The highly contagious coronavirus and the rapid spread of COVID-19 disease have generated a global public health crisis, which is being addressed at various local and global scales through social distancing measures and guidelines. This is coupled with debates about the nature of living and working patterns through intensive utilization of information and telecommunication technologies, leading to the social and institutional acceptability of these patterns as the ‘new normal’ – and the creation for adaptive design systems or solutions that embed transformation. This will have significant implications in future architectural and urban education, research, and practice. The impact of viruses on shaping or adapting cities has never been discussed systematically or from a comparative perspective. This PhD project is anticipated to make important contribution to the field.
The relationship between architecture, urbanism, and health is an overarching theme in this project. However, of the key questions include Some of these questions include:
· What is the nature of transformations in urban dynamics post pandemic?
· What are the key socio-spatial implications of distancing measures?
· Could COVID-19 alter the understanding of urban space and urban life dialectics? And would engagement with nature be favored over human-human / human-built environment engagement?
· Would post-pandemic epoch generate new environments that accommodate new living/working styles?
· What are the manifestations of impacts of health, disease spread, and pandemics on the future of architectural and urban education, research, and practice?
Thematically, applicants may relate the questions to one or more of the following areas.
1. Urban Dynamics During and Post COVID-19
• Urban density and disease spread
• Travel, transport, and the global/local tensions
2. Socio-Spatial Implications of Distancing Measures
• Geographical locations, home zone and home range
• Place attachment, personal space, and proxemics
• COVID-19 links to urban space/urban life dialectics
• Biophilic design and healing environments
3. Post Pandemic Emerging Living/Working Styles:
• Attitude-based subcultures as determinants of future housing choices; work-based life modes as determinants of qualities of home environments; emerging spatial environments for emerging living/working patterns; appropriation and adaptation of the existing housing stocks and workplaces; standards and specs for new home and work environments; entrepreneurial practices/small businesses and place management.
Information about the host department can be found by visiting:
https://www.strath.ac.uk/research/subjects/architecture/
Subject Areas include - Public Health, Architecture and the built environment, Social science and health, Town & Country Planning