This thesis is about openness in the architecture. After traveling and experiencing many different cities in Europe, I was intrigued with open spaces in cities, which offer a stage for different public interactions. I discovered that all these public spaces are formed by the surrounding architecture. This made me wonder about how architecture, as it becomes more independent today, could express and embody this openness within itself. I picked up my site at the end of the King Street in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia, which is currently unappealing to the public. I decided to create a urban plaza for the waterfront in an architectural way by generating a pavilion, which will provide various kinds of information and satisfy needs to the visitors and public. The pavilion has several different services and lies in an area with flood issues. In response to these conditions, I made all the projects suspended between columns and assigned them different heights according to the context of the site and their own functions. The different levels of the projects generate vertical open spaces in order to let the surrounding environment flow seamlessly into the pavilion. The entire project has been organized under a glass structured roof with a central staircase that ascends from King Street to the Potomac River, which has all the accesses to each level. There is a designed channel in the middle bay, placed within the girder to direct rain back into the river. / Master of Architecture

My thesis is regarding the regeneration of identity and a sense of place on the unappealing nature of public open space, in terms of its urban context and architecture. A sense of place is related to the quality and character of making a place unique or special. It could be described as the established atmosphere or character of an individuals relationship with a place.  So a good sense of place becomes a place that people would like to be a part of and enhances a human's positive emotional attachment making people feel connected to a place. So creating a sense of place should be based on understanding the cultural identity, social activity, physical environment and heritage of a place. Shown on the left are two images captured from the movie "Lost in Translation"an American comedy-drama film directed and written by Sofia Coppola in 2003. The film revolves around an aging actor, Bob Harris, and a recent college graduate actress, Charlotte. These two Americans develop empathy after meeting by chance at their hotel bar in Tokyo. The movie explores themes of loneliness, insomnia, existential boredom and culture shock against the surroundings of a modern Japanese city. Both images from the movie show an unbalanced scale of the environment around the actor. These images reminded me of the first impression of disconnected or disappointed that I had of the atmosphere at the end of King Street in Alexandria, Virginia. The place was not comfortable to be in with its own character and the access to the water was hard to be sense visually. The first impression of this place still occupied my mind rather than any other attractive aspects within the area. This unpleasant experience arose from my own individual relationship with the place but later I figured out that it had already been seen as a public issue. These circumstances motivated me to think about how to regenerate a strong local sense of place in the area. The site of the project is an entire block from the Old Dominion Boat Club at the King Street Park to the Waterfront Park on Prince Street along the Potomac River in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia. The main access to the site is at the end of King Street. King Street has been the dominant connection to the water and the main corridor, carrying most of the entertainments in Old Town. Currently though, it lacks designated routes to the water at the end of the street. This project, an urban park pavilion, is composed of four different programs: the roof park, plaza, community performance Theater and boat taxi terminal which will be treated as equal value by a juxtaposed arrangement and interconnected street grids. My thesis will narrates how to develop a sense of place through the interaction of quality of architecture, infrastructure, cultural identities, social activities and the environment. / Master of Architecture

The need to steer economic development has always been great and as management model has the balanced scorecard has been popular since the mid- 1990s, mainly in the private sector but also in the municipal sector. The introduction of the balanced scorecard has been primarily to organizations to see more than economic dimensions. The Balanced Scorecard was originally a measurement system, and today it works more as a strategic instrument. In our study is a case study to evaluate a municipality and how they make use of the balanced scorecard as a tool for strategic and value-adding work in municipal activities. In the local business is it important that the organization adapts the balanced scorecard, so it fits on the basis that it is a politically driven organization, with mandates, committees and administrations. In our study, we used a qualitative method with a deductive approach. In the study, we have gathered information