The urban architectural environment in modern day life places a variety of additional unnecessary stresses upon people which affects social interaction and well-being. This dissertation is aimed at developing an understanding of what social interaction and well-being is in architecture and how important it is to design architectural environments that enhance these two principles. The research investigates the benefits and design tools of a more appropriate approach to the built environment through the exploration of the theories of Biophilia, Image Of The City and New Urbanism. The theories seek to provide architects and the designers of the built environment with tools that can be used to create architectural environments that enhance social interaction and the well-being of building users. It further endeavours to highlight the destructive qualities that affect well-being and social interaction in the architectural environment on both a macro (city context) and a micro level (the building) to create an awareness in those responsible for the design of these environments and the impact they have on society. The designers of the built environment should consider the social and well-being needs of the people as this will convert architectural environments into spaces that have physical and physiological benefits to its users. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

Dichotomies are a way we simplify interconnected hierarchical complexities of race, class, ethnicity, gender and power plays in our society. The division between male and female has been the primary dichotomy I have focused on in this discussion. My argument is that dichotomies create a cyclical loop which reinforces social injustice between genders in societies cross culturally and across time. This cycle of gender division includes cultural, built and activity patterns. There is no single point of origin of these patterns, but rather a constant loop of reinforcement from one pattern to the other. What I am trying to do here is not judge or criticize these societies and their values; rather I am evaluating them comparatively with other societies based on the status of women. I have found these cultural, built and activity patterns by documenting examples that exist cross culturally and across time. In order to do this I had to set up some criteria for selecting my case studies. I have divided the examples into four categories: 1. Egalitarian subsistence societies having equal status for women with respect to men and other women in similar cultures. 2. Hierarchical societies having lower status of women with respect to men and other women in a similar culture. 3. 19th and 20th century case studies in urban societies having lower status of women with respect to men. 4. 19th and 20th century case studies in reforms and utopian proposals that aimed at making egalitarian societies with equal status among men and women. I found that the public/private cultural pattern was the most recurring pattern. It is present in egalitarian, hierarchical and 19th and 20th century Victorian society. This pattern exists cross-culturally and across time. In the egalitarian subsistence societies, dichotomies are not understood as a set of oppositions such as superior and inferior. Their belief in harmony and balance in nature emphasized equality, unlike the hierarchical societies. In hierarchical subsistence societies, dichotomies divided people by assigning them public or private roles. In 19th and 20th century Victorian society an ideal gentleman was supposed to have serious, dignified, chivalrous qualities and an ideal lady was supposed to be moral, beautiful, cheerful and elegant. This shows that the cultural patterns were enforced upon individuals and they had to act accordingly in the society. I also looked at the utopian solutions of making childcare, laundry, and food preparation community activities. These radical solutions were focused on improving the cultural, built and activity patterns simultaneously. I have evaluated these case studies comparatively based on the status of women. While it’s difficult to state a solution to accommodate the layers of gender segregation that exist within cultural, built and activity patterns, I don’t think proposing an overtly radical solution is the right direction either. I would strongly recommend more awareness of feminist education in architecture and engineering schools. There should be more incentives and scholarships for women in traditionally male dominated professions like architecture and engineering. Learning about these patterns of gender segregation in different societies is also a way to begin this cultural progress. / Historical case studies of gender segregated patterns in egalitarian subsistence societies -- Case studies of gender segregated patterns in hierarchichal subsistence societies -- 19th and 20th century case studies for gender segregated patterns in urban societies -- 19th and 20th century case studies in reforms and utopian proposals. / Department of Architecture

This thesis is an attempt to improve the economic problems of the homeless people, either scrappers or squatters living in abject poverty, in the shrinking city of Flint by trying to balance the social problems of the city. This balance in the social life will not be real unless there is a kind of resilience architecture that is able to adjust and be adjusted to that degradation in the social and economic conditions in the shrinking cities. The resilience architecture, from which the self built spirit may spur, may be the only way to give the poor their lost dignity.The specific research deals with the problem of shrinkage in the Rust Belt cities in the USA and the means of its improvement by readopting three terms: evolution, resilience, and alchemy from a social perspective. Suggesting a resilient architecture design project in the particular city of Flint, Michigan relies on the large number of the homeless people living in these devastated places.Shrinking cities, living a state of flux all time, are much more insecure and weighty. The potential profound role of the architecture profession to work with the poor societies, and assist them in the execution of their spiritual needs, relies upon some of the key questions: could architects be a reason in building a resistant community? What kind of architecture do we collectively want to combat the degradation of the world? The key question is: Will architecture able to activate this self built spirit, by reusing some of the leftover materials, in Flint? In this context, I will investigate the architects' ability to intervene by providing an implementation proposal designed to use the city materials. This intervention of the architect will be effective when the potentials of those homeless are empowered. Therefore, I suggest an initial idea for a particular design proposal titled `Scrap and Build; On Our Own Village' that could be used as a catalyst for self builders' spirit. The project is seeking a resilient new vision for the future of shrinking cities, which necessitates surpassing the barriers which exist in the real complexities in these cities' lives. / Department of Architecture

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 529-547). / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / xxvi, 547 leaves, bound in 2 v. ill., maps, plans 29 cm

Thesis (M.Arch.) - Carleton University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-83). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Canterbury, 2007. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 287-307).

Originally presented as the author's dissertation. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 271-286).

Originally presented as the author's dissertation. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 271-286).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Canterbury, 2007. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 287-307). Also available via the World Wide Web.

M.Tech. (Architectural Technology) / This dissertation is structured to mimic or represent my design project, which was developed in conjunction with theoretical readings and research. The aim is to provide a comprehensive representation of the project’s development from theoretical beginnings to architectural detail. This dissertation attempts to uncover, explore and understand the fragile relationship between man, nature and architecture, stemming from a deeply personal interest in the rehabilitation of political wastelands through ecological restoration. The aim of this study is to pursue a holistic design approach, which understands the architectural discipline as an interrelated profession in which buildings cannot be designed in isolation. Broken down into three main parts, this document illustrates the development of my theoretical and contextual interests into design. These papers are presented in their entirety of this document as Part A (starting point and research influence), Part B (process and discovery) and Part C which introduces a narrative program developed for the architectural discovery of K-206 (nestled within ‘jungle’ in Alexandra). A series of abstract drawings and model building experiments initially framed the investigation, allowing for chance, exploration and the unexpected, valuable experiments in the development of an architectural language and vocabulary which were refined over the course of the year