Design and planning of public spaces in Indian cities have finally gotten momentum. A variety of such places of a
range of scales with an array of intended functions are being designed and implemented in India. What does ‘good’
design for public spaces in Indian cities incorporate? How can vibrant and inviting public spaces in India be achieved?
Among the many factors, users’ comfort and satisfaction plays a major role in how often and to what extent these
common spaces are utilized. This DRP investigates the spatial qualities, physical elements (designed and natural) and
their combinations, that affect vibrancy and comfort in public spaces. We will complete this by recommendations for
missing physical factors or elements.
We follow specific methods of studying and documenting public spaces to examine selected places. This includes
active and passive interactions with space and its users (humans, animals, insects, plants) through observation and
through user interviews (only with humans!). Objective of analysis is to evaluate role of spatial quality and physical
elements of space, their properties and combinations in user behavior patterns.
Complementing this analysis with students’ critical and dialectical design skills, final goal is to generate a catalogue
of conditions, created through design, which invites and facilitates users’ engagement with space.
