Clarke, Queenie (2023) Designing For Human Dignity: New approaches to the inclusivity of homeless and vulnerably housed communities. In: Proceedings of Relating Systems Thinking and Design Volume: RSD12, 06-20 Oct 2023.

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Abstract

This presentation is an exploration of my doctoral research, Designing for Human Dignity: New approaches to the inclusivity of homeless and vulnerably housed communities. The research addresses questions regarding the inclusivity of the homeless and vulnerably housed community within urban design, focusing on the regeneration of the town centre of Eastbourne, UK. The research aim is to reframe and re-characterise how homeless communities are systemically positioned in urban design through the lens of human dignity. Currently, elements of these themes have been taken into consideration by the Design Council CABE (Fletcher, 2006) and in the Localism Act (Clarke, 2011). However, surveys and consultation periods predominantly offered to certain groups with fixed addresses and access to modern technology breed a gap where considerations of people without access to these are included.

This work-in-progress presentation will share the findings of the research completed to date. The research grew from both my fascination and curiosity with changes made in public spaces. Experiencing the regeneration of my hometown, Eastbourne, I witnessed on a micro-scale how the built environment changed in response to issues surrounding anti-social behaviour. On a macro-scale, there is a common thread in changes made in public spaces within the United Kingdom. The systemic response tends to be removing planters, benches, and sheltered doorways to decrease criminal activity in the hope of providing safer streets (Cosgrave, 2023).

Two prominent themes that have been revealed so far are language and perception. In the presentation I will be focusing on how these themes are entangled within urban design and planning systems. Specifically, it examines how language and perception play a role in both perpetuating and disrupting the current discourse surrounding the inclusivity of people experiencing homelessness.

Item Type:	Conference/Workshop Item (Paper)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	human dignity, homelessness, urban design, planning, co-design, ethnographic walks, mapping, learning levels, inclusivity, language, hostile architecture, case study, systemic design
Divisions:	Faculty of Design
Date Deposited:	11 Mar 2026 20:40
Last Modified:	11 Mar 2026 20:45
URI:	https://openresearch.ocadu.ca/id/eprint/4892

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