"The essence of Urbanity is that the different people can act together without the compulsion to be the same" Richard Sennett
The thesis is an attempt to examine the relations among diverse processes and spatial forms that are constantly affecting & shaping our lives. In this context the urban research work allows a wider discussion and debate on various constituents of the word/ phenomena related to URBAN. It also allows the articulation of contemporary issues of different tradition of thoughts that have shaped the understanding of contemporary society and city at large. Of course no single discipline can claim the subject of urban and perhaps that is the most important reason that trajectory of urban research has moved away from classical planning discipline to economics, sociological and anthropological realm with different intensity. The current research work at KRVIA also showing such tendencies to challenge the primordial territory of urban knowledge and question the subject of city with social life, difference and divisions, politics and public places, gentrification and urban culture or embodiment and desire, anonymity and community, historical experience and social reality.
whatever could be the logic of urbanism that one intent to explore, the issues necessarily navigates through the core of division and difference, social practice and spatial borders, augmentative morphology and adaptive morphology that gives sense and meaning to the city. The four thesis projects from Urban Conservation and Urban Design program attempts to delineate the sense of urban through dissecting the variety of forces at play.
EXPLORING EVERYDAY URBANISM AND CULTURAL
TERRITORIES
Suruchi Didolkar
Thesis intends to explore everyday urbanism in planned neighborhoods
through amalgamation of ‘Cultural territories’ and ‘Thirdplace’ theoretical
concepts to derive a framework in analyzing the everyday life in public realm
(cultural+ physical), and informal user networks (social) to revive the sense of
place and celebrate ‘everydayness’.
Keywords: Everyday urbanism, Thirdplace, Cultural Territories, Place-making,
Sense of place.
REAFFIRMING SENSE OF PLACE: MATHURA
Jai Vaidya
This thesis addresses the fact that physical boundaries of built objects are blurred as streets weave together the edge of these objects. The thesis investigates into the cultural value of streets and the activities that create a sense of place. It aims to enquire into the role conservation can play in the streets of the old city of Mathura to reaffirm the sense of place to allow the continuity of its image and identity
CHANGING NATURE OF SOCIABILITY WITHIN PRIVATIZED PUBLIC SPACES
Shivadnyi Barate
The emergence of café culture, privatized public spaces like shopping malls, clubs, bistros and bars that revolve around consumption, have penetrated into our social lives and have become the only “spaces full of people within a city” (Sennett, 1990). It has led to a heavy compartmentalization of spaces that we position and expand our sociability into. This research critiqued the very nature of ‘inclusive’ being drained out from the public realm & Sociability- a primary need, being commodified through privatized public spaces, due to the nature of transformation of the urban fabric and shrinking public realm. Key words: Sociability, Privatized public spaces, Public realm
REVIVING THE HISTORIC CORE THROUGH COMMUNITY SPACES: A CASE OF ALWAR
Sugandha Agarwal
Socially and culturally Indian historic centres are vibrant areas. Historic cores may attract those in search of temporary or permanent employment as they are thriving economic hubs. Core city areas are those places where people from different neighbouring areas came and settled years ago. This unique combination of the old and the new present these neighborhoods with a complex set of developmental challenges. (UNESCO digital library, unesdoc.unesco.org,2010). Indian historic cities can be easily identified as they have a distinct architectural character, culture, economy and social pattern, hosing typologies, water systems, streetscapes, livelihoods and communities. These existing traditional resources are unique features of the historic districts, which makes it different from the rest of the city. Despite having undergone various social and cultural transformations historic districts often act as the symbols of the city’s image. They create the identity and the image of the city
