Creating breathing spaces within the existing fabric of old cities

Abstract

Humans constantly endeavour to redesign the habitat they live in to provide more comfort, ease, and better living conditions. However, in attempts to maximize this comfort, the basic needs and necessities of the space are lost and we end up improvising the same. Historically, settlements were always surrounded by large spans of forests and farms, providing ample open spaces. However, short sighted design, owing to rapid urbanisation, has led to a paucity of such open spaces in modern cities. The problem is particularly severe in case of the core areas of Indian cities which are characterised by attached houses - individual building units sharing a common wall and terraces accessible from adjoining premises. However, the attached houses present a unique opportunity to convert the intriguing pattern of terraces in to urban green areas and public spaces. This paper proposes a design and implementation for such terrace open spaces in old cores of Indian cities.