Date of Submission
Spring 5-11-2026
Degree Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Architecture
Department
Architecture
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Sang Pil Lee
Abstract
Suburban form is a fragmented and low-density system of sprawling divisions which prevents social connection, carrying a particularly adverse effect for low-income families that cannot offset these attributes with economic bandages. My thesis asks how suburban elements can be implemented at the urban and architectural scale to create an accessible and connected system which results in both individual expression and communal opportunity. More specifically, this thesis aims to translate the thresholds of prototypical suburban typologies into a structural and circulatory framework.
Stan Allen’s field condition concept is explored for the urban level research methodology, introducing repetition and the grid to an array of suburban elements. Galina Tachieva’s *Sprawl Repair Manual* is also tested as a means of shifting suburban form from a car-prioritized to a human-prioritized environment. At the architectural scale, Bernard Leupen’s *Frame and Generic Space* acts as the literary anchor, presenting a system from which to present the open-building concept as part of the solution. Till Boettger’s *Threshold Spaces* adds an additional layer of specificity in addressing the access frame within the overall system while providing a language for design exploration. Within the balance of fixed and flexible, the best of urban and suburban life is joined together.