EXPLORING THE CULTURAL

CONTEXT AND PUBLIC REALM IN

URBAN SPACES
CONTENTS:
- Introduction
• Aim & Objectives
• Importance of public spaces and their
association with users
• examples of successful environments that
people associate with.

- Methodology
- Literature and Case studies
• Book “PUBLIC PLACES, URBAN SPACES”
• Case studies: attractive and most used spaces in:
a) City Centre, Salt lake
b) Dilli Haat, Pitaampura

- Analysis
- Inferences for thesis project
AIM:
Identifying parameters of success of a public realm in an urban space.

OBJECTIVES:

To study:

• indicators of success in urban public spaces

• attractions in urban spaces
• imagery and materials of built forms surrounding the public spaces
• constituents of experiences in public spaces
• factors (tangible/intangible) contributing in public realm
Why do we need good public spaces ?
“ When public spaces are successful […] they will increase opportunities to participate in
communal activity. This fellowship in the open nurtures the growth of public life, which is
stunted by the social isolation of ghettos and suburbs. In the parks, plazas, markets, waterfronts,
and natural areas of our cities, people from different cultural groups can come together in a
supportive context of mutual enjoyment. As these experiences are repeated, public spaces
become vessels to carry positive communal meanings ”. (CARR,FRANCIS, RIVLIN and STONE,
1993, p. 344)

A city's streets, parks, squares, and other shared spaces have been seen as symbols of
collective well-being and possibilities. Across the time, it has been seen that a strong
relationship exists between urban public space and civic culture.

We are far removed from the times when a city's central public spaces were a prime
cultural and political site. In an age of urban sprawl, with multiple usage of public
space; it has now become important to create public spaces which fulfill their
traditional roles.
Public space, if organized properly, offers the potential for social communion by
allowing us to lift our gaze from the daily grind, and as a result, increase our
disposition towards the other.

My aim in this seminar is to identify such factors and parameters which bring
success to the current scenario of urban public spaces, in following their
traditional roles.
METHODOLOGY:
To study different factors ensuring the success of public spaces
 
Identification of different questions and doubts about public realm
 
primary study secondary study
information extraction from case and literature studies
journals and research papers of different public spaces

 
Case studies and literature studies (book- Public spaces, urban spaces;
public spaces- city centre, dilli haat etc )
 
Analysis of case studies and literature review
 
Inferences and use in my design
LITERATURE STUDY :

Urban environments have changed significantly in recent years, as have ideas about how
they should be designed, changed and improved. The significance of 'place‘ has
diminished as the means and methods of communication between locations have evolved.
Traditional, centralized, city form has evolved into a less legible landscape of sprawling
polycentric 'cities'.
Traditional' urban space can be regarded as the evolved state of urban form immediately
prior to the onset of large-scale industrialization and urbanization.

THE MORPHOLOGICAL DIMENSION-

‘Morphological' dimension of urban design is the layout and configuration of urban form
and space. There are essentially two types of urban space system, which, are referred to as
'traditional' and 'modernist’.
Urban morphology is the study of the form and shape of settlements; which helps us to be
aware of local patterns of developments.
 LITERATURE STUDY :

THE MORPHOLOGICAL DIMENSION-

Few important key elements of the morphological

dimension are:

1. Land use: relatively temporary

2. Building structure: plots have a cycle of building
development, which generally begins in ‘perimeter
block’ form.
3. Plot pattern: over the time the neighboring plot
boundaries change.
4. Street pattern: generally based on pedestrian
movement, and strongly influenced by local topography.
The relation between movement and the evolution of the
urban grid is that the movement largely dictates the
configuration of urban space.
 LITERATURE STUDY :

Buchanan's concept of 'environmental areas' (source:

Scoffham, 1 984)
Rob Krier's typology of urban squares.

Gridded street system Process of grid erosion Laddered street system

 LITERATURE STUDY : Mall Apartments

THE MORPHOLOGICAL DIMENSION-

POD DEVELOPMENT:

A further transformation in the morphological

structure of urban areas is that from outward
facing urban blocks to inward-focused
complexes of buildings, often referred to
as 'pods‘.
Individual pods tend to be introverted and separated from
adjacent developments by main roads and by hectares of
car parking.
Pods may be geographically proximate but otherwise
have very little relation.
Thus, instead of a system of blocks defining
space, urban areas become conceived of
in terms of routes surrounding individual buildings or inward-focused
complexes of buildings in space, sometimes in landscaped settings, but more often amid
car parks.
 LITERATURE STUDY :
THE MORPHOLOGICAL DIMENSION-

CONCLUSION:

The Morphological dimension of urban design, focuses on two key issues of urban form
and urban layout.
It is necessary to appreciate why hierarchical, segregated and introverted layouts have
come about. If a high level of permeability is initially provided, segregation can usually be
achieved later, if necessary, through design or management.
LITERATURE STUDY :

THE PERCEPTUAL DIMENSION-

Awareness and appreciation of environmental perception, and, in particular, of perception

and experience of 'place', is an essential dimension of urban design.

