The phenomenon of urban identity escapes narrow definition. Its relevance to the interior design context arises as a tool for regeneration where it can assist to capitalize on the potential of particular places and social relations that distinguish one location from another. The city is a constant interplay of human actions. Small moments and rituals that take place with human activity give rise to the everyday interaction between people with one other and with their environment. It is specifically on this human scale that interior design offers the possibility to explore the physical manipulation of space and form to influence interaction. Circulation and interior elements become a means to promote socialisation across different cultural groups and generations. Social friction represents the traditional societal aspect when considering interaction. Here its importance is not diminished but is put on par with the tactile dimensions of the physical as well as the visual. The interrelatedness of the social, physical and visual elements is set against the emerging topic of neighbourhood regeneration. Identity is here considered to be part of the core essence of a sense of place and belonging, which ensures that the regeneration is driven by the local residents, both as individuals and collectively as a community. In the specific context of Sunnyside and Trevenna, which is an area that has undergone many demographic and physical changes, the possibility of a built space as a platform for different people to engage with one another and their surroundings is investigated. Such as intervention aims to instil a sense of ownership, to define the desired atmosphere and to provide a space where collective values for the shifting neighbourhood can be navigated. The design explores this relation between formal design and informal activities through the proposal of a new morphology in form of a public space and café on the ground floor, and a youth aftercare centre on the upper two floors that incorporates desirable aspects of the original structure’s functions. / Dissertation MInt(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Architecture / MInt(Prof) / Unrestricted

The study was designed to examine the attitudes of adolescents towards the tolerance of delinquent behavior. It was postulated that there would be a differential in the tolerance of delinquent behavior by juveniles from different age, gender, and racial groups. It was hypothesized that different groups would score higher or lower on select measures or dimensions (definition, reporting, controlling, preventing, correcting) of delinquency tolerance, and that their level of tolerance of delinquency might prove useful in explaining participation in delinquency. The focus of the study was on identification of differential attitudes of various subgroups towards the violations of norms relating to acceptable behavior by adolescents. Definition and reporting dimensions are crucial index of tolerance attitudes towards delinquency. The study design employed an in-school opinion survey. The total survey sample was 562 county school students from elementary, middle and high schools. Participation was voluntary. Parents had to provide consent slips in order for their children to participate. Teachers were given the option of having their class participate. As a result of these survey techniques, the sample was non-random. The characteristics of the sample population and county population for these age groups, however, were similar. The major hypothesis of the study was that there is differential tolerance of delinquency amongst juveniles of different race and gender groups. This hypothesis was confirmed. Important significant difference for gender (males were more tolerant of delinquency than females) and ethnicity (Asian were less tolerant of delinquency than blacks, whites or Hispanics) and Blacks were more tolerant of delinquency than are Whites. The significance of this research is its potential impact on theoretical explanations of delinquency. The implications of these results for revising existing theories of delinquency are discussed in the concluding chapter.