Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

The central theme of this thesis is urban design, which combines architecture, landscape architecture and city
planning in order to make urban areas functional and attractive.
The first part consists of a literature study, starting with different theories of space and place, untangling the
meaning of sense of place for urbanism; continuing with a short research about cities, towns and urbanism in
general, outlining the main problems of the cities today. The thesis then approaches the more specific topic of
urban design, investigates its main problems and different measures for solving them. This is also one of the main
objectives of this project, together with the discussion about what kind of a design would attract more people to
use public environments and thus contribute to more lively urban spaces.
These statements and guesses continue throughout the paper, moving on to the practical part that focuses on the
central area of a small town of Grosuplje, Slovenia. The case study first focuses on the context of Grosuplje with
the wishes and demands of its inhabitants, which are explored through a short survey and a sociological study
made for the preparation of spatial documents in the municipality. The practical part ends with a conceptual proposal
for the revival of the town centre, trying to draw together the preferences of its inhabitants and the main
cognitions of the literature study.
The final part of this thesis presents a short overview of the previous parts and shortly discusses the main cognitions
and tries to draw a few conclusions concerning the approaches to improving of urban environments.
This master project aims to contribute to a discussion about how to approach the design of urban areas and
whether it can contribute to livelier in-between areas and public places, and thus improve the quality of life in the
city. No final answer or solution can be given here, the goal of this work is only to unfold how some of the qualities
and cognitions of place-making could connect people and places, the natural and the built fabric, as well as the
functional and the aesthetic. Transferring those cognitions to an existing situation in Grosuplje is only one way of
trying out whether the lessons were successful or not.