COURSE MATERIAL: FUNCTIONAL & TEMPORAL APPROACH

Subject code: 15ARC 7.6

Subject name: Urban Design

7TH Semester B.Arch (B section)

Subject Teacher : Ditimoni Baruah

Dayananda Sagar Academy of Technology & Management

Urban terminology DSATM

Accessibility
The ease of reaching destinations. The accessibility of an area can be a measure of travel speed and travel
distance to the number of places ('destination opportunities') to be reached. The measure may also include
factors for travel cost, route safety and topography gradient

Active frontage
Refers to street frontages where there is an active visual engagement between those in the street and those
on the ground and upper floors of buildings. This quality is assisted where the front facade of buildings,
including the main entrance, faces and opens towards the street. Ground floors may accommodate uses
such as cafes, shops or restaurants. However, for a frontage to be active, it does not necessarily need to be a
retail use, nor have continuous windows. A building's upper floor windows and balconies may also
contribute to the level of active frontage. Active frontages can provide informal surveillance opportunities
and often improve the vitality and safety of an area. The measures of active frontage may be graded from
high to low activity.
Urban terminology DSATM

Active use
Active uses are uses that generate many visits, in particular pedestrian visits, over an extended
period of the day. Active uses may be shops, cafes, and other social uses. Higher density
residential and office uses also can be active uses for particular periods of the day.

Activity centre
Activity centres within cities and towns are a focus for enterprises, services, shopping,
employment and social interaction. They are where people meet, relax, work and often live.
Usually well-served by public transport, they range in size and intensity of use from local
neighbourhood strip shopping centres to traditional town centres and major regional centres.
An activity centre generally has higher intensity uses at its central core with smaller street
blocks and a higher density of streets and lots. The structure of activity centres should allow
for higher intensity development, street frontage exposure for display and pedestrian access to
facilities.
Urban terminology DSATM

Adaptability (or 'adaptive re-use')

The capacity of a building or space to respond to changing social, technological, economic and market conditions and
accommodate new or changed uses.

Amenity
The features of an area, street or building, that provide facilities and services that contribute to physical or material
comfort and benefit, and are valued by users. An amenity can be either tangible, such as open space, seating, a swimming
pool or gym; or intangible, such as pleasant views, air quality, or proximity to a local school or supermarket.

Arterial road
The principal routes for the movement of people and goods within a road network. They connect major regions, centres
of population, major transport terminals and provide principal links across and around cities. Arterial roads are divided
into primary and secondary arterial roads.
Urban terminology DSATM

Barriers and fences

Barriers such as bollards and fences can define boundaries and protect people from traffic hazards and
level changes. They also protect trees and shrubs from people and vehicles. A barrier may be made as
bollards, screens, rails, fences, kerbs and walls. Barriers and fences can provide an opportunity for
public art or to communicate local stories. They may also provide opportunities for seating.

Building line
The actual or apparent line created by a building's front wall along a street.
A consistent building line in a street can visually unify diverse building types and forms, and can assist
new buildings to fit in with the surrounding context. The building line, whether setback or situated on
the street edge, is an important aspect of urban character.
Urban terminology DSATM

Buildings in activity centres

Buildings in activity centres accommodate a wide range of uses, such as living, working, shopping and services.
Buildings in these locations may be larger than those in surrounding neighbourhoods, occupy more of the site area and
be built to the front and side boundaries. They may incorporate a mix of uses that mean people are present at different
times of the day.

Built form
The height, volume and overall shape of a building as well as its surface appearance.

Car parking lot

Car parking lots are open areas of land used for parking cars. They can be publicly or privately owned and are generally
located in activity centres, at train and bus stations, and other facilities accessed by car. Some higher density residential
developments may incorporate private car parking lots.
Urban terminology DSATM

Car parking structure

Car parking structures are buildings used solely for car parking or mixed with other uses, and may provide
parking for residents, commercial tenants, shoppers and visitors. They can be constructed above or below ground.
Car parking structures cater for both vehicle and pedestrian movement, however pedestrians may be required to
share paths with vehicles to reach a lift or stairwell, which can be a safety hazard.

