When someone asks you, to reminisce about some memories about your city? We instantly picture a place where we enjoyed an event or an incident with our own company or our friends and family at a particular place; at the same time, the surroundings of that place. The fabric of any city or village is developed by streets, buildings, open spaces or the lines blurred between private and public space.
“People come where people are” said by Jan Gehl.
Public spaces are juxtaposed between streets and built forms. The morphology of any urban or rural area’s public space have its own character. These spaces are immensely active and people make it vibrantly alive. We can see multiplicity in any public place. There is a contrast of permanence and temporariness. “The procession, festivals, hawkers, street vendors and slum dwellers, all create an ever-transforming public space that flows constantly in motion. Where every physical fabric is characterized by the Kinetic.” Rahul Mehrotra said in his book, “It is the static city- urban morphology which cater kinetic city”
Our ancient planned cities like Harappa & Mohenjo-Daro etc., were sensitively planned. In India, we have organically planned old cities around the natural elements like source of water. However, the development was happening haphazardly. To control it in good way planning committees and organizations were formed for better future. Now, we will throw some light on current situation in public spaces.
Public spaces are transforming in response to changing lifestyles. In an era where only elite people could afford to buy cars, people socialized in public parks, gardens, street corners or plazas; they liked to spend time in nature. Festivals like Ranga Panchami, Uttarayan, gathering in Melas and enjoying the giant wheels and roller coaster rides are eventfully memorable. The shaded pathways and driveways with sufficient width trailing around and below from dense lush green, fruity and flowery trees. That (enclosed) sense of space on the way to ones destination created a memorable journey.
However, the current scenario of public spaces is very different. More and more of it is used for vehicle parking zones. Pathways are also being used as illegal parking spaces instead of an uninterrupted walkway. Huge old trees are cutdown for development of smart roads; encouraging anincrease in the use of cars and thus contributing to rising carbon dioxide emissions. Now we raise the speed of our vehicles to avoid harsh sun-rays and weather conditions; not even waiting for the signals to turn green. If we get shaded and pleasant streets with birds chirping and flowers blooming then people enjoy to travel on the streets.
In the case of Nashik, settlements have evolved from the vicinity of river Godavari, on both sides of Goda Ghat, Panchavati. Earlier, Goda Ghat was a dominant public space for every festival, market, celebration, gathering and sometimes it was used as community space. However, now these spaces are highly concretised and utilised for parking purpose. Due to such transforming nature of spaces, spatial experience of public spaces is not as enjoyable as earlier times.
In villages, community gatherings used to take place under the canopy of an old tree. People sat on the ground on hand weaved carpets for the community event or meeting, spending a long time happily. Now, cafe culture is dominating the above-mentioned notion. People arrange their meetings at cafes, restaurants and banquet halls, halls for community gatherings; showing that they are trying to make their event successful by spending money on a third party at their enclosed, ambient, lavish and air-conditioned space for a limited time period; instead of open-air public space bound by nature. It is because of the lack of properly developed public spaces. Most of them are neither people – centric nor all gender, age group and class inclusive place.
The notion of buying things from weekly temporary markets are diminishing from public spaces. In cities or villages of India, temporary markets are organized by local farmers or vendors at dedicated spaces. Mostly near a focal point of the city/ village and easily accessible space to the public. People used to gather there to buy things, eat, interact and speak to strangers. But now we are adapting to mall culture; where we get everything under one roof. However, the character of public markets is transforming; open air temporal markets are transforming to closed air-conditioned, high rated (mall) places.
While designing any precinct, there should be proportionate, well developed open space. It should be a focal breathable space. People should be encouraged to use the spaces to improve their mental and physical health. It should be made inclusive to the public realm. Now, housing projects are taking positive action and making delightfully developed plazas, open spaces with residences and commercial places in one precinct; where all age groups can enjoy together. “Culture and climate differ all over the world, people are the same. They will gather in public space, if you give them a good place to do it” said by Jan Gehl.
