The spatial language of streets

: place making and place naming

Abstract

Streets are increasingly valued as public spaces that not only support the movement of vehicles, but the daily lives of individuals and communities. Yet often the design of streets fails to adequately provide for these diverse functions. This is despite streets being increasingly regarded as key to the sustainability of urban settlements.

This thesis explores the relationship between streets as spaces and the names given to them, with particular focus on the street name suffix or generic toponym. The history, distribution and dynamics of terms such as Avenue, Road and Close are examined, before being studied at the city and neighbourhood level. Visual analysis and urban morphological studies are complemented by a mixed method approach to explore how these terms are used and understood by residents, as well as those responsible for their design and naming.

This thesis gives rise to consider the potential contribution to be made by place naming to placemaking, with a view to improving the design and planning of streets as spaces for people and thereby, further strengthening the bonds between people and place.

Thesis is embargoed until 31 July 2026.

Date of Award	Jul 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Supervisor	Agustina Martire (Supervisor) & Urmi Sengupta (Supervisor)