Shared spaces & identity, culture and meaning: a study on the role of integrated community hubs on social interaction, meaning-making & identity creation in neighbourhoods

• Main Authors: Haikal Afiq Bin Mohd Rizal, Ng, Patrick Wei Sheng
• Other Authors: Premchand Dommaraju
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Social Sciences; Integrated community hub; Social interaction; Placemaking; Place attachment; Everyday life
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/175721
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Integrated Community Hubs (ICHs) have increasingly been a notable infrastructure project that seeks to maximise social impact with minimal land use. Given its central role in neighbourhoods, this paper seeks to explore the role of ICHs as shared spaces in promoting social interaction, meaning-making as well as identity formation among residents within these respective neighbourhoods. This paper focuses on the four existing ICHs: Our Tampines Hub, Heartbeat@Bedok, Wisma Geylang Serai, and One Punggol. Using a qualitative approach, this study explores the interplay between space and people, drawing upon sociological concepts such as the social production of space. The study reveals that architectural design and organised programmes play a key role in promoting low- and high-level interactions respectively, with both being crucial in facilitating social mixing and creating the necessary conditions for placemaking and spatial attachment to form. ICHs also serve both functional and emotional needs, fostering pride, identity, and community connections. Overall, this study highlights the significance of ICHs in the everyday life of residents and provide insights into the factors important in fostering vibrant and inclusive communities.