Sports in the City: The Arena as Community Center

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the phenomenon of sport in the society and to investigate the importance of the sporting facility in the urban fabric. Specifically, the analysis focuses on the sport of hockey and its impact on the lives of Canadians and Canadian culture. Time was spent touring the province of Ontario in order to experience first-hand the implications of the sport, and visits were made to multiple arenas during two distinct time periods: during the summer off-season, when the buildings would be less utilized, and during the winter, when the buildings experience a daily infusion of activity. The ultimate goal was to analyze the usage and context of these facilities and apply the intricacies and personalities of each into a prototypical hockey arena that was a complement to the city, the people, the athletes, the spectators, the urban fabric, and the sport itself.