Architecture Commons^™

Shanghai Made: The Trade Off Between Global Transformation And Social Equity In A Chinese City., Nikhil Amar Inalsingh

Senior Projects Spring 2018

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Renewal Of A Housing District From The Sixties In Budapest, János Gyergyák, Erzsébet Szeréna Zoltán, Bence Gál, Anett Gál-Mózes

UBT International Conference

At the time of its construction the housing estate József Attila (1956-1963) in Budapest was a sample project (installation, interior spaces, new structures and materials) which has been obsoleted in the last 50 years. After winning the architectural and urban competition using open-minded architectural thinking that can make the housing estate a new role model again - increasing existing values and give new ones, the paper presents the principles of design which could be standard for neighborhoods of similar history.

Renewing Spokane: A Study Of Motivating Forces Behind Downtown Revitalization Projects, Kara K. Mowery

All Master's Theses

This study examines the motivating forces behind downtown urban renewal projects through qualitative interview research. Using Spokane, Washington, as a case study, interviews were conducted with key players in downtown revitalization, including public administrators, private developers, and non-profit representatives. While neoliberal theory indicates that economic return serves as the primary motivation for investment, interview questions were designed to uncover whether additional motivating factors stimulate renewal work. Results indicate that those conducting renewal projects are primarily motivated by economics, but additionally cite heritage preservation values and community development as significant factors. Moreover, contemporary renewal projects are found to be small-scale endeavors, …

Adaptive Reuse Of Traditional Chinese Shophouses In Government-Led Urban Renewal Projects In Hong Kong, Esther Yung, Craig Langston, Edwin Chan

Craig Langston

Conservationists and government authorities acknowledge that adaptive reuse of historic buildings contributes to urban sustainability. Traditional Chinese shophouses are a major historic building typology found in the old districts of Asian cities. In Hong Kong, the few remaining shophouses are generally deteriorating and are increasingly under threat of demolition for urban renewal. However, adaptive reuse of these buildings has created many social concerns. In light of these concerns, evaluating adaptive reuse potential needs to incorporate a much broader sustainability framework than simply physical building conditions. This study examines the extent to which obsolescence, heritage value and redevelopment pressures have affected …

Community Recentered, Elizabeth Arens

Architecture Senior Theses

Chicago, Illinois is a large city comprised of small neighborhoods. The City of Chicago is made up of 77 “Community Areas.” Many diverse neighborhoods are within each community area. Each neighborhood has its own identity that revolves around the churches, schools and community centers that serve the neighborhood. In each of these educational institutions, learning also exists on a larger social and cultural scale that is reflective of the distinct qualities of the neighborhood. The idea of a learning institution as the center of a neighborhood is formed at the time children first begin school. Much of their intellectual and …

An Approach To Open Building Systems Building Product Information Retrieval, Josh Gurlitz

Architecture Master Theses

The efficient utilization of information about marketed building products is a requisite for open building systems. There exist, however, few rationalized methods of product information transfer. The methods available to most practitioners do not afford a large range of performance information with a high degree of access are presently beyond the economic reach of most practitioners.

The method proposed here utilizes an intermediate technological vehicle which allows efficient accessibility coupled with a cost factor which may enable its use by many practicing architects. This system is based upon the categorization of performance criteria and the subsequent selection of building products …

Urban Renewal In Syracuse: The Near East Side, Lester Fredrick Volker Ii

Architecture Master Theses

Syracuse has not escaped the problem of slums. Like and other city it is blighted, decayed areas which are encroaching upon sound neighborhoods. Many times this problem has gone unchecked mainly because no one has known how to handle it. This is not to say that people have not tried. Slums certainly are not something new-- ever since cities began there have been poorer, more deteriorating section compared with other parts of the city. From the start of cities until today attempts have been made to arrest the spread of this blight. Many times these attempts have failed because the …