Designing a Future Urban Cemetery in Honolulu; Integration of Ecological End of Life Choices.
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2018-05
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Urban cemeteries in Honolulu face increasing pressures of development. The rapid growth of population and densification of buildings has caused some cemeteries to reach full capacity and inadvertently overfill. Within the cemetery landscape, traditional methods of treating the dead in Hawai'i has continued until today. Although these methods may be culturally and religiously traditional, they are criticized for being unsustainable practices. An excessive amount of dirt excavation, use of embalming fluid and the process of cremation are considered harmful to the environment. To properly maintain the sanctity, capacity and landscape ecology in Honolulu's cemeteries, a thorough, inclusive, and sensible set of design criteria is necessary.
This study aims to examine how key stakeholders in death care influence the treatment of the dead. Policy makers, funerary businesses, and religious groups are amongst the essential stakeholders who significantly influence the potential integration of ecological end of life choices within sustainable urban cemeteries. Toward this end, the research questions ask: How can ecological end of life choices sustainably integrate with the landscape and future growth of urban cemeteries in Honolulu? How do religious groups, funerary businesses, and policymakers influence shifting trends towards a more ecological means of practice in death care?
By using a qualitative approach, the research questions are answered through field research in case of studies, distribution of survey questionnaires and conduction of interviews. The case studies examined real-world cemeteries in the city of Honolulu and were selected based on site criteria. Respondents of the survey questionnaire were randomly selected and kept anonymous while the interview respondent is known as a significant religious group leader. The findings from the research indicated the potential design solutions for an urban ecological cemetery in Honolulu and have shown the level of impact from each of the key stakeholders.
For this reason, it is ideal that every position in the urban community of Honolulu collaborates on an inclusive design agenda for the future of today’s cemeteries.
Further research could be considered to measure long-term factors in the shifting of sociocultural and religious attitudes towards ecological end of life choices.
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Cemetery, Ecological, Urban, Landscape, Burial, Inurnment, Repository
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