A Sense of Belonging

UDM HOME RE:SEARCH HOME KNOWLEDGE HOME TITAN CONNECT

DSpace Home
→
University of Detroit Mercy Dissertation, Thesis, and Student Project Collections
→
Architecture Thesis Collection
→
View Item

A Sense of Belonging

Tomman, Taylor

URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10429/2452

Date: 2023-04-28

Abstract:

The purpose of this dissertation is to further understand the role campus culture plays in shaping the campus landscape. This thesis focuses on the relationship between sociology and the built environment of the University of Detroit Mercy. Examining the influence of campus culture within the institution we revealed a social disconnect within the campus community. This observation raised the question, "How can we encourage individuals to engage more with the campus landscape through design? What kinds of social spaces foster a stronger sense of belonging, and how do they embody the institution's core values?" These questions prompted an investigation using qualitative research approaches, including information from surveys, interviews, observational methods, and case studies. Beginning with a study of the institution’s history and development of its West McNichols campus, we uncover the evolution of the campus over the course of a near century through its culture and the built environment. In this intermediate space the presence of these two dimensions can further instill a sense of unity across the campus community that has slowly begun to fade in recent years. With a clear vision of the campus history, culture, and values, this thesis serves as a guide to developing a sustainable master plan that will aid in fostering a sense of unity through the spatial quality of the campus landscape.

Description:

College is a place where many gain intellectual and personal growth. It becomes more than a classroom, but a home away from home, a workspace, and a social hub. The college campus opens opportunities for students to excel beyond the classroom and out to neighboring communities. This thesis focuses on the sociology of the urban landscape to further understand how the built environment can promote social engagement. By definition, campus planning is the process of “organizing the arrangement and design of campus buildings and exterior spaces to encourage human interaction and to foster a sense of shared community among the University’s diverse population” (“Campus Planning Principles,”2017). It is a process through which orderly coherent evolution and growth of a campus and its facilities evolve over time. This research explores the question, “How can we encourage individuals to engage more with the campus landscape through design? What kinds of social spaces foster a stronger sense of belonging and how do they embody the institution’s core values?” This prompted an investigation utilizing qualitative research methods, including data collected from surveys, interviews, and observation techniques in addition to case studies of similar institutional-type colleges and universities. While there are many dimensions that encompass campus planning, this thesis focuses on the relationship between sociology and the built environment. These two dimensions were chosen to gain a greater understanding as to how these social spaces come to life and how to incentivize individuals to use them. The first dimension is through the sociological perspective. By definition, “the sociological perspective is an approach to understanding human behavior by placing it within its broader social context” (Chapter 1: The Sociological Perspective- California State University). Architect Satwinder Samara pinpoints four key design strategies that are successful in ensuring a social campus. The first is timetabling. A sense of community needs to be supported by the design of the buildings. Even the best-designed and equipped spaces can be rendered useless by inappropriate timetabling, or restrictive health and safety regulations. The second key strategy to designing social spaces are multi-functional spaces. Spaces that can be easily altered and re-appropriated are invaluable in busy environments like universities. Students can sit in or pass through as they wish, participating, or observing. The informality encourages interaction. Third are in-between spaces. Staircases, lobbies, and entrances can have a huge impact on physical and psychological well-being. When designed well, this can spur fruitful conversations. Last and most important, are community-oriented spaces. Places like dining halls are convenient for staff and students to grab a quick bite before their next class. These spaces also promote collaborative learning and a pleasant place to socialize. The second dimension is through the built environment. This especially pertains to us as designers, because we have the ability to design beyond the building edge and continue on into the natural landscape. The building form and landscape should work cohesively to enhance the overall experience of those who occupy the space. Felixx Landscape Architects & Planners established four design drivers that incorporate both the building form and landscape. A contextual campus is integrated well into the surrounding socioeconomic and built environment fabric. Characteristics include public resources located at the campus edge, and continuous Vehicular/ Pedestrian circulation that connects to the immediate neighborhood. An ecological campus utilizes the principles of sustainability & landscape design to reduce CO2 emissions, improve natural resource conservation, & foster civic engagement. Some characteristics include solar energy, storm-water management, and recycled materials. A cohesive campus establishes the campus identity. This distinct aesthetic effect sets it apart from other universities. Characteristics include landmarks, historic buildings, cohesive color pallets, and building materials. A complete campus is a campus that is convenient to live, work, socialize, & learn. By designing indoor/outdoor public spaces, providing amenities and a variety of housing types, this creates an environment where staff, students, and faculty feel a sense of belonging and want to engage within the campus. With these guiding principles in mind, we begin to translate these criteria to analyze the current condition of the University of Detroit Mercy’s W. McNichols Campus and gain a deeper understanding as to what the current conditions are, and how the campus social life has evolved over time? This prompts the discussion as to what changes both positive and negative influenced social life on campus? There is a social disconnect between staff, students, athletes, and the neighboring community. This has unfortunately resulted in Detroit Mercy becoming a commuter school. There are many missed opportunities to further enhance the quality of existing social spaces on campus. Through landscape design, we can begin to address these problems and create a design proposal that promotes campus life and culture by focusing on vehicular efficiency, pedestrian efficiency, and outdoor green spaces. One could argue that being a commuter campus is not such a bad thing, and possibly a positive one. One of the greatest benefits to being a commuter student is the amount of money you save by living at home compared to the cost of on campus housing. However, the following studies prove that even commuter students are dissatisfied with the current situation. A desire for a more convenient place to live, work, and grow as an individual is what most college students today are looking for. This thesis is beneficial not only to the staff, students, and faculty that attend the university and utilize these spaces often, but also as a precedent example for others specializing in campus planning. Similar methods conducted in this study can be replicated in other studies as well.

Show full item record