Proceedings of the International conference on Applied Research in Engineering,Science and Technology
Year: 2018 | Page No:75-95
DOI: http://www.doi.org/10.33422/icarest.2018.09.43
Inclusive Streets for Fostering the Notion of Public Space
Ar. Bhagyalaxmi S Madapur, Ar. Shanu Raina
ABSTRACT:
Every city is experienced differently and leave varied impressions on the inhabitants. A city is defined by its public spaces of tangible nature which anchor socio-economic and cultural activities defining the unique dimensions of its community while giving an ‘identity’ and ‘image’ promoting social interaction vital for quality urban life.
These anchoring public spaces could range from an engaging street, plaza, market areas, a strip of active park, water front promenade to public buildings and socio-cultural districts within the public realm.
Among these public spaces, streets habitually form major components acting as public stages where life unfolds and belongingness is celebrated. They are more than just a means of mobility and weave intricately the diverse grains of urban fabric.
With the infringement of automobile oriented commuting, sweeping changes fueled by economic growth, increasing exclusivity of user groups, fading human scaled built forms and rapidly changing nature of social life, the streets which are the most visible parts of our urban commons often providing enriching experiences are being propelled sideways.
There is a need to understand and analyze the spatial forces and social encounters that shape street experiences at various scales and layers of the city so that the streets reconfigure themselves into more contextually inclusive in nature through which one perceives the city of the contemporary era.
In this context, this paper primarily aims to study and analyze various challenges faced by Indian streets using Gandhi Bazaar, a significant street in the historic precinct of Basavanagudi area of Bangalore metropolis as a case study. The analysis intends to explore how inclusive design strategies and approaches accentuate better use of existing public space through optimum space management and time based sharing thus supplementing in crafting resourceful use of public space for diverse stakeholders
Keywords: Inclusive street, Public space, Public realm, Commuting, Social interaction.