Open House International: Volume 46 Issue 1

Contemporary urban utopia, a query trapped in the capitalist kaleidoscope: Is there an alternative?

Abeer Allahham

This paper aims to assess the contemporary paradigm of urban utopia’s ability to fulfil its goals and to evaluate its attainability in the first place. Its main question is: are…

Savanna hypothesis in the human–urban nature relationship

Angela Marie Hartsell

This paper expounds theoretical reasons behind and practical applications of urban natural space as part of the ontological whole of the city.

Culture and architecture in turmoil: reflections on home architecture in contemporary Iraq

Ali Aumran Lattif Al-Thahab

This paper aims to expose the direct and indirect impacts of changing culture and society principles on the built environment, architectural scene and practice. Studying…

How to evaluate densification? Case study of Lourdes neighborhood, Santiago, Chile

Andrea Rocio Urbina

This study aims to question the fact that density has been considered only as an instrument of calculation to be used on regulation mechanisms, without taking into consideration…

Exploring the challenges in protecting the identity of small historic towns in Malaysia

Nur Farhana Azmi, Azlan Shah Ali, Faizah Ahmad

Built heritage constitutes the uniqueness and identity of a place. While being overlooked in existing research, built heritage in small towns is increasingly threatened by…

Understanding users’ and hosts’ motives to co-working space: Case of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Teck Hong Tan, Kelly Lau

The purpose of this paper is to address the knowledge gap by analysing the motivations of driving both users and hosts to the co-working space in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as the…

Neighbourhood attachment and satisfaction: a Hong Kong’s case study

Adrienne La Grange, Yung Yau

This paper aims to study neighbourhood attachment and satisfaction in a middle-class, high-density and semi-gated neighbourhood in Hong Kong.

Making post-colonial place identity: the regeneration of the St Lazarus neighbourhood, Macau

Xi Ye

This study aims to identify how the place identity of the former Portuguese neighbourhood of St Lazarus was reshaped for the purposes of place branding, tourism and consumption in…

Anthropological understanding of culture – the key for designing Romani housing

Milena Grbić, Olivera Dulić, Viktorija Aladžić

This paper aims to demonstrate a possible way in which cultural elements of minorities, in the specific case of the Romani, can be researched and operationalized in certain…

Thermal comfort and pedestrian behaviors in urban public spaces in cities with warm and dry climates

Hocine Boumaraf, Louisa Amireche

The purpose of this paper is to move beyond the stage of analysis of exclusively physical microclimatic phenomena and extending ourselves to the study of the impact of the…