Combatting social exclusion through public space design

Thesis

Changes in school architecture and design can improve educational outcomes (Sahlberg, 2011). Changes in hospital architecture and design can reduce patient violence in psychiatric wards (Ulrich et al., 2008). Can the design of public places help prevent social exclusion and promote social cohesion? This research compares public parks in the UK and the US. Near the turn of the 21st century, both countries had parallel political movements, similar design philosophies, and growing social polarisation. However, addressing social exclusion and cohesion were policy priorities in the UK, but not in the US. Textual analysis found that national political discourses influenced design recommendations for public parks in each country. Urban planners in the UK proposed design features aimed at preventing social exclusion. In eight case study parks, systematic observation suggests UK parks designed in this context attracted users more representative of the surrounding community than their correlate parks in the US. Where the design features were implemented, user interviews suggest they facilitated positive social interactions among park users. However, fieldwork revealed that implementation varied in both the UK and the US. Elite interviews underscore the role of park designers and urban planners as ‘street-level bureaucrats’ who influence how social policies come to fruition. The findings also suggest urban design can be a powerful tool in tackling social policy agendas.

Authors: Emanuel, G

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-yraz9oy7d
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford