Unit IV

Issues of Urban Space

 Issues of Urban Space
• Understanding And Interpreting Of Urban Problems/ Issues
• Place-making And Identity,
• Morphology:
• Sprawl,
• Generic Form,
• Incoherence,
• Privatized Public Realm
• Effects/ Role Of Real Estate,
• Transportation,
• Zoning,
• Globalisation
• Ideas Of Sustainability, Heritage, Conservation And Renewal
• Contemporary Approaches :
• Idea Of Urban Catalyst,
• Transit Metropolis,
• Community Participation.
 Place making and Identity
• Place-making is a multi faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public
• spaces.
• Place making is a multi-layered process within which citizens foster active, engaged
• relationships to the spaces which they inhabit, the landscapes of their lives, and shape those
• spaces in a way which creates a sense of communal stewardship and lived connection.
• Most often accomplished through a creative reclamation of public space: projects
• which take the form of benches on street corners where neighbours can sit, rest and
• talk with each other, kiosks on sidewalks where neighbours can post information

• about local events, needs and resources and street paintings in the public right-of-way that
demonstrate to all who pass through that this is a Place: inhabited, known and loved by its
residents.
• In all instances, these projects are undertaken by local communities who come together to
discuss what it is they want in their neighbourhood – what elements are lacking in the public
sphere and how the community can work together with the resources they have to create
their own place.
• Placemaking is a people-centered approach to the planning, design and management of
public spaces. They invite greater interaction between people and foster healthier, more
social, and economically viable communities.
• It is a process that fosters the creation of vital public destinations—the kind of places where
people feel a strong stake in their communities and commitment to making things better.
• Place-making is about enhancing the existing environment that evolves out of the
community’s culture and identity, rather than creating an entirely new one.
 Placemaking is
• “...making Public Space a Living Space.”

• • “...recognizing that cities are not just a collection of people but can be places of beauty and
• innovation.” “...feeling like you belong here.”

• • “...designing a public space that can be used by the community as a meeting place for
• communication, fun, relaxation, bonding, civic involvement, to name a few.”

• • “...connecting with each other.”

• •“...all the little things that make a spot memorable.”

• • “...making places that have meaning to people, enduring patterns of community use and
• memorable physical qualities.”
• • “...taking back the public realm to create memorable, beautiful, vibrant places where
• people want to gather and participate in the community.”
• • “...space design through the people’s eyes.”
• • “...creating an environment that people gravitate to.”
 Placemaking is
• embracing people, buildings, events, nature.
• developing public spaces that attract people, build community by bringing people
• together, and create local identity.
• creating public spaces
• that serve the public.
• bringing connection to the
• spaces we share.
• the process of giving space a story that is shared by many.
• of harmonizing physical place to the
• need of people’s gathering.
• purposely creating character and
• meaning in a public space.
• a great tool for building communities from the bottom up, using places where
• the community can come together, build consensus and learn civic engagement.”
• leaving a legacy for our children.
6 Elements Of Successful Placemaking
• 1.Mixed uses
• 2.Successful streets
• 3.Open space
• 4.Urban scale
• 5.Movement framework
• 6.Sense of place
1.Mixed Uses
• Clustered activities
• Including food, retail, art, health, recreation
• Providing well integrated facilities
• Establishment of a village center to serve community
• Provides mutual support

2.Successful Streets

• Shared spaces for Walking, cycling, strollers, cars...

• Pedestrian only spaces
• Responsive to adjacent land uses
3.Open Space
• Safe, well overlooked open space and play areas
• Green is good
• Respect the established landscape setting

