį vaidmenį šioje sistemoje vaidina galios tarpininkai, kurie leidžia galiai sklisti nepriklausomai nuo to, ar yra tiesioginis ryšys tarp galios šaltinio ir kasdienio veikėjo. Darbo tikslas yra apibrėžti, kas būdinga galios tarpininkams, kurie lemia galios santykius šiuolaikinių miestų viešosiose erdvėse. Tam, visų pirma buvo išanalizuoti svarbiausi aspektai iš M. Foucault disciplinuojančios galios, P. Bourdieu laukų teorijos, M. de Certeau kasdienio gyvenimo praktikų, J. Baurillard simuliacijų ir daiktų bei individų santykio koncepcijų. Remiantis teorinės analizės rezultatais, sudarytas galios cirkuliacijos modelis, atsižvelgiant į tai, kad jis turi būti pritaikomas empiriškai nagrinėti galios santykiams miestų viešosiose erdvėse. Empirinę darbo dalį sudarė dviejų etapų kokybinis tyrimas. Pirmame etape buvo taikoma fotodokumentacija ir užfiksuoto vaizdo analizė, kurios rezultatas – 732 fotografijos, o antrajame – atlikta 16 pusiau struktūruotų interviu. Medžiaga buvo renkama dviejuose miestuose – Berlyne ir Vilniuje. Tyrimo rezultatai atspindėjo išryškintus galios tarpininkų aspektus ir leido pamatyti, kaip jie atsispindi tikrovėje – dviejų skirtingų miestų viešosiose erdvėse. Teorinė analizė ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The theoretical groundwork of power discourse used in this paper is based on the works of four French authors: M. Foucault, P. Bourdieu, M. de Certeau and J. Baudrillard. The different aspects that these authors explore in their search for the meaning of power enable one to look at different aspects in a system of power relations: power itself, which emanates from a power source and reaches everyday agents by means of a power mediator. As the separation of the power source from the everyday agents that it strives to influence increases predominantly, the power mediator plays a crucial role, as it enables power to dissipate without direct contact between the two acting parts of the power equation. The aim of this paper is to define what characterizes the power mediators that influence power relations in contemporary urban public space. In order to achieve this aim, first of all the main theoretical aspects were analyzed from M. Foucault's concept of disciplinary power, P. Bourdieu's field theory, M. de Certeau's practice of everyday life and J. Baudrillard's simulations. A theoretical analysis of the aforementioned allows for constructing a model of power circulation in a form which may later be applied to further research power relations in urban public space. Qualitative research was conducted in two stages in Berlin and Vilnius. The first stage used photographic documentation as the primary method for data gathering. 732 photographs were made and analyzed. During the second... [to full text]

The issue of downtown revitalization has been much studied over the past several decades. However, much of the existing knowledge base pertains to our largest urban centres. This leaves a significant information gap with regards to mid-size cities. As a result, past renewal attempts in these cities have often been scaled down versions of what has worked in larger cities. In most cases, this has resulted in detrimental rather than reviving effects. The current trend in cities of all sizes is the implementation of Creative City Theory. This thesis seeks to study this trend and its specific relevance to the mid-size city. The scope of research will then build on the current theory by exploring the effects of well-designed public spaces and their ability to not only unleash the creative spirit but to revitalize the post-industrial mid-size city downtown. This information will then be applied to a design study for Hamilton, Ontario where failed renewal attempts have crippled the city’s downtown. The design will concentrate on Jackson Square (formerly known as Civic Square), a superblock within the very centre of downtown Hamilton. Through a redesign of Jackson Square, the thesis proposes to create a place that not only fosters creativity, but is once again meaningful and significant to Hamilton citizens. While the application of research to Hamilton is specific, the goal is to produce a body of work with principles that can be applied to any number of mid-size cities across the post-industrial world.

