master in architecture

Master in Architecture (Urban Landscape Design)

Architecture M.Arch Urban Landscape Design

1. Details of Module and its Structure

Module Detail

Subject Name M.Arch - Architecture

Paper Name Urban Landscape Design

Module Name/Title Urban Open Space - 4

Objectives

1. Design of public realm needs to cater to needs of people, and

should be flexible and accessible. 2. Urban forestry and urban agriculture are important for the future

wellbeing of the city. Besides enhancing the local economy, it also helps in making the city sustainability city.

3. Principles for designing, urban open space which are aesthetically pleasing, and people friendly.

Structure of Module / Syllabus of a module (Define Topic / Sub-topic of module )

Design of Public Realm, water edges, parks, squares basically public spaces. Urban forestry and agriculture. Design of public realm and its accessibility is of foremost concern to make the cities liveable. This lecture emphasises on the design of the public realm, water edges, Urban squares, parks and gardens. It also narrates the importance of Urban forestry and urban agriculture.


2. 2. Development Team

Role Name

National Coordinator

Subject Coordinator Dr. Monsingh D. Devadas

Paper Coordinator Mr. K. Raghuraman

Content Writer/Author (CW) Mr. Roshan Toshniwal

Content Reviewer (CR) Mr. K. Raghuraman

Language Editor (LE)


e-Text & Learn More

Text This lecture comprises of importance of public realm and types of public spaces like water

edges, parks, and public plazas. This lecture will also emphasise on the importance of growing

one’s own food and how urban agriculture is important. Urban forestry is also an important for the

urban eco-system to sustain. It acts as the lungs of the city and generally are surrounded by

institutional areas.

The public realm is a vital aspect of the built environment that helps to give a city its

identity. The quality of our public realm is vital for the success of creating environments that people

will be willing to live in. A well designed public realm balances the mobility and access needs for

all users and contributes to the efficient functioning of a city and its sense of ace. The quality of our

public realm is based on experiencing the surrounding environment. Therefore, it is important that

the public realm is safe, sustainable, and enriching.

The fundamental role of public space in modern society is to accommodate the interaction

between the individual citizen and the community, ideally giving individuals a say in all things that

have an impact on their lives, and vice versa, endowing the community with tools to pursue policies

that enhance its common goods. Since this role presupposes the view that all people have equal

rights, an innovation usually associated with the enlightenment, most scholars see the public realm

as originating in the eighteenth century. It combines two distinct components.

1. It is defined by political, administrative and legal structures, and - a crucial aspect - the tools to

inform the public (notably the press).

2. It contains all public spaces in the city, ranging from the urban level (streets, squares) to public

buildings (notably those reserved for the public administration), but also the buildings where people

assemble like community halls, auditoriums, temples etc.

In cities like Washington D.C. there is a Public Space Committee that makes final decisions on

applications for various uses of public space and areas within building restriction lines. The

Committee is responsible for assuring that the temporary and permanent uses of public space for

public and private purposes are consistent with the laws and policies of the government. Same ways


the Urban Arts commission in Delhi were responsible create and enforce and maintain the

boulevards and structural integrity of Lutyen’s Delhi.

Almost all major cities in the world from London, Paris to Kolkata, Mumbai embraces the

waterfront. These water bodies have a dynamic and messy history besides the complex legacy of

industrialization. Waterfronts were favoured sites for industry and shipping. As factories multiplied

near shipyards and docks, where raw materials and commodities were easily available or delivered,

the economy of the city grew inviting migration. The by-product of this growth resulted in

accumulation of effluent in these water bodies, killing the marine life and choking the once clean

water. Thus, the environmental damage not only deters attraction but becomes an eye sore. The best

places are ones that people return to time and time again. The only way to achieve this is through a

management plan that understands and promotes ways of keeping the public space safe and lively.

