DISSERTATION

Vishnu M

PUBLIC SPACE PLANNING -KOLLAM

M3 planning

DISTRICT

Background of the study

An urban space forms the spine of a city where interaction happens. It helps
in the development of a society and its people. A city is named after the
urban space it possesses. It can be anything like streets, parks, urban plazas,
market spaces etc.it is the main generator of public interaction and society
largely depends on the urban spaces in the city for public participation.
Public spaces offers recreational opportunities, venue for special events, and
an opportunity for the city to breathe. At the larger scale, areas of public
open space should link into a network giving opportunities for the movement
of people between them.
The provision of open space is particularly important in higher density
environments. Appropriate standards should be established in all new
developments, with aspirational targets in areas with little existing provision.
Rather than being an afterthought, open space should be an integrated and
important part of the urban design vision for a place, often as a key focus for
public life. A number of towns and cities, including the British New Towns,
have developed sophisticated open space frameworks creating 'green'
corridors through urban areas for recreational purposes. Integration of
natural

and

built

environment

is

key

objective

of

sustainable

development
The purpose of the research is to study about the spaces in general, the
public spaces, and the people. How the space get molded at different ages

.the present condition of the space and also about the change in the
mentality of people.
There are many 'ways of using public outdoor space more creatively,
maximizing the Identity and unique role for these areas. Creating new
activities

within

this

areas

for

example;

cultural

events,

street

entertainments, open air activities, together with better signage, paving,

lighting, street furniture, etc. Will attract people to use the public space as
an attractive and enjoyable place.
Open urban spaces are the meeting place for the jobless and redundant as
well as for the new immigrants, tourists and visitors. Squares and streets
host mercantile activities and the use and qualities of urban open spaces are
of great importance for localization of global businesses. Outdoor cafes,
street theaters as well as everyday activity from the public life of towns and
cities. Public spaces helps in the creation of social relations.
Hypothesis
Public spaces in Kollam district are unutilized and are deteriorating but
effective public space planning strategies and guideline can improve the
present condition of public spaces and can revive deteriorated public
space
Aim
To find out the importance and potentials of public space planning in
Kollam district
Objectives
To study about public space planning and the transformation of public
spaces over time
to study about the importance and potentials
planning in Kollam District

of public space

 To make guidelines which are going to help planners in public space

planning and its revival
Scope
Kerala is developing at a faster rate and such an attempt can promote
proper planning for the public spaces in the future
Limitations
A period of months is not sufficient for the detailed and intensive study on
the topic and i need to generalise macro level interaction spaces as public
spaces and the guidelines need to be prepared in a broader level

Expected contribution
Identify what are the factors need to be considered in public space
planning
Identify the issues in public space planning and how it affect the
people
Analyse the influence of public space among people through case
studies
Identify the reason why public spaces are not properly utilised and
how it can be improved
Find out the public spaces in Kollam district and its present
conditions.
If it is in a deteriorated stage. Need to find out what are the reasons
for it? And how it can be revived?
prepare a guideline in a broader level

Literature study through book review

NAME OF THE BOOK: PUBIC SPACES - URBAN SPACES.
AUTHOR: MATTHEW CARMONA, TIM HEATH, TANER OC AND STEVEN
TIESDELL
This book provides an exposition of urban design. It takes a holistic
approach, which neither on a limited checklist of urban design qualities nor it is hoped - excludes important areas. The structure is easily accessible, with
self-contained and cross- referenced sections and chapters. This enables
readers to dip in for specific information, while the incremental layering of
concepts aids those reading the book cover to cover.
The book is in three main parts. It begins with a broad discussion of the
context within which urban design takes place. In chapter one, the challenge
for 'urban design' and for 'urban designer'- a term used throughout the book
in its broadest sense to encompass both 'knowing' and 'unknowing' urban
designers- is made explicit. In chapter two, issues of change in the
contemporary urban context are outlined and discussed. Chapter three
presents a number of overarching contexts- local, global, market and
regulatory- that provide the background for urban design action.
Part two consists of six chapters, each of which reviews a substantive
dimension of urban design-morphological, perceptual, social, and visual.
Functional and temporal' In part three, implementation and delivery
mechanisms are explored- how urban design is procured and controlled and
communicated- stressing the nature of urban design as process moving from
theory to action. This book adopts a broad understanding of urban design,
which is focuses on urban design as the process of making better places for
people than would otherwise be produced

Literature study from thesis review

TOPIC

CITY

AND

ITS

UNBUILT

CORE

RESTRUCTURING

MANANCHIRA
DONE BY

: MADHURI .M.RAO

This thesis is done by Madhuri M. Rao on a 'City and Its U "built Core
Restructuring Mananchira'. This thesis report has been divided into 4
chapters where the 1st chapter containing the introduction and the issues.
The 2nd chapter on deriving the study, analysis and guidelines. The 3rd
chapter on selection of the site and its specific issues and the micro macro
level designs and the 4th chapter generally on urban Open spaces.
1st chapter: gives a brief idea of the aim Which is to explore inter
relationship between man and his environment With reference urban space
and its

transformation a place'. She has limited the study to urban unbuilt

city and is restricted to the open in major Kerala which the maidan Trichur
,Thekkinkadu maidan at Kottayam. The Puthirikandam and Gandhi maidans
at Trivandrum and the Mananchira maidan at Calicut.
2nd chapter: Doing basic literature studies this has lead to the understanding
of an urban space as an organization or form, activity, time, and meaning. As
a result the study is being designed on different aspects like physical,
special,

visual,

activity,

traffic;

imageability.

Based

on

their

studies

conducted, guidelines formulated for an ideal unbuilt core in Kerala.

Some of them are
The urban core of a city in Kerala should consist of built and unbuilt
spaces with a central Core.
The unbuilt core to be vast enough to create private realms and
informal spaces and have public activity at its edges a successful
unbuilt exceed 135m in length and Width.

 The angle between the vision line and the subtended horizontal from
the edge

of the unbuilt core to be built form should be between 30

and 35 for ideal enclosure.

The built and unbuilt forms should reflect the image of the city.etc...
3rd chapter- After the study and analysis, she chose the unbuilt core at the
city of Calicut as the 'site' for the design intervention. The Mananchira
Maidan at Calicut is the single most important and central open space in the
city and is the main recreational space for the people of Calicut. The analysis
of the study formed the base from which the concepts were derived
concepts of land use, open space structure, visual concepts, and concepts of
image making formed the core of the design process. Then came the design
stage which has micro-level design and macro-level design.
Literature study
SPACE AND OPEN SPACE
The Space of the city range from the space of the street to the space of a
park system and to the vast space in which an entire city exits. This helps to
think space as two generic types: Formal or Urban Space and Natural or
Open

Space

Urban space can be linear corridors. Avenues and streets are linear urban
spaces if they enclosed on two sides or have some elements of unifying
character trees and uniform Corridors spaces are spaces for linear
movement. Island or oasis spaces are stopping places.
Nature open space will have a scale with the trees, shrubs, rocks, and ground
surface rather than their gross width and length. The bridge or path way may
complement Naturs forms.
The urban space derives from the distance scale of human vision.
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SPACE

Outdoor spaces can be considered in terms of 'Positive' and 'Negative'

spaces:
Positive. Relatively enclosed, outdoor space has a definite and distinctive
shape. It is 'conceivable', can be measured, and has definite boundaries
we could imagine it being filled water, which subsequently runs out relatively
slowly. It is discontinuous (in principle), closed, static, but serial in
composition.

Its

shape

is

important as that of the buildings surrounding it.

Negative space is shapeless, e.g. the amorphous residue left over around
buildings which are generally viewed as positive. It is 'inconceivable'continuous
and lacking in perceivable edges or form. It is difficult to imagine such

Figure 1Principle of figure-ground

reversal

spaces being filled with water because it is difficult to conceive of the space.

Depending on which is the 'figure' and which is the 'ground', the image is
either a vase or two faces. 'Positive' and 'negative' types of space can be
distinguished through figure-ground reversal. Where outdoor spaces are
negative, the buildings are the figure and outdoor space is the ground, but it
is not possible to see the outdoor space as figure and the buildings as
ground. Where outdoor spaces are positive, figure-ground reversal is possible
and buildings can be considered as figure or ground.

