EDGES OF THE CITY 
As Positive Design Elements in The Urban Spaces 
T. R. C. J. Karunarathne ^
 0 . -# n 
April 2002 / O' ' ^ 
Universi ty of M o r a t u w a 
78173 
7 S 1 7 3 
EDGES OF THE CITY 
As Positive Design Elements in The Urban Spaces 
A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Architecture, 
University of Moratuwa, for the Final Examination 
in MSc. Architecture 2002 
T. R. C. J. Karunarathne -713173 
April 2002 
7 8 1 7 3 * 
way 
CONTENTS 
Page No. 
List of Illustrations v 
Acknowledgements vi 
Abstract vii 
Introduction viii 
Chapter one: 
T H E URBAN EDGE A S A SPATIAL ELEMENT OF THE CITY 
1.1 Definition of the urban edge 01 
1.2 Manifestation 04 
1.2.1 Self closed edge 04 
1.2.2 Continuous edge 05 
1.3 Formation of edges 06 
1.3.1 Geographical Location of the city 06 
1.3.2 Topographical feature within the city 11 
1.3.3 Man made built form 14 
1.3.4 Significance of the urban edge as a public gathering foci 18 
1.4 Significance of urban edge 18 
1.4.1 Being a focus of social gathering 19 
1.4.2 Being a focus of functional gathering 21 
1.4.3 Being a focus symbolic gathering 26 
1.5 The spatial dimensions of the positive urban edge 28 
1.5.1 Contribution of psychological attributes 34 
1.5.1.1 Centre 35 
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1.5.1.2 Enclosure 36 
1.5.1.3 Continuity 37 
1.5.2 Contribution of physical attributes 38 
1.5.2.1 Unity 39 
1.5.2.2 Order 39 
1.5.2.3 Composition, balance and rhythm 40 
1.5.2.4 Scale & Proportion 41 
1.5.2.5 Light and shade 42 
1.5.2.6 Texture & colour 43 
1.6 Positive urban edges as the elements of memorable city 44 
Chapter Two: 
CAUSATIVE FACTORS OF CONTEMPORARY LOST URBAN SPACES 
2.1 Problem of urban design today 46 
2.2 Lost space defined 49 
2.3 The causes 49 
2.3.1 Dependence of automobile 50 
2.3.2 Attitudes of architects toward the modern movement 52 
2.3.3 Urban renewal and zoning politics 53 
2.3.4 Privatization of public spaces 54 
2.3.5 Changing land use 55 
2.4 Urban edge as a lost space and its negative effects on city. 56 
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Chapter Three: 
REDESIGNING OF LOST URBAN EDGES 
3.1 Urban edge as a resource 58 
3.2 Need of revitalization of the ill-defined edge 60 
3.3 Objective of the revitalization 60 
3.4 Strategies for revitalization 63 
3.4.1 Maximizing the permeability 64 
3.4.2 Introducing the variety of experiences 66 
3.4.3 Enhancing the legibility 68 
3.4.4 Unifying the visual appropriateness 69 
3.4.5 Introducing the personalized spaces 70 
Chapter Four: 
TRANSFORMATION OF ILL-DEFINED EDGE TO POSITIVE URBAN SPACE 
Part-1 
4.1 Introduction 72 
4.2 Colombo the selected city for the review 73 
4.2.1 Historical evaluation 74 
4.2.2 City composition 75 
4.2.3 Identification of lost edges to the city 79 
4.3 Basis for the review 80 
4.4 Review one - Marine drive 81 
4.4.1 Identifying the potentials 84 
4.4.2 Use of strategies for revitalization 85 
4.5 Review one - Charlmers Granary 87 
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4.5.1 Identifying the potentials 
4.5.2 Use of strategies for revitalization 
89 
90 
4.6 Review Three - Bodhiraja Mawatha 
4.6.1 Identifying potential 
4.6.2 Use of Strategies for revitalization 
91 
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4.7 Review Four - Sea beach street 
4.7.1 Identifying the potential 
4.7.2 Use of Strategies for revitalization 
96 
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99 
4.8 Review Five - The Stretch of East Beira Lake 
4.8.1 Identifying the potential 
4.8.2 Use of Strategies for revitalization 
101 
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103 
Part-2 
4.9 Problems in workability 103 
Conclusion 
Bibliography 
106 
109 
MA! 
IV 
List of illustrations 
Fig No Page No. 
