The Role of Apartment Typology- and Public Space Configurations in Neighbourhood Liveability

Abstract

Urban residential areas characterised by low perceived safety, weak social cohesion, and fragmented public space often experience reduced neighbourhood liveability. This research focuses on the northern part of the Historicibuurt in Houtwijk, The Hague, where the existing apartment typologies and their adjacent public spaces contribute to limited visibility, ambiguous spatial boundaries, and insufficient opportunities for everyday social interaction. The central research question is: How could a redesign of the apartment typologies and their direct adjacent public space in Historicibuurt, The Hague, improve perceived safety and social cohesion, thereby enhancing neighbourhood liveability? The study adopts a research-by-design methodology. It combines literature reviews, spatial analysis, fieldwork, interviews, case study research, and design evaluation. The findings show that perceived safety, social interaction, and informal social control are strongly interrelated. In the current situation, blind façades, hidden corners, storage areas, unclear thresholds, and poorly overlooked routes weaken the residents’ sense of safety and reduce collective responsibility for shared spaces. Social cohesion is present in this area, but it remains fragmented and mainly limited to direct neighbours. The research concludes that (re)designs could enhance liveability by designing the relationship between housing and public space into an active, visible, and socially meaningful spatial structure. Key solutions include active ground floors, improved sightlines, collective entrances, communal gardens, soft transitions between public and private space, and shared amenities along daily routes. These strategies can strengthen natural surveillance, support informal encounters, and encourage residents to recognise, use, and care for shared spaces. In this way, the project demonstrates how architectural and urban design can contribute to a safer, more cohesive, and more liveable neighbourhood.