Ozarkitecture: Shaping the Sense of a Region

Abstract

Contemporary planning often invokes a “sense of place,” yet the deeper work of placemaking remains largely unfulfilled. In its absence, cities and regions fracture into landscapes that appear whole but feel hollow. These are spaces stripped of the sensory depth and symbolic meaning that make dwelling possible. This thesis thus returns to the concept of the genius loci—the spirit of place—not as a nostalgic embellishment, but as an ethical and practical imperative. It traces the philosophical and historical foundations of place, examines how contemporary practice has diluted its meaning, and explains why a new approach is necessary. From this foundation, the project engages Kevin Lynch’s operational models and develops a reframed approach—shifting from a visual image to an embodied experience—to ground planning practice in the textures of memory, movement, and belonging. Five new concepts—anchor, patch, joint, seam, and trail—offer a vocabulary for cultivating places that hold meaning across time and transformation. This framework is applied in Northwest Arkansas, a region where rapid growth threatens to outpace the character of its communities. By strengthening sensory experience, rooted memory, and collective authorship, this project aims to offer a different way forward through regional transit—where planning not only shapes space, but safeguards access to the ongoing, unfinished project of place itself.