Architecture Commons^™

Analyzing Lynch’S City Imageability In The Digital Age, Mahbubur Meenar, Nader Afzalan, Amir Hajrasouliha

Amir Hajrasouliha

Prof. Vibhuti Patel Safe Cities And Gender Budgeting Peoples Reporter Vol. 28 No. 15 2015, Professor Vibhuti Patel

Professor Vibhuti Patel

Abstract Urbanisation often goes hand in hand with a rise in urban violence and crime that manifests in terms of street harassment of women and girls, stalking, sexual violence, blackmailing and extortion rackets. Children and women are seen as soft spots who can be victimized by predators. One such incident in the city is enough and the feeling of insecurity is spread like wild fire. It not only frightens girls and women, it controls every act they consider doing then onwards (UN Women, 2015). Smart cities have to be Safe cities. Town planners, policy makers and budget experts need to …

Negotiating Work And Family: Lifestyle Migration, Potential Selves And The Role Of Second Homes As Potential Spaces, Brian Hoey

Brian A. Hoey, Ph.D.

This article is based on ethnographic research conducted in the USA with migrants who use an act of relocation as a means of deliberately constructing identity as well as seeking greater ‘balance’ and ‘control’ in their lives. Specifically, it examines how ‘second’ homes can serve as a transitional or ‘potential space’ in the lives of these migrants not only between different geographic places but also what are taken to be distinct identities and ideals associated with these places and the lives lived in them. Such behaviour is not simply about coping and adapting to a new environment; rather, it is …

The Functional Compatibility Of An Outdoor Campus Environment And User’S Sense Of Restoration, Zahra Zamani

Zahra Zamani

Restorative environments reduce stress levels, promote positive moods, enhance recovery, and increase attention spans (Berto, 2005; Hartig, Mang, & Evans, 1991; Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989; Ulrich, 1993). A particular characteristic of a restorative environment associates with its degree of compatibility in which the physical environment fits the individual’s preferences functions (Kaplan, 1995). Read more...

"Toxic" Workplaces: The Negative Interface Between The Physical And Social Environments, Linda Too, Michael Harvey

Linda Too

Toxic real estate has been used as a negative phrase to describe non-performing assets on a firm's balance sheet. Today there is another form of "TOXIC" real estate that needs management's attention, i.e. physical workplaces that are harmful to employees on a day-in and day-out basis. Particularly when productivity of workforce is now central to business competitiveness, it is timely to explore the interface between physical and social environments as many of the social/psychological impacts on employees have not been recognized or calibrated. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the links between physical workplace and social behaviour.

The Cognitive Play Behavior Affordances Of Natural And Manufactured Elements Within Outdoor Preschool Settings, Zahra Zamani, Robin Moore

Zahra Zamani

Considering the significance of natural environments for children’s mental and physical development, outdoor preschool settings can be critical resources in providing chances for daily contact with nature. Based on Gibson, affordances are functional properties of the environment that suggest specific behavioral options to individuals. Through the application of affordance theory, this study aimed to explore how the physical environment features of two outdoor learning environments composed of a variety of manufactured and natural settings, can afford cognitive play behavior of children. Additionally, the research intended to extend knowledge relating to the association of naturally designed outdoor preschool settings and children’s …

Pathway To Change: A Jail Labyrinth Project, Donna M. Zucker Rn, Phd, Faan

Donna M. Zucker

This video is a documentary of a labyrinth building project at a county jail.

British Civic Architecture In The United States Of The Ionian Islands, Nicholas Patricios

Nicholas Patricios

On 5th November 1815 the United States of the Ionian Islands was established under British protection through signature of the Treaty of Paris. British Residents were subsequently stationed on each of the seven Ionian Islands off the west coast of Greece as governors of each Island. During the Protectorate period, 1815-1864, the Residents carried out numerous public works from public buildings and structures to roads and harbors. The most prolific Resident was Charles Napier in Kefalonia. The civic architectural style of the public buildings and structures designed by British architects and engineers was inevitably Neo-Classical, ironically a new style for …

The Application Of British Neoclassical Design Principles: The Greek Island Of Kefalonia, Nicholas Patricios

Nicholas Patricios

A fascinating example of taking available designs and then engaging in the act of designing new designs is the application of the British Neoclassical architectural style to new buildings in the Ionian Islands off the west coast of Greece. This occurred when Britain occupied these Islands in 1809 which then received independent status in 1815 under the British crown. It is ironical that the country that created classical architecture had neoclassical architecture introduced from the outside. The largest of the Ionian Islands, Kefalonia, provides an insightful case of the application of British neoclassical design principles to new civic buildings and …

The Fall Of The 1977 Phillies: How A Baseball Team's Collapse Sank A City's Spirit, Mitchell J. Nathanson

