Charlotte R
- Research Program Mentor
MArch at University of Colorado at Denver
Expertise
social justice, landscape architecture, urban planning, politics, design, language, geography
Bio
My research focuses on how systems of power are spatialized in the built environment. I investigate the ways in which architecture, design and planning have been used historically to oppress populations on the basis of race, gender, sexuality, age and language and how these fields can be used as tools for liberation. I am an avid traveler. I have been backpacking Latin America for the past seven months and am interested in living a nomadic lifestyle indefinitely, living in alternative sustainable communities, and learning new languages and cultures.Project ideas
How Do Political Systems Influence the Design of Civic Buildings?
Architecture is not neutral. Government buildings, such as city halls, courthouses, schools, or legislative buildings, often reflect the political values and power structures of the systems that created them. This project would explore how political systems influence architectural design and how buildings communicate ideas like authority, transparency, or control. A student could select 2–3 civic buildings from one country or compare buildings from different political contexts (for example, democratic vs. authoritarian systems). Using photographs, floor plans, historical sources, and secondary research, the student would analyze design elements such as scale, accessibility, materials, symbolism, and public/private boundaries. Research questions might include: How does architecture express power or legitimacy? What design choices encourage public participation or, alternatively, distance and control? How do historical or political moments shape the way civic buildings are designed? The final outcome could be a short research paper or visual presentation combining written analysis with annotated images or diagrams. This project is intentionally scoped to be achievable for a student new to research while introducing them to critical thinking about politics, space, and the built environment.
How Can Physical Spaces Support Peacebuilding and Reconciliation?
Peacebuilding is often discussed in political or diplomatic terms, but physical spaces, such as memorials, shared public spaces, schools, or community centers, can also play an important role in healing, dialogue, and reconciliation after conflict. This project would explore how the design and use of physical spaces contribute to peacebuilding efforts. A student could study 1–2 examples of peacebuilding spaces (such as memorials, truth and reconciliation sites, or shared public spaces in post-conflict regions) using photographs, maps, historical context, and secondary sources. The research might examine how design elements, such as openness, symbolism, accessibility, or programming, encourage reflection, dialogue, or shared memory. Possible research questions include: How do spaces help communities process collective trauma? What design choices promote inclusion versus division? How do different cultural contexts approach peacebuilding through space? The final project could take the form of a short research paper or visual presentation that combines written analysis with images or diagrams. This project is intentionally scoped to be manageable for students new to research while introducing them to interdisciplinary thinking across design, history, and social science.
Who Controls Public Space, and Why? Power, Protest, and the Built Environment
This research project examines how power operates through public space. Students will explore questions like: Who decides how public spaces are designed, policed, and regulated? Whose bodies are welcomed and whose are criminalized? Using examples such as protest zones, anti-homeless architecture, border infrastructure, or militarized policing of public space, students will connect spatial design to broader systems of power including capitalism, colonialism, and state violence. Students may produce a critical essay, spatial analysis, or speculative redesign that challenges dominant narratives of “neutral” public space and proposes alternative, justice-oriented futures.
Designing Spaces of Resistance: A Speculative Activist Project
In this project, students will research how activists around the world have used space creatively, from murals and temporary installations to occupied plazas and community-run buildings to challenge injustice. Students will then design a speculative “space of resistance” responding to a social issue they care about (climate justice, housing, racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, migration, etc.). The final outcome may include drawings, collages, maps, short essays, or multimedia storytelling, blending research with imagination to show how design can be a tool for social change.