Designing Place Specificity in a Rural Coastal Community

Abstract

This thesis explores how place specificity can lead to new economic opportunities and act to strengthen community. Place specificity refers to the morphological and climatic qualities of a given site, and how human activity engages with it. The testing ground is Port Medway, Nova Scotia, Canada. This town is situated within a series of interconnected conditions that have effect at different scales, informing the qualities of its place. Located along the North Atlantic coast, the Medway Harbour’s geography protects both its waters and its settlements from the forces of the ocean. Port Medway sits therein, facing a major river mouth where it converges with the ocean; this condition was the town’s lifeblood. Various events severed this connection to the river and harbour, and with it socioeconomic stability. This thesis proposes re-linking the town to this specificity of place as a means to achieve economic and community growth.