Rice, Colby2026-01-082026-01-082026-01-06https://hdl.handle.net/10222/85612The town of Portland, New Brunswick, was hollowed by urban renewal and rebranded as the North End of Saint John, triggering the neighbourhood's downfall. With a second renewal on the horizon, occurring in the ruins of past plans, this thesis asks: How might an architect participate in the successful renewal of a neighbourhood? An exploration of place and placelessness as cultural conditions suggests that intuitively valuable urban fabric is most readily produced through a bottom-up construction that maintains a legible relationship between individuals and their architecture. To foster this high-energy individual investment, a valuable sense of localized urban identity is restored by reconstructing the town's erased primary element, St. Peter's Church. The ruins are reoccupied by a new town hall, redeploying autonomy and distinction to Portland. A fragmentary architectural design method is developed to help architects achieve the human density of detail and consideration that naturally emerges from place-based dwelling.enArchitectureSaint John, New BrunswickPortland, New BrunswickNorth End, Saint JohnUrban RenewalUrban IdentityArchitectural FragmentsPlace and Placelessness