STREET- From SPACE to PLACE by NIDHI

CONTENTS

CONTENTS Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................... i List of Figures.................................................................................................................................. ii List of Charts .................................................................................................................................. iii 1. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 AIM ................................................................................................................................ 2 1.2 OBJECTIVE...................................................................................................................2 1.3 SCOPE & LIMITATIONS................................................................................................ 2 1.4 METHODOLOGY...........................................................................................................2 2. LITERATURE STUDY.................................................................................................................3 2.1 SPACE TO PLACE ........................................................................................................3 2.2 INDIAN STREET SCENARIO ........................................................................................ 4 2.3 STREET DYNAMICS.....................................................................................................5 2.4 PARAMETERS TO STUDY ........................................................................................... 5 3. CASE STUDY ............................................................................................................................. 6 3.1 IDENTIFICATION OF STREET...................................................................................... 6 3.2 EDGES .......................................................................................................................... 7 3.3 7:00 AM ......................................................................................................................... 8 3.4 12:00 PM ....................................................................................................................... 9 3.5 4:30 PM ....................................................................................................................... 10 3.6 7:30 PM ....................................................................................................................... 11 3.7 USER STUDY.............................................................................................................. 12 4. ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................ 13 4.1 OBSERVATIONS.........................................................................................................13 4.2 COMPARATIVE STUDY.............................................................................................. 14 5. CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................... 15 6. BIBLIOGRAPHY/ REFERENCES............................................................................................. 16

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This seminar is prepared with the assistance and encouragement of many others. The foremost gratitude goes to Ar. Neeta Lambe for her consultation, which provided the initial leads for my study. Also, I'm thankful to her for her suggestions and constructive inputs whenever required. I am also indebted to Diksha Asani for lending me her camera which was the most crucial element for documentation. I am particularly grateful to the individuals using the street for their co-operation in the interview survey. The librarians Rupali & Pranjali Ma'am helped me to find valuable information. My final thanks are due to my family and friends for being the source of support and motivation. Thank you. January 2015

LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF FIGURES Fig 1: Street as SPACE ...................................................................................................................3 Fig 2: Street as PLACE ...................................................................................................................3 Fig 3: Pedestrian quality ..................................................................................................................4 Fig 4: A street in Ahmedabad ..........................................................................................................4 Fig 5: Place for reflection.................................................................................................................4 Fig 6: Many modes of transport .......................................................................................................4 Fig 7: Various moods of the street...................................................................................................5 Fig 8: Kaali Maa Temple..................................................................................................................6 Fig 9: Commercial & Residential Typologies ...................................................................................6 Fig 10: Gandhibagh......................................................................................................................... 6 Fig 11: NMC School ........................................................................................................................ 6 Fig 12: Plan of the Street.................................................................................................................6 Fig 13: Identified street .................................................................................................................... 6 Fig 14: Northern edge A ..................................................................................................................7 Fig 15: Northern edge B ..................................................................................................................7 Fig 16: Southern edge B..................................................................................................................7 Fig 17: Southern edge A..................................................................................................................7 Fig 18: Entrance to Gandhibagh......................................................................................................8 Fig 19: NMC School look.................................................................................................................8 Fig 20: Autorickshaw stand deserted............................................................................................... 8 Fig 21: View from Nanga Putla -Serene .......................................................................................... 8 Fig 22: Street look at morning..........................................................................................................8 Fig 23: Flower seller ........................................................................................................................ 8 Fig 24: Juice vendor ........................................................................................................................ 8 Fig 25: Activity mapping at 7.00 AM ................................................................................................ 8 Fig 26: Entrance to Gandhibagh......................................................................................................9 Fig 27: School -formal look..............................................................................................................9 Fig 28: Autorickshaws arrive at the stand ........................................................................................ 9 Fig 29: View towards Nanga Putla -Bustling .................................................................................... 9 Fig 30: Place for parking..................................................................................................................9 Fig 31: Vendors near compound wall of garden ..............................................................................9 Fig 32: Vendors at eastern end .......................................................................................................9 Fig 33: Activity mapping at 12.00 PM .............................................................................................. 9 Fig 34: Gandhibagh....................................................................................................................... 10 Fig 35: School vicinity.................................................................................................................... 10 Fig 36: Autorickshaw stand fully occupied ..................................................................................... 10 Fig 37: View towards Nanga Putla.................................................................................................10 Fig 38: Vendors consisting garment sellers ................................................................................... 10 Fig 39: Vendors near police quarters............................................................................................. 10 Fig 40: Vendors at eastern end .....................................................................................................10 Fig 41: Activity mapping at 4:30 PM .............................................................................................. 10 Fig 42: Kaali Maa temple............................................................................................................... 11 Fig 43: Crowd at eateries .............................................................................................................. 11 Fig 44: Autorickshaw stand -restrained look .................................................................................. 11 Fig 45: View towards Nanga Putla -Energetic................................................................................ 11 Fig 46: Sitting arrangement ...........................................................................................................11 Fig 47: Parking near bank dies down............................................................................................. 11 Fig 48: Vendors at compound wall of garden................................................................................. 11 Fig 49: Activity mapping at 7:30 PM .............................................................................................. 11 Fig 50: Vendors & their clients now are Users ............................................................................... 12 Fig 51: Morning users.................................................................................................................... 12 Fig 52: Late noon crowd ................................................................................................................ 12 Fig 53: Majority of users involved in economic activities ................................................................ 12

