Joint PhD Program in Urban Systems

Te-Sheng Huang

Track
Urban Environment

E-Mail
Th42@njit.edu

Work Position
Teaching Assistant

Date passed dissertation proposal defense
May 7, 2012

Biography

Te-Sheng Huang is currently a doctoral candidate in the Urban Systems PhD Program at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He serves as student representative on the Executive Board of the program. In 2012, he, with his other four colleagues, successfully organized the first time conference, Urban Change through Education, Health, and Environment, in the Urban Systems program. Te-Sheng received his Master of Science degree in Architecture from Cheng Kung University in Taiwan and his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Feng Chia University, graduating as the most academically distinguished student in his class. He was elected an honorary member of the Phi-Tau-Phi Scholastic Honor Society by the branch of FCU in Taiwan in 2002 and a member of Alpha Epsilon Lambda Chapter by NJIT in 2012 for his outstanding academic achievement. After completing his master’s degree in 2005, he worked as an architectural designer and focused on housing and landscape design. Three years later, he became a licensed architect in Taiwan. His research interests include public space, neighborhood development, and urban planning and revitalization. He has presented his in research at several conferences including the annual conferences of the Environmental Design Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry and the American Psychological Association. In 2012, Te-Sheng as a co-author with Professor Karen A. Franck wrote a chapter, Occupying Public Space, 2011: From Tahrir Square to Zuccotti Park, in Beyond Zuccotti Park: Freedom of Assembly and the Occupation of Public Space edited by Ron Shiffman et al.

Title of the Dissertation

Is the Public Invited? Design and Management of Privately Owned Public Spaces in New York City

Dissertation Proposal Abstract

Researchers in urban planning, urban design, landscape architecture and sociology often point to the increasing privatization of public space in the US as limiting acceptable kinds of uses and users. In New York City, privately owned public spaces have received this critique. However careful empirical research, with onsite observations of specific spaces and interviews with building owners, managers, architects, and city officials, is still largely lacking. Nor have researchers systematically investigated the full range of design features and management regulations and practices that do, or do not, serve to exclude certain kinds of uses and users. This dissertation will do precisely that as well as examining the influence that city agencies have, or have not, exerted over the original design, redesign and management practices of privately owned public spaces.

In this research 23 fully enclosed, privately owned public spaces in Manhattan will be studied. Preliminary field observations indicate that these 23 spaces vary significantly in inclusiveness and five of them have recently been redesigned. Information will be collected through onsite observations, interviews with building owners or manager and city officials in the Department of City Planning and archival sources (architectural plans, reports, planning documents, meeting minutes, newspaper articles).

Not enough detailed understanding yet exists as to how, precisely, privatization of public space is achieved: through what design features, through which regulations and through what formal and informal management practices? Nor is it clear why some building owners choose to make the privately owned public spaces in their buildings inclusive and others do not. Also, the ways in which city agencies participate in decisions about design and redesign and management practices is not well documented. With this information, the general problem of privatization can be addressed more directly, at least with respect to a particular type of space over which the public sector does have some control.