2026 Theses Master's

Spaces of Care: Social Networks as Resilience in New York City Public Housing

Blocksdorf, Roxy

This thesis examines how the design, layout, and governance of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) campuses shape resident social relationships and community resilience. Drawing on theories of public space, social infrastructure, and design solidarity, the research asks how the built environment of public housing supports or inhibits the networks of care that vulnerable residents depend upon.

Through seventeen resident surveys and five in-depth interviews across NYCHA developments in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, this study finds that community life in public housing is fundamentally spatially contingent; where shared spaces are accessible, well-maintained, and designed with resident needs in mind, social ties and informal support networks flourish. Where they are absent, degraded, or poorly designed, community life is inhibited or relocated offsite. The thesis argues that resident social networks function not just as social amenities but as informal infrastructure, distributing resources, supporting safety, and buffering against institutional precarity.