The difference between positive and negative outdoor spaces can also be
considered in terms of their 'Convexity'

Figure 2 Diagrams showing convexity

A space is convex when a line joining any two points inside the space lies
totally within the space. The irregular rectangular space (left) is convex and,
therefore, positive. The L- shaped space (right) is not convex because a line
joining two points cuts across the corner and therefore goes outside the
space. Positive spaces are enclosed at least to the extent that their areas
seem bounded (i.e. the 'virtual' area is convex). The L-shaped Space,
therefore, contains two large virtual spaces. Negative spaces are often so
poorly defined that it may not be possible to identify their boundaries. We
have many examples of successful urban open space. The traditional cities of
Europe and Asia offer numerous place that work wonder fully well.
The design of successful new urban spaces depends on a critical
understanding of examples, good and bad, of spaces that have been tested
by users and analyzed by designers. The following text discusses numerous
examples of historic and modern urban space.
The examples falls into two primary types: 'Hard' Spaces and 'Soft' Spaces.
Hard spaces are those principally bounded by architectural walls, often these
are intended to function as major gathering places for social activity. Soft
spaces are those dominated by the natural environment whether inside or
outside the city. In the urban setting they are the parks and gardens and
linear green ways that provide opportunities for recreation or retreat from
the built environment. Emphasis has often been placed only on hard space
as appropriate to the city. Urban designers, however, must look at both types
of
space
for
Inspiration, as urban functions exist that are better served by soft space.
HARD SPACE

One of the most important factors in hard space is the creation of enclosure.

Figure 3Principles of spatial containment and

enclosure

A residual space in-between dominant space with varying degree of openers

is not the open spaces under our highways and buffer spaces around
unknown in our cities... them. Instead of acknowledging and exploiting these
characteristic kinds of space we make them into parking lots or feeble
patches of grass-no-mains lands between the scale of the region and the
locality.
Steven Peterson' describes space as Conceivable and anti-space as
Inconceivable volume. Space can be measured; it has definite and
perceivable boundaries; it is discontinuous in principle, closed, static, yet
serial in composition. Anti-space, on the other hand, is a shapeless,
continuous, lacking perceivable edge or form. The Piazza Del Campo, Siena,
is space, while Le Corbusier's St pie, the towers in the parks at the Ville redie
use, or the Las Vegas strip, are anti space. The piazza san marco in Venice,
berninis piazza and colonnade at St Peter's or Michelangelo's triangulated
Campidoglio in Rome are the outstanding historic examples of space.

Figure 4Piazza del campo, Siena, figureground plan

Not only does the piazza contrast with the surrounding density of the urban
fabric, but the configuration of streets also reinforces the shape of the square
itself. Urban space is the generator of urban form.

Figure 5 The Campidoglio Plan

The oval paving pattern brings the piazza to rest, counteracting the
directional pull established by the angles of the buildings.
WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL PLACE?
A successful public space has four key qualities:

they are Accessible;

people are engaged in Activities there;
the space is Comfortable and has a good image;
And finally, it is A Sociable place: one where people meet each other
and take people when they come to visit.

Given below is The Place Diagram as a tool to help judging any place, good
or
bad:

Figure 6 What Makes a Great Place?

Figure 7The Benefits of Place

Imagine that the center circle on the diagram is a specific place that you
know: a street corner, a playground, a plaza outside a building. You can
evaluate that place according to four criteria in the red ring. In the ring
outside these main criteria are a number of intuitive or qualitative aspects by
which to judge a place; the next outer ring shows the quantitative aspects
that can be measured by statistics or research.
Access & Linkages
You can judge the accessibility of a place by its connections to its
surroundings, both visual and physical. A successful public space is easy to
get to and get through; it is visible both from a distance and up close. The
edges of a space are important as well: For instance, a row of shops along a
street is more interesting and generally safer to walk by than a blank wall or
erupt)' lot. Accessible spaces have a high parking turnover and, ideally, are
convenient to public transit.
Comfort & Image
Whether a space is comfortable and presents itself well - has a good image is key to its success. Comfort includes perceptions about safety, cleanliness,
and the availability of places to sit - the importance of giving people the
choice to sit where they want is generally underestimated. Women in
particular are good judges on comfort and image, because they tend to be
more discriminating about the public spaces they use.

Uses & Activities

Activities are the basic building blocks of a place. Having something to do
gives people a reason to come to a place - and return. When there is nothing
to do, a space will be empty and that generally means that something is
wrong.