Car parking, on-street (see On-street parking)

On-street parking is part of the movement network. On-street parking provides convenient, short-term parking in
close proximity to activities and destinations. On-street parking may be arranged as parallel, indented, or angled
bays, at kerbside or in centre-road islands. The street type and use pattern determines the appropriate type of on-
street parking used. It plays an important role in inner urban areas with limited off-street parking.
Urban terminology DSATM

Carshare
A commercial system providing access to cars on demand for rent either by the hour or by the day. Carshare
vehicles have dedicated on-street parking spaces, at locations throughout the service area, and often located for
access by public transport.

Circulation space (or 'circulation area')

Circulation spaces are part of the common area of a commercial, mixed use or higher density residential building
and are used by occupants, residents and other building users. These spaces include foyers, corridors, car parking
areas, and garden and recreation areas.

Communal open space

An area within a private site providing for informal recreation activities for common use by building occupants
and, in some cases, visitors. It is distinct from private open space. Some communal open spaces can be accessible
to the public (such as that associated with a library or hospital) while other spaces can be accessible to customers
only (such as the courtyard of a restaurant or café).
Urban terminology DSATM

Concealment place
Spaces that are not easily visible and provide the opportunity to conceal potential offenders, their victims,
illegitimate uses, antisocial activity or crimes.

Connectivity
The number of connecting routes within a particular area, often measured by counting the number of
intersection equivalents per unit of area. An area may be measured for its 'connectivity' for different travel
modes – vehicle, cyclist or pedestrian. An area with high connectivity has an open street network that
provides multiple routes to and from destinations.

Continuous accessible paths of travel (CAPT)

An uninterrupted path of travel to or within a building that provides access to all facilities. This kind of path
avoids any step, stairway, turnstile, revolving door, escalator or other impediment that would prevent it being
safely negotiated by people with disabilities.
Urban terminology DSATM

Crossover (vehicle crossover)

Part of a pedestrian path where motor vehicles cross to access a property. The pedestrian path section may be
raised to path level to alert drivers to the crossing, or the path may be dropped to form a ramp for pedestrians.

Cul-de-sac
A street with only one inlet/outlet connected to the wider street network.
A closed cul-de-sac provides no possible passage except through the single road entry. An open cul-de-sac
allows cyclists, pedestrians or other non- automotive traffic to pass through connecting paths at the cul-de-sac
head.

Design response
Explanation and demonstration of how a proposed building development or public space design is informed
by and responds to the site and context analysis.

Design standard
A statement of function and performance criteria for the production of an object or place, often as agreed by a
professional, technical or representative body.
Urban terminology DSATM

Desire-line (or 'pedestrian desire-line')

The desire-line path usually represents the preferred route and the shortest or most easily navigated route between
an origin and destination. Desire- lines can often be seen as alternative shortcut tracks in places where constructed
pathways take a circuitous route. They are almost always the most direct and the shortest route between two points.

Edge condition
A term used in urban design analysis to describe the transition or interface characteristics of a public space with its
adjacent land uses and structures. An edge may be 'active', with a building's doors and windows addressing the
space, or it may be 'inactive', with blank walls or a barrier edge, such as a water body, high traffic volume road or
infrastructure corridor. The edge condition assessment is part of the urban context analysis.
Urban terminology DSATM

Enclosure (or 'sense of enclosure')

Where the building frontage height, street width and street tree canopy creates a feeling of a contained space within the
street.

Entrapment place
Small confined areas, shielded on three sides by some sort of barrier that may be used by criminal offenders to trap
potential victims or to conceal themselves. The area may be poorly lit, have limited sightlines and have no possible
escape route.

Escape route
An alternative and safe means of exit from an area. See also 'Entrapment place’.

Facade (or 'building facade')

The principal wall of a building that is usually facing the street and visible from the public realm. It is the face of the
building and helps inform passers-by about the building and the activities within.

Frontage (or 'front lot line')

The property boundary that abuts the street. If a property abuts two or more streets, it is the boundary the building or
proposed building faces.
Urban terminology DSATM

Higher density residential building

Higher density residential buildings house a number of individual apartment dwellings in a single building, and
are five or more storeys in height. They may be residential only or residential combined with other uses such as
retail, offices or car parking

Higher density residential precinct

A higher density residential precinct generally has larger lot sizes that are able to accommodate apartment and
mixed-use developments. The precinct may be in or adjacent to an activity centre or within a large development
site. The structure of a higher density residential precinct provides a high level of amenity in public spaces,
access to facilities and services, while protecting privacy and personal safety.
Urban terminology DSATM

Informal surveillance
Observation, from the street or from adjacent buildings, provided by ordinary people as they go about their daily
activities. This kind of observation can deter criminal activity or anti-social behaviour and make places feel safer.
Sometimes termed 'casual surveillance' and 'eyes-on-the-street’.

