Manifesting Civic-ness

Urban centres have seen decreasing public notions of civic-ness, as citizens’ understanding and implementation of civic engagement have shifted into the individualistic and private physical realm. The characteristics of a citizen in the contemporary age are scattered and ill-defined, leading to a dilemma of citizenship, and where and how civic engagement takes place. Analyzing this quandary from an architectural perspective begins to question how a space can become civic, and addresses the necessity of physical space for increased civic engagement. This thesis aims to define and suggest a bridge for the current gap in civic architecture that is citizen-oriented, combining programmatic and spatial functions as an architectural alternative to highly institutional governmental spaces. The alternative provides a platform of tangible, non-privatized spaces that have the potential to make room for a more balanced approach to participation that encourages the engagement of a substantive citizenry.