Homeless youth shelters: Searching for the nature and form of community

A strong sense of community is essential for homeless youths so that through the support of others, they can gain the knowledge and confidence to lead an independent life. A community based on interaction and participation, trust and security, and belonging and social connection will help these young people escape from isolation and develop essential skills that their former home life was lacking.;The three sites in London, Ontario are completely different from one another not only in area, but also in terms of their relationship to the city, and the density of the surrounding urban fabric. The contrasting sites imply different programmatic as well as architectural responses and allow for completely different models of community to be suggested and compared.;Idealistic thought provokes ideas about possible improvements to our communities and what the future could hold. This thesis proposes to explore utopian visions of society in order to encourage community in the design of a homeless youth shelter.