Exploring the Role of Urban Density in Social Housing through Graphic Anthropology in Belfast, UK

Urban density has been central to the study of cities for over a century. Usually measured as number of inhabitants, or units of housing, per km2, recent scholarship has focused on a more detailed, qualitative understanding of density, moving from the idea of the 'compact city' in the 1990s, to ideas of 'superdiversity' and 'gentle density'. Approach - The project will use a mixed-method approach, using both quantitative and qualitative methods to analyse density and mixed-use in social housing developments, of varying density, in Northern Ireland.

The project will begin with historic analysis of social housing, mixed-use and density and their changes over time, both internationally and in Northern Ireland. The critical reading of Northern Irish social housing and planning policies will give an understanding of the current systems and their real-world impact. A comparison will be made to policies in other countries.

We propose to use quantitative methods to study the urban morphology of a number of social housing developments in Belfast, by analysing and mapping characteristics such as: area, population, density, building height, typology, level of mixed use, provision of services, available outdoor space and the quality of the projects (Aurand, 2010; Rowley, 1996; Grant, 2002). We hope to gain an understanding of the patterns of occupation of the social housing developments. To aid the research, the quantitative analysis of density and mixed-use by other governments and professionals (Berghauser-Pont and Haupt, 2010) will be analysed and evaluated.

For the qualitative analysis, we will use graphic ethnography methodologies to investigate density and mixed-use, within the urban block, street, plot and building (Porta and Romice, 2017). This will involve interviewing residents and spending time in a number of social housing developments, producing drawings to illustrate and analyse the area (Lucas, 2020). Visual anthropology (Pink, 2007) has used photography and film to understand social and anthropological phenomena, while graphic anthropology uses drawing to make 'thick descriptions' about ideas of place, memory and belonging. By combining this with architectural methods of representation and analysis, we aim to gain a rich understanding of the lived experience of the case studies. The conversations and observations from the research will be recorded and categorised before being objectively analysed and interpreted into architectural drawings.

By analysing the urban morphology and level of provision of services, we can gain an understanding of the patterns of occupation of these social housing developments. On the other hand, by exercises of ethnography and graphic anthropology in a selection of these case studies, we can understand the lived experience of these patterns of density more closely. The quantitative and qualitative methodologies will be triangulated to find a relationship between the methods and results. The graphic ethnography work will be compared with the quantitative analysis to identify a correlation between the urban characteristics and the lived experiences, and therefore the effect of the former on the latter. The findings will be compared to Northern Irish planning policy to see how the developments responded to the policy and whether they met the policy's goals. We will explore how the policies could evolve, to improve quality of life in social housing developments while also sustainably meeting future demand. A comparison will also be made between Northern Ireland and other best-practice examples from across Europe with the aim to make recommendations for future social housing and density policies in Northern Ireland.


Geographical Area - Belfast, Northern Ireland
Project Engagement by Sector - Housing
Time Period - 1970s-2020s