Thus the design of public space should feature amenities that make it comfortable for people

to use. A bench or waste bin in just right locations can make a big difference in the manner in which

the space is used. Lighting and landscape can strengthen the identity of the public space while

highlighting specific activities such as entrances, or pathways. Public art could be a great

enticement for children while manicured landscape with temporary or permanent exhibits helps in

establishing a convivial setting for social interaction.

This flexibility of design and use of retractable or temporary furnishings improves the

quality of space and requires very little iteration to make changes. Skating rinks, outdoor cafés,

markets, horticulture displays, art and sculpture help adapt the use of public space based on seasons

and needs. The success of public realm depends on its accessibility by foot. The surroundings of

these spaces needs to have adequate lighting for people to feel safe besides it should be accessible

by public transport.

A public space surrounded by lanes of fast-moving traffic will alienate pedestrians and the space

would be deprived of people. The best places are ones that people return to time and time again.

The only way to achieve this is through a management plan that understands and promotes ways of

keeping the square safe and lively. It is also important to maintain and renovate the public spaces at

regular interval to serve different uses. The operation and maintenance of such spaces requires a lot

of funding which could be drawn through innovative models like advertisements, corporates

maintaining it as a part of corporate social responsibility (CSR).


Among everything most important is that public space has to be used by the community and

people have a sense of belonging

Historically, public squares were centre of congregation, and it, traditionally helped shape the

identity of entire cities. Sometimes fountains and statues were used to give these public squares a

strong image. The image of the public squares is often tied to the civic/ government buildings

located near vicinity, such as cathedrals, city halls, or libraries. Any great public square has a

variety of adjunct smaller spaces within it programmed to attract people of different age groups and

kind. Examples: India Gate in New Delhi. These can include outdoor cafés, fountains, sculpture, or

a space for performances. These attractions need not be profound in its appearance to attract

attention. In fact, some of the best civic squares have numerous smaller attractions such as a vendor

cart or playground that draws people throughout the day. Manek Chowk, a square in the old city of

Ahmedabad transforms from a parking lot in the afternoon to becoming an eatery zone at night. The

Seagram building in New York, has a nice plaza and is often studied by modern day urban

designers.

Visionary park planner Frederick Law Olmsted’s idea of the “inner park” and the “outer

park” is relevant even today. The streets and sidewalks around a square greatly affect its

accessibility and use, and so does the buildings surrounding it. An active, welcoming outer square is

essential to the well-being of the inner square. Elements within the square should be visible from a

distance, and the activities in the surrounding buildings entices pedestrians to move toward the

square.

The public parks, especially the neighbourhood parks acts as a space essentially used by the

community living in the neighbourhood. Thus the community have a large role in nurturing and

creating the neighbourhood parks based on their needs and use. To design the neighbourhood parks,

it is essential to observe how people use public spaces and find out their likes and dislikes. Based on

these observations, the designer can incorporate changes for better functioning of the space. Even

after the public spaces are built, the designer and the community should continue to observe them as

it would teach them the ever evolving activities that the space nurtures over time. Creating ten good

spaces, with ten things to do, offers a full program for a successful public park/ space.

At a city level the central parks not just acts as the lungs but also a repository of flora and

fauna. This linkage to nature is essential for the urbanites which otherwise lives in a mundane


surrounding. These well maintained city parks like the Central park at New York, the Regent’s park

in London or the Lalbagh Botanical garden attracts not only the residents but also tourists. Thus the

large public parks in the city serves multiple purpose including adding aesthetic value to the city.

When public spaces are successful […] they will increase opportunities to participate in

communal activity. This fellowship in the open nurtures the growth of public life, is stunted by the

social isolation of ghettos and suburbs. As these experiences are repeated, public spaces become

vessels to carry positive communal meanings.

Although neighbourhood parks, water tanks and lakes are primarily used by the community, it is

essential for the ecology of the entire city. The function of these spaces complements the resources

of the surrounding land. Presence of a park in the neighbourhood will lead to incremental increase

in the price of real estate. Although, these parks are public space the community living in the

surrounding being the primary users should be consulted and included in the design and

maintenance process.

