FLOWING PATH: SPORTS CENTER AS SOCIAL CONNECTOR

ABSTRACT

IN A FAST-PACED AND DENSELY POPULATED CITY, COMMUNITY ACTIVITY CENTERS CAN PROVIDE A SOCIAL PLACE FOR RESIDENTS. THIS THESIS IS A STUDY OF THIS PROMISE OF SOCIAL LIFE FOR A NEW URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN MACAU. COMMUNITY CENTERS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN PROMOTING COMMUNITY COHESION AND RESIDENT PARTICIPATION. YET, PUBLIC SPACE FOR MACAU RESIDENTS IS INCREASINGLY UNABLE TO MEET GROWING AND DIVERSIFIED NEEDS. IN WHAT WAYS CAN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ACTIVITY CENTERS IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF RESIDENTS? CAN TRANSITIONAL SPACES BETWEEN DIFFERENT FUNCTIONAL AREAS IN COMMUNITY CENTERS PLAY A MORE EFFECTIVE ROLE IN PROMOTING SOCIAL INTERACTION WITHIN THE COMMUNITY? THE PRINCIPAL TASKS OF THIS THESIS ARE AS FOLLOWS: (1) AN IN-DEPTH EXAMINATION OF THE IMPACT OF SHARED TRANSITIONAL SPACES ON THE OVERALL DESIGN OF COMMUNITY ACTIVITY CENTERS, (2) A DISCUSSION OF TRANSITIONAL SPACES IN COMMUNITY CENTERS IN TERMS OF THE FUNCTIONAL EFFICIENCY OF THESE CENTERS AND THE INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE OF USERS, AND (3) ARTICULATION OF PRINCIPLES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE DESIGN OF TRANSITIONAL SPACES IN COMMUNITY CENTERS. OVERALL, THIS THESIS ARGUES THAT, BY DESIGNING EFFICIENT AND USER-FRIENDLY SHARED TRANSITIONAL SPACES, ARCHITECTS CAN BETTER SERVE THE COMMUNITY AND ITS USERS, AND FOSTER A CLOSER CONNECTION BETWEEN ARCHITECTURE, PEOPLE, AND COMMUNITIES