4. Urban Scale
• Compact design
• Human scale
• Legible layout
• Public ground level uses
 Urban Identity
• Urban identity is a complex and multi referential phenomenon – it embraces linkages between the
material and immaterial; it has different scales: local, city, regional, national; it can be seen from
various perspectives: personal, collective, external; it develops in time, affected by change, and
influenced by many factors. Identity can mean a number of things for an urban area and the people
that live and work there.
• It relates to tangible and intangible heritage: buildings, history, memories.
• Identity helps citizens become attached to their environment and confirms that it
• belongs to them, individually and collectively. This increases their willingness to advocate
• for a place.
• Identity can also help to improve the image of an area, stopping a down cycle process,
• supporting social transformation by positively marketing a place.
• The perceived identity of a place or a town by its citizens can also be used to identify and
• detect improvement measures towards the desired image and environment quality.
• For some cities it means that identity is an anchor, providing continuity for development,
• preserving rich traditions of communities, and making sure that changes brought about by
• time do not carry away essential qualities of the neighbourhood or the city.
• Identities can be used for romantic and practical purposes.
• They have been used as a tool of social transformation and in branding and marketing
• places.
 Morphology
• It is an approach to studying and designing urban form whichconsiders both the physical and
spatial components of the urban structure.. Of plots, blocks,streets, buildings and open
spaces,. all of which are ..considered as part of the history evolutionary process of
development of the particular part of the city under consideration.
• Urban morphology can be considered as primarily concerned with the structure of urban
form.
• Urban morphology as an analytical process of understanding the evolving form of a specific
place can reveal the evolutionary patterns of the city; an urban archaeology, an urban DNA.
• Urban morphology is the study of the form of human settlements and the process of their
formation and transformation.
 Sprawl
• Urban sprawl refers to the extent of urbanisation, which is a global phenomenon driven by
population growth and large scale migration.
• Urban sprawl is often referred to as uncontrolled, unplanned, scattered suburban
development that increases traffic problems, depletes local resources, and destroys open
space.
• This spread of urban areas into rural area, farmlands and forests on outer edges of a city is
referred as Urban Sprawl.
• Urban sprawl has become a universal problem, and is being faced by both developed and
developing countries.
• In developing countries the consequences can potentially be life threatening due to issues of
health and hygiene.
• Developed countries, are definitely in a better shape, but with the expansion of urban land
day by day, engulfing the neighboring land, there is a major threat to sustainability and
quality of life. The consequences can be devastating in the long run.
• uncoordinated growth: the expansion of community without concern for its consequences, in
short, unplanned, incremental urban growth which is often regarded unsustainable.
 The reasons for Sprawling
• The home in a quiet neighbourhood, with a low demographic
• density.
• A large yard.
• Two car garage.
• Safety.
• Not as stressing as cities.
• Children have the opportunity to feel freedom more often.
• The availability of water in some cases.
• It brings together businesses that depend on auto traffic
• What causes people moving to the suburbs?

Disadvantages of Urban Sprawl

• Pollution increases and hence has serious environmental impacts.

• Bad air quality can cause respiratory problems.
• The lack of exercise, as there aren’t walk ways and bike ways available, therefore obesity increases.
• Cars and motorbikes dependency, as these are the only way to move around, causing again a rise in
• obesity and an increase in health issues.
• The need of purchasing new stuff every few months or so, as there aren’t many attractions.
• Fewer theaters, cultural attractions, parks, etc.
• Worse health care and education.
 Reasons for Urban Sprawl
Population Growth
• First and the foremost is obviously growing population. The population of the world has been
increasing and so is the demand for urban land. All the metropolitan cities have grown in size
to accommodate the increasing population.
 Reasons for Urban Sprawl
Rising Incomes
• Rising incomes of middle and low income groups have promoted expansion into the outer
suburbs. As the incomes increase, people often prefer to live in large houses. Housing
affordability in areas close to the city centre is a big issue. With the increased income and
choice of lifestyle, the only option available is to buy a piece of land on the outskirts in the
new developing suburbs and build a house to satisfy their lifestyle needs. The increased cost
of commuting to work is often disregarded as the desire to own a big house and space for
kids often outweighs the cost of transportation. Moreover, the increase in cost of transport
to work does not impact on their ability to mange their finances of day to day living.
 Reasons for Urban Sprawl
Single use zoning.
• This situation occurs when the land allotment is such that the commercial, residential and
industrial areas are separated from each other. Large areas of land are devoted to a single
land use. The reason behind this could be government zoning controls, sub division of private
lands in rural areas or unauthorized developments and sub divisions
 Reasons for Urban Sprawl
Government Regulations
• The zoning plans sometimes allow for low density developments in the heart of the cities.
The government strategies defining land sub divisions allow for large lots which result in low
density developments.
 Reasons for Urban Sprawl
Individual preference towards low density developments.
• Due to lack of community open spaces, regulations associated with multi storied
developments, increasing noise levels and other factors many individuals often prefer living
in low density developments
 Reasons for Urban Sprawl
Fetish of Big Houses/ Bungalow
• People have a desire towards big houses due to several reasons like desire to have more
space per person, portraying their financial stability to friends and family, having more space
for kids to play within the house, having liberty to do what they want to do at their
convenience of time and money (noisy parties, listening to loud music etc.)
 Reasons for Urban Sprawl
Competition for Land
• The competition for land between real estate developers and owners of land in the outskirts
(farmers & others) helps to determine the spatialsize of cities. A success bid by developers to
bid away additional land from agricultural users indicates that the land is worth more in
urban use than in agriculture, reflecting a greater economic contribution in its developed
state.
 Problems owing to Sprawl
Loss of open space, forests, valuable farmlands.
• The pleasant, beautiful green spaces are disappearing and are being replaced by buildings and
sterile urban landscape. Large areas of land are being covered by roads, paving and cement. There
are large volumes of water run-off because road and cement do not absorb rain as good as planted
areas. There has also been a reduction in effective absorption of rainwater into the aquifers.

Loss of small towns

• Settlements have however, not really disappeared but have been swallowed by the advance of
urban sprawl and lost their unique identity.

Overcrowding of services and infrastructure.

• The unplanned developments can often led to burdening of road capacities, power lines etc. The
town that was
• planned for a small group of people is often forced to cater to the sprawled communities resulting
in overcrowding of
• services and infrastructure leading to traffic congestions, intermittent water supply, pressure on
sewerage system etc.
• In developing countries the consequences can be much serious like development of slums &
squatters,sub standard
• living conditions, lack of hygiene and sanitation.
 Problems owing to Sprawl
Greater dependence on private vehicles
• The Residents of sprawling neighbourhood's rely largely on private vehicles. As such, they
tend to emit more pollution per person and suffer from more fatalities. Every new suburb is
based on the estimate that households will use cars two or three times as much as older
suburbs. The greater dependence on car also leads to loss of exercise. Recent studies have
concluded that the people in sprawls are more at a risk of obesity as walking and bicycling
are no longer viable options.
Increased personal transportation costs
• The residents of sprawls spend higher proportion of their income on transportation than the
residents living close to the city centre.
Increased urban pollution
• The increased use of motor vehicles releases chemicals and particulateslike hydrocarbons,
carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides leading to air pollution and smog. Construction site
erosion, fuel spills, oil leaks, paintspills, lawn chemicals, pet wastes contribute to water
pollution. This also leads to soil contamination
 Problems owing to Sprawl
Social Fragmentation
• It has been observed that people living in sprawls or outskirts spend a lot of time commuting
longer distances to get to their jobs, schools, shopping facilities. There is hardly any time or
opportunity to meet their neighbours. Very often, people do not even know their
neighbours. There is no community feeling. Dating back in the history & from the experience
of our grandparents, we come across stories wherein if one did not happen to see their
neighbour for a day or two, they would be concerned about health and safety as a part of
social bonding and responsibility.
Increased crime
• As the social interaction reduces, the surveillance over the neighbouring properties reduces.
This results an increase in crime rate. The criminals find themselves at lesser chance of being
caught as the extruders can very often be mistaken as a part of the resident’s family. We
often hear news of robbery/ murder next door couple of days after the incident when the
police or investigating agencies knock our door for information.
 Generic Form
• The primary concern of urban morphology is the structure of urban form.
• So, if an understanding of internal structure is essential to successful ‘manipulation’ of a
material, urban morphology is essential to urbanism and urban design.
• The figurative and impressionistic use of terms such as urban fabric and grain only hint at the
idea of structure.
• But the structure of urban form (or spatial configuration, take your pick) is pervasive and,
perhaps more importantly, there are different kinds of structure with different characteristics
at different scales. Individual buildings, at one level of scale, do not have the same handling
characteristics as a street, at another, or a town as a whole at yet another.
• The generic structure of urban form is a hierarchy of levels related part to whole.
• That is to say, one of the characteristics of urban form is that it divides into distinct levels. The
patterns found at different levels such as street/block, plot series, plot, building, cell and
structure are not interchangeable and the long term success of a design depends on
understanding not only the differences but also the relationships between levels. The levels
are interdependent.
• Nor is attention to such questions of structure merely a formalistic diversion.
• The structure of urban form is the product of a social/cultural process and the structures at
different levels correspond to distinct cultural habits, from the more generic such as paths to
the progressively more particular: nucleated settlements, property ownership by land parcel,
detached houses, conservatories or light steel frame construction
 Privatized Public Realm
Private
• the condition of being concealed or hidden
• the quality of being secluded from the presence or view of others
• the condition of information about you - the condition of anonymity
• Three Types of privacy
• physical,
• Informational,
• Decisional
• architecturally, as individuals, we need private space - in public as well as behind closed doors.....

Public
• Of, concerning, or affecting the community or the people
• Publicity can be opposed both to privacy and secrecy
• Open to the knowledge or judgment of all

• A group of people sharing a common interest - maintained for or used by the people or
community....connected with or acting on behalf of the people, community or government - the social
property (public services, etc.) of a community.

• "A good city street neighbourhood achieves a marvel of balance between its people's determination to
have essential privacy and their simultaneous wishes for differing degrees of contact, enjoyment, or help
from the people around. This balance is largely made up of small, sensitively managed details, practiced
and accepted so casually that they are normally taken for granted."
 Privatization of Public Space
• When a public utility is acquired by a private equity firm, there is no doubt what kind of
process is underway. The take-over of provision of services and, by extension, ability to profit
from them is obvious. But a more covert process of creeping privatization is taking place
throughout many cities, in which public land and accountability are steadily moved into
private hands.

• Shopping centres are no different to town squares. Major building and developments in
London appear filled with public space - Canary Wharf, or More London along the south bank
by tower bridge, for example. But this is all private land, where public access is a privilege
that can be revoked at any time. Town squares and other elements of the public realm have
been displaced as centres of community life by shopping malls reachable only by private car,
where people engage in private consumption within private space.

• But shopping malls are no longer a suburban phenomenon, but occur in cities where another
form of corporate ascendancy is manifested. To exclude undesirable elements and to
highlight corporations’ key societal status, developers use elements such as buildings,
streetscapes, land use, traffic and pedestrian circulation, and other means to control the
physical environment. For instance, the public realm may be diminished by relegating the
pedestrian-oriented ground floor of buildings to secondary status, using it instead for parking
and other utilitarian purposes.
 Role of Real Estate On UD
• In true “Place – making terms” – good urban design fits its site and surroundings.
• Therefore, there is more efficiency and improved return on investment.
• This type of good urban design should not only contribute to the short-term business
motives of the developer but helps finance longer term necessary services and amenities
that go along with expanding the community
• The objective is to move us as a community to higher common ground where the interests of
the private sector are considered in tandem with the interests of the local government and
the surrounding neighbourhood.
• These efforts will hopefully result in a broader-based wealth where real estate development
still satisfies or actually improves its profit but also contributes a much richer profit in the
form of improved health and sustainability of its surroundings whether it be in village, town
or city.
• Urban design policy can change the 'decision environment' of developers, financiers,
designers and other actors in the real estate development process to make them take place-
making more seriously.
 Transportation
Urban Transport Problems in Urban Areas
• Geographical Challenges Facing Urban transportation
• Automobile Dependency
• Congestion
 Geographical Challenges Facing
Transportation
Context
• Most important transport problems often related to urban areas.
• Urban productivity:
• Dependent on the efficiency of its transport system.
• Move labor, consumers and freight between several origins and destinations.
• Growing complexity of cities:
• Accompanied by a wide array of urban transportation problems.
• Some problems are ancient like congestion (Rome).
• Others are new like environmental impacts:

• Traffic congestion and parking difficulties.

• Public transport crowding and off-peak inadequacy.
• Difficulties for pedestrians.
• Environmental impacts and energy consumption.
• Accidents and safety.
• Land consumption.
• Freight distribution.
 Automobile Dependency
Causes

Advantages of automobile use:

• Performance, comfort, status,speed, and convenience.
• Illustrate why car ownership continues to grow worldwide.
• Factors of growth:
• Sustained economic growth (increase in revenue and quality of life).
• Complex individual urban movement patterns.
• Peripheral urban growth.

Factors of dependency
• Under-pricing and consumer choices:
• Most road infrastructures are subsidized (considered a public service).
• Drivers do not bear the full cost of car usage.
• Car ownership is a symbol of status
• Single home ownership.
• Planning and investment practices:
• Aims towards improving road and parking facilities in an ongoing attempt to avoid congestion.
• Transportation alternatives tend to be disregarded.
 Automobile Dependency
Congestion
• Occurs when transport demand exceeds transport supply in a specific section of the transport
system.
• Each vehicle impairs the mobility of others.
• Types:
• Recurring congestion (specific times of the day and on specific segments of the transport system).
• Random events (accidents and weather conditions).

• Ramp Metering
• Controlling access to a congested highway by letting automobiles in one at a time instead of in
groups.
• Traffic Signal Synchronization
• Tuning the traffic signals to the time and direction of traffic flows.
• incident Management
• Making sure that vehicles involved in accidents or mechanical failures are removed as quickly as
possible
• from the road.
 Zoning
Zoning is concerned primarily with the use of land and the control of density of population through
imposition of building heights, bulk, open space and density provisions in a given area.