Principles to keep in mind in evaluation The Uses and Activities of a

lace:

The more activities that are going and that people have an opportunity
to
participate in, the better.
There is a good balance between men and women (women are more
particular about the spaces that they use).
People of different ages are using the space (retired people and people
with young children can use a space during the day when others are
working).
The space is used throughout the day.
A space that is used by both singles and people in groups is better
than one that is just used by people alone because it means that there
are places for people to sit with friends, there is more socializing, and it
is more fun.
The ultimate success of a space is how well it is managed.

Sociability
This is a difficult quality for a place to achieve, but once attained it becomes
an
unmistakable feature. When people see friends, meet and greet their
neighbors, and feel comfortable interacting with strangers, they tend to feel
a stronger sense of place or attachment to their community - and to the
place that fosters these types of social activities.

WHY MANY PUBLIC SPACES FAIL?

william H. Whyte once said, "It is difficult to design a space that will not
attract people what is remarkable is how often this has been accomplished.
Today, many public spaces seem to be intentionally designed to be looked at
but not touched. They are neat, clean, and empty - as if to say, "no people,
no problem!" But to us, when a public space is empty, vandalized, or used
chiefly by undesirables, this is generally an indication that something is very
wrong with its design, or its management, or both.

The following are some of the most common problems of public

spaces:
Lack of places to sit:
Many public spaces don't even provide a place to sit. So, in their protracted
quest just to be comfortable, people are often forced to adapt to the
situation in their own way. Sometimes they simply give up (left), or have to
sit on briefcases (right). A lack of good places to sit is an equally important
issue. For example, a choice of seats in sun or shade can make all the
difference in a place's success, depending on its climate and location.
Allowing people to sit near a playground or within view of other activities is
also crucial.

Lack of gathering points:

This includes features people want or need, such as playgrounds, or places

where
varying elements--bus stop, vending cart, outdoor seating--combine to
create a gathering point. Food is often a critical component of a successful
gathering point. Paris' parc de la Villette (left) has seats that force people to
sit in unsociable ways, and signs that ask them not to climb on the sculpture.
Though located along a stretch of the pacific

Poor entrances and visually inaccessible spaces:

Coast Highway, this park at Laguna Beach (right) has loads of activities,
food, and places to sit. It is a busy, healthy gathering place. If a space is to
be used, peopleneed to see it and they need to be able to get to it.
A dark or narrow entrance such as those that used to be at New York City's
Bryant Park keeps people out instead of inviting them in. The same entrance
redesigned
to be more inviting and open, has kiosks that sell coffee and sandwiches, and
the interior of the park is visible from the street.

Dysfunctional features:

Oftentimes features are designed simply to punctuate the space, serving a

use more visual than functional, instead of encouraging activity to occur
around them - as at this waterfront park in Barcelona, below. Good features,
such as the friendly gorilla at the Berlin Zoo (above), encourage activity to
occur around them.

Paths that don't go where people want to go

Paths that lead to nowhere are useless, as demonstrated at this Phoenix,

Arizona Park The Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, however show the art of
making a path
that pulls people along it, or allows them to stop and relax.

 Domination of a space by vehicles :

There may be a lack of crosswalks, or streets that are too wide, or lacking
sidewalks. A main street is not a highway. One should not fear crossing the
street so much that the activity needs to occur in groups, as on George
Street in Sydney, Australia. Crossing the street should be an easy,
comfortable activity. Even if you have to wait

Blank walls or dead zones around the edges of a place:

The area around a space is as important to its success as the design and
management of the space itself. The blank wall contributes nothing to the
activity of the street. In fact, it doesn't even seem real.
Inconveniently located transit stops:
Bus or train stops located in places where no one wants to use them are a
good recipe for failure. A transit stop located in a busy, active place can not
only make that place better, but also increase transit use.
BENEFITS OF CREATING GOOD PUBLIC SPACES

Support local economies:

The River Market in Little Rock, Arkansas, a $4.4 million project that opened
in 1996, has been a catalyst for over $500 million in new and proposed
construction, including the Clinton Presidential Library. The market has
doubled in size in three years, and is given credit for the downtown's
renaissance.

