What are you drawn to in the city and why? This thesis applies an interiors lens to the built environment, bringing out qualities of place that foster belonging, create a comfortable and engaging atmosphere, and allow us to feel a sense of attachment. In particular, I am interested in spaces that serve as the backdrop to our everyday lives, whether we acknowledge them directly or not. Our experience walking from one place to another through the urban fabric is fluid, even between our typically defined borders of indoor and outdoor. Introducing interventions to sites around Philadelphia with existing atmospheric and social potential demonstrates how inherently simple elements can transform space into place. This thesis draws from theories of urban design, third place, place attachment, and atmosphere to explore what is extraordinary in the mundane.

This thesis explores the recent rise of American immigration to Mexico City. In response to shifting housing access and cultural displacement, this thesis proposes a transitional co-living space that supports both incoming American immigrants and Mexican locals through intentional community building. Drawing on J. Macgregor Wise’s concept of territorialization through habit, the project considers how built space can help new American immigrants establish routines, maintain identity, and develop a sense of belonging in a new cultural context. This space features rent-controlled units for locals and an American-style diner, designed to foster a shared experience, cultural exchange, and mutual respect. Food plays a central role as a familiar anchor and a tool for connection—bridging memory and place, and creating opportunities for interaction between residents and the wider community. Booths and Borders reimagines migration not as isolation, but as an opportunity to build lasting, place-based community.