Stephen Pattinson: Executive summary of thesis - New Zealand ...

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Attempting a participatory approach, the research investigates four questions:
Question 1:
“What is the nature of communal space in existing medium density
housing developments in New Zealand”
This question explores the views of practitioners and current practice regarding
communal space in medium density housing. The writer visited 200 medium density
developments in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Melbourne to observe
first-hand the nature and quality of communal spaces. The writer also talked with a
number of architects, planners, urban designers, developers, and builders to find
out their viewpoints on communal space in medium density housing.
The finding is that little consideration is given to
communal spaces, and that these spaces tend to
be univalent, i.e. having only one purpose, meaning
or value – usually determined by the designer.
In lower status developments, communal space
tends to be car-dominated, i.e. dedicated to car
parking and manoeuvring (Fig. 3.28).
Fig. 3.28 150 Symonds Street,
Auckland (Photo: S.J.Pattinson)
In higher status developments, communal space
tends to be landscape-dominated, for passive
outlook (Fig. 3.36).
Fig. 3.36 The Point – Viaduct
Harbour, Auckland.
(promotional website)
A common viewpoint is that communal space in medium density housing is
primarily for children, however few developments are found to cater for children’s
needs. Furthermore, the thesis challenges this conventional viewpoint, asserting
that by making communal space multivalent, it has potential to be rich in meaning
for all age groups, not just for children. This leads to the second research question:
© March 2011 Stephen Pattinson sjpattinson@paradise.net.nz