Variability of residential open space : a case study of Boston West Broadway public housing renewal

Abstract

This is a study of design methodology for residential open space with the purpose of generating various plans according to the different values and needs of the residents. A public housing renewal project -West Broadway Housing renewal - is taken as a case study. The design starts from the systematic analysis of the relationship between open space and the existing apartment buildings which it surrounds and between that open space and the dwellings in these buildings. Territory and function are two characters for describing this relationship and explaining the potential of the space. Since the space is limited, residents have to decide between various solutions based on certain criteria which are suggested. The final result shows that a plan can be generated by the residents themselves by going through a decision-making process. This process explains what decisions have to be made by different groups of residents in the dwellings, ranging from large group to small group.