Sensation refers to human sensory systems reacting to environmental stimuli. The four
most valuable senses in interpreting and sensing the
environment are :

•VISION,

•HEARING,
Sensing the
environment
•SMELL AND

•TOUCH.
LITERATURE STUDY :

THE PERCEPTUAL DIMENSION-

Perception concerns more than just seeing or sensing the urban environment.
Four dimensions of perception, which operate simultaneously are:

• Cognitive: involves thinking and enables us to make sense of the

environment.
• Affective: involves our feelings
• Interpretative: encompasses meaning derived from the environment.
• Evaluative: incorporates values and preferences and the determination
of 'good' or 'bad'.

Observation of cities with districts, landmarks and pathways that were easily identifiable
and easily grouped into an overall pattern, was called 'imageability‘ by Kevin Lynch.
According to him the ‘workable ‘ environmental images required following three
attributes:

a) Identity b) Structure c) Meaning

 LITERATURE STUDY :

These diagrams by John Punter (1 991 ) and

John Montgomery (1 998)
illustrate how urban design actions can
contribute to and enhance the potential
sense of place
(source: Montgomery, 1 998)
LITERATURE STUDY :
THE SOCIAL DIMENSION-

it is difficult to conceive of 'space' without social content and, equally, to conceive of

society without a spatial component.

People and Space:

An understanding of the relationship between people ('society') and their environment

('space') is essential in urban design. People are not passive, however; they influence and
change the environment, as it influences and changes them.
Environmental opportunities clearly affect what people can and cannot do. Human
behaviour is therefore inherently 'situational': it is embedded
in physical - and also in 'social', 'cultural' and 'perceptual' - contexts and settings.
There are two other main viewpoints on the degree of environmental influence on
people's actions: 'environmental possibilism' (i.e. people choose among the
environmental opportunities available to them) and
'environmental probabilism' (i.e. in a given physical setting some choices are more
likely than others) (Porteous, 1 977; Bell et a/., 1 990).
LITERATURE STUDY :
THE SOCIAL DIMENSION-

Maslow (1 968) identified a five-stage hierarchy of basic human needs:

• physiological needs: for warmth and comfort;

• safety and security needs: to feel safe from harm;
• affiliation needs: to belong;
• esteem needs: to feel valued by others;
• self-actualisation needs: for artistic expression and fulfillment.

THE PUBLIC REALM:

'Public life involves relatively open and universal social contexts, in contrast to private
life, which is intimate, familiar, shielded, controlled by the individual, and shared only
with family and friends.’ - Loukaitou-Sideris and Banerjee (1 998, p. 1 75)
The public realm has 'physical' (space) and 'social' (activity) dimensions. The spaces and
settings - publicly or privately owned – that support or facilitate public life and social
interaction.
LITERATURE STUDY :
THE SOCIAL DIMENSION-

THE PUBLIC REALM:

the public realm includes :

• External public space: pieces of land that lie between private landholdings. In urban
areas, these are public squares, streets, highways,
parks, parking lots, etc.
• lnternal 'public' space: public institutions such as libraries, museums, town halls, etc.
• External and internal quasi-' public' space: although legally private, places such as
university campuses, sports grounds, restaurants, cinemas, shopping malls, also form part
of the public realm.

SAFETY AND SECURITY:

Lack of security, perceptions of danger, and fear of victimization, threaten both the use of
the public realm and the creation of successful urban environments. A sense of security
and safety is, therefore, an essential prerequisite of. The social dimension successful
urban design.
LITERATURE STUDY :
THE SOCIAL DIMENSION-

ACCESSIBILITY :

A key element of any discussion of the public realm is accessibility.

Carr et al. (1 992, p. 1 38) identify three forms of access:

• Visual access (visibility);

• Symbolic access: cues (symbols) can be animate or inanimate;
• Physical access: concerns whether the space is physically available to
the public.

CONCLUSION:

The social dimension raises issues concerning values, and difficult choices with regard to
the effects of design decisions on individuals and groups in society. The aim should be the
provision of an accessible, safe and secure, equitable public realm for all.
LITERATURE STUDY :
THE VISUAL DIMENSION-

Architecture and urban design are often described as the only truly inescapable, and
therefore public, art forms. It focuses on four key issues:
a) aesthetic preferences;
b) appreciation of space and the aesthetic qualities of urban spaces and townscape;
Third and fourth concern the design of elements that define and
occupy urban space –
c) the architecture; and
d) the hard and soft landscaping.