LIST OF FIGURES Fig 54: Eatery vendor at 12pm ......................................................................................................14 Fig 55: Cloth vendor at 4 pm .........................................................................................................14 Fig 56: Different eatery vendor at 7 pm ......................................................................................... 14 Fig 57: Plans showing the street at different times of day. ............................................................. 14

LIST OF CHARTS Chart 1: Methodology chart .............................................................................................................2 Chart 2: Discomforts for users .......................................................................................................13 Chart 3: Favoured by users ..........................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION 1. INTRODUCTION “The street is the river of life of the city, the place where we come together, the pathway to the center.” -William .H. Whyte

In contemporary times massive attention is being given to urban development, concepts like Smart Cities have sprung up of late. The street accounts for most of the urban public realm and is a major element of urban design. Imagine you want to go somewhere from your house, you are bound to pass or go through a street to reach your destination. Thus, the street becomes an indispensable part of our everyday lives. Verbs of action –to walk, to seek & find, to pass, penetrate, to discover, to arrive & leave, to stop or keep going are the choices man has when he uses the street. Streets are public spaces that function as economic spaces as well as social ones. The everyday activities of people living, working & shopping give distinctive character to the streets. This role of the street makes it necessary for a designer to study various aspects related to a street. This seminar focuses on the two aspects: USERS & ACTIVITIES.

INTRODUCTION 1.1 AIM To understand the street dynamics through users & activities.

1.2 OBJECTIVE To study local street emphasizing on: 1. Spatial structure of the street. 2. Mapping the activities/events & users as day progresses. 3. Finding out user preferences for better street design.

1.3 SCOPE & LIMITATIONS • • • •

Study of street done during different times of the day. Area to be studied is confined up to the edges of street. Studies done over a time period of one week. Study done by student’s own observation.

1.4 METHODOLOGY

Chart 1: Methodology chart

Chart 1. shows the steps adopted for carrying out the study. The identification of the street is based on factors like the activities happening on the street, issues faced and user group variety. Major parameters to study the street are the Activities which includes mapping their type and location on the street; the User group study based on observations and their experiences or opinions obtained from the questionnaire; the Edges of the street to be studied to get idea of the architectural character and the circulation pattern; and an observation of Image & Social life of the selected street that makes it a Place. The study is carried out during different times of day viz. Early morning at 7:00 AM Afternoon time at 12:00 PM Late noon time at 4:30 PM Evening period at 7:30 PM An analysis of the above mentioned factors provides information of how do they affect the Street Dynamics and later from these observations, a conclusion is framed.

SPACE & PLACE 2. LITERATURE STUDY 2.1 SPACE to PLACE Space is “Container of Things” -Aristotle

Space is “apprehended without the senses”

The Oxford dictionary defines space as an unoccupied ground or area. Space is an unlimited expanse in which everything is located. It is a hollow or an empty area which is filled internally. Architectural space is born from the relationship between objects or boundaries and planes which define limits.

-Plato

Fig 1: Street as SPACE

“Place” is based on “belief involving perception” -Plato

Fig 2: Street as PLACE

Place is any area set aside for a particular purpose. For Aristotle a “place” is a way of being in the world at unique angle like water “in a vessel”. When people and events/activities are added to a space, it gains meaning and usefulness. For instance, a forest or desert that has known little human habitation offers space, or geographic area, but is not yet a place in the sense that it is useful or meaningful to human beings. Both Plato and Aristotle recognize the special role of body in regard to “place”. In case of the street, the space is the geographic area that exists between the edges containing the objects on that street like the trees, street furniture, temporary shelters, etc. A street becomes a place when users and activities are added to it. It acquires a significance that varies with each individual who comes to the street to fulfill his purpose. It becomes a place for exchange of ideas and goods, place for meeting familiar and unknown faces, and places that sleep and wake with the movement of the hours and days of the week.

