Families of young people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (YAIDD) reported that poor safety, social skills training and the un-readiness of the parents delay YAIDD from becoming autonomous adults. This research is based on literature study, fieldwork, site visits and interviews; and it is aimed to improve Independence, Social participation and Wellbeing of the target group, to create a stimulating and welcoming environments specific to IDD. The study offers a recommended framework that could prepare YAIDD for autonomous living and the design for a Youth Development Hub facility in Laakkwartier (The Hague, Netherlands). The main functions that are present in the project are: short-stay residences, classrooms, community center and recreational areas. The following design concepts are addressed in detail through literature study and applied to the design at varying scales: Legibility and wayfinding, Prospect and refuge, Territoriality and control, Privacy and choice, Design for senses, Design for routine.

This paper examines the phenomenon of post-Gulag towns in Russia. The focus is put on the process of evolving from the traumatic repression-related past towards the new contemporary identities. Thus, the aim of this thesis is to investigate the chronology of Russian Gulag towns in dealing with traumatic heritage, starting from the time of Gulag-camps initiation and ending with the present day situation. As the focus of this research, a single case study of Vorkuta could be applied to the general context of over 30,000 Gulag camps that took place in Russia.