Porirua city : a study of architecture and society

Abstract

Porirua city has two faces, on one hand it is a beautiful harbour city with some great beaches, close to New Zealand's Capital with plenty of space to grow, on the other it is an area with a less than complimentary reputation for violence and vandalism. The question is obviously what went wrong? In this case specifically - what part did architecture play and can architecture help to change it? By looking at Porirua's history, social situation, architecture in the past and present these questions can begin to be answered. The report concludes that in order to understand the real wants and needs of the residents, more primary research needs to be done. A Post Occupancy Evaluation is suggested as a means to solve some problems while gathering data for future use.