Jack Nasar (1998) identified five attributes of 'liked' environments:

• Naturalness: environments that are natural.
• Upkeep/civilities: environments that appear to be looked after.
• Openness and defined space: the blending of defined open space with
panoramas and vistas of pleasant elements.
• Historical significance/content: environments that provoke favourable
associations.
• Order: in terms of organization, coherence, congruity, legibility, clarity
LITERATURE STUDY :
THE VISUAL DIMENSION-

PATTERNS AND ASTHETIC ORDER:

As we always experience the 'whole' rather than any single part in isolation, we
appreciate environments as ensembles.
Smith (1980, p. 74) says that our intuitive capacity for aesthetic appreciation has four
distinct components that transcend time and
culture:

1. Sense of rhyme and pattern

2. Appreciation of rhythm

3. Recognition of balance

4. Sensitivity to harmonic
relationships
Principles of organization and coherence (source: adapted and extended from Von Meiss, 1 990, pp. 36-8)
LITERATURE STUDY :
THE VISUAL DIMENSION-

URBAN SPACE:

• Positive, relatively enclosed,

outdoor space has a definite
and distinctive shape.

• Negative space is shapeless.

Principles of spatial containment and

enclosure(source adapted from Booth, 1983)
LITERATURE STUDY :
THE VISUAL DIMENSION-

HARD AND SOFT LANDSCAPING:

With a narrower meaning than 'landscape', 'landscaping‘ is used here rather than
'landscape‘ because of its more limited visual connotations. The broader landscape
involves not only visual aspects, but also fundamental concerns for ecology, hydrology
and geology.

Hence, landscape design strategies should be developed before or in parallel with the
building design process.

a) Floorscape
b) Street Furniture
c) Soft landscaping

CONCLUSION: The necessity for urban designers to consider the whole context in
which they approach the visual aspect of additions to the
urban environment.
LITERATURE STUDY :
THE FUNCTIONAL DIMENSION-

Functional dimension of urban design, focuses on how places work and

how urban designers can make 'better' places.

Five primary needs that people seek to satisfy in public space are:

1. comfort;
2. relaxation;
3. passive engagement with the environment;
4. active engagement with the environment; and
5. discovery.

Other factors are: Privacy, density, designing for sun and shade, wind,
lighting, and parking and services.

CONCLUSION: The functional dimension of urban design, reinforcing the notion of it

as a design process. The criteria of good design - 'firmness', 'commodity', 'delight' and
'economy' - must be satisfied simultaneously.
CASE STUDY 1:
DILLI HAAT, PITAMPURA, DELHI
CASE STUDY 1: Open layout: reduces the chaotic feeling and
brings comfort in users
DILLI HAAT, PITAMPURA, DELHI
CASE STUDY 2:
Visual interaction between spaces: is
CITY CENTRE, SALT LAKE, KOLKATA important for activity promotion and
interest built up
CASE STUDY 2: CITY CENTRE, SALT LAKE,
KOLKATA

KUND: the imageability of a place is important for its public

success
 EASE TO ACCESS and ACTIVITIES ON SITE

Easy circulation and movement patterns

ensure comfort in visitors

Diverse activities and uses around the

major circulation paths create the interest
 THE SITE

The outside activities are important

to understand the on site function of
spaces.

Ref: author
IMAGEABILITY
OF A STREET

The traditional street

patterns ensured
interaction and interest
built up

Image ref: marketsofindia.com

ANALYSIS/ CONCLUSIONS:
• It is necessary to appreciate why hierarchical, segregated and introverted layouts have
come about. If a high level of permeability is initially provided, segregation can usually
be achieved later, if necessary, through design or management.

• It is for individual users to determine whether a place is authentic or not, and the
quality and meaning of their experience there.

• The aim of design should be the provision of an accessible, safe and secure, equitable
public realm for all.

• It is necessary for designers to consider the whole context in which they approach the
visual aspect of additions to the urban environment.
INFERENCE FOR THESIS PROJECT:
Parameters to success of a public realm in an urban space are:

• Street Pattern,
• Pod Development,
• Urban Form and Layout,
• Awareness and Appreciation of the Environment,
• Imageability,
• Comfort,
• Ease to Access,
• Uses and Activities,
• Sociability,
• Settings and Contexts,
• Self-Actualization need fulfillment,
• Naturalness,
• Civilities,
• Defined Spaces,
• Aesthetic Order,
• Hard and Softscape,
• Discovery
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
• Public places -Urban spaces: The dimensions of Urban Design
by-Matthew Carmona, Tim Heath, Toner Oc and Steven Tiesdell.
• ON LYNCH'S AND POST-LYNCHIANS THEORIES- by Predrag Šiđanin,
University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technical Science- Department
of Architecture and Urbanism, Serbia
• URBAN SPACE AND THE USES OF CULTURE –by Lisanne Gibson and
Deborah Stevenson
• Collective culture and urban public space – by Ash Amin,
• www.publicspace.org
• Dialogues on public space: issues of spatial cultural identity- by
Antoni Muntadas
• Budick, Sanford and Iser Wolfang (eds.). The Translatability of Cultures:
Figurations of the Space Between. Stanford, California: Stanford University
Press: 1996.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
• Prof. Manjusha Mishra,
• Ar. Prashant Yadav,
• Ayush Upadhyay,
THANK YOU