Taking an intersectional feminist and rhythmanalysis approach to explore the embodied experience of pregnant women and new mothers in the built environment to find out what their needs are and how existing urban planning and design fails to meet them.

Over the past two decades, the Greater London Authority (GLA) has pursued the delivery of high-density development in London in order to respond to population growth whilst protecting the green belt. Though high-density places have been associated with sustainable outcomes, it is well documented that residents interact less frequently and build fewer relationships in these environments. This can be particularly detrimental since social contact is fundamental for our general well-being and happiness. In response to this problematic, this study explored if and how we can design for social interaction in high-density housing. To do so, it adopted the process of inducting theory from case studies. Firstly, three case studies of recently completed developments were undertaken to determine whether social interaction was a driving factor in the design process, the type and location of social interactions, and clarify the influence of physical design on social contact in comparison to other factors. These design-led schemes were chosen for investigation as award-winning developments which had received commendation for creating the foundations for a strong community. Next, a cross-case comparison was undertaken to identify hypothesis that addressed the research question and objectives. Providing support for existing literature in the context of high-density housing, it was discovered that limiting the number of apartments to a building allows for collective stewardship, and that communal areas shared by smaller groups are used more intensively. Moreover, combining shared paths and communal areas was observed to support fleeting interactions and helped to nurture a local sense of community. New findings included that externalising the circulation spaces of multi-storey apartment blocks can facilitate conversations between neighbours, and that bike stores can represent an epicentre for contact if internalised and co-located with shared paths. Notably, the impact of physical design factors was not deterministic.

Defensive urbanism is characterised by overt designs that are hostile in nature which are used to discourage certain groups from using urban spaces. This work proposes gated communities, transport infrastructure and anti- homeless architecture must therefore also be considered defensive urbanism. Using examples from across the world in cities attempting to become “global cities”, I attempt to show the impact these design decision have on groups who are particularly marginalised.

« The number of Chinese netizens has surpassed 904 million in 2020, and 49% out of whom are women (CNNIC, 2020). Since its creation in the 1990s, Chinese cyberspace has been a vibrant sphere of civil action (Herold and Marolt, 2011). Under state authoritarianism, the Chinese cyberspace stands on the margin of normality, as a carnivalesque place of dissent (ibid.). Making up almost half of the entire netizen population, women are known to be key actors of cyberspace activism. This dissertation sets out to investigate female claim-making in Chinese cyberspace. It is particularly interested in the notion of citizenship that underpins their claims. Female fans of a cyber-entertainment reality show are examined as a case study, using feminist critical discourse analysis (FCDA) as the methodology. Their claims are analysed against the analytical framework of feminist discursive activism to see if it can challenge dominant patriarchal discourses and advances citizenship consciousness. This dissertation finds that female fans’ claim-making constitute discursive activism that is essentially a politics of visibility, which resonates with the notion of performative citizenship.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK government has applied national and regional lockdowns that have greatly reduced the ability to travel for daily activities such as work or shopping. The changes in behaviour resulting from these restrictions have had spatial implications by creating a shift in the urban system, and particularly the urban retail system. High streets located near offices have seen great reductions in footfall whereas those located near residential hubs were most resilient. During lockdown, high accessibility of the area by public transport and high median household income of the catchment area both led to lower footfall. However, high ratios of retail, residential and leisure land uses increased footfall, as well as distance to central London and high residential density within the high street catchment. Our findings show that, to create resilient high street, there should be a greater push for residential uses on and around the high street, and a preservation or increase of retail units, as well as a decrease in the centralisation of the workplace. Whilst there are certainly dangers to the deregulation of the planning system, the adaptability that it facilitates for land use change may allow for the creation of such resilient high street. Findings also encourage policies that seek to decentralise urban systems, such as the 15-minute city model.

This dissertation investigates social implications of built environment interventions (BEI) related to bicycle urbanism from a Spatial Justice (Soja, 2010) perspective. By combining urban spatial theory and mobilities research, the novel theoretical framework Mobility Space helps to analyse spatial, experiential and discursive aspects of urban mobility priorities concomitantly and is thus an adequate analytical tool to uncover how recently proliferating cycling strategies impact society through an alteration of urban space. A qualitative and multi-method research design combines descriptive mapping, virtual site observation and semi-structured interviews to apply Mobility Space to the controversial Mini-Holland programme in Waltham Forest, London. Examining in detail the Walthamstow Village scheme, the research finds three patterns by which BEI related to bicycle urbanism re-organize movement, re-allocate space and re-design public realm to prioritize active travel and dwelling while discouraging car use. Those spatial alterations shift the political organization of space which in turn affects the Right to the City (Lefebvre et al., 1996) – an expression of Spatial Justice – as it enables a greater diversity of people to use urban space (right to appropriation) and makes them conscious how the space they inhabit is discursively produced and the outcome of contentious decision-making processes (right to participation). This research is relevant for urban professionals as environmental as well as pandemic-related urban mobility challenges necessitate a transformation of urban space to accommodate cycling, but negative outcomes for social equity, as resulting from car-urbanism, need to be avoided.

This research explores some of the first cases of intergenerational living in London; Buccleuch House, the ‘Lifecycle Home’ in Chobham Manor, and Supportmatch UK Homesharing. The cases are studied through a number of themes, ranging from the motivation behind engagement in intergenerational living, the benefits and drawbacks of such a living arrangements, the design of intergenerational schemes, and the viability of intergenerational developments for the mainstream housing market. The experiences of key stakeholders involved in the intergenerational schemes are cross compared, with the aim of gaining a holistic understanding of the recent emergence of intergenerational living in London, focusing on the forms it can take, its design and development, and its’ future prospects. This research works towards a body of literature that promotes ways in which diversity can be encouraged in urban planning and offers inspiration in how this can be done. Furthermore, the topic bares great relevance to the debate sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic surrounding housing and healthcare, and especially that of older generations. Findings indicate that although becoming a more heavily debated topic, making frequent appearances in government policy and planning discourse, intergenerational living is still relatively niche in London. In order to transgress from niche to norm, a combined effort from stakeholders and a different approach to how we develop our cities is necessary.

Through a nexus approach, this research seeks to establish an integrative understanding of climate change and planning. In particular, it explores the extent to which local institutions can build capacities for addressing the climate emergency agenda in an integrative through planning.

Through rethinking a more holistic framework for the structure of digitised short-term rental market in London, the study reviews the fundamental problem constrained the agency of planner and contextualises the Airbnb matter within London context.