Architect-ing In-Betweenness: Human-Centred Design for Toronto's Arrival Cities

For over a century Toronto has embraced waves of immigration. Today, its ‘arrival cities’ emerge as the isolated and over-determined post-war apartment tower neighbourhoods and are among the least suitable places for low-income immigrants to settle. For the residents of arrival cities to thrive in their new living environment, the implementation of a model that takes a human-centred approach while considering in-betweenness is explored. The goal of this thesis is to create a proto-design – guided by a conceptual and physical framework – to serve as a new housing complex allocated to these neighbourhoods. Guided by the framework, the architecture highlights the themes of shared agency and shared space. At different scales – from the neighbourhood, to the building, to the unit – key elements are embedded and synthesized to create a collective identity of belonging, connectivity, and community-building for its residents.