The benefits attributed to zoning are as follows:

1. Maximum/optimum use of land based on suitability/capability, e.g. use of prime agricultural
land for agricultural purposes.
2. Promotion of public health and safety through compatible arrangement of various lands uses;
e.g. residential area should maintain considerable distance from industries.
3. Preservation of desirable character and real estate values of the zone.
4. Promotion of the rational and orderly growth of the community.
What Does Zoning Regulates
USE: The conventional use categories are Residential, Commercial, Industrial and Agricultural which are
referred to Residential Zone, Commercial Zone and Industrial Zone
OFF-STREET PARKING: Zoning regulation contain off-street parking requirements to ensure that new or
proposed developments provides parking to prevent congestion and traffic.
BUILDING BULK: This is achieved by requiring set-back provisions on the front, side and rear yards; limiting
building heights and the area that may be covered by buildings. Others . . . . .
Other matters regulated by the Zoning Ordinance are landscaping, signs.
 Globalisation
Ideas Of Sustainability, Heritage, Conservation And Renewal
• The concept of CONSERVATION touches on the very essence of culture survival. Often defined as
maintaining the presence of the past in the present time, it reflects on the need to safeguard the built
environment that we inherit so that the future generation are able to appreciate, learned and value their
history and the past.
• Our cities are actually a testimony of our existence and help to build a stronger foundation for the future.
• The historic environment, which comprise of the old and historic buildings, traditional street pattern,
activities and urban landscape provide a local distinctiveness to our city that reflect our culture and
civilization. Their presence is so vital to our sense of place and belonging through their uniqueness that
gives each city its own identity.
• Historic environment also provides a sense of stability to the modern society, whose hectic lifestyle
needed an environment to remind us of our purpose in life.
• THE URBAN HERITAGE consists of all elements that shape the urban fabric including the local people, their
activities and way of life. These elements have to be seen in total as they contribute to the character of
our cities.
• Thus conservation efforts must focus on maintaining these qualities so that the whole historic
environment is kept as an ensemble. The significance of such investigation is that conservation of our
urban heritage and buildings of historical significance or areas with tradition or social aspects is one main
elements to ensure city characteristics and provide a sense of place that relate to sustainable design.
• Conservation projects, if conducted in the manner can easily turn a blighted area of dilapidated buildings
into a vibrant and charming place in the city center. The beauty of conservation as opposed to
preservation is that it is looking for new ways to ensure that the historic environment becomes relevant in
the modern times.
 Urban Catalyst
• URBAN CATALYSTS are new redevelopment strategies comprised of a series of projects that drive
and guide urban development.
• Redevelopment efforts in the past, such as urban renewal and large-scale redevelopment projects,
have often jeopardized the vitality of downtowns.
• The difference between the urban catalyst and these redevelopment strategies is that catalytic
redevelopment is a holistic approach, not a clean-slate approach, to revitalizing the urban fabric.
• Many cities have considered urban catalysts as a means for revitalization.
• Among the most noted catalytic projects are sports stadiums and arenas: however not all catalytic
projects have to be designed at such a grand scale, nor do all cities possess a threshold of support
to successfully sustain such developments.
• The urban catalyst theory says design can be linked to place through the study of contextual factors
in urban design.
• These factors include: morphological, social, functional, perceptual, visual, and temporal.
• For the urban catalyst to respond to its setting it also must possess a strong sense of place and
• authenticity.
• Urban catalysts have the potential to shape a city by a number of means.
• These are not limited to a single vision, rather this implies a holistic one.
 Urban Renewal
• Urban renewal is of growing importance because of:
• Urban areas are becoming larger and older, so more and more renewal of urban fabric has to take
• place.
• Constant expansion of urban areas into agricultural hinterland, while large quantities of urban land
• and buildings are abandoned and left dilapidated.

• Urban Renewal programs are generally undertaken by public authorities or by local governments.
• The emphasis is on those parts which have fallen below current standards of public acceptability. These
• are commonly to be found in:
• The residential parts of the inner city,
• In the central business district itself.
• Indicatorsfor residential parts of inner cities are:
• Inadequate housing,
• Environmental degradation,
• Presence of non-conforming uses.
• Indicatorsfor central business district are:
• Traffic problems,
• Congestion,
• Dilapidated buildings.
 Urban Renewal – Policies/ Approach
Slum Clearance
• Demolition of dilapidated dwellings located in a slum (an area of sub-standard, overcrowded
• housing occupied by the poor immigrants)

Redevelopment
• The demolition of an existing building and its replacement by a new building

Rehabilitation
• The repair and improvement of existing structurally sound property

Housing Improvement
• Improvements of dwellings by provision of essential basic amenities

Conservation
• To retain intact or unchanged. Also meant as ‘Preservation’

Environmental Improvements
• Main emphasis is to improve environmental conditions

Economic Renewal
• Improvement of economic conditions of dwellers