Re-Anchoring Bloomfield: Cross Programming a Makerspace to Foster Equity and Inclusion in North End, Halifax

Abstract

This thesis proposes the creation of a Makerspace to re-anchor the Bloomfield Centre site within North End, Halifax. The Bloomfield Centre was previously a hub for making, community resources and collaboration, its closure left a void in the urban and social landscape. The lack of diversity among Makerspace users prompts this thesis to question the current organization of mainstream Makerspaces while also studying the rise of feminist Makerspaces. This study provides a design framework which implements cross programming to increase access while also increasing visual connections to the Makerspace activities through program adjacencies and voids. Urban strategies implemented deal with degrees of observation and movements through the site based on current and historical paths. Through the preservation of two historical Bloomfield school buildings and the redevelopment of the site now occupied by the Bloomfield Junior High building, this thesis imagines the site in a way that reveals its history of equity and inclusion.