Attract business investments:

In downtown Oak Park, Illinois a failed pedestrian mall was replaced with the
original street. Even before the changes were fully implemented, there was a
100% increase in enquiries from potential tenants, and the vacancy rate
eventually decreased from

Attract tourism:

It was recommended for design improvements to the Channel Gardens at the

Rockefeller Center. The changes, including increased seating, have allowed
the gardens and world famous skating rink to become one of the most
popular spaces in New York City and encouraged The Today Show, and other
attractions, to locate there.

Provide cultural opportunities:

San Rafael, California, a city with a large Italian population, created a vision
for a neglected city park. The residents raised money to install bocce courts,

which are managed by a local nonprofit. The park has since become a major
source of civic pride: families come nightly from all over San Rafael, while
media
Attention has attracted bocce enthusiasts from across the U.S. and Europe.
Encourage volunteerism
Public spaces improve and encourage volunteerism among new generations
Reduce crime
Properly planned public spaces reduce rate of crime and it provide safety
also. this encourages the people to use public places effectively
Improve pedestrian safety
If the crime rates are reduced consequently safety get increased. for safety
purpose planners need to avoid congested and narrow spaces
Increase use of public transportation
Better public spaces lead to better and efficient use of public transport.
Successful renovation of transportation systems towards public interaction
spaces improve the the use transportation systems
Improve public health
In neighborhoods people walk less. If better public spaces are provided for
the people it encourage walking as a result health public health can be
improved
Improve the environment
Improved awareness of importance of open spaces increases responsible use
of the resources ,and reclaims waterfronts rivers and meadows

Characteristics of a Great Public Space include:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Promotes human contact and social activities.

Is safe, welcoming, and accommodating for all users.
Has design and architectural features that are visually interesting.
Promotes community involvement.
Reflects the local culture or history.
Relates well to bordering uses.
Is well maintained.
Has a unique or special character.

Need for the study

A public space may be a gathering spot or part of a neighborhood, town,

waterfront or other area within the public realm that helps promote social
interaction and a sense of community. Possible examples may include
such spaces as plazas, parks, marketplaces, public commons and malls,
public greens, special areas within convention centers or grounds, sites
within public buildings, lobbies or public spaces within private buildings. It
is important to identify the geographic, demographic, and social
characteristics of the public space. Its location (i.e. urban, suburban, rural,
etc.), and functionality. Nowadays in majority of the cities public spaces
are underutilised it is not become a lively space .sometimes it may cause
discomfort to others. Lack of proper planning is one of the major problem
in different public spaces due to this it may not meet the actual intended
requirements. If a public space is planned through a specific planning
efforts and with better maintenance the space may become a great public
space and it should sustain the character of the public space.
Nowadays so many public spaces are get degraded due to the dearth of
proper and long term planning vision . So many public spaces are now at
the verge of collapse. Public space planning at the same time revival of
great public spaces are an important concern in the modern scenario.
Public space planning is not only related to plan a new space with new
facilities and infrastructure but also it include designing or making an
unwanted place to an efficient public space through better planning
strategies . In majority of our cities public spaces are now converted to
built-up spaces this will reduces the places for recreation , shopping,
leisure as a result of these

social interaction

between people get

reduced .
Methodology
Literature review
Literature based informations were gathered from books (both Malayalam
&English), internets

Book review
Literature studies can be obtained from books based on public space
planning
Thesis review
Thesis review give an Idea about how to approach the study, with the
inference and guidelines
Questionnaire section
The data regarding the kind of public spaces , its location , what is its
transformations , is that accessible , why it is not properly worked , what I s
the present condition of the public space were collected by questioning or
interviewing eminent persons
Case studies
Data obtained from this method helps to generalize the aspect about public
space planning and its revival
Literature case studies
Live case studies
Inferences
After doing extensive analysis of the case studies, within given limitations
.some issues have been inferred from it

Guidelines
Based on the inference made guidelines are need to be prepared for city
level public spaces
Conclusions
Conclusions were derived from the inferences

Reference
1. www.pps.org
2. Public spaces - urban spaces(2003), Matthew Carmona, Tim Heath,
Taner oc and Steven Tiesdell, architectural press, Burlington
3. www.cccb.com/CCCB.htm
4. www,geocities.com
5. Thesis report on city and its unbuilt core restructuring mananchira ,by
Madhuri .M.Rao