? That's awesome...

"she also said that i have to get more architectectural[sic] concepts because i was more into urban planning stuff."

I hope you mean more of an architectural concept and not more in quantity because I think your problem is that you have far too many broad ideas floating around. What is your concept? What do you want to prove? Get specific. These are a lot terms or broad ideas, but I still don't see your concept. Also, I wonder if the critique about being "more into urban planning stuff" had more to do with the vagaries and not so much that there is a difference between an urban planners concept vs. and architectural concept.

Break it down...
Program: ""Establishing Shopping Magnetism and Enlivenment in a Rural Trade Center in Santa Cruz."
i'm proposing of creating a commercial establishment that could still attract customers from in and out of the rural area."

Concept: what about this? It's not that you can't integrate/combine theories to create your concept, but what you've said can lead your approach or process, but aren't concepts for your project in themselves...
-central place theory- might dictate the size and place of structures...indicate relationships (hierarchies), give you a starting point for setting up your rules in form generation...but what about it?
-organic bunching: can this be a process of generative design. An emergent system created that "organically" arranges your program/ form?

Precedent Research:
-harmonious rural integration of commercial(retail) establishments into rural landscape.
-organic bunching; can it be induced in design? Research it...that is part of the thesis...figuring out if this can be done.

Basically what I'm saying is that you can't just take term you've heard and say that's your concept. It has to mean something...be specific...make a claim and prove it with your thesis.

look at how complex your project is:

1. an establishment
2. a commercial establishment
3. a rural commercial establishment
4. a sustainable rural commercial establishment
5. a regional sustainable rural commercial establishment

what does this mean? why does this building need to be built? what are the benefits of the lifestyle this building encourages?

this project seems like you've chosen and answer, without asking a question.

Degree of Rurality and Shopping Trends:
uthor's Title: Food Shopping Behavior in Scotland: The Influence of Relative Rurality
Author(s) Name: Morven G. McEachern and Gary Warnaby
Year of Publication: 2005
Search Related Keywords: Cafeteria and Food Service Code Requirements/Regulations/Standards and Analysis Environmental Health Ergonomics Facility Management, Planning, and Design Furnishings Selection, Specifications, and Performance Health Effects Industrial Facility Production and Manufacturing Storage Specialties Worker

Design Issue
This study compared and contrasted food purchasing behaviors and trends of customers within rural and urban areas of Scotland.

*
While many studies have investigated the relationships between urban and rural areas in the United States, few have focused on such relationships in the United Kingdom.
*
As rural and urban areas become more alike (Tonroe & Mallalien, 1993; Patterson & Andersen, 2003) it may be important to understand how the degree of rurality affects shopping trends.

Design Criteria

*
Site retail centers so that they are distributed somewhat evenly across regions to facilitate more equal access to goods and services by rural and urban shoppers.

Key Concepts

*
The degree of rurality of an area impacts customer choices and access to stores. In general, urbanites accessed a wider variety of stores, made shorter trips, and were more likely to use public transit or walk to stores. Shoppers from more rural areas shopped at a less varied group of stores and traveled longer distances more frequently by car.
*
The decline of small scale retailing in the United Kingdom, especially for shops in rural areas, has been associated with the growing urbanization and mobilization of the population, advances in technology that favor chain retailers, lack of federal aid to independent shops, logistical and supply problems, inherent financial problems, and a lack of management expertise among independent retailers.
*
Independent retailers can increase interest, range, and choices for shoppers. In particular, independent rural retailers can provide emergency shopping, local availability (e.g., the only store in town), or destination shopping with specialized products or services (Smith & Sparks, 2000). Adaptation to unique, local shopper demands, diversification of products and services, and expansion of customer base are potential strategies for small-scale retailing in rural areas (Jussila et al; 1992).
*
Rural shoppers considered a lack of options for shopping, more expensive products, and poor leisure facilities as trade-offs for living in their desired environment, while urban consumers identified traffic, pollution, and noise levels as trade-offs for the expansive options they have living in the city. Both rural and urban consumers preferred using a car for transportation to and from food retail shops.

spacer