01 Urban edge defined by two strongly different lateral references 02 
02 The urban edge defined by the continuous built mass 03 
03 Self closed edge at Boston waterfront 05 
04 Continuos Edge 06 
05 18th century Venice 08 
06 Sign of ruined city edge of Acinipo 08 
07 The edges along the terrace of the city Mach^Picchu 09 
08 Granda 10 
09 Cliff top edge 10 
10 Amsterdam 12 
11 Pathway associates with the lake 12 
12 Under shady trees urban edge as a communal space 13 
13 Sheltered double city wall of France 14 
14 Parisian boulevard 16 
15 Arcade enclave 17 
16 Grand city edge of Venice 19 
17 Galleface 20 
18 Turin (Italy) from the North East 22 
19 Dubrovink - Yugoslavia 22 
20 Transport oriented waterfront edge 23 
21 Elevated pathway 24 
22 Tiny edges associates with water 25 
23 Residential oriented edge 25 
24 Residential oriented edge 26 
25 Water as symbol of purity 27 
26 The Wailing Wall 27 
27 The Wailing Wall as a symbolic gathering foci 28 
28 Imagebility of the city edge Venice 30 
29 Rome: 1796, The legible city 31 
30 Manhattan America 32 
31 Sense of territoriality at Galleface green 33 
32 Trajan's forum, Rome 35 
33 St' Marco defined the centre of the city grand edge, Venice 36 
34 The enclosure at the edge defined by man made continuous edge 36 
35 Continuity through the hierarchically and order 37 
36 Urban edge as a unique entity 39 
3 7 Positive effect of the composition 41 
38 Palazza Vechio, Pliazza delta Signoria, Florence 42 
39 Dealing of colours to be a positive public oriented edge 44 
40 France; Great Historic city 47 
41 Individual towers 47 
42 The modern city devoted for automobile 51 
43 The urban edge deteriorated with the modern high rise towers 53 
44 Water front edge 55 
45 Abandoned water front edge with industrial warehouses 56 
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46 The edge defined by the continuous built mass 61 
47 Arcaded enclaves 62 
48 Physical permeability 65 
49 Variety of rich built fabric 66 
50 Great renaissance city 68 
51 St Marco - Venice 70 
52 Personal spaces of public gathering place 71 
53 Colombo Downtown Texture plan 73 
54 High rise towers of Echelon Square 74 
55 Five entry point to the city 76 
56 Bank of Ceylon tower and twin towers 77 
57 At node more prominence to Janadipathi Mawatha 77 
58 Sthupa as a land mark at the node 77 
59 Clock tower at Janadipathi Mawatha 78 
60 At main street entry point 78 
61 Bo tree at Bodhiraja Mawatha 78 
62 Khan memorial clock tower 79 
63 Bell tower at Kiman Gate 79 
64 Lost edges of the city centre 80 
65 Marine Drive undefined edge 81 
66 Marine Drive 82 
67 Exclusive business hotel; Ceylon Intercontinental 82 
68 Rare view of individual objective building a visual chaos 82 
69 Junior police officers mess functions as military barrack 83 
70 Marine drive edge of the historic core 83 
71 Colombo Development guide plan 84 
72 Sama Chaithya and Light house 86 
73 Marine Drive the dynamic social space in between sea and historic core. 87 
74 The edge Charlmers Granary 88 
75 Charlmers Granary; present situation 88 
76 Overlooking view of past cultural heritage of Fort 89 
77 Pedestrian links to the edge 90 
78 Positive transformation of the edge 91 
79 Bo tree and Viharage, city land mark at the end 91 
80 Bodhiraja Mawatha 92 
81 Dynamic social setting of the edge 92 
82 Bo tree and viharage at arrival to the city 93 
83 The traffic makes the place more congested 94 
84 Built fabric not in unified manner 95 
85 The Bo tree at the beginning of the edge 95 
86 First segment of the edge 97 
87 Second segment of the edge 97 
88 Multicultural setting of the edge 99 
89 Later half of the edge not in unified manner 100 
90 The high wall cover the exciting view of the harbour 100 
91 The edge; East Beira 101 
92 Privatization of the water front public edge 102 
93 Hospitals and ministry of defense. 102 
VI 
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
I am indebted to my parents and my sisters for their firm encouragement in my studies 
especially in the dissertation. 
I would like to thank for followings, whose generous contribution in numerous ways enables 
to make this dissertation a reality. 
Secondly I must be grateful to the entire academic staff of the faculty of architecture not 
only for their helping hands for the dissertation but also for the valuable knowledge which 
they offered me during the six year course of study. 
The valuable guidance of Archt. Ravin Gunarathne and Archt. Madura Premathilaka and 
their encouragement should be appreciated. 
I sincerely wish to thank susiri for being with me whenever help is needed. Finally I 
thankfully memorize my colleagues especially, Miyuru and Nuwan who gave their 
assistance in taking photographs, Deepthi, Roshini, Hasamali Sammani, Wathsala, 
Mangala, Sudesh, Angali, Umasha, Pama, Malica and Chandani for their fullest co­
operation 
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ABSTRACT 
A city; the utmost goal of human built environment is to offer pleasure to its inhabitants. The 
cohesiveness of its element always be a dramatic event for the inhabitant to make 
meaningful relationship, to evoke long last memories and experiences. Yet unfortunately 
such a city we missed a lot in contemporary context. Adverse factors generating more and 
more lost spaces day by day in our cities. Cohesive city form fragmented into individual 
segment and generating the chaotic effects visually and perceptually. 
The urban edge is a main elementary constituent that defines the spatial boundaries of the 
cities that also in struggle of lost spaces, yet with enomerous potential. Therefore positive 
transformation through the realizing of potential of such edges is extremely important in 
order to achieve a spatial urban form. Thus the study is focused on exploration of those 
spatial elements; the edges of the city, for a meaningful city life. 
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