Reinstating Humanness: An Exploration Into The Design Of Human Settlements

Abstract

As a child growing up in an early colonial village, and a keen traveler, I have spent a lifetime dwelling in the midst of historic settlements. A native Aucklander, and a fortuitous inhabitant of the western 21st century, I have also spent my fair share of time occupying more contemporary built structures. It is with almost unnerving consistency that I find these older places nicer spaces to be. The natural balance of variation and sameness. The relentless use of the human scale. A constant consideration of the person user. Time and time again these settlements strike me as more suitable places for people to dwell. The empirical writings of the likes of Christopher Alexander and Nikos Salingaros confirm this not as some personal nostalgia on my part but as more or less a wider objective truth. Fundamentally these are environments more appropriate for human inhabitation.

This thesis presents the summation of a years’ worth of thinking on this matter. It is split into three parts. The first discusses these human qualities and attempts to explain their continued demise within our current post industrial age. It also proposes a system through which more human buildings and places may once again be built. The second is devoted to testing such a system via a case study. The site chosen for this test is the small settlement west of Wellington at Makara Beach. The third and final part of this thesis describes the process followed in the production of this case study and the lessons learnt.