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UrbanVoids&SharedSpaces|...deepwithin...

UrbanVoids&SharedSpaces
ThisentrywaspostedonMay7,2012,inUrbanologicsandtaggedDevelopment,LostSpaces,Politics,UrbanDesign,Urban
Thoughts,UrbanVoids,Urbanization.Bookmarkthepermalink.9Comments
Whenunderstoodasarticulatedmomentsamongcrisiscrossingnetworksofsocialrelationsandunderstanding,places do not
posses singular, but multiple and contested identities. Thus, placemaking is shaped by conict, dierences and social
negotiations among dierentially situated and at times antagonistically bound and others whose social relations are
understanding span entire regions and transcend national boundaries (Smith, 2001). When instantaneous growth plans are
imposed in a city, then the self adaptable nature of a space to nest plural identities is compromised. The modern land use
planning of the 1950s and 60s have tried to develop mono identity to a place, but over time this has transformed and this
transformationhasleadtocreationofurbanvoids.

ConceptofSharedSpace
Traditionally cities have been growing piecemeal which lend enough autocorrection time for the spaces to accommodate and
inculcate the quintessential social nucleus. This social nucleus of an urban area is what denes it. The city in its totality is
understoodasageographicplexus,aneconomicorganization,anindustrialprocess,atheatreofsocialaction,andanaesthetic
symbolofcollectiveunity(Mumforf,1937).Socialnucleusisanessentialelementineverycityplan(Simmel,1961).Socialfacts
aremuchmoresignicantthanphysicalorganizationofthecity,itsindustriesandmarkets,linesofcommunicationandtrac,
allthesearesubservienttoitssocialneeds(Mumforf,1937).Urbanareaswherethissocialnucleusisharnessedalongwithplural
identitiesbecomeasharedspace(asshowninFigure1).
Physically cities form and grow to exploit economies of agglomeration, which brings in crowding and related insuciency of
basic amenities, resulting in modern planning institution of zoning and other regulations. These planning interventions have
resulted in crafting a city that is ever hungry for land for fullling any of its physical requirements, leading to environmental
degradation,furtherresultinginmoreplanninginterventionsubjectingthecitytothisviciouscircleandpuingmorepressureon
land.
Theeconomicdynamicsoflandinadevelopingeconomyleadstosingularusagescompromisingthesocialfabricoftheentire
city.Suchacontextrestrictstheformationofsharedspaces.Sharedspaceasthenamesuggestissharedbymultiplestakeholders
ofanurbanarea.Asharedspaceinitstruesensebelongtoeveryone,itisdierentfromthecommonsastechnically/legallythe
spacewillbelongtoapersonororganization,butsenseofownershiptranscendthelegalownership.

Figure1:DeningSharedSpace
Creation
of
Shared
Space
is
based
on
the
process
adopted for development of urban area. In general if we could bifurcate the
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Creation of Shared Space is based on the process adopted for development of urban area. In general if we could bifurcate the
developmentasinstantaneousandpiecemealorprocessbased/incrementalthenitcanbegeneralizedthattheinstantaneous
growthleadstourbanvoidsandprocessbaseddevelopmentleadtosharedspace.ThisexplainshowtheoldcoresofIndiancities
havemoresharedspacesthannewparts.

ConceptofUrbanVoid
Thevoidsofthecityarespaceswhichdisrupttheurbantissue,leavingitincompleteandthrowintoquestiontheuseofthose
spaces.Sometimescalledurbanruins,theyareatthelimitbetweenprivateandpublicspace,withoutbelongingeithertotheone
ortotheother(Aporee).Goingbymeaningofthetermvoidissomethingwhichisbeingwithouthenceanurbanvoidcanbe
interpretedasanurbanareabeingwithoutpermeabilityandsocialrealm.Urbanvoidsareundesirableurbanareasthatarein
need of redesign, antispace, making no positive contribution to the surroundings or users. They are illdened, without
measurableboundariesandfailtoconnectelementsinacoherentway(Trancik,1986).
Thenetworkofstreetsandsquarescorrespondstothepredominanteldofsolidurbanblocks.Extensionsofhomeandplacesof
neighborhood interaction, streets and blocks traditionally provided a systematic hierarchy from locally controlled territory to
citywide communication routes (Trancik, 1986). In the sprawled selement paern typically to the post war era in which the
citiesandtheterritorieshavebecomeimmensecollectionofobjectstacticallyplacednexttooneanother,mute.Themissing
linksareineptdenitionintheseareasarethereectionofadecomposedcontemporarysocietyinwhichthespacesinbetween
things,betweenobjectsandsubjects,betweenmyhouseandmyneighbors,betweentheiroceandmine,istraversedbymany
strangers,andisnotameetingplace,ithasbecomeemptybecauseitplaysnorecognizablerole(Secchi,1993).
VoidinabroaderperspectivecanbeunderstoodasaspacebeingwithoutpermeabilityandpublicrealmasshowninFigure2.
Permeabilityhavetwofactors,socialandphysical.Physicalpermeabilityreferstoabarrier,e.gahighway/railwaylineinsidethe
city is usually a barrier, similarly a slum become a barrier at an area level, this barrier can be a building with large foot print.
Socialpermeabilitygenerallyresultsduetogheosthatbecomeabarrierduetosocialreasons.Absenceofpublicrealmmakes
theurbanvoiddevoidofanyownership.

