Front/back/side : design of outdoor spaces for multi-family residences

Abstract

This thesis begins with the critique of the current situation of detached, privately owned, multi-family residences and seeks alternative solutions at both the broad scale of the block, and at the scale of the spaces directly adjacent to the interiors. Originally these types of residences were based on the block layout and ideals of equal light, access, and air that were formed at the turn of the century for single family homes. Some of the results of this "equality", and its direct application to multi-family residences, are equally unusable side yards, an abundance of pavement and curb cuts for individual driveways, "private" backyards that all abut, and views from the interiors and porches directly to neighbors' interiors and porches. Though residents might know some of their neighbors directly next door, the feeling of a larger sense of community is lost with in the repetitiveness of the tract block. The intention of th is thesis, based on the assumption that the residents have a variety of needs, and that all of the spaces should not be "equal", is to design a range of outside territories from private to communal. What is an alternative block arrangement that will foster community interaction and provide the framework for the layout and design of these outdoor spaces? How should outdoor sitting areas, parking spots, entrances, entry paths, etc., be designed to reinforce and provide for these different requirements? A set of design principles for these types of spaces will be derived through a combination of analysis of "successful" spaces, and the redesign of an existing neighborhood/ block in Cambridge, Massachusetts.