Transitions and thresholds in the urban environment: Activating space and identifying place

Abstract

Personal transport and communication technology have contributed significantly to the erosion of quality urban space. Together they have weakened the relationships between people within neighbourhoods through their ability to connect people over short or long distances with limited public interaction. This isolated lifestyle has been reinforced by the sculptural forms of modern architecture deteriorating the connection between public and private space.

This project attempts to identify what defines an urban environment that provides a stimulating and memorable pedestrian experience; then, with that knowledge, analyse an existing urban environment and provide an architectural intervention that reinforces existing qualities while providing increased density and enhancing the sense of place and connection within the neighbourhood.

Clarity of transitions and thresholds define a more vivid environment, creating spaces and points of change in a journey, locating our position in relation to where we have come from and where we are going.