Capturing the social values of a mix-used university campus outdoor: An assessment of the Agricultural University of Tirana

Odeta Manahasa; Manjola Logli; Edmond Manahasa

doi:10.47818/DRArch.2024.v5i2124

Capturing the social values of a mix-used university campus outdoor: An assessment of the Agricultural University of Tirana

Authors

Odeta Manahasa Short Bio Epoka University

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Odeta Manahasa is a lecturer of architecture at Epoka University, Tirana, Albania. She has a long-standing interest in understanding environmental psychology in its larger context, particularly in relation to children and child space perception. She is developing this interest as two lines of inquiry: (i) child space perception knowledge, with a focus on a systematic structure for thinking on environmental behavior phenomena from different methodological perspectives, and (ii) improving the quality of learning environments. Thus, her areas of expertise and research interest include architectural education, children and architecture (e.g. children’s participation in architectural design), participatory design, school design, environmental psychology, post occupancy evaluation, and environmental behavior and design.
Manjola Logli Short Bio Epoka University

Manjola Logli is an architect and assistant lecturer based in Tirana, Albania. With a background in both professional practice and academia, Logli’s areas of interest extend to the environment and user behaviors, user well-being and the interaction between sustainability and design regarding socio-cultural dimension, spanning the latter one on a larger scale, in that of livable communities. Recently, she has participated in a research on the well-being and cognitive functions of senior residents focused on retirement homes in Tirana, Albania.
Edmond Manahasa Short Bio Epoka University

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Edmond Manahasa has been working since 2008 at Epoka University in Albania as a lecturer in the department of architecture. He is focused on two main research areas: i. environment-behavior psychology, and ii. history of architecture. Within the first research area, he has conducted research on the themes of place identity and place attachment, urban identity, neighborhood identity, housing typologies, gated communities, city image and post-socialist housing developments. In relation to the second area, he has conducted studies on Ottoman period architecture in Albania and Kosovo.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47818/DRArch.2024.v5i2124

Keywords:

university campus, social sustainability, mix-used, outdoor environment, satisfaction

Abstract

Although mixed-use campuses are recognized by designers, little attention is paid to the social values that their outdoor environment generates for the wider community. Aiming to identify social values, the methodology used in this study includes a survey that is applied via an online questionnaire (N=156) to explore users’ perceptions about the values the campus produces to translate into indicators of wellbeing. This study’s aim is to identify indicators of wellbeing that can capture campus social value, referring to a continuously changing campus (Agricultural University of Tirana). The results indicate that the social and cultural benefits that come from a mixed-use campus are related to the adequacy of physical outdoor environments and social activities. However, compared to mixed-use spaces, outdoor spaces that preserve the functions of agricultural backgrounds (as originally designed) have higher social values. We suggest that both physical and non-physical determinants play a basic role in enhancing social interaction (this is a strong indicator), so they must be included in the policies and strategies of the higher education systems.

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Published

2024-08-30

How to Cite

Manahasa, O., Logli, M., & Manahasa, E. (2024). Capturing the social values of a mix-used university campus outdoor: An assessment of the Agricultural University of Tirana. Journal of Design for Resilience in Architecture and Planning, 5(2), 138–152. https://doi.org/10.47818/DRArch.2024.v5i2124