Search results

This study draws on recent actor-network theory (ANT) literature to provide a nuanced understanding of the effect of time on activity networks in urban spaces. It investigates the role of time in multiplying these networks and producing urban change, which is limited in similar ANT-related research.

This ethnographic study of a cul-de-sac square within a housing project in the suburb of Dahiyat Al-Hussein in Amman, Jordan, documents the changes in its activity networks when comparing the 1990s with 2019. Data were collected through interviews and site observations covering the two time periods to investigate the different activities that occurred constantly over time, which reflect the temporal network stabilisation within the square.

The findings demonstrate the profound effect time has on the stability of activity networks related to playing, observing, walking, vending and their interrelations. Their overlaps and conflicts with each other and with other networks in the space were observed. Unpacking the stability of activity networks and their interrelations demonstrates the change in their actor relations and temporalities over time. This is significant in understanding urban change.

The study investigates the importance of time in recognising and extending the multiplicity of urban activities, which suggests new ways of understanding urban change. This exploration highlights new possibilities for creating more adaptable spaces according to residents' long-term needs.

The purpose of this paper is to detail an actor-network theory inspired ethnography of recording heritage buildings. The case study focusses on Irbid School in Al Tal area, which is one of the oldest schools in Jordan and an important heritage building.

The recording process was undertaken by third-year architectural design studio students from Philadelphia University. The paper documents the interaction between the heritage building and the students in a two-phased ethnography, including fieldwork conducted between September and December 2017.

The paper proposes the concept of “transfer ethnography”, which considers the continuous changes in design across different locations. This extends beyond traditional ethnography, which focusses on a single location. Here, in contrast to the classical viewpoint, following the recording process shows that building design is ongoing and extends beyond implementation through the years as the building ages.

Due to the chosen research approach, the research investigated the most relevant events from the author’s perspective, which might extend in various ways. Future research is encouraged to investigate more events that support the empirical findings.

The paper provides a new angle from which building design networks can be followed through the transfer ethnography, which has implications for the recording and similar processes that necessitate the continuous following of actors.

The research suggests the transfer ethnography, which entails close and in-depth engagement with actors but changes with the transformation of a design while following the actors and networks’ shifts between the different locations. It is more delicate, attentive and indispensable considering the dynamics of design.

Architectural theorists have a long tradition of acknowledging the centrality of building users to architectural production. This article contributes to the discourse on architecture, actor–network theory (ANT), and users by proposing a typology of user translations ranging from supporting to tinkering to adjusting to resisting.

The research utilises an ANT-inspired ethnography of sustainable lighting scripts at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST). It comprises semi-structured interviews with MIST designers and students, and site visits and participant observation to understand how the users interpret the scripts and how they interact and change them on a daily basis.

There is a shared understanding that users do not simply receive architectural designs but interpret and change them to suit their preferences. The findings reveal the multiple ways that users interpret and respond to the assumptions of designers and in the process, recast the relations between themselves and their material surroundings.

The research contributes to acknowledging the centrality of users to architectural design processes and the interpretation of design scripts, addressing the limitation in current literature in demonstrating the diversity of ways that users react to such scripts. The research suggests that user actions have significant implications on long-term building performance. It accordingly points to the need for devising multiple means of user involvement in the design process and allowing greater flexibility in design scripts to improve the alignment with user preferences.

This study aims at unpacking the multiplicity of the sitting activity in public spaces through the lens of actor-network theory. In line with previous urban research focussing on outdoor activities, such empirical investigation aims to show the importance of the physical aspects of spaces, including seating, in supporting sitting activities as a way of encouraging the use of public space.

This study adopts the overlap between actor–network theory and affordances. It utilises ethnographic research involving frequent users in Dahiyat Al Hussein Park in Amman-Jordan. Data were gathered on the different seat–user relations and the translated sitting activity networks.

Analysis demonstrates different cases of alignment, misalignment and realignment between what is intended and experienced, and where these relations are maintained, disrupted or changed. These findings reveal the multiplicity of sitting activities; this is significant for understanding how they are maintained.

The research suggests a new way of conceptualising the relationship between the physical environment and users and an approach for examining sitting activities. Some studies have applied actor–network theory and/or the concept of “affordance” by highlighting relations between the object and its user and how they create sitting activities. However, only few studies have problematised the multiplicity of sitting when considering seating uses.

This study aims to build on a contextualised approach for revealing the particularities of social sustainability indicators on the building scale within the particular context of Jordan, focusing on the buildings of the Dahiyat Al Hussein suburb.

This study relied on a review of the relevant previous research as well as global, regional and local rating tools, followed by working with a diversified participant base comprising experts as well as users through Delphi rounds and analytic hierarchy process-based assessments.

This study resulted in several key indicators that were classified into three main categories: environmental friendliness, comfort and convenience and social blend. It resembled a step on the path towards the standardisation of context-specific social sustainability indicators, an effort that would be further supported by future research addressing other development within Jordan.

The sustainability debate has, for long, acquired the undivided attention of its key stakeholders. With the continuous rise of global attention, the conceptualisation of sustainability has grown more specialised in both function and scale, and sustainable measures have been developed at the macro and micro levels. With the further spread of the concept, recognition of its contextual differences between various countries became more vivid, where the social dimension attains particular importance.

The purpose of this study is to explore the multifaceted challenge of managing construction and demolition waste within the context of the Jordan construction industry.

Using data sourced through desk research, interviews and questionnaires, this study examines the principal causes of increased volumes of construction and demolition waste, as well as the obstacles to both developing and implementing better waste management strategies.

This study identifies multiple causes of issues related to waste management and barriers to developing and implementing solutions and concludes by recommending a holistic approach to this multifaceted problem. A lack of adequate construction waste management infrastructure, regarding both physical facilities and regulations, was highlighted as the key challenge.

The accumulation of waste that results from construction and demolition activity, and activities characterized by unsustainable utilization of raw materials and inefficiency are a global issue. The challenge of effectively managing construction waste is importantly tied to factors including the availability of the necessary infrastructure; economic conditions; and the scarcity of skilled laborers, among others.

This study focuses on the Jordan construction industry, which is so far not very well researched. By building upon previous studies, this study supports further research to illuminate the causes of waste and the barriers to better management, an issue that is not only a pillar of progress at the country level but also key for a sustainable development in general.