Key public space

Key public spaces may be located in parks, plazas, or streets. They are generally public places of significance, with
high levels of amenity. They may be identified through strategic assessment processes.

Land development
The construction, buildings or works made on a parcel of land to support the use to which the land is put.
Urban terminology DSATM

Land use
The purpose for which the land has been or is being or may be developed. The activity on the land.

Lane
A travel path for a vehicle as part of a roadway. As in 'bicycle lane', 'traffic lane', or 'bus lane’.

Laneway
A vehicular way or pedestrian access way, often narrower that a street, located to the rear or side of lots
providing access to the service areas, parking and outbuildings, and it may accommodate utility easements.
Urban terminology DSATM

Large development site

Large parcels of land within cities and towns sometimes become available for redevelopment and new uses. Often
in prime locations, these sites can be publicly owned (such as railway corridors, surplus government land or
dockyards) or they can be former commercial, industrial or institutional sites that are no longer needed for their
original purpose. They may be located in activity centres or are accessible to transport connections, services and
jobs.

Large format retail premises

Large format retail premises are mostly free-standing buildings or complexes with a single large building
footprint, and associated infrastructure. They are often single-level or low-rise buildings and they may include
large at-grade car parking lots or car parking structures. They can be shopping centres, supermarkets, restricted
retail premises or department stores. Large format retail premises differ from other large buildings with regard to
visitor patterns, goods delivery requirements, and goods display practices. They are often located in high visibility
places, for example at major road intersections or adjacent to highways that are highly accessible by car.
Urban terminology DSATM

Legibility
The ease with which a person is able to see, understand and find their way around an
area, building or development. A 'legible' layout is one that people find easy to navigate
and move through.

Level-of-service (also called 'quality of service' or 'service quality')

The capacity and effectiveness of a system's functionality, as experienced by users, to
provide the service for which it is intended. For a pedestrian street or a park, the service
can comprise various factors such as active, interesting surroundings, path width,
pavement surface, seating opportunities, obstacles, safety from traffic, cleanliness.

Light spill
Unwanted light falling on areas outside those intended for illumination, and that causes
annoyance, discomfort, distraction, or a reduction in visibility. Often defined as light
illuminating areas outside the property line containing the lighting system. But may also
be applied to lighting in public spaces that affects amenity in private spaces.
Urban terminology DSATM

Lighting
Lighting performs a number of functions, from supporting way-finding, orientation and safe movement at
night to providing a decorative effect for building facades, landmarks and paths. Lighting systems can be
large- scale and utilitarian, or small and ornamental. They may use overhead lamps, bollards, up-lights,
bulkhead or veranda lighting, feature and facade illumination. Shop display lighting can also contribute to
overall public realm lighting levels. Lighting is critical to creating a public realm that is safe and inviting
for users.

Local park
Local parks are green public spaces up to about one hectare in size and may include trees, grass, gardens
and playgrounds and are located within easy reach of users. Some local parks also include water features,
cafes or sports facilities. The location of a park in the movement network often influences its usability.

Main street
The principal retail and small business street in an area, a focus of many local trips, and accommodating
higher volumes of pedestrians.
Urban terminology DSATM

Major road
Major roads accommodate high volumes of motor vehicle traffic including public transport and
freight, and have higher design speeds (60–100 km/h). Major roads can have two or more traffic
lanes in each direction and may provide for on-street car parking, bus lanes or tram tracks, bicycle
lanes, as well as verge space for pedestrian paths, infrastructure and landscaping. Also see 'Arterial
roads’.

Mixed-use development
A range of complementary uses within the same building, site or precinct. The different uses may
be arranged floor by floor, or side by side. The uses may be residential, commercial, retail or
institutional.
Urban terminology DSATM

Movement network
The interconnected system of streets, roads and paths that accommodates pedestrians and cyclists, on-
road public transport, emergency and private vehicles. The movement network connects places and
activities, and allows people and goods to reach their intended destinations and to access private land.
The movement network is managed by a number of agencies, each with different responsibilities and
interests.

