Heather Mitcheltree: Examining Family and Domestic and Violence Accommodation Design

Supervisor: Prof. Minna Sunikka-Blank

Research overview:

Within Australia, family and domestic violence (FDV) is a major national health and welfare issue that disproportionately impacts on women, children and vulnerable segments of the population. For the women and accompanying children forced to uproot their lives due to traumatic family situations, the experience of displacement, refuges, and short to medium-term shelters is one of a forced liminal existence. The rate of those seeking specialist homelessness services as a result of FDV has steadily increased over the last decade, and there is a growing body of evidence in relation to the significant long-term and often intergenerational health and social impacts of FDV and the associated trauma. However, despite the health and social ramifications of FDV, there is very little research into the design of accommodation models for victims of family and domestic violence, nor on how past experiences of trauma and the shelter environment impact on health and wellbeing outcomes. This research seeks to examine whether the design and spatial structuring of family and domestic violence shelters impacts on the health and wellbeing of women seeking refuge from FDV within Australia. Through a mixed-methods examination of the shelter environment and the lived experiences of those within shelters, this research seeks to address some of the current knowledge gaps and provide of a better understanding of the impact of, and nexus between accommodation design and the health and well-being of the different subsets amongst those seeking shelter. 

Biography:

Heather Mitcheltree is a PhD researcher and Ackman Scholar at the University of Cambridge. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Planning and Design (Architecture), and Master of Architecture. Heather’s work focuses primarily on gender equity, trauma-informed design, and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the complex socio-spatial and psychological impact of the built environment on wellbeing outcomes. In addition to research and teaching, she engages in creative design and art collaborations, and research consultancy.