through a case study where we interviewed 7 people in leading positions. In our analysis and results section, we came to the conclusion that the municipality does not use the balanced scorecard correctly. We also found that the balanced scorecard as a tool for value creation and strategic planning does not work in a favorable way. In our study, we see difficulties with the implementation of the balanced scorecard. If the municipality has invested in implementing the balanced scorecard at all levels of the business so the municipality would be able to use it on one of the activities more adequately. When the municipality is a politically driven organization, it is important that vision alive and changing based on the conditions that reflect the outside world and the municipality in general. Looking at a vivid vision, goals and business ideas, it's balanced scorecard in line with how a balanced scorecard should look like. The municipality has a strategic plan in terms of staff and employees at large. In the study, we have seen that the strategic plan is not followed up in a good way and for the business favorably, the municipality chooses the easy way out for evaluation. Employee participation to changes and ongoing human resources management feels nonexistent. However, as has been the vision of creating empowered and motivated employees. In our conclusion, we describe how we in our study look at the use of the balanced scorecard in municipal operations. We can also discern that a balanced scorecard as a tool for value creation and strategic work is good if it is used properly. In the study, we have concluded that the municipality we have chosen to study should not use the balanced scorecard when you have not created the tools and platforms required for employees, civil servants and politicians to evaluate, monitor and create a living scorecard change over time. The study reveals major shortcomings in the implementation, evaluation and follow-up possibilities, and the consequence of this is that the balanced scorecard is not - 4 - preferable in municipal operations as a strategic instrument for value creation and long-term planning. / Behovet att styra den ekonomiska utvecklingen har alltid varit stort och som styrmodell har det balanserade styrkortet varit populärt sedan mitten av 1990- talet. Främst inom den privata sektorn men även inom den kommunala sektorn. Införandet av det balanserade styrkortet har främst varit för att organisationerna skall kunna se mer än de ekonomiska måtten. Det balanserade styrkortet var från början ett mätsystem och idag fungerar det mer som ett strategiskt instrument. I vår fallstudie utvärderar vi en kommun och hur de använder sig av det balanserade styrkortet som ett instrument för det strategiska och värdeskapande arbetet inom den kommunala verksamheten. Inom den kommunala verksamheten är det av vikt att organisationen anpassar det balanserade styrkortet så det passar in utifrån att den är en politiskt styrd organisation, med mandatperioder, nämnder och förvaltningar. I vår studie har vi använt oss av en kvalitativ metod med en deduktiv ansats. I studien har vi samlat in information genom en fallstudie där vi intervjuat 7 personer i ledande position. I vår analys och resultatdel kom vi fram till att kommunen inte använder sig av det balanserade styrkortet på rätt sätt. Vi kommer även fram till att det balanserade styrkortet som instrument för värdeskapande och strategiskplanering inte fungerar på ett gynnsamt sätt. I vår studie ser vi svårigheter med implementeringen av det balanserade styrkortet. Vi ser vidare att om kommunen satsat på att implementera det balanserade styrkortet på alla nivåer i verksamheten skulle kommunen kunna använda det på ett för verksamheten mer adekvat sätt. Då kommunen är en politiskt styrd organisation är det av vikt att visionen lever och förändras utifrån de förutsättningar som speglar omvärlden och kommunen i stort. Ser vi till en levande vision, mål och verksamhetsidéer är det balanserade styrkortet väl i linje med hur ett balanserat styrkort bör se ut. Kommunen har en strategiskplan när det gäller personal och medarbetare i stort. I studien har vi sett att den strategiska planen inte följs upp på ett bra och för verksamheten gynnsamt sätt, kommunen väljer den enkla vägen för utvärdering. Delaktigheten bland medarbetarna för förändringar och löpande personalpolitiska frågor känns obefintlig. Dock så har man visionen om att skapa delaktiga och motiverade medarbetare. - 5 - I vår slutsats beskriver vi hur vi i vår studie ser på användningen av det balanserade styrkortet inom kommunal verksamhet. Vi kan även skönja att ett balanserat styrkort som instrument för värdeskapande och strategiskt arbete är bra om det används på rätt sätt. I studien har vi kommit fram till att kommunen vi har valt att studera inte bör använda sig av balanserat styrkort då kommunen inte skapat verktygen och de plattformar som behövs för medarbetare, tjänstemän samt politiker för att utvärdera, följa upp och skapa ett levande styrkort som förändras över tid. Studien visar på stora brister i implementeringen, utvärdering och uppföljningsmöjligheter och följden av detta är att det balanserade styrkortet inte är att föredra inom kommunal verksamhet som ett strategiskt instrument för värdeskapande och långsiktigplanering.