Urban sprawl with the advent of automobile commuting has led to the loss of a “sense of place” and the decline of informal public gathering in the urban core of Windsor, Nova Scotia. Building an integrated sense of community is the thesis objective. An interactive relationship between the town’s history and landmarks, and elements such as edges, paths, and districts, is established in the physical form of a new downtown civic square located at the intersection of the traditional main street (Gerrish) and Grey Street. The civic square enables new, year-round civic activities including a library, market, art gallery, and skating rink, enhanced by informal gathering spaces. The square revives Windsor’s “sense of place,” providing an anchor of public space and activity for citizens a ten-minute walk from surrounding residential neighbourhoods, and offers the opportunity for informal meetings and the element of surprise within the journeys of daily life.

South Africa is faced with a situation where-by the general public has a negative perception of public transport. It is a fact that generally the lower income employees use public transport to get to work and back, whether it is buses, taxis, or trains. In the past, the combination of users and misinformed planning philosophies led to interchanges/ranks that were un-user friendly, and uninviting. However, the South African government has embarked upon a campaign to make public transport the heartbeat of the South African economy, and to improve the general public perception. Along with the hosting of the 2010 Soccer World Cup, the country finds itself under pressure to implement a safe, efficient, and user-friendly public transport system. This dissertation investigates means and principles of designing functional interchanges that incorporate civic activity and participation. Beyond Function seeks to recapture the social dimension of transport interchanges since; these are the converging or meeting spaces and gateways into the cities, there exists a need to be celebrated. The philosophical orientation is towards commuter convenient facilities, thus heightening the spirit of travel. / Dissertation (MArch (Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Architecture / unrestricted