URBAN STUDIES -

Architects should study urban studies which would provide them vital knowledge about urban
spaces and their efficiency. Urban renewal would lead the architects to design better spaces for
transportation, landscaping and land use which creates an urban environment. Architects and
Engineers would design the spaces with keeping the future expansion of the city in mind and
meet the demands of the population.
We need to plan for the rural areas as well as they are in dire need of infrastructure facilities. In
comparison with the metropolitan cities like Pune which roughly contains more than 1200
villages, where the development is uneven even though the areas being within Pune.
The human conditions vary and are diverse in different spaces like Hamlet, Village, Town, City,
Megapolis depending on the income of the people. Human relationship is a complex word
which is important to consider while designing spaces. The society diversity is huge as
compared to urban and rural areas which depend majorly on the economy of the areas in which
the people live in. The government plays an important role in the development of the areas
whether it be urban or rural.
Design is based on Aesthetics and Functionality which cause timelessness in life, with the
changing world some aspects of life remain evergreen and achieve timelessness in nature.
Socio-Cultural aspects also define the designing of the spaces immensely. Environment and
ecology should be taken care of while designing the spaces. The money and resources should
be used judiciously while designing.
The internal and external life should be taken care of which lead to a better design. The urban
spaces need to be designed with keeping on mind the interior of the building in correlation with
the streets. The neighborhood and the streets which include functions which affects the housing
design. The definition of beauty in terms of timelessness needs to be achieved. The socio-
cultural aspects of the streets in the areas which include festivals, fairs, etc. need to be studied.
Too much privacy leads to mental disorders and which increase the crime rate. Humans are
social animals which need to interact and which we need to take care of while designing. The
social aspects in terms of culture impact the life of very individual. The gathering spaces which
make interactions happen between people of different communities need to be thought of. The
spaces which provide a progressive design and gives opportunities to the people living the
respective areas. Human scale needs to be understood while designing the streets and the
surroundings.
Housing is being portrayed as products with utopian ideas which are impossible to accomplish
like living in lush green forested areas. They have dreamy taglines and have connectivity facts
from the area. The economics of the housing need to understood thoroughly which includes
construction of houses, the employment of people due to housing are some of the many ways
in which housing contributes economy of out country. The affordability of houses needs to be
considered according to the economical condition of the area and the people residing there.
Architects need to optimize cost in terms of structure and services of housing.
Maslow’s theory of Hierarchy includes the factors of human physiological, safety, belongings,
esteem and self-actualization. All these factors need to be studied. Housing is one of the basic
needs of life and is an essential fundamental right for the people. The rapid urbanization in our
country has led to many pressing problems like shortage of potable water, drainage system
layout, sanitation facilities, electricity, roads and disposal of garbage.
We need to address the present shortage of housing; the Government is trying to reduce the
shortage of housing by introducing new laws. Addressing the future demand in the area which

KARAN HRISHIKESH MISAL

PURPLE BATCH P-11
URBAN STUDIES -

influences the development of the people living there. The improvement of the houses in the
urban areas need to be looked after. The housing should be responsive to the city infrastructure.
Architects play all roles of citizens, builders/developers, governance and professionals. Design
depends on how we behave and how we live, having different family systems and where we live.
We live in courtyard houses, boat houses, Maharashtrian Wadas, Bhuj Havelis, Houses of Goa
create a vast diversity throughout our nation.
We should study form our past legacy which includes traditional houses and vernacular
architecture along with local architecture. Climate response should be studied as structures
should be able to resist extreme temperature and weather conditions. Religious structures and
heritage areas contributes to the cultural fabric of the city.
The Sense of security is developed recently if we compared the old and new areas of cities, ex.
Pune. The roads were narrower and the houses had common walls. Human interaction used to
be a lot earlier. Now the roads have become larger and the human connection seems to be lost.
Vertical development has happened due to the high-rise buildings not the horizontal
development which contributed to the majority of the houses of Pune in olden times.
The human scale seems to be lost with the high-rise buildings. The streets seem to come alive
with the addition of humans. The scale of building affects the human scale tremendously. The
transition spaces are absent in today’s urban spaces, human connection is lost. Narrow streets
in settlements create opportunities for interactions between people of all ages.
Experiential architecture needs to be studied while studying urban spaces which need to
experienced. Houses need to have uniqueness which create a nice contrast to the density of the
houses. The streets need to be also designed by keeping in mind the domestic animals which
are an integral part of the city.

KARAN HRISHIKESH MISAL

PURPLE BATCH P-11