Rethinking the Urban Square
1.0 Introduction Public spaces act as a catalyst for social change and play a great role and offer a space for numerous community groups to meet. Public spaces are places that allow us to interact and connect with unknown people who are not our family, friends, or colleagues, as well as spaces for politics, faith, commerce, sport, peaceful coexistence and impersonal encounters. When you think of it, what is a public space? In our towns and cities, a lot of spaces are easily accessible to the public: parks/gardens, plazas, maidans, streets, malls, promenades, waterfronts etc are all public spaces of a sort, but yet most parks are not places to relax, most plazas are used for parking or as traffic nodes. What turns a space that is public into a public space? What space is considered as a square? And what spaces are most used/desired to be in? Why do people prefer being in certain spaces rather than others, and how do these spaces affect someone’s behaviour? Is it the presence of greenery? But some trees cast their shadow over hardscape and not for people to use as shade. It could be the presence of benches but a lot of seats in parks go un-used just gathering dust. In certain spaces, physical barriers designed to keep certain people and Figure 1: Seat alone do not make a Public space inviting out (Mid Day) discourage certain groups from accessing them, for example- Oval Maidan. On the contrary, Shivaji Park is a good example of inclusiveness as it supports various activities. Nowadays the effect of technological growth on people's lives and culture is unprecedented, unavoidable, and also troubling. The undue effect of technology on the lives of individuals has led our society to turn towards more privatization and secluded life. At this point, the role of urban public spaces in social life has become more popular and significant. There is an increasing range of evidence that public spaces can offer a number of benefits across the economic, social and environmental spheres. These spaces form a territory's social personality, are a part of its unique character, and give local communities a sense of place. In particular, a square is an important public space in a city. These squares are primarily found in the middle of the surrounding city. At various ceremonies, such as religious occasions, funerals, holidays and political gatherings, the square is a place to gather. “In a society becoming steadily more privatized with private homes, cars, computers, offices and shopping centers, the public component of our lives is disappearing. It is more and more important to make the cities inviting, so we can meet our fellow citizens face to face and experience directly through our senses. Public life in good
Yashita Khanna|Fifth Year B.Arch.|L.S.Raheja School of Architecture
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