Design Yearbook 2017

AUP Creative Practice / Social Sciences Dissertations
Window: mediation between two spaces: The inhabitants and the street watchers?
Yeqian Gao
I chose the window and the transparency behaviology around the window as the key words
of my dissertation. The main inspiration was from a study trip to the Netherlands which took
place in April 2016. During the trip, we did several neighbourhood site visits. One thing
that impressed me was the design of the windows. I could not help but look in the rooms
behind every window. Even though sometimes nobody was at home just looking at the stylish
interiors greatly enhanced my experience. It got more interesting when there were people
inside, then you get to see all sorts of activities take place and even eye contact when they
realized pedestrians like me, were looking through the window. Also, when a whole group of
students with a guide walking around your neighbourhood, the residents will get curious and
attempt to look out from the window.
Soon, a question of what other contribution these windows by the street have to their
neighbourhood and street experience in residential area? Rather than just playing a role of
natural surveillance, which was from the eyes on the street theory from Jane Jacob, from my
own observation and experience, the window contributes to the liveliness of the street and
neighbourhood and therefore improve the walking experience among the neighbourhoods.
Along with the research, the literature reading started based on the keywords: urban scale,
lively street and neighbourhoods, private and public urban space, walk, window… However,
most of the literature covers the topic of urban design only assume the public space as urban
area and more specifically majority were about boosting economic in commercial area. Walking
experience researches, that I covered, had more attention to neighbourhoods, nonetheless,
they often relate to healthy urban. All enhanced the purpose of this research. Therefore, at this
stage, I ste my research question into two aspects, windowology and within neighborhoods.
Five site visits have done in Newcastle Upon Tyne, throughout different typology of the
neighborhoods in Newcastle, linkages and clues are coming up slowly, and in this draft, I
would like to share my findings basing on three of the Newcastle window experience.
The Impact of Street Art Graffiti in the Process of Regeneration
Lok Hang Luke Leung
The importance of art that surrounds us in our society – among our built environment there
is undiscovered uniqueness, for each passage and alleyways there is something mysterious. Of
which, street and graffiti artists operate in these scenes, captivity transforming urban waste
into a city canvas. These artists are the urban regenerators, reflecting their work on the social
political aspect of the media. Furthermore, to contact these invisible figures among our society,
I used the platform of Instagram to attract artist’s attention, as well as keeping a recording of
this subcultural movement. Overall, the study revealed that city acceptance toward street and
graffiti are the main contributors in elevating the creative industries within a city, however, it
is the individuals that underline the city success.
What are the impaction of Graffiti in the process of regeneration? How has Culture shifted?
Making Street Art and Graffiti as part of our culture? Does Street Art and Graffiti have benefits
to the wider norms of society?
An Investigation into Subterranean Residential Developments within the Royal Borough
of Kensington and Chelsea
Andrew Blandford-Newson
This dissertation explores the incentives behind the new popular method of undertaking
subterranean residential developments within Kensington and Chelsea and how their impacts
have labelled such constructions as an issue for concern over recent years, leading to respective
local planning legislation changes. Through a qualitative research process, material from
professionals, local residents and submitted Planning Applications are analysed to better
understand such impacts and the adequacy of such newly established policies within the
planning system itself. The results show an insight into the important role that the planning
system plays in ensuring planning for the future in the best interest of serving the public.
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