Urban public spaces have been considered an essential part of cities throughout history. Over the span of urban life, public spaces have continuously reflected the complexities of their cities’ cultural, social, and economic contexts. Public spaces play a particular role in the life of urban areas, whether as memorable, accessible, or meaningful places. However, recent researches on public spaces reveal that some are currently experiencing a decline in their physical design and in their use. Many writers and scholars of public spaces issues identify a general decline, for which the causes and prescriptions are different according to the context of urban planning and designing. Thus, in this period of change in using public spaces, it becomes important to evaluate and investigate actual use of contemporary public spaces, how and why they are used, particularly in terms of their physical deterioration and/or improvement. Therefore, an opportunity exists to reveal and understand the interrelationship between physical patterns of contemporary public spaces and people’s activity patterns within such spaces. This thesis relates to urban public spaces uses, particularly public squares, and to the relationship between their physical and activity patterns. It considers the design features of urban public space, focusing on people’s activities and various forms of use – from passive to active engagement to understand the activity-physical patterns relationship in a selected urban public space. It therefore asks: How do people’s activities relate to the physical patterns of an urban public space? And how are people’s activities affected and encouraged by urban public space’s physical features? In order to address these questions, this thesis employs a methodology that combines direct field observations, activity mapping and Geographical Information Systems (GIS), as applied to a selected public space in Toronto, Mel Lastman Square to reveal the activity patterns that appear to be correlated with particular use of design features within the square. Thus, the value of this thesis is in studying the relationship between the activities and the physical settings of urban public spaces through using a proposed methodology and exploring GIS as an analytical tool to describe the activity-patterns relationship. Analyzing this relationship will add insights into and complement the application of urban design theories and practice which could lead to further studies to improve the public spaces design and planning process.

How are homeless individuals, who have no access to private space yet still have the same needs of dwelling as the rest of us, regarded when they exercise their right to dwell? This question guided my research of Edmontons Tent City, which emerged during the summer of 2007. Interviews with twenty-two individuals, including with encampment residents, service providers, and state officials, informed a broader understanding of why the encampment emerged at the time that it did; how Edmontons public spaces accommodate the homeless; and, how Tent City shaped municipal and provincial policy on housing and homelessness. Homeless campers saw Tent City as home, while state management focused on excluding homeless campers from the downtown public space to restore order to the streets of Edmonton, as well as their positive public image. Tent City constituted a claim by homeless campers to occupy public space and be represented as part of the public but hitherto this has been met with increased strategies of dispersement and exclusion rather than with an expansion of citizenship rights. I argue that Tent City illuminates the states preoccupation with regulating the visibility of homeless individuals rather than focusing on the dwelling needs of homeless campers.

No description available.

Thesis (M.Arch.) - Carleton University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 92-94). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Geography, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 56-59).

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Alpa Nawre / Stephanie A. Rolley / In underprivileged communities in developing countries, water is essential for basic survival. Particularly for rural communities, water supports irrigation for agriculture and, hence, the livelihood of villagers. Based on a forecast by the Asian Development Bank, India is expected to reach a water deficit of 50% by 2030 (Dutta, 2017). Without awareness of conservation and efforts to conserve water resources and protect them from being polluted by industries and communities, rural Indian communities will continue to suffer from water mismanagement and the loss of potential long-term environmental, social, and economic benefits that water can bring to a community. Nonetheless, better water management is attainable in rural communities. Given the model Indian villages that have been transformed into sustainable communities by implementing and managing effective blue-green infrastructure through community participation, landscape architects are proven that they are capable of various roles in leading, initiating, and providing design and technical support for water infrastructure projects of different scales in rural India. Since stewardship and maintenance of these systems are critical for long-term effectiveness, the core idea of this design project is leveraging local efforts and community power to build and maintain functional water infrastructure as a better, more sustainable water management strategy. In this study, public space associated with water infrastructure is considered as a potential driver for local efforts to maintain the water management landscape when those public spaces are designed for inclusiveness and diversity. Thus, the project goal is to create or transform the public space associated with existing water infrastructure into an inclusive, productive community place that can generate environmental, social, and economic benefits, as a strategy for sustainable water management in rural India. Currently, the proposed water management landscape in this study is a diverse public space shared by community members of different ages, genders, classes, castes, and religions. The research methodology divides into three phases. The first phase addresses the general water issues and the cultural background of rural India through literature and preliminary site inventory using the GIS data provided by the Panchayat of Dhamori. The second phase presents the perceptions of villagers in Dhamori about using water and public space after collecting quantitative and qualitative data through site observation and participatory planning. By synthesizing and analyzing the knowledge generated from the participatory process on-site, the final phase interprets and addresses the emergent problems through developing a design framework for conceptual site design.