Aspruha Swain

4669-1

A city is distinguished from other human settlements by its relatively great size, but also by its functions and its special symbolic status, which may be conferred by a central authority. The term can also refer either to the physical streets and buildings of the city or to the collection of people who dwell there, and can be used in a general sense to mean urban rather than rural territory. A variety of definitions, invoking population, population density, number of dwellings, economic function, and infrastructure, are used in national censuses to classify populations as urban. “Understanding the City studio” focused on an evidence-based approach for framing and analysing the various real-world Urban situations and problems. Overall, the studio made me develop broad-level understanding and be equipped with the necessary skills for becoming a professional urbanist. The precinct documented in this publication lies in Vastral, an eastern fringe in Ahmedabad. Under the guidance of my studio faculty, I am able to summarise my observations, analysis and understanding of the various themes that describe the characteristics of the one square kilometre of a fringe area in Vastral, Ahmedabad. The various themes that are used in the portfolio, describe the overall features of the precinct. The publication is about the characteristics of an urban fringe area in a city like Ahmedabad , which transformed from a privately owned agricultural land use area into a fully built one in the year 2018.