Designing for Outsiders: Building a Sustainble Future for Keaau
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Abstract
How tolerant are we of people outside our community? Our ingrained instincts drive us
as humans to seek positive interactions, to feel accepted and appreciated, to find
purpose to help us thrive as individuals and as a collective. While positive instincts drive
us to purpose, so does fear pull us into a defensive state, to protect ourselves and
our own against the alien and unknown [5]. This duality, this push and pull, is center stage
in regards to interpreting new peoples and cultures and attempting to find a balance
between the two is a hard task.
Throughout history there has always been turbulence between people we associate with
and people we disassociate with. We tend to compare ourselves to others and point out
their differences; and deem if those differences will be an asset (positive) to the group or
a liability (negative) and disassociate ourselves from them [2]. This is most apparent when
new groups of people move in to or next to an existing group of people. In more
modern times with immigrants in the western world. The exploration of how
architecture can help mediate and facilitate cultural and sociological acceptance among
others will be the backbone of my thesis.