It is the difficulty of identifying spots of intervention in the increasingly complex social and economic structure of the commercial and business districts, and of identifying the agents and bearers of social transformation within those structures.
Project Name: Envisaging Urban Business Hubs Through Social Inclusion
By: Shyam Samani
The approach of pragmatic utopianism largely concentrates on the idea of interrelated functions, originated from both ends and having distinct characteristics that are needed for the development of a place. It focuses on the detailed cohesiveness of the characteristics of these functions that creates a mixed use development, with a vibrant environment. Present commercial and business districts are in such a state that they need to integrate these characteristics.
The intent of this design is to create a socially inclusive, vibrant and cohesive environment fused with another environment that is becoming highly mono-use and programmatic in its nature, (and evolving to be isolated and fragmented in the present due to inconsiderate and capitalist approach), as an example for various zones with highly mono-use functions . In turn fostering the fabric of the city by eliminating these socially isolated zones.
This approach leads to evaluating the business and commercial zones, selecting a zone that has high social exclusion and fragmentation, as a ground for the inclusive module, that will work as an example. Thus when this module is implemented throughout, it will create these isolated business zones to zones of vibrancy with various functions integrated with each other and when it is looked at a city level these crucial areas that are important in a city’s development will make it more vibrant and inclusive.
Pragmatic Utopianism thus can be concluded as a cohesive and inclusive ideal that helps in the conception of vibrant business and commercial zones. While this may not appeal to the property developer or the politician with private wants; it will have great benefit to the society while being connected to the city and more likely to last.
The essence of Pragmatic utopian module in the business/ commercial district is to have close connections and dense activity. Pedestrians connect and interact with their surroundings. The primary focus of the business/commercial zone is its people, operating at a human scale, rich in symbolism of spaces and places for social interaction and the daily business of life. The relationship and hierarchy of spaces and buildings are vital to an urban environment if it is to bring meaning to people’s lives.
Social inclusion within these isolated business zones through a Pragmatic Utopian module is more about creating an environment that has both the characteristics equally working in sync and creating a template of an ecosystem within the ideology of the banal developments, to drive them in a more inclusive direction, with implementation of it during the conception of zones that make the city progress, for the amplification of the city fabric in terms of social and cohesive fronts.