Figure2:UnderstandingUrbanVoid
Boththeparametersofpermeabilityandpublicrealmarescaledependent.Asharedspaceatonescalemaybecomeurbanvoid
atanotherscale.E.g.aslumisasharedspacewithitsgreatinternalpermeabilityandpublicrealm,butatanarealevelitbecomes
agheo,asocialandphysicalbarrier.

CreationofUrbanVoid
An urban void is created mainly due to there factors. These factors that create an urban void can also become the basis for
classicationoftheseurbanvoidsasshowninFigure3.
1.PlanningVoids
PlanningVoidsarevoidsthatarecreatedduetothefaultyplanningprocess.Thesearethevoidsthataremostvisibleinanurban
area.
2.FunctionalVoids
Functionalvoidsarevoidscreatedduetoleftoverspaceorabuiltmassthathasbecomedefunct.Afunctionalvoidhaveagreat
legalaspectassociatedwithit,ingeneraldefunctareas/buildingsareeitherunderlitigationoraregovernmentpropertywhere
reallocationoffunctionshavetogothroughamammothbureaucraticprocess.
3.GeographicalVoids

Geographical voids are voids that are created due to existence of a geographical feature. Such voids are resultant of planning
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Geographical voids are voids that are created due to existence of a geographical feature. Such voids are resultant of planning
process.

Figure3:CreationofUrbanVoids

RelationbetweenUrbanVoidandSharedSpace
Urbanvoidandsharedspaceareinterrelated.Atascaleatwhichaspaceistobeanalyzed,itcaneitherbeclassiedasshared
spaceorurbanvoid.Itshouldbenotedthaturbanvoidisnotanexclusiveterm,asatagivenscalewhatcouldbeperceivedas
urbanvoidmaybecomeasharedspaceatanotherscaleoroncontrarymayhaveasharedspacewithinthevoid.
Anurbanvoidisnomansland,thusitisapoliticalinnature,whereassharedspacebelongoreveryone,thusisverypoliticalin
nature. This scale dependent political connotation is what leads to local self appropriations. Every urban void tends to self
appropriateitselftoasharedspace.
ThissharedspacetourbanvoidrelationshipfromapoliticalangleiswhatdenestheelectoralpoliticsofDelhi.Delhibeingacity
stateintermsofitsgeographicalboundarieshaveliledierenceintermsofareaunderthemunicipalityorthestategovernment,
buteveryelectionprovesthatthepoliticalpartythatwinstoformthestategovernmentsitsintheoppositioninthemunicipality.
Thisphenomenonisbasedontheurbanvoidtosharedspacerelationship.Atastatelevelcertainareascanonlybeperceivedas
an urban void, but there exists shared space inside them which can be explored only at municipal level, thus the priorities of
peoplechangefromstateelectiontomunicipalelections.

Figure4:RelationshipbetweenSharedSpaceandUrbanVoids
Forsimplicationofthephysicalaspects,relationshipbetweensharedspaceandurbanvoidscanbeestablishedbythewaythey
areformed.Themainreasonforformationistheprocessofdevelopment.

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Figure5:CreationofUrbanVoidsandSharedSpace

Whystudyurbanvoids?
Urbanvoidspresentnewopportunitiesfordevelopingambiguousanddynamicrelationships.Thisblurringofpublicandprivate
realms,ofculturalandcommercialzones,overturnsthemodernurbanprojectwithitsdesiretocreatedistinctmonofunctional
territories, but to no great purpose. Such fragmentary productions rests on a peculiar echo of the traditional strategy of urban
beauticationwheretobeatthecentremightnowmeantobeattheedge.Incontrasttothiscouncilofdespair,itistherefore
necessarytoredenehowacitymightbemadesoitscitizensareabletocomprehendandbeaccommodatedbytheenvironment
inwhichtheyareexpectedtolive(Lerup,2001).
Indiawentthroughthemodernurbandevelopmentin1950sand60sandnowthosebuiltstructurehaveoutliveditsageandare
up for redevelopment. Redesigning such development may lead to the same problems that have arisen due to the previous
aempt.Redevelopmentneedtobelookedinadierentwaynow.Consideringtherelationshipbetweensharedspaceandurban
voids, the most desirable way to proceed would be to identify urban voids and then convert them to shared spaces. Such an
exercisewillderiveanurbansystemthatwillgiveconsiderableclueforthenewredevelopmentthatcanhappen.
Typically the development process is polarized; we still have not been able to design an egalitarian city. A polar development
tendstocreationofurbanvoids,suchurbanvoidsoveraperiodoftimeoptforlocalizedappropriationswhichfurtherleadsto
polarizationofthedevelopment(eventhoughtheparametersofpolarizationchanges).Onewaytostopthisviciouscycleisby
introduction of shared space, which in turn will take an urban area away from polar development. Even supporting localized
appropriationsofurbanvoidtowardsasharedspacekeepingincontextallthescalesatwhichthecityactswillhelpingeneration
ofsustainableurbansystems.Thetaskofcreatingwholenessinthecitycanonlybedealtwithasaprocess.Itcannotbesolvedby
designalone,butonlywhentheprocessbywhichthecitygetsitsformisfundamentallychanged.

Figure6:Sharingurbanvoidsasaparadigmforredevelopment

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9thoughtsonUrbanVoids&SharedSpaces
1.ramblinginthecitysays:
May8,2012at5:24AM
Interesting!IreadthatthenextJNNURMwillfunddensicationandredevelopmentprojects,socitiescanactuallyadressthe5/6
https://nipppo.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/urbanvoids/