AR3596-DRP000448

Faculty: Mehrnaz Amiraslani

Retrofitting loose urban spaces to active social places

The research investigates retrofitting defunct or underused elements of the urban infrastructure to reintegrate them as socio-ecological spaces and places into the urban fabric. We will consider adopting role of social spaces, as urban inserts, that are accessible to all and bring citizens close to nature. Such measures eventually increase nature’s footprint in city, hence revitalizing local urban ecosystem.We begin by researching elements of defunct/underused infrastructure (road and transport/ water/ power/ etc.) including pieces of infrastructure, buildings, and open spaces potent for this approach. Although we investigate Indian cities, to pragmatize research, Ahmedabad will be our urban laboratory.To arrive at appropriate design strategies for selected site, we probe temporal interventions, plug-in approaches, and natural landscape’s potentials. We will look into qualities of replicability, inclusiveness, adaptability, mobility, and temporality.This research work includes study and documentation of selected sites in Ahmedabad, case studies through secondary resources, and communication with architects and landscape architects as primary resources of knowledge.

Student DRP