India: Neighbourhood Spaces in Residential Environments
Introduction:
The importance of open and unbuilt neighbourhood spaces in residential developments has been established by numerous scholars. Having a diverse nomenclature in varied contexts, these areas are indispensable yet often neglected and designated as leftovers in contemporary planning practice. With their usefulness in the Indian context of socially active and sometimes even intrusive communities, such spaces are rapidly losing their place in present day residential environments due to the pressure of providing for the rapidly growing population coupled with mass migratory patterns.
These neighbourhood spaces that impart physical, psychological, and perceptual comfort to residents have been present in spontaneously developed traditional Indian cities due to their inherent order and integrity. Moreover, some contemporary housing environments by eminent designers have also utilized the virtues of well-designed neighborhood environments. This study is a comparative analysis of three selected projects, which aspire to devise suitable methods for contemporary Indian context and achieve neighbourhood comfort and an overall sense of belongingness among residents.
Early precedents and contemporary applicability in Indian context:
Neighborhoods have been a much deliberated research topic from as early as Jacobs call, which considered social settings around homes, to Appleyard establishment of the expediency of livable streets as secure and healthy places for playing and learning in residential environments. Other studies include Newman’s quest for defensible spaces in residential environments; Lynch theory of a good city, which has settlements with five performance dimensions (vitality; sustenance; psychological, social, and physical safety; and consonance); and Marcus and Sarkissian emphasis on child-friendly spaces in laying out aspirations from a built environment. The above works have been crucial in reiterating the value of neighborhood spaces in residential areas.
Indian contemporary housing: lack of effective neighbourhood spaces:
India is a fast developing country where housing has been a chief concern due to the rapidly growing population coupled with surging urbanization. In pursuit of providing sufficient numbers and as a result of wide-ranging negligence, contemporary housing neighbourhoods are non conducive to the well-being of inhabitants. Inspired from initial western models to an extent, these housing schemes are being replicated in small towns without concern for their effect on the living patterns of a transforming Indian society. Taylor and Thapar explicated how “the metaphysics of space and the quest for serenity, recurrent themes in Indian Architecture, are confronted with homeless migrants and the frantic needs of an emerging middle income consumer society.”
Factors affecting comfort in neighbourhood spaces:
In residential environments, the quality and suitability of spaces emerge from human needs. Neighbourhood areas should provide comfort and a sense of belonging to occupants. A comprehensive review and synthesis of existing scholarships by Lawrence, Untermann and Small, a GLC study Alexander, Lang Marcus and Sarkissian, along with Vastu-Shilpa Foundation among others, have ascertained that the resident’s satisfaction from a built environment depends on physical, psychological, perceptual, social, and economic aspects.
Physical comfort:
The physical comfort of residents is established by the climatic comfort of neighbourhood spaces, and having “pleasant indoor and outdoor living spaces suited to the social conditions of inhabitants” is imperative (GLC, 54). In the tropical Indian climate, heat, sunshine, and wind must be managed depending on the region’s conditions.
Psychological needs:
The psychological needs of inhabitants are also a prime concern in a residential environment. These needs encompass the issue of privacy and signify physical isolation between the public and private domains for maintaining suitable relationships within the neighbourhood. Roderick Lawrence described privacy as “controlling access to spaces,” which means that no one bothers the resident or is even alone, and “controlling access to information,” which denotes the aspect of overviewing.
Perceptual needs:
Moreover, the prime perceptual need of residents from their living environment is individuality or distinct identity within the prototype mass of dwelling units. Contemporary housing with similarly designed spaces and dwelling units should have a provision for shaping residents’ individual and group spaces based on their aspirations and requirements. In this manner, residents can feel satisfaction and pride. Additionally, visual stimulation and comfort derived from the physical setting is a major contributing factor to the sensory comfort of inhabitants.
Social needs:
Social needs are also important for an individual’s wellbeing. “The unavowed secret of man is that he wants to be confirmed in his being and existence by fellow men. not merely in his family .. but also in the course of neighbourly encounters”. Interactions between fellow beings fulfill human needs of affiliation and belonging while promoting individual growth and combating depression. These relationships and interaction, which are considered important in the Indian context, should be fostered in conducive neighbourhood spaces.
Conclusion:
The previous segment already established the significance of well-planned neighbourhood spaces in a residential environment for the overall holistic comfort of inhabitants. The need for such environments in the contemporary context has also been stressed with the growing population and mass migration patterns, which lead to poorly planned residential neighbourhoods. Although traditional Indian settlements can respond to these issues in an effective manner, contemporary examples are sometimes insufficient due to rapidly growing numbers, widespread negligence, and lack of concern.