Mitchell J Nathanson

Too often, the Philadelphia sports fan has been dismissed as a lout, a boorish dolt immune to reason, his vocabulary whittled down to a singular “boo.” This is particularly true when it comes to Phillies fans, who are more likely to turn on their team than any other in the city. Although the Eagles, Sixers and Flyers may hear it from the rafters when they’re not going well, only the Phils will hear it when they are. The strained relationship between the city and the Phillies, however, has deep historical and sociological roots; roots that directly correlate with the city’s …

The Re-Emergence Of Traditional Architecture In Greece: Kefalonia And Ithaka, Nicholas Patricios

Nicholas Patricios

The interest in antiquities in Greece began after the conclusion of the revolution that led to independence of the country in 1832. A brief history of the legislation to protect the country’s architectural heritage is traced up to the historic landmark law of 2002 that defined the concept of cultural heritage and the re-organization of government departments to achieve the law’s objectives. Beginning in the 1920s and parallel with the protection of antiquities a movement to preserve Greek vernacular architecture was undertaken that was recognized in the landmark law of 1978. The application of the laws of protection and preservation …

Pre-Disaster Planning And Mitigation And Its Impact On Comprehensive Emergency Management And The Nation: Pre-Disaster Mitigation (Pdm) Program And The Population Protected, Thomas Lyons Carr Iii

Thomas Lyons (Thom) Carr III Appl.Sc., CEM

A Project for a Professional Degree submitted to The Faculty of School of Engineering and Applied Science of The George Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Applied Scientist of Engineering Management May 21, 2006

On October 10, 2000, The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000 or DMA 2K) (Public Law 106-390) was enacted, amending the Robert T. Stafford Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and established new requirements for the national for hazard mitigation planning. States, Tribes, territories, and local governments now must have an approved mitigation plan in place prior to receiving certain …

Homeland Security: Engaging The Frontlines - Symposium Proceedings, George H. Baker, Cheryl J. Elliott

George H Baker

The rise of the American homeland security endeavor under the leadership of the new Department of Homeland Security has been heralded by several major national strategy documents. These documents have served to organize efforts at top levels within the government and industry. However, the national strategy guidance is not getting to many organizations and people at the grass-roots level who can make the most difference in preventing attacks, protecting systems, and recovering from catastrophic events, viz. the general citizenry, private infrastructure owners, and local governments. To better understand grass-roots issues and solutions, James Madison University, in cooperation with the Federal …

Citizen Based Public Health Surveillance, Monitoring And Post-Event Assessments, Thomas Lyons Carr Iii

Thomas Lyons (Thom) Carr III Appl.Sc., CEM

When a sudden on-set emergency or disaster affects a region or the whole country, communities and neighborhoods should plan for the possibility that emergency and other civic services will be disrupted and unavailable (District of Columbia 2003a, 2003b, 2004; Doyle 2004; Siskiyou County Public Health/NorCalBT.com 2004). The event may be severe enough that the routine public health surveillance and monitoring system will be disrupted or the system will not be able to provide data quickly enough to support state and local decisionmaking. A temporary post-disaster system should be planned for and implemented. The epidemiologist supporting the local decision makers must …

Odysseus And Ithaka, Nicholas Patricios

Nicholas Patricios

The website poses the questions why go to Ithaka with a notable response. The Greek text from Homer's the Iliad and Odyssey with a parallel English translation that refer to specific places on Ithaka is accompanied by a contemporary photograph of the place mentioned by Homer.

Phineas Paist And The Architecture Of Coral Gables, Florida, Nicholas Patricios

Nicholas Patricios

Coral Gables in South Florida is lauded as one of America's finest early 20th century planned developments. It was the vision of George Merrick, the city's founder and master builder, to create a completely planned development. The architect Phineas Paist (1875-1937) played a major role in realizing Merrick's dream for Coral Gables as "colorist," "supervisor," and "designer." To better understand Paist’s ideas, his architecture, and his contribution to the architecture of Coral Gables it is necessary to examine his education and experiences during his formative years prior to his arrival in Coral Gables.

