Bridging Diversities

Master thesis (2018)

Authors

M. Behpour Architecture and the Built Environment

Contributors

Maurice Harteveld (supervisor 1)
A. Romein (supervisor 1)
Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment
Copyright: © 2018 Maryam Behpour
Social interaction Diversity Public space design Social space
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Published Date

17-04-2018

Language

English

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Faculty

Architecture and the Built Environment

Abstract

Bridging diversities is a research and design project about the correlation of social and spatial diversities in an urban public space: The Rembrandt park in Amsterdam. This project brings together the physical diversity of the park with the diversity of its users and questions the compatibility of both.

The topic of diversities and in particular, socio-cultural diversities, is one of the main debates going on in today’s societies. Being a multicultural city, Amsterdam has always been dealing with social issues related to cultural diversities. Besides the presence of different characteristics, public space itself is also presented in different forms, each with its different symbolic meanings.
Within this context and focusing on the socio-spatial perspective of urban public space, this thesis looks at the question of ‘How can urban planning and design enhance the socio-spatial affordance of public space in relation to users with diverse backgrounds and expectations?’

By applying experimental and participatory methods, this study illustrates the potential of valid methodologies in further examining people’s perception and use of public space and putting such knowledge into designing diverse interactive social spaces.The result of this study, except for the design clues dedicated to the design site, is aimed to provide a helpful insight into the live debate about socio-spatial diversities in public spaces of a diverse city like Amsterdam.