A Justified Plan Graph Analysis of Social Housing in Mexico (1974–2019): Spatial Transformations and Social Implications

Abstract

AbstractSpace Syntax researchers have asserted that the spatial configuration of the planning of a work of architecture, such as a house, reflects how social properties are inscribed in its design. In social housing, the social inscriptions through space, which promote a particular way of dwelling, are not initially determined by the inhabitants. However, through appropriation, inhabitants mold the space to their liking, challenging preconceived ways of dwelling. Therefore, this research aims to determine what kinds of social structures the spatial configuration of social housing are promoting and how the inhabitants' transformations have altered the spatial experience. Mexico's housing sector developed from a “welfare approach” in the nineteen seventies and eighties to a “market rationale” since the nineties. During this time, different dwelling perspectives were inscribed in the spatial configuration of the homes. Using the justified plan graph (JPG) method, six social housing dwellings from these two time periods, Welfare State and market rationale, are spatially analyzed, both in their original design and in the resulting design from their inhabitant's modifications. Graph analysis is used in this paper for providing spatial insights into social housing design and its users' transformations, while pointing to further research needs.