Different eras of council housing estates and their neighbourhood formation: the case of Nottingham

This thesis investigates how council housing estates, developed during different historical periods, have influenced neighbourhood formation and the production of lived space. Using Lefebvre’s spatial triad (conceived, perceived, and lived space) as a framework, the study reveals how large-scale soc...

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Main Author: Kurtuluş, Ozlem
Format: Thesis (University of Nottingham only)
Language:English
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/80897/
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author Kurtuluş, Ozlem
author_facet Kurtuluş, Ozlem
author_sort Kurtuluş, Ozlem
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description This thesis investigates how council housing estates, developed during different historical periods, have influenced neighbourhood formation and the production of lived space. Using Lefebvre’s spatial triad (conceived, perceived, and lived space) as a framework, the study reveals how large-scale social housing projects shape spatial configurations, social interactions, and community dynamics. It also assesses how planning and design decisions have contributed to neighbourhood formation, highlighting the role of housing policies in fostering social cohesion and neighbourhood vitality. This research adopts a mixed-method approach to examine the spatial and social dynamics of council housing estates built in different historical periods. The study utilises space syntax analysis, observation and rhythmanalysis to investigate four distinct neighbourhoods in Nottingham. The spatial configuration of each area is analysed through integration and choice measurements, followed by field observations along the main integrated routes. Rhythmanalysis is applied to reveal the temporal and spatial rhythms of daily life, while census data is used to explore the socio-demographic characteristics of the communities. The findings revealed that the interwar estate, though well integrated with the city, failed to foster social interaction due to low spatial integration and limited functional diversity at the local level, leading to social isolation. The late 20th-century estate exhibited a segregated structure in both spatial configuration and functional diversity. The postwar estate, despite being located on the periphery, encouraged more interaction among residents, owing to higher local integration, making it the most successful example in terms of urban qualities. Due to its central location, the high-rise period example provided important data on living in the city centre. Constructed as a mixed-use, modern residential structure in the city centre, the flats supported residents' direct access to city amenities while revealing how the streetscape changed due to the changing land use patterns in the surrounding streets with high integration values. This study advances the understanding of urban spatial dynamics in council housing estates and provides an understanding of future urban planning policies to improve community cohesion and spatial design in suburban areas.
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spelling nottingham-808972025-07-29T04:40:09Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/80897/ Different eras of council housing estates and their neighbourhood formation: the case of Nottingham Kurtuluş, Ozlem This thesis investigates how council housing estates, developed during different historical periods, have influenced neighbourhood formation and the production of lived space. Using Lefebvre’s spatial triad (conceived, perceived, and lived space) as a framework, the study reveals how large-scale social housing projects shape spatial configurations, social interactions, and community dynamics. It also assesses how planning and design decisions have contributed to neighbourhood formation, highlighting the role of housing policies in fostering social cohesion and neighbourhood vitality. This research adopts a mixed-method approach to examine the spatial and social dynamics of council housing estates built in different historical periods. The study utilises space syntax analysis, observation and rhythmanalysis to investigate four distinct neighbourhoods in Nottingham. The spatial configuration of each area is analysed through integration and choice measurements, followed by field observations along the main integrated routes. Rhythmanalysis is applied to reveal the temporal and spatial rhythms of daily life, while census data is used to explore the socio-demographic characteristics of the communities. The findings revealed that the interwar estate, though well integrated with the city, failed to foster social interaction due to low spatial integration and limited functional diversity at the local level, leading to social isolation. The late 20th-century estate exhibited a segregated structure in both spatial configuration and functional diversity. The postwar estate, despite being located on the periphery, encouraged more interaction among residents, owing to higher local integration, making it the most successful example in terms of urban qualities. Due to its central location, the high-rise period example provided important data on living in the city centre. Constructed as a mixed-use, modern residential structure in the city centre, the flats supported residents' direct access to city amenities while revealing how the streetscape changed due to the changing land use patterns in the surrounding streets with high integration values. This study advances the understanding of urban spatial dynamics in council housing estates and provides an understanding of future urban planning policies to improve community cohesion and spatial design in suburban areas. 2025-07-29 Thesis (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en cc_by https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/80897/1/Ozlem%20Kurtulus%20-%2020219789_PhD%20Thesis_Corrected%20Version.pdf Kurtuluş, Ozlem (2025) Different eras of council housing estates and their neighbourhood formation: the case of Nottingham. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham. council housing estates urban design urban planning policies spatial configuration neighbourhood formation space syntax
spellingShingle council housing estates
urban design
urban planning policies
spatial configuration
neighbourhood formation
space syntax
Kurtuluş, Ozlem
Different eras of council housing estates and their neighbourhood formation: the case of Nottingham
title Different eras of council housing estates and their neighbourhood formation: the case of Nottingham
title_full Different eras of council housing estates and their neighbourhood formation: the case of Nottingham
title_fullStr Different eras of council housing estates and their neighbourhood formation: the case of Nottingham
title_full_unstemmed Different eras of council housing estates and their neighbourhood formation: the case of Nottingham
title_short Different eras of council housing estates and their neighbourhood formation: the case of Nottingham
title_sort different eras of council housing estates and their neighbourhood formation: the case of nottingham
topic council housing estates
urban design
urban planning policies
spatial configuration
neighbourhood formation
space syntax
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/80897/