Ensiyeh Ghavampour | Victoria University of Wellington (original) (raw)

Thesis Chapters by Ensiyeh Ghavampour

This thesis submitted to Victoria University of wellington and will be available form its website... more This thesis submitted to Victoria University of wellington and will be available form its website soon.

Papers by Ensiyeh Ghavampour

In city centres where public space is at a premium, checklists and images of design quality attri... more In city centres where public space is at a premium, checklists and images of design quality attributes generated from observations of successful public spaces are increasingly being utilised in designs of new or refurbished areas. This replication assumes the success and popularity of these elements will generalise to other locations. However, the accuracy and reliability of observations in using current methods of behaviour mapping can miss important details in the small and often crowded successful public spaces. Coding of time interval photographic records of public spaces in Geographic Information System (GIS) is introduced as a data collection methodology for mapping and analysing behaviour. The results indicate that actualised affordance is a function of the spatial configuration of design elements with respect to the number of users, the availability of choice, climate (sun and shade), and the enclosure and exposure of design elements within subspaces. Although design elements are selected for their potential affordance, actualised affordance is defined by the configuration within which elements are embedded in a specific location.

Across disciplines, the concept of sustainability is not a new view of nature but an integration... more Across disciplines, the concept of sustainability is not a new view of nature but an integration of past views. People have changed nature since they started raising crops, but with increased urbanisation, the changes people make and continue to make, are not like changes people experienced in the past. The increasing scale of global modification has given rise to issues of sustainability. There is need for an evolution of thought and practice from fragile models of environmental impact to a strong model of progress and balance in sustainable development.Sustainable development is seen as an unending process with a balance between the three main dimensions of environment, culture and economy, addressing present needs and the needs of the next generation. With on-going changes in physical, cultural and economic contexts, adaptability and flexibility are used to evaluate success.
In the design of small urban public spaces, an emphasis on the physical environment needs to take account of causality. Over time, the adaptability and flexibility of popular and successful public spaces ensures continuity of their contribution to social life. They are and should continue to be attractive to different people and changing lifestyles. However, modern thinking has led to their being viewed negatively in terms of their social role. This has led to attempts to define criteria for making sustainable public space. The model of place making argues that physical setting, conception or image of space and activity work together with sense of place, consequently linking the three components. This paper argues that these aspects need to be balanced using the approach of the strong model of sustainability to create sustainable public space. An urban design that substitutes each for the other assumes a weak model of sustainable public space. The comparison suggests a framework for sustaining public space, proposes a new representation for place theory and concludes with the suggestion small green urban spaces accord with the suggested model.
Keywords: Sustainability, Place making, Small public space, Adaptability, Nature

Porirua Place Making Project by Ensiyeh Ghavampour

This thesis submitted to Victoria University of wellington and will be available form its website... more This thesis submitted to Victoria University of wellington and will be available form its website soon.

In city centres where public space is at a premium, checklists and images of design quality attri... more In city centres where public space is at a premium, checklists and images of design quality attributes generated from observations of successful public spaces are increasingly being utilised in designs of new or refurbished areas. This replication assumes the success and popularity of these elements will generalise to other locations. However, the accuracy and reliability of observations in using current methods of behaviour mapping can miss important details in the small and often crowded successful public spaces. Coding of time interval photographic records of public spaces in Geographic Information System (GIS) is introduced as a data collection methodology for mapping and analysing behaviour. The results indicate that actualised affordance is a function of the spatial configuration of design elements with respect to the number of users, the availability of choice, climate (sun and shade), and the enclosure and exposure of design elements within subspaces. Although design elements are selected for their potential affordance, actualised affordance is defined by the configuration within which elements are embedded in a specific location.

Across disciplines, the concept of sustainability is not a new view of nature but an integration... more Across disciplines, the concept of sustainability is not a new view of nature but an integration of past views. People have changed nature since they started raising crops, but with increased urbanisation, the changes people make and continue to make, are not like changes people experienced in the past. The increasing scale of global modification has given rise to issues of sustainability. There is need for an evolution of thought and practice from fragile models of environmental impact to a strong model of progress and balance in sustainable development.Sustainable development is seen as an unending process with a balance between the three main dimensions of environment, culture and economy, addressing present needs and the needs of the next generation. With on-going changes in physical, cultural and economic contexts, adaptability and flexibility are used to evaluate success.
In the design of small urban public spaces, an emphasis on the physical environment needs to take account of causality. Over time, the adaptability and flexibility of popular and successful public spaces ensures continuity of their contribution to social life. They are and should continue to be attractive to different people and changing lifestyles. However, modern thinking has led to their being viewed negatively in terms of their social role. This has led to attempts to define criteria for making sustainable public space. The model of place making argues that physical setting, conception or image of space and activity work together with sense of place, consequently linking the three components. This paper argues that these aspects need to be balanced using the approach of the strong model of sustainability to create sustainable public space. An urban design that substitutes each for the other assumes a weak model of sustainable public space. The comparison suggests a framework for sustaining public space, proposes a new representation for place theory and concludes with the suggestion small green urban spaces accord with the suggested model.
Keywords: Sustainability, Place making, Small public space, Adaptability, Nature