Objects in the public realm (includes 'street furniture')

Objects in the public realm include those items located in streets and public spaces that are either for
public use and convenience, or for utilities infrastructure and services. Objects include street furniture,
service cabinets, trees and planting, barriers and fencing, lighting, signs and small public buildings and
structures.
Urban terminology DSATM

Off-road public transport

Public transport that runs on a network largely independent of streets and arterial roads. It includes light rail,
metropolitan and regional rail. It does not include on-road public transport such as the metropolitan bus and tram
network.

On-street parking
On-street parking is part of the movement network. On-street parking provides convenient, short-term parking in
close proximity to activities and destinations. On-street parking may be arranged as parallel, indented, or angled bays,
at kerbside or in centre-road islands. The street type and use pattern determines the appropriate type of on-street
parking used. It plays an important role in inner urban areas with limited off-street parking.

Outlook
A place from which a view is possible; a vantage point.

Pathway
A pedestrian path, bicycle path or other area for use by people but not by motor vehicles.
Urban terminology DSATM

Pedestrian and bicycle crossings

Pedestrian and bicycle crossings provide points to safely and conveniently cross roads and streets, or other
barriers such as motorways, railway lines or waterways. Many crossings are located on paths to activity centres
and schools, or at stations, bus or tram stops. Crossings are either at-grade or grade-separated.

Pedestrian and bicycle paths

Pedestrian and bicycle paths specifically provide for people on foot, bicycle or other mobility aid vehicles. Paths
may be located on local streets and major roads, in public spaces such as parks and reserves, or through semi-
public spaces such as car parking lots, forecourts and arcades. Paths may be solely for pedestrian use, cyclist use,
or shared paths for both pedestrians and cyclists.
Urban terminology DSATM

Pedestrian priority street

Pedestrian priority streets give high priority to walking, cycling and facilitating social contact, while allowing
for low-speed motor vehicle traffic (under 40km per hour). These streets are usually found in areas of intense
and diverse activity such as activity centres, education facilities and public transport interchanges. They
accommodate diverse travel modes as well as provide a public space function. Bicycle lanes may either be
provided as a separate lane, or a shared path with other modes. Streets may also restrict vehicle types or access
at times.

Pedestrian shed (or 'ped shed')

A graphic representation of the area surrounding a particular destination that can be reached on foot within a
specific walking time. Its extent is related to walking distances to the destination, as opposed to a simple radius
from a centre point. It can be expressed as walking time (10 minutes at average walk speed), or as a distance
(800m). It is related to "walkable catchment".

Permeability
The extent to which the urban structure permits, or restricts, movement of people or vehicles through an area,
and the capacity of the area network to carry people or vehicles.
Urban terminology DSATM

Plaza
A type of public open space connected to the street network that can range in size from a building
forecourt to a large city square. A plaza may be a wide mid-block pedestrian link, bordered by buildings
or attached to a public building such as a town hall, school, or entertainment and sports facility.

Podium
The lower levels of a tall building that are built up to or near the property boundary edges. The upper
levels (the tower component) are set back from the lower podium building edges. The podium and tower
is often arranged to achieve a relationship between the new building and existing streetscapes and urban
context.

Primary use
Primary uses are those uses that have induced people to spend time in the area, such as workplaces,
businesses and residences, or institutions and services like museums or libraries. Also see 'Secondary
uses’.
Urban terminology DSATM

Private land
Land that is owned by a private person or group and kept for their exclusive use. Some privately held land is
available for the public to access and use, but the land owner may control aspects of access and use – see
'Public space’.

Private open space

An open area or place that is privately owned and exclusively occupied. Private open space is usually
attached to a private dwelling. See also communal open space.

Public open space

Under the Subdivision Act 1988 – SECT 18, public open space is intended as a place of public resort or
recreation. A public open space may be provided as a plaza, park and square. See also 'Public space', 'Public
realm'.
Urban terminology DSATM

Public realm
The public realm comprises spaces and places that are open and freely accessible to everyone, regardless of
their economic or social conditions. These spaces can include streets, laneways and roads, parks, public
plazas, waterways and foreshores.

Public space
An area in the public realm that is open to public access, provides a public use or recreation function, and
that is owned and maintained by councils or other government agencies. However, some privately-held
land is available for the public to access and use, such as a building forecourt, a walk-through, or a
shopping mall. The private land owner may control aspects of access and use .

