Abstract

The recent drastic change in technology, economy, culture and hence urban
lifestyle have driven out a completely different personality in people. People talk
less, participate less and are more confined into their own lifestyle. Building
/spaces are designed solely on functional basis and not with any social or culture
purpose.The city is often projected as being in the process of getting
restructured so as to better deal with a new world order in which our cities must
somehow fit well.
Earlier the focus was more on public spaces, people were more social and
interactive. The spatial configuration allowed an integrated society with better
neighbourhood. Privatization of spaces is killing the urban fabric. There is this
trend of gated communities and emphasis on private spaces.
Framing, fencing and dividing stands for the boundaries to demarcate the spaces
on both sides.
City is usually related with constant movement and mobility, by a continuous flux
of people and events. One reason for the secluded lifestyle could be the
disrupted urban landscape which is not capable of creating a celebrated space.
This dissertation would try to describe the different situations of these
transitional spaces in various contexts and try to analyze how these spaces
affect the lifestyle of people and how they perceive them.

Hypothesis
The urban villages fabric has changed over time , in term of spaces, is it
necessary to study these changes and revert back to the previous methods and
incorporate them in the current situations?
Questions asked:

What are the various transitional spaces in an urban village?

How the footprint of an urban village has changed for these spaces -in
terms of scale and perception?

How peoples involvement has decreased in these spaces?

What psychological changes are brought by these spaces by redesigning

them with new perspective?

How the activities in theses spaces have changed over time?

Methodolgy
To have a fair understanding of the topic various transitional zones were marked
out and a deeper understanding was gained by studying there nature,use and
spatial morphology through following methods:
1)First hand observation
The study will use first-hand experiences of the author and observations of usage
patterns and social activities. It will also include documentation of experiences of
other visitors and the residents of the case study. A lot of research data is
available as many architecture students have used it as the base for a project.
The primary step would be to research and collect this existing databank.
2) Figure Ground Drawings, Street Sections and Sketches will be used to
explain the character of these spaces and their usage. To understand the spatial
morphology, a framework needs to be developed based on an extensive study of
existing material on social space and spatiality.
3) Photographic survey
Photo graphic evidence would try to analyse the spaces and the activities at
different sites and try to compare the situations ,as they have changed with time
.

LIMITATIONS OF STUDY
Although this research was carefully prepared, I am still aware of its limitations
and shortcomings. First of all, the research was conducted in a span of 3-4
months and justice was not given to potential of the topic.Also, most interviews
were the viewpoints of small portion of the village residents and may not
accurately depict the entire picture. Lastly, it is unavoidable that in this study,
certain degree of subjectivity can be found. Many viewpoints are those of the
author and may considerably vary amongst my peers and seniors.

Overview
The outside space is a place one can never occupy fully /completely for
it is always other, different, at a distance where one is. One cannot be
outside everything, always outside, to be outside something is always
to be inside something else."
Abstract from 'Architecture from Outside
- by Elizabeth Grosz'

Transitional space is the connecting layer between the space we were and the
space we will be in, hence rather than terming it as a separate space, it is more
apt to consider it as a merging layer of the two spaces. The experimental nature
of these spaces adds a whole lot sense of dynamism to the space as it is under
constant transformation, one scene completely different from another.
Space
Spaces are designed by the need of the user,litte thought is given to the
psychological effect it creates on the user. As mentioned
Space is neither a concrete object nor an abstract one; otherwise there may
exist neither man nor space.(Tabanian & Einifar,2011)
Arnheim at The Dynamics of Architectural Form has said: Space is created by
a specific set of natural and artificial things whose architecture is involved in its
creation.
Also Zevi has mentioned: Everything which has no space is not architecture.
Every building creates two spaces at the same time: interior space and exterior
space. Interior space is the essence and basis of architecture.
Grutter has said: Architectural space can be perceived objectively and feel
directly and it can identify by its defining elements (Parsee et al., 2014).
Place and space are two terms which usually describe the attributes of a
deisgn,with this respect if spaces allow movement, then place is the pause in
that movement.
Lefebvre (1991:33) defined space as a three dimensional product:
perceived- Practices
conceived-Representations
lived-representational space
Outside
We as humans inhabit the environment which is large and very exposed, often
referred to as the outside, which to some poses the threat of danger and
exposure, which in turn leads us humans to a need for protection, shelter and
privacy, this space can be known as the inside (Brookes, 2012).

Being outsider is being a part of bigger world, which is more exposed and vast.
An equal balance between the inside and outside space is required and this
dependence is both physical and psychological. This outside is erratic and
dynamic, it tends to change with time, with spaces, and with the people in it.

Inside
Inside, as the opposite to outside, can be defined as being in or to the interior of
something, the inner side, surface, or part of something (Collins, 2003).
To be inside is being safe and secure.

Inside outside relationship

A relationship must have (Brookes, 2012):
A number of PARTS which are to be connected.
A CONNECTION which must be logical, placing the elements into a single image.
An image which forms a WHOLE, having greater meaning than the original elements.
A relationship can be defined as:
Whole = Part + Connection + Part
Connection
The connection or the transition has the ability to turn a space into a place which
is otherwise just a boundary line or a physical or psychological barrier. But apart
from the inside outside perception of space the argument is for an aesthetic
affinity for this ambiguous space and changing the conventional way of defining
space by boundaries.
Boundaries
Boundary is usually defined to demarcate a space as inside or outside.It have
always been the guiding principle of urbanism. Architecture is usually perceived
as defining spaces and taking them as separate entities. Rather than being just a
line of barrier these can act as catalyst for a symbiotic relationship between both
the spaces. The goal is to create a more responsive environment and not to
bound ourselves to certain manmade barriers.
Contemporary urban spaces
In existing urban society, the most illustrative unchanging event of our regular
day to day existence is persistent change. It is contended that city situations are
described by complex progression of urbanization ,by administration of systems,

speed ,time and by quickened mechanical and communicational digital

developments.
In the current scenario society have evolved in various terms , and it is somehow
practically impossible fro people to gather in physical form regularly. In the urban
rush of making money and living a city life ,the social character of the people is
continuously dilapidating. There is a lack of democratic transitional space, where
people could participate equally.
City looking for a contemporary society hasnt found a dimension in this place
yet. Alterations have occurred in the morphology of spaces, emphasis is more on
space making rather than place-making.