The Neighborhood Concept: A Retrospective Of Physical Design And Social Interaction, Nicholas Patricios

Nicholas Patricios

In 1929 the neighborhood concept was published separately in two forms. First was the neighborhood idea of Clarence Stein and Henry Wright, exemplified in their plan for Radburn. Second was the Neighborhood Unit idea of Clarence Perry. Since then, for the past seven decades, the concept has been applied and adapted internationally. Over this period the concepts original principles of neighborhood physical design, in both its forms, have varied with little controversy. What has been and is still an issue is the nature of the relationship between the neighborhood's physical arrangement and the social interaction among its residents. The conceptual …

Urban Design Principles Of The Original Neighborhood Concepts, Nicholas Patricios

Nicholas Patricios

The neighbourhood concept is arguably one of the major planning landmarks that shaped the urban form of the twentieth century city in many countries. Coincidently, both the neighbourhood idea of Clarence Stein and Henry Wright, exemplified in their plan for Radburn, and the Neighbourhood Unit idea of Clarence Perry were published in 1929. The urban design principles of Stein and Wright included the idea of a superblock of residential units grouped around a central green, the separation of vehicles and pedestrians, and a road hierarchy with culs-de-sac for local access roads. A cluster of superblocks was to form a self-contained …

Kefallinia: The Imperial Legacy Of Britain's Greek Empire, Nicholas Patricios

Nicholas Patricios

Kefallinía is the largest of the seven Ionian Islands off the west coast of Greece. These Islands were for over five decades in the first half of the nineteenth century an independent state under British protection and known as the United States of the Ionian Islands. British imperial legacy in Kefallinía included an island road network that forms the basis of transport today, lighthouses, bridges, a quay, a customs house, courts of justice, a prison, a hospital, and public squares. Three men were responsible for the remarkable physical transformation of Kefallinía in the form of major civic projects and public …

Downtown Miami: The Old And The New, Nicholas Patricios

Nicholas Patricios

An architectural tour of the significant historic and modern buildings in downtown Miami organized for the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Society of Architectural Historians, June, 2000.

International Style Diaspora: Le Corbusier's Le Groupe Transvaal, Nicholas Patricios

Nicholas Patricios

The philosophy and ideas of modern architecture, labeled the international style that originated in Europe were dispersed widely around the world. The theme in this paper is the transmission of the principles of modern architecture from Western Europe to one place, the tip of Africa. The new views were introduced into South Africa as early as 1925 and were continually applied until the early 1940s when local interpretation of these new views of architecture became apparent. Although Walter Gropius and Mies van de Rohe influenced the architects designing South African buildings during the 1930s and early 1940s, Le Corbusier held …

The Architecture Of Argostoli: A Venetian Colonial New Town, Nicholas Patricios

Nicholas Patricios

Argostóli, a Venetian new town on the Ionian Island of Kefallinía, provides an example of how architecture is shaped by cultural factors. Relevant factors in the context of the Venetian occupation of Kefallinía are the political, economic, social, and ecclesiastical ones. From 1500until 1797, Kefallinía and the other Ionian Islands remained a Venetian colony. During these three centuries the Islands formed the boundary between the eastern and western worlds. While most of Greece fell under Turkish rule, the Ionian Islands were exposed to western culture through Venice. Argostóli became the new capital in 1757. The new colonial capital had no …

Rating-Scale Methodology For Environmental Designers, Nicholas Patricios

Nicholas Patricios

There are many methods and techniques available to environmental designers to obtain and use information on spatial behavior, attitudes, preferences, opinions, and so on. Among them are rating-scale techniques. This paper discusses these from a particular theoretical orientation and covers the utility, concept, and an evaluation of rating scales. Three case studies are described to illustrate the application and usefulness of the graphic rating-scale technique to environmental designers.

An Agentive Perspective Of Urban Planning, Nicholas Patricios

Nicholas Patricios

An agentive model of person-environment relations is proposed based on environmental behavior research. The agentive process consists of three stages: awareness of information in the phenomenal environment; perception and cognition - construal - of the environmental information; and action in the behavioral environment. The agentive model of urban planning brings together theory and practice and would assist efforts to resolve conflicts and achieve consensus in urban planning transactions.

An Agentive Model Of Person-Environment Relations, Nicholas Patricios

Nicholas Patricios

Three fundamentally different positions regarding the conceptualization of person‐environment relations are briefly discussed. An argument is made for the transactional‐constructivist position which regards the nature of what we take to be the environment as that which is only apprehended through the minds and actions of persons. The transformational process of this view of person‐environment relations, that of environmental knowing‐action, is elaborated upon in some detail. The transactional‐constructivist position, however, is transformed into an agentive one by adopting from the three basic images of persons that have been identified that of a person as agent. Consequently in the agentive process of …

The Conceptual Determinants Of Two Archetypal City Forms, Nicholas Patricios

Nicholas Patricios

The two urban spatial forms analyzed from a cosmological point of view are the circular and the orthogonal. The circular symbolism of the Near Eastern cities is considered first followed by the Plato's theoretical city of Atlantis and then the ideal cities of the Renaissance architects. Circular cities of the 19th century, those of the Utopian Socialists, had in contrast an ideological basis. In addition to the practical basis for the orthogonal layout conceptual influences are evident in the grid cities of the ancient Greeks, in the Spanish Laws of the Indies, and those cities designed later to express the …