Public transport environs

Public transport environs includes the public spaces, streets, buildings and activities located around railway
stations, bus and tram interchanges, and adjacent to railway corridors.
Urban terminology DSATM

Public transport interchange

Places where people can access or transfer between public transport modes and routes. For
example, between train, tram or bus mode, or a multi-route bus or train station. Interchanges
vary in size and may be stand-alone, adjacent to a railway station, or located at a transport
node, such as a park- and-ride facility.

Public transport node

A tram or bus stop, interchange or train station, and the area immediately around it.

Public transport on roads (sometimes called 'on-road public transport')

There are two main types of public transport that use the road network: the fixed tram network,
which is usually located on major roads and streets; and the bus network, which operates
within standard traffic lanes or in bus priority lanes. Bus and tram priority routes have priority
over general traffic.
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

Urbanization NOW

THEN
Urbanization
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

Spill over?
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

FORMAL INFORMAL

In accordance with norms and regulations Which is not formal

One cannot be expressed without referring the other

• The urban “informal” neighborhoods in developing countries are the spatial outcomes (space based) of the
informal economic relations and practices in cities.
• The cities have grown in two different ways: planned and unplanned.
• The spatial patterns that emerge as a result of the “informal” activities differs from the ones developed through
a planning process.
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

Spatial Pattern
“..towns and buildings will not be able to come alive, unless they are made by all the people in society, and unless these
people share a common pattern language, within which to make these buildings, and unless this common pattern language is
alive itself”- Christopher Alexander in A Pattern Language

• A pattern occurs over and over again in the environment

• No pattern is an isolated entity since it is supported by other patterns
• As an example, the pattern Accessible Green is connected to larger patterns first like Subculture boundary, Identifiable
Neighborhood, Work Community, and Quiet Backs which are further connected to smaller patterns: Positive Outdoor
Space, Tree Places, and Garden Wall.
• Hence, we observe a pattern in each and every urban space in different entities and hierarchy
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

FORMAL
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

FORMAL
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

FORMAL
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

INFORMAL
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

FORMAL
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

FORMAL SETTLEMENT refers to places which are planned for people on a previously undeveloped land
• Is bound by byelaws and regulations
• Done on the basis of the guidelines prescribed by the planning authority
• More structured and rigid than informal settlement
• The layout is laid first and later the occupants are introduced to the settlement
• Has access to all the basic services of living and hence promotes a healthy living and economic growth
through regularized market
• Example: Mumbai, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Delhi etc.
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

INFORMAL SETTLEMENT is also known as squatter settlements, favelas (Brazil) , poblaciones (Spanish
speaking regions), shacks, barrios bajos (Venezuela), bidonvilles (France), ghetto (Panama) etc. in different regions
of the world

Some of the associated keywords:

Urban poverty
Slums
Slum dwellers
Vulnerable and marginalized groups
Socio-spatial exclusion
Governance
Equity and equality
Environmental justice
Participatory planning
Right to adequate housing
Security of tenure
Slum upgrading and prevention
Inclusive finance
Informal economy
UnHABITAT III, 2015
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

What is Informal Settlement?

Informal settlements – are residential areas where

1) inhabitants have no security of tenure vis-à-vis the land or dwellings they inhabit, with modalities
ranging from squatting to informal rental housing,
2) the neighbourhoods usually lack, or are cut off from, basic services and city infrastructure
3) the housing may not comply with current planning and building regulations, and is often situated in
geographically and environmentally hazardous areas.

Slums are the most deprived and excluded form of informal settlements characterized by poverty and
large agglomerations of dilapidated housing often located in the most hazardous urban land. In addition
to tenure insecurity, slum dwellers also lack formal supply of basic infrastructure and services, public
space and green areas, and thus they are constantly exposed to eviction, disease and violence.
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

Informal Settlement is characterized by:

Socio-spatial exclusion – refers to the processes that contribute to

the geographic marginalization of particular individuals and
groups because of where they live and who they are. It is
characterized by their inability to access or effectively use a
whole range of facilities and resources which improve well-being
and position people to take advantage of available opportunities.
Particular groups and individuals often suffer a disproportionate
‘disadvantage’ because of their identity, which is physically
represented in urban contexts by the presence of informal
settlements.
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

Environmental justice – refers to the dynamic

relationship between poverty, ecosystem services and
pollution that sees vulnerable and poor urban dwellers
suffer disproportionately from environmental impacts.
Environmental justice aims at curbing abuses of
power in relation to natural resources and calls for
the legal and social empowerment of the poor and new
approaches to sustainability to secure future
generations’ quality of life.
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

Informal Settlement is characterized by:

Participatory slum upgrading – is a methodological approach that aims to address urban development
imbalances represented by slum dwellers’ living.

