DISSERTATION
Since the beginning of the economic boom in the early 1990s city centres have experienced substantial levels of urban regeneration and rejuvenation. The concept of live-work-and-play publicised by the government and private sectors alike have created a lifestyle aspiration attracting the young middle-class to city centre living, where lifestyle amenities such as leisure, shopping, culture and nightlife are available on their doorstep. Due to this promoted way of life, the city centre has become host to a transient population, thus following the consumerism cycle of supply and demand for the needs of today. Sociologist Levine explains that this creates “a shift away from values of community, spirituality, and integrity, and toward competition, materialism and disconnection”.
The aims of this research project was to investigate the effects of consumerism on city centre living; to evaluate the extent to which the city centre is governed by the property market and influenced by the instability of economic trends. In order to achieve these aims I became involved in primary and secondary research:
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Governmental policy implications on urban regeneration were explored through interviews with City Council professionals, as well as reviewing Academic and Government literature.
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The effects of economic boom and bust on city centre living, as well as the role of consumerism in today’s property-centric society were assessed by conducting interviews with influential and well informed professionals, through literature analysis, and case studies on relevant schemes.
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The impacts of transient urban communities on environmental and social sustainability and building longevity were evaluated through questionnaires distributed to city centre residents, literature reviews and case study assessments.
Through my dissertation I began to value the breadth of the subject of architecture, and how important research is for architects to understand context when designing.