Urban Edges - Thresholds of the Public Realm

Bhavya Trivedi

UR2010

Urban Edge - Thresholds of the Public Realm defines new urban edges between the public and private realm, presenting thresholds which can accommodate the existing diverse activities and occupations, enhancing the heritage experience and everyday living of the Raja no Hajiro neighbourhood. Although in the midst of a congested and chaotic urban fabric, the Raja no Hajiro neighbourhood has potential to be an inviting space for pause, to complement and to improve the experience of surrounding heritage. The intent is to reclaim the privately territorialised space back into the public realm and redefine the experience of the ‘everyday’, with its heritage, commerce, domesticity and culture.

Report Content

Private Claims in Public Space_Cartography: The Tomb today is at the centre of a residential neighbourhood. home to residents from different religious, cultural and geographical backgrounds. Over time, the Tomb has merged with the urban realities of the ‘everyday’ and now sits in the background. Domestic activities such as cooking and laundry take place around the monument; its edges and are used for storage and parking of vehicles; the Tomb itself serves as a home to a family who have liv

Private Claims in Public Space_Analysis: The Narrative Cartography observes that the public space of the Raja No Hajiro neighbourhood is currently claimed for private uses. These claims are asserted through of bodies, objects and structures. Some spaces are claimed temporarily, while some permanently or on a routinely basis. These private claims in public space divide the public realm into territories, controlled by private interests which affect the experience of public space.

visualising the everyday_existing: Existing conditions are starkly marked by parking and storage of privately owned items, which remain present across the neighbourhood throughout the day. Daily activities such as children playing, seating and recreation, religious worship, or pedestrian movement weave themselves around these static claims everyday.

design intervention _ proposed plan: The design interventions sensitively accommodate the current needs of the users and create more opportunities for residents, locals and visitors alike to engage more diversely with their public space. By introducing programmatic inserts and developing thresholds and edge conditions, the project responds to the challenges identified as ‘private claims in public space’.

Sections

Design Strategy

visualising the everyday_ proposed design: Territorialised, private claims give way to a public space that is inviting as a place for pause and everyday life such as playing, sitting, chatting and other recreational activity, where the public space experience complements the heritage experience.

Visualising the Everyday