INDIAN STREET 2.2 INDIAN STREET SCENARIO

Fig 3: Pedestrian quality.

Fig 4: A street in Ahmedabad.

Fig 5: Place for reflection.

Fig 6: Many modes of transport. (Source for Fig 3,4,5,6: 121clicks.com)

'Hundreds of pedestrians effortlessly weaving their way through a small space, the dozens of hawkers who strategically sit on paved footpaths, the clusters of mobile vendors who work in the middle of the road but out of pedestrians’ pathways, the shopkeepers whose extensions blur the boundaries between the formal and informal, the flower vendors stationed on the path to a nearby temple, and the rickshaw-puller drudging goods someplace.' All these constitute the Indian street scenario of congested but vibrant public places. 'With the possible exception of the railroad, streets capture more about India than any other setting. On its streets, India eats, works, sleeps, moves, celebrates and worships’ (Arjun Appadurai, ‘Street Culture’, The India Magazine 8(1), December 1987). From ancient times the streets in India have acted not only as thoroughfare but also been places for social and cultural activities. A characteristic of Indian street is heavy pedestrian movement (Fig 3). Also there is diversity in the modes of transport being employed for travelling or supply of commodities (Fig 6). The streetscapes allow for a wide variety of urban practices. They become places buying goods (Fig 4), a place for reflection for an elderly who keenly observes the proceedings of the street (Fig 5), etc. The physical character of these streets are marked by narrow otas, the steps of houses or shops opening directly onto the road. Rather than just having any one activity taking place on a particular street, it is seen that Indian streets support a number of things to go on throughout the day. Take for example the famous Manek chowk at Ahmedebad, it is a cattle grazing zone in morning hours, a business center & parking space in afternoon and for evenings it becomes a place for eateries. This kind of character comes to fore in many other cities too. All in all, what separates streets in India to the ones outside are the traits of being places of multiple use and a strong sense of Place is reflected in the way people use them.

LITERATURE

Fig 7: Various moods of the street.

2.3 STREET DYNAMICS As mentioned in the previous chapter, the multiplicity of use, a trait of Indian street scene as seen in the case of Manek Chowk, Ahmedabad, I observe that the role of street changes with a change in the Users and the activities or events going on the street. This transformation from being a formal place at a particular time of the day to an informal zone supporting different functions for the people at another hour makes the street DYNAMIC! Street Dynamics implies that there are various kinds of activities ongoing during different times of the day making it interesting place to study.

2.4 PARAMETERS TO STUDY The factors which will be used to study the Street Dynamics at different time of the day are as follows: a) Activities: Mapping the type and location of activities on the street. b) Users: An informal questionnaire survey of the users to learn their preferences for better design. A study of the Edges, focusing on the architectural character of the street and an observation of Image & Social life of the selected street that makes it a Place.

WHICH & WHY 3. CASE STUDY 3.1 IDENTIFICATION OF STREET The street is identified based on factors like the activities happening on the street, issues faced and the diversity of the user group. The selected street is located in Itwari, area of central Nagpur. It’s one extremity is the Nanga Putla square and ends at Kaali Maa Temple, opposite Gandhibagh garden gate (Fig 13). Fig 8: Kaali Maa Temple

Fig 9: Commercial & Residential Typologies

Fig 13: Identified street (marked in red). Source: Google Earth

Fig 10: Gandhibagh

The answer as to why this street was selected is that it boasts of a wide spectrum of activities like Religious –Kaali Mata(Fig 8), Sitla Mata Mandir; Commercial –Banks, textile & electronic shops; Residential (Fig 9); NMC School (Fig 11); Garden (Fig 10). Also, being located in Itwari, the road faces a heavy traffic flow –this gives larger user group to study. Other activities like the autorickshaw stand, numerous vendors coming to this street make it an interesting place to study! Fig 12 shows the plan of street as space and the activities along its edges are marked as per the development plan of Nagpur city.

Fig 11: NMC School

WHOLESALE CLOTH MARKET

Fig 12: Plan of the street.

EDGES 3.2 EDGES Edge means line at which the street stops or ends. It is the outer limit of the street. The street gets defined by its edges. The architectural character of the northern and the southern edge of the street vary greatly due to the vast difference in the activities on both sides of the street. The northern side (Figs 14, 15) begins from the Kaali Maa Temple and has buildings juxtaposed to give an architectural facade that varies in style from building to building. Strong sense of horizontality is experienced due to the presence of balconies and long windows. Old retrofitted with new can be easily made out in the elevations. Entry of Gandhibagh garden dominates a part of the southern edge (Figs 16, 17); the other edge has small structures like temples in front of compound walls which give modest character to this side of the street. Empty space in front of compound wall makes it ideal place for the vendors to place their kiosks and display objects.