Need for Urban Forestry and Urban Agriculture

Urban agriculture is a means to enhance local economies, improve environment and human health

besides supporting food security. It directly integrates with urban economics and ecological systems

by building upon existing urban infrastructure. Incorporating food production into densely

developed and populated environments aids people in understanding where their food comes from

and how it’s processed, while simultaneously creating environmental, economic and social benefits.

Urban forests are important as the lungs of the cities. Their impact on local economies, social and

environmental benefits they provide, to people are immense. It is also sometimes referred to as

urban forest management, meaning planning and management of trees, forests, and related

vegetation within communities which creates value to the space. In many Indian cities these exist as

reserved forests, National parks or ecologically sensitive zones. In Mumbai the Sanjay Gandhi

National Park or the Guindy National Park in Chennai are examples of the urban forestry. As per

Indian State Forest Report (ISFR) 2013 report urban tree cover is about 16.4% of urban areas in

India, but it differs intermittently between different cities. The denser cities like Hyderabad,

Mumbai and Chennai have lower urban tree coverage when compared to cities like Delhi.

The importance of tree has already been discussed earlier in the first lecture, and so the

section on urban forestry and agriculture in this lecture does not emphasize on it. Afforestation


using indigenous species of trees will ensure retention of the local ecology. Often trees of higher

commercial value are planted for exploitation in the name of afforestation but that destroys the local

ecology and is irreparable.

To conclude with design of the public realm is essential for the success and wellbeing of the

city. Although it is often categorized as a recreational space, the above lecture explains that it serves

beyond mere physical recreation. Well-designed open public space brings sanctity to the otherwise

chaotic life in city.

Glossary Public Realm: Public realm is defined as any publicly owned streets, pathways, right of ways,

parks, publicly accessible open spaces and any public and civic building and facilities. It is the main

space where civic interaction occurs and is often defined in contrast to private property.

Public Square/ plaza: An open public space commonly found in heart of the city, where the

congregation of people gather. These plazas are generally hardscapes suitable for open market,

staging rallies or concerts and are usually surrounded by small shops. The square also often have a

fountain or statue which becomes the image of the city.

Landscape: It comprises of all the visible features of land, including physical elements of

landforms, indigenous vegetation, human elements including built and unbuilt spaces, and transitory

elements such as lighting and weather. Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor spaces to

achieve environmental, social-behavioural or aesthetic outcomes.

Urban Forestry: The purpose of urban forestry is primarily to improve the urban environment. It

advocates the role of trees as a critical part of the urban infrastructure. In many countries there are

forest management departments to maintain trees, and preserve forest. They also conduct research

and promote the benefits of trees and urban forestry.

Urban Agriculture: It is the practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in and around

a village, town, or city which also involves bee keeping, horticulture, aqua culture, animal

husbandry and other disciplines of agriculture. It is good to grow some part of our food by ourselves

and thus the concept of urban agriculture is becoming popular amongst people living in urban areas.

Urban agriculture provides fresh food, generates employment, recycles urban wastes, creates


greenbelts, and strengthens cities’ resilience to climate change.

Web Links http://ddot.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ddot/publication/attachments/ddot_public_realm_design_manual_2011.pdf http://helmofthepublicrealm.com/ http://www.dovetailinc.org/programs/land_use/urban_ag_and_forestry http://www.parksleisure.com.au/documents/item/2091

References

http://www.pps.org/reference/squaresprinciples/

http://www.pps.org/reference/11steps/

http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs-wm/45404.pdf

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/cwp/other/Garrett_Square.pdf

http://ddot.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ddot/publication/attachments/ddot_pub

http://helmofthepublicrealm.com/

http://www.dovetailinc.org/programs/land_use/urban_ag_and_forestry

http://www.parksleisure.com.au/documents/item/2091

http://www.pps.org/reference/squaresprinciples/

http://www.pps.org/reference/11steps/

http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs-wm/45404.pdf

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/cwp/other/Garrett_Square.pdf

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