Chapter 5 : PLACELESSNESS IN TRANSIT NODES

Chapter 5 : PLACELESSNESS IN TRANSIT NODES

To understand and analyse the phenomenon of increasing placelessness in urban areas and its effect on mental health and well-being, the study will look into two types of places as case studies. The two types of places are transit facilities and third places.

From the seminal literature review, it is clear that places affect its users' health and well-being, be it negative or positive. Transit facilities are places, which people are obliged to use, irrespective of their choice. For instance, a person visits a café or a pub or any other public space, which doesn‘t give him a ―positive vibe‖, it then becomes highly likely of that person to not visit that place again. But in the case of transit facilities, people are hardly left with any choice of not using the place. Hence, in order to analyse the effects of placelessness, it becomes useful to first study the places which are ―compulsive‖ and people have barely any choice to not use them.

Also, transit nodes such as metro stations, bus stops, railway stations, or airport terminals are commonly present in the contemporary urban setting, but are sometimes forgotten to be integrated conceptually into the urban fabric. They are generally seen as places to ease the burden of traffic and transit, while in contrast, they hold the potential to contribute to urban form and public realm. In this study, I aim to understand the major transit nodes, (mainly metro stations) with respect to the theories of place discussed in chapter 1.

Once the theories of place are established for the chosen case studies, the analysis will be done on the basis of the parameters of the built environment figured in section 3.3. and a comparative analysis will done based on the parameters. Later, a primary survey will be done to record the experiences and behavioural moods with the help of the circumflex model of effect.

After recording the experiences, it will help in developing the relationship between the place and its users following which a possible connection between placelessness and mental well-being can be established.

The transit nodes chosen in the urban settings of Delhi are:

1. Rajiv Chowk Metro Station 2. Kashmere Gate Metro Station 3. ITO Metro Station

Case Study Criterion For Selection

Rajiv Chowk Metro Station

The metro station was selected because of its proximity to the vast public area, which ensures heavy traffic in the metro station. This metro station also houses various types of food joints allowing its users to hang out or socially interact with one another. Also, the metro station is located underground, hence it gives another parameter for comparative analysis with the metro station which is located above ground.

Kashmere Gate Metro Station

The metro station was selected because of its proximity to one of the largest bus terminals of the city, which ensures heavy traffic but different from that of CP as the majority of inflow and outflow of people is because of the nearby bus terminal. This metro station, similarly, houses various food joints and a book store. Also, a part of this metro station is located above ground, hence it creates a disparity in the identity and sense of that place. This particular metro station was also selected as it is used by the people who do not belong to the city, hence their perception and impression of the image of the metro station could not be ignored.

ITO Metro Station

The metro station was selected because of its proximity to the institutional area which ensures heavy traffic of people using the institutions around. The metro station is comparatively less active than the other two metro stations. The metro station is