Fig 14: Northern edge A

Fig 15: Northern Edge B

Fig 16: Southern Edge B

Fig 17: Southern Edge A

STREET DYNAMICS 3.3 7:00 AM Early morning character of the street is that of serenity & easy movement for people. Fig 25 shows the locations of activities on the street. The Gandhibagh garden (Fig 18) attracts a large no. of people coming for morning walk. They bring with them their vehicles which are parked in front of the garden. To cater to the walkers, juice & vegetable vendors occupy footpath opposite the garden (Fig 23, 24). The devotees visiting Kaali Maa temple is another major activity here. This makes the garden vicinity a high activity zone. Also, the public toilet is used by few people for cleansing activity. School kids coming to NMC School (Fig 19) create movement in this part of street. The residents use the space ahead of footpath for parking their vehicles during night. The southern footpath is used for keeping closed kiosks of the vendors during night & early morning hours. The through traffic is extremely low keeping the street quiet (Fig 21, 22). Overall, the street is a Place for preparing people for the day's activities to come.

STREET DYNAMICS 3.4 12:00 PM From 11-11:30 the vendors start arriving & begin setting up their businesses, mainly these include the chaiwalas/ pakodawalas, garment sellers, puncture repairers. The shops too open by 11:30, although the banks start getting their users earlier (Fig 30). Looking at Fig 33; one can see that activities are distributed throughout the street. Vendors occupy the space in front of compound wall of garden (Fig 31) and police quarters. The space in front of the commercial blocks now becomes a place for parking (Fig 30). User movement steps up once the Wholesale Cloth Market opens. Through traffic increases especially transport of goods is common (Fig 29). An interesting thing came up while survey was that the small vendors at the eastern end (Fig 32) of street knew each other extremely well and assisted each other for carrying out minor jobs. A strong social life has developed between these vendors and some of their daily customers having street as common element. Progressive, vehicular, bustling are few words to describe the street atmosphere at noon time.

STREET DYNAMICS 3.5 4:30 PM A maximum utilization of the street is seen during this hour of the day. A steep rise in the no. of vendors near Gandhibagh (Fig 34) and the school (Fig 35), make the street a happening place (Fig 41). Vendors typically consisting of garment sellers (Fig 38; 39), eateries are chief activity generators occupying the footpaths and their consumers use the road space for standing & parking causing reduction in the effective street width, leading to slower circulation (Fig 37). The user spectrum during this time of the day comprises of a wide category of people ranging from school kids, shoppers, devotees, daily workers, beggars & commuters. Some morning vendors shut down their businesses and the space used by them is now occupied by other vendor (Fig 40). Heavy traffic becomes a key concern for people visiting Itwari. On street parking and extreme traffic causes stagnation of moving vehicles for minutes during 4:00 to 6:00 PM. Chaos, hectic movement, lively expresses the mood at 4:30 PM.

STREET DYNAMICS 3.6 7:30 PM Fig 49 illustrates the activity mapping for this hour. It more or less resembles the one at 4:30. Remarkable variation is brought due to change in the lighting character of the street. The banks shut down, so parking dies down here (Fig 47). The garden too has few visitors. However, the Kali Maa temple is bustling with people as it is the time for aarti (Fig 42). Vendors (Fig 43; 48) and traffic (Fig 45) remains high only difference being that the transportation of goods decreases, leading to greater speed in circulation of vehicles. The user group now shifts more towards families or a group of 3 or more people. Sitting arrangement in form of PVC tables and chairs is made available by the vendors on southern side of the street (Fig 46). In all, the street portrays an energetic scene of multiple activities occurring for this duration.

USER DIARIES 3.7 USER STUDY

Fig 50: Vendors & their clients now are Users.

A talk with the users was initiated during the street study to get knowledge of how is their experience while using this street in the duration of the day and to gain an insight into what are their preferences for likeable/better street design. The general views expressed on 'How do they find this street (on any parameter)?' where maximum replied that they faced traffic and parking problems. Also, when asked 'Whether sitting and green spaces were needed?' most of them were positive about it. Below are the few relevant comments obtained by users primarily focusing on their experience with this street: "Mornings are peaceful & calm, better environment than chaos of the day." --Lady coming to street at different hours of day.

Fig 51: Morning users.