• It engages and puts all key urban stakeholders – all levels of government, community
representatives, civil society, non-government organizations, academia, private sector and,
especially, slum dwellers – at the heart of the process to improve slums’ living standards.

• This multi-stakeholder platform is considered more likely to promote the necessary partnerships,
governance arrangements, institutional structures and financing options which result in inclusive
planning and sustainable outcomes.

• Slum dwellers, in particular, have important knowledge, skills and capacity to contribute, direct and
own the upgrading process, and an inclusive approach towards the improvement of their living
conditions brings fundamental socio-cultural changes towards a rights-based society.
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

Informal neighborhood has more edges and nodes than formal neighborhood.

Cubukcu & Cubukcu, IJAUS, 2017

MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

• Informal settlements have active

frontage where the front facade of
It is informal? buildings, including the main entrance,
Chaotic? faces and opens towards the street.
Unorganized? • Ground floors may accommodate uses
Disoriented? such as cafes, shops or restaurants.
Compact? • However, for a frontage to be active, it
does not necessarily need to be a retail
use, nor have continuous windows.
• A building's upper floor windows and
balconies may also contribute to the
level of active frontage.
• Active frontages can provide
informal surveillance opportunities
and often improve the vitality and
safety of an area. The measures of
active frontage may be graded from
high to low activity.
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

Visual distinction between the formal and informal

MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

• Informality was the origin of many malfunctions in cities, but also the “normal” way of building them.
• The need of formalization became one of the main reasons for the emergence of urban planning as a
discipline, to deal with the effect of rapid industrialization and population growth.
• Very quickly urban planning adopted, as one of its main missions, the control of informal urban
development. As an answer to individual informal solutions, urban planning responded with standardized
rules.
• The creation of spaces that fit into pre-established rules replaced rules fitting into pre-existent spaces. The
contrast between urbanization promoted under formal urban planning and informal urbanization is only one
sign of shift. Another is the interdependence between urban planning actions and informal urbanization
dynamics.
• The first generation of urban regeneration policies was launched to deal with informal settlements (slums in
particular) in countries that experienced the effects of the industrial revolution earlier. Slum clearance was a
major movement mainly in western Europe, first in-between wars in England, later in the post second world
war in countries such as France.
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

Reasons for informal settlement:

• Political causes
• Economic
• Education
• Rural to urban migration
• Social causes
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

• Informal sector or economy, sometimes also titled shadow, hidden, black, parallel,
second or underground economy (or sector)
• a set of economic activities that takes place outside the framework of bureaucratic
public and private sector establishments
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

Example of slum upgradation:

The Orangi Pilot Project (OPP), Karachi, Pakistan

The urban landscape in Karachi is characterized by rampant informality. As a result of high rates of rural-to-urban
migration and an acute shortage of housing, high-density informal settlements, or katchi abadis, crowd the city. Many
of these katchi abadis are not recognized by government agencies, and have no formal connections to existing water,
sanitation, and health services. When initiating urban development projects, planning agencies in Karachi use outdated
maps and only focus on formal communities and regularized informal settlements. Environmental health in these
informal communities is thus dismal.

Many informal settlements do not have basic access to drinking water, formal sanitation services, education, and
healthcare facilities

Orangi has been the destination of many immigrant populations since it formed in the peripheries of 1960s Karachi.

Before the involvement of the OPP in Orangi, the urban environment in the area was abysmal – streets were
overflowing with waste, potable water was scarce, rates of disease were high, and mobility was low
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

Informal economy in OPP:

• A squatter settlement full of the enterprising spirit. The most impressive demonstration of the spirit of enterprises
is the creation of employment everywhere in the lanes;
inside the homes there are around twenty thousand family units, shops workshops, peddlers and vendors.

• In response to the dual challenge of inflation and recession, the residents have invented working family,
modifying homes into workshops, promoting the women from mere dependents to economic partners and wage
earners, abandoning the dominant patriarchal pattern with surprising speed.