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka om mänskliga rättigheter, närmare bestämt jämställdhet, inkludering och icke-diskriminering, implementeras av svenska myndigheter på lokal nivå. Uppsatsen är en fallstudie som undersöker hur Jönköpings Kommun arbetar med frågor om mänskliga rättigheter för att ge en bild av arbetet och samarbetet mellan regering och myndighet. Studien genomfördes med hjälp av semi strukturerade intervjuer med fyra representanter från statliga och kommunala myndigheter i Jönköping där vi träffat individer som arbetar med dessa delar. Resultatet visar att det grundläggande arbete myndigheterna bedriver inom området mänskliga rättigheter och den genomgripande effekten av detta arbete, vilket framgår av alla myndigheter i vår studie. I slutsatsen dras det att det finns rättighetsbaserat arbete hos de myndigheter, vilket antyder en motiverande aktivitet gentemot offentliga verksamheters arbetsplatser och mänskliga rättigheter. Arbetet har påvisat en struktur och strategi som påbörjar internationellt och rör sig mot det nationella och slutligen kommunala. / The purpose of this study is to investigate whether human rights, more specifically equality, inclusion, and non-discrimination, are implemented by Swedish authorities at the local level. The essay is a case study that examines how Jönköping municipality works with issues of human rights in the local government authorities in Sweden in practice to give a picture of the work and cooperation between the government and the authority. We have used qualitative methods and had interviews with four representatives from state and municipal authorities in Jönköping where we have met individuals who work with these parts. In our results, we have drawn attention to the basic work the authorities carry out in the area of human rights and the pervasive effect of this work, which is evident in all the authorities in our study. We have been able to conclude that there is rights-based work in the authorities we have worked with, which is in line with the principles, laws, and regulations that the Swedish state has worked on together with the authorities.

Depuis le début des années 2000, la Commission européenne suivie par la Cour de Justice de l'Union européenne (CJUE), ont déterminé les exigences du droit de l'Union dans de nombreux domaines concernant l'organisation et le fonctionnement de l'action administrative en matière de services publics. L'interprétation des règles dictées par le Traité sur le fonctionnement de l'Union européenne, fixe les modalités de la gestion publique, qu'il s'agisse de la création des services d'utilité publique ; de leurs formes de gestion quelles soient structurelles ou conventionnelles ; des droits particuliers accompagnant leur bon fonctionnement ; ou encore de l'encadrement des aides publiques nécessaires à leur financement. Ces progressions qui devraient être normalisées par l'adoption d'une future directive, ont largement influencé la manière de concevoir, en France, la gestion des services publics autant que la participation publique dans l'économie. La recherche de l'optimisation du fonctionnement des services et de l'efficacité économique de l'opération, motive désormais le recours au procédé de la gestion déléguée. Source d'inspiration, le droit de l'Union et particulièrement le travail de la CJUE, contribuent à la réflexion sur l'enrichissement des mécanismes de gestion des services publics, qui disposent en outre, d'un cadre privilégié à l'échelon local. Pour autant, cette influence est réciproque. Renouvelée au travers du concept de « partenariat public- privé », la concession est envisagée comme un outil clef pour la relance économique de l'Europe, et demeure une référence en matière de montages contractuels complexes. / Since the beginning of 2000, The European Commission and the European Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), have determined the requirements of European Union Law in various areas relating to the organization and the functioning of the administrative action on public services matters. The interpretation of rules dictated by the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union is setting out the terms of the public management whether the creation of public utility, their forms of management , structural or contractual, special rights accompanying their proper functioning, or even the framework of public aid to finance it. These progressions which should be normalized by the adoption of a future directive have greatly influenced the way to perceive in France, the management of public services as much as the participation in the economy. The search for optimizing the functioning of the services and the economic efficiency of the operation is urging from now on to use the delegated management process. The European Union Law, source of inspiration, and more particularly the work of the CJEU, are contributing to a reflection on the enrichment of the mechanisms of the management of public services, which have furthermore a privileged frame locally. However, this influence is reciprocal. Renewed through the concept of “public-private partnership”, the concession is envisaged as a key tool for the recovery of the European Economy, and remains a reference on complex contractual arrangements.