"The street is a contact with the world, looking & hearing the vehicles, people keeps me attached to the worldly affairs." --Elderly lady resident. "Presence of vendors (esp. food) is great!!" --Teenager -regular visitor. "No need of sitting spaces along the street窶ｦ." Why? "Too much of traffic & noise." --20 yr old girl living in that area.

Fig 52: Late noon crowd.

Vendors --ask for facilities, expect more traffic 窶田auses increased sales. "Architectural character of the street is not that significant, the identity of place is through vendors & traffic." --Interior design student, when asked about architecture.

Fig 53: Majority of users involved in economic activities which in turn leads to social activities.

"We come mainly after 7:30-8:00 PM as the traffic is less and the shops and vendors still there. Also, we eat dinner here at the eateries." Anything you need in terms of infrastructure? "It would be nice if there is more cleanliness and sitting space." --Middle aged man coming with family from Manish Nagar.

ANALYSIS 4. ANALYSIS Discomforts

Parking

Traffic

Vendors

Hygiene

4.1 OBSERVATIONS As far as the activities are concerned, it is seen that there is a rise in the activities once the main wholesale market starts and peaks during late afternoon and evening. General comments observed from interaction with the users regarding what problems they felt while on street were predominantly of traffic, parking, presence of vendors encroaching on the street which led to the problems of traffic and unhygienic conditions at some spots were disliked by the people coming mainly at the peak time of the day (see Chart 2).

Chart 2: Discomforts for users.

Favoured

Green spaces

Sitting

Pedestrain

Vendors

Chart 3: Favoured by users.

The users wanted an increase in the sitting spaces and vendors mainly eateries were appreciated as it acts as a means of unwinding after a stressful shopping activity. Greenery and shaded zones are also favoured. Blocking vehicular activity in some portions near the market making it a pedestrian zone is liked by many, but a strong need for parking place is felt. Chart 3 shows the activities favoured by users. It is seen that there is an interdependence of activities on one another. The vendors occupy the street as they get more clients due to presence market which generates economy for them. The vendors in turn create a place for social activities for the users which makes the street a happening place. A sense of ownership of the place over a period of time by the daily users comes into picture. The image of the street is that of vibrancy, energy and is a place for multiple activities making an effective use of the space available which is a characteristic of Indian streets and gives it a dynamic quality.

ANALYSIS 4.2 COMPARATIVE STUDY

Fig 54: Eatery vendor at 12pm.

Fig 55: Cloth vendor at 4 pm.

Fig 57: Plans showing the street at different times of day. Fig 56: Different vendor at 7 pm.

eatery The above fig. 57 shows the activity mapping of the street at different times of day. There occur changes in various parts of the street according to the activity going on the edge as well on street. A zone which is highly active in morning becomes quieter at another time period or vice versa. From Figs. 54, 55, 56 it can be seen how the same corner of the street is a place for multiple type of activity. It is an Indian food stall at once, later being closed by the vendor to become a place for display of clothes and finally by a little change in its cover it becomes a Chinese food stall in evening. This kind of multiplicity is seen in many parts of the street, wherein the space changes hands from a number of different users, giving the place its unique character.

CONCLUSION 5. CONCLUSION From the observation of the street throughout the day it comes to fore that the role of street dynamically changes according to the time period of the day depending upon the users and activities. As the day progresses, a change in the street character is seen as the activity changes. The once formal activities like schools and banks which close giving way to informal ones that provide dynamism and promote social life on street. The presence of multi-activity nodes, characterized by a same space serving for multiple activities, makes streets more effective and facilitates greater social activities. The Dynamism gives a unique identity to a space, one which characteristic to that particular place only. This is seen in the concept of Placemaking given by urban designers in design for successful cities. Urban designer, Jan Gehl in his Project for Public Spaces(PPS) proposes observation of streets for users as the basis for designing public places. A future scope for this kind of study is seen in the concept of Urban Experimentalism given by Charles Montgomery, is the author of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Designâ&#x20AC;? where he and his team conducted experiments for a set of user group to find their preferences for better design of public places. There is a need for design of public places that are not just comfortable for the people but also become Places that foster economic and social growth and make way for healthier and happier lifestyle.

READINGS

BIBLIOGRAPHY/ REFERENCES Miess, Perrie von, ELEMENTS OF ARCHITECTURE: FROM OBJECT TO PLACE+ TECTONICS, Swizterland: EFPL Press. Pandya, Yatin, CONCEPTS OF SPACE IN TRADITIONAL INDIAN ARCHITECTURE, Ahmedabad: Vastu Shilpa Foundation http://www.charlesmontgomery.ca/ http://gehlarchitects.com/ http://www.pps.org/reference/jgehl/