In OPP there was an unlimited demand for products and services of these family units. The working family units of
Orangi were completely integrated with the main Karachi markets. In fact many units are supplying goods to
famous firms, who just put their labels and make big profits. The need is to support their initiatives.
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

OPP-sewerage and drainage system

MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

OPP-before and after

• Upgraded the sanitation from

bucket latrines, soakpits, and open
sewers to simplified design with
the use of standardized steel
moulds. A self managed, self
financed and self maintained
sanitary sysems and under ground
sewerage lines.
• Improvised building blocks
• Batten and tile roofing
• Pre-cast staircase
• Load bearing structure
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

Dharavi, Mumbai
• An economic zone which supports the formal sector
• The residences double up as living spaces as well as commercial
setups
• Informal economy include pottery, recycling (daily turnover of
around rs. 1 crore), food processing etc.
• Is it really a thriving informal settlement?
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

Aranya Housing by BV Doshi:

• Low income housing with scope for incremental growth
• Major activity in the streets as a place of gathering, play area,
transport link, etc. the lively space for the dwellers
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

Incremental housing with scope for further expansion

The character of the street changes with the street width

MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM
MODULE 4: FUNCTIONAL & TEMPORAL APPROACH DSATM

Example of transformation of space:

Sarafa Bazaar, Indore, MP

During the day

MODULE 4: FUNCTIONAL & TEMPORAL APPROACH DSATM

Example of transformation of space:

Sarafa Bazaar, Indore, MP

During the evening

MODULE 4: FUNCTIONAL & TEMPORAL APPROACH DSATM

Redevelopment of space: Sarafa Bazaar, Indore, MP

MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

Theory of Good City Form according to Kevin Lynch

1) VITALITY
• Vitality comes as close to being a pure public good as any on our list, since health and survival are values
very widely held, and threats to health are often indiscriminate in their incidence.
• Like most public goods, however, vitality tends to be honored in the breach, since the cost to anyone to
increase it (or to refrain from decreasing it) may have little connection with his own benefits.
2) SENSE
• Sense depends on spatial form and quality, but also on the culture, temperament, status, experience, and
current purpose of the observer.
• Thus the sense of a particular place will vary for different observers.
3) FIT
• The fit of a settlement refers to how well its spatial and temporal pattern matches the customary behavior
of its inhabitants.
• It is the match between action and form in its behavior settings and behavior circuits.
• Two kinds of fit are there: good fit and bad fit.
MODULE 4: FORMAL & INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT DSATM

4) ACCESS
• Accessibility by means of services and transportation which is directly related to affordability
5) CONTROL
• Spatial control is achieved through regulations that affects the psychology.
6) EFFICIENCY & JUSTICE
• Efficiencies of settlements can be compared only by seeing which achieves the best level in some one
dimension, given a fixed amount of other values expended or achieved.
MODULE 4: URBAN WORKS ON INDIAN CONTEXT-EXAMPLES DSATM

BELAPUR HOUSING, Navi Mumbai by Charles Correa

• Is an example of Urban Equity where space is provided for low income group
• Demonstrates how a high rise densities is achieved with the help of low rise typology which includes open
spaces, schools etc.
• The design principles follow a hierarchy of community spaces
• Houses does not share walls with the neighbors and thus allows for incremental housing
• The project has scope for income generation by migrant workers who are traditional craftsmen and masons
MODULE 4: URBAN WORKS ON INDIAN CONTEXT-EXAMPLES DSATM

Principles of Charles Correa: open to sky, incrementality, identity, income generation, pluralism, fairness

BELAPUR HOUSING
• Project demonstrates how high density housing (500 people per hectare) can be achieved in a low-rise
typology, while including (open to sky spaces) and services, like schools, that the community requires
• Overriding principle is to give each unit its own site to allow for expansion (Incrementality)
• Units are Malleable so that they can be colonized by occupants, and modified to their social/cultural/religious
needs (Identity)
• Houses constructed simply and can be built by traditional masons and craftsmen - generating employment for
local workers (Income generation)
• Several plans exist that cover the social spectrum, from squatters to upper income families (Pluralism)
• The footprint of each plan varies little in size (from 45 sqm to 70 sqm), maintaining equity (fairness) in the
community
Layers in urban skyline: essence of the place, identity, significance, connectivity, collective memory, belongingness
Layers in urban skyline: essence of the place, identity, significance, connectivity, collective memory, belongingness
Layers in urban skyline: essence of the place, identity, significance, connectivity, collective memory, belongingness