Evolution of cities
Competing with the outside world, massive urban restructuring is being done to
create world class cities. Efforts are being made to have better infrastructure
,technology and digital world, but less is being thought about spatial morphology
that we are creating for the cities. However some smaller parts of the city are
still fighting to retain the earlier fabric, or is on the verge of transformation.
As profeesed by Jane Jacobs :
This informality has been responsible for the great tradition of public
streets in India, which is very different from the cities of the West.
Religious festivals, political rallies, marriages and funeral processions, all
these all rituals of the city are orchestrated in the streets.
The closed packed networks, the dynamic and transient nature of spaces are the
major factors which ensured valuable service to citizens ensuring more humane
and safer streets.
(A)

Multiple interpretation

Multiplicity is one major factor giving essence to the earlier cities. In a single
diurnal time , a chaupal is used to socialize in the morning ,gamble in day and
refuge for homeless in the night.
Similarly a street is used for small tea shops and lemonade shops, local markets
and strolling around at the same time.
The plinth in front of the house utilized as resting place for travelers, gossiping
by ladies and for sitting by elders.
(B)

Order in the chaos

Ask a person working in one of the establishments on the streets about their
Business and you will be amazed by the sophisticated and elaborate system
of personnels, their roles and relationships that support their businesses.
Order is usually related with Cartesian plans, straight lines and geometric
patterns. There is an inherent relativeness and order among the

communities in earlier cities which necessarily is not created by only built

form. The freedom of interpretation leads to an interesting aspect which
which allows every individual to perceive a space in his own terms.
(C)
Variety
It plays a vital role in expressing liminal spaces. It provides with numerous
choices rather than controlling the user with some fixed
attribiutes.Freedom of choices allows variable spatial expressions.
(D)
Accidental encounters
When one provide a direct route, the person tends to follow the same
routine, making it more monotonous and boring. Varied routes increase
the chances of encounters of not only people but also spaces. The
element of surprise adds a notion of forced interactive environment to the
transitory experience.

If you were to walk all of the pathways and travel all the canals of
one square
mile in Venice you would pass more than 1500 separate intersections and
circle at least 900 blocks. By contrast, in Brasilia you would find fewer than
100 intersections in a square mile radius.
Jacobs, Great Streets,

Flexibility of usage, multiple meanings, symbolism and order are some of

the attributes which results in a more responsive and coherent society.

Concepts of urban layouts

Chowk

These are the gathering spaces in community space where people gather or a market
place. Its acts as a
stoppage and break space for the people. Usually winding streets
end in an open space or squares, which act l like an robust destination which the
mysteriously wandering street was leading us to.
It turns out to be the end point of the curiosity which stimulates peoples mind while
moving along the ambiguous streets.

Streets

Street is the communication link between various attributes of the

context. It is the multifunctional space which deals with various
overlapping spaces leading to a more receptive environment.

Rome
The network consists of various routes which finally connects to the public
square. The different routes creates a sense of exploration and have a greater
sense of drama associated with it.

Squares and plazas

It may be an area framed by the buildings or designated to exhibit the
buildings.
Some famous example being St. Marks square, Venice , St. Peters
square, Rome.
Such spaces tend to create an identity to the space and sometimes act
as nodal points.
Lynch in his book The image of the city states that such nodes are
elements which give a strong image to the city. So giving a dynamic
psychological experience to the people , these spaces creates a foci for
the area improving the understanding of the place.

References

1.The heterotopic space of chirag delhi ,A Study of an Urban Village, A

dissertation by Selina Abraham ,2012-2013
2. Skinner, P.R, Reflections on Inside-Outside Space, in Newton, C., Kaji-OGrady,
Wollan, S.
(eds) Design + Research; Project based research in architecture, 2nd
International Conference
of the Australasian Association of Schools of Architecture, Melbourne, 28-30 Sept
2003.
3. Urban design:street and square, cliff moughtin
4. Space, difference, everyday life,Henri Lefebvre
5. The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, Jiirgen Habermas
translated by Thomas Burger with the assistance of Frederick Lawrence. Fifth
printing, 1993
6. Architecture from the Outside, Elizabeth Grosz
7. International Journal of Architecture and Urban Development Vol.5, No.3,
Summer 2015,
In-Between Space, Dialectic of Inside and Outside in Architecture.
8. Internet, society & space in indian cities ,Pratyush Shankar
9.The Break space Psychological relief in architectural transitional spaces
Master Thesis Explanatory Document,A Research Project submitted in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture
Professional.Unitec Institute of Technology, 2014 Megan Donaldson.
10. Places In-Between:The Transit(ional) Locations of Nomadic Narratives,Ana Luz

11. TRANSITIONAL SPACE IN ARCHITECTURE: ELEMENTS AND PROFOUND

EXPERIENCES

by Christos Chrisovalantis Bolos

12. https://www.itdp.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Better-Streets-Better-Cities-ITDP2011.pdf
13.https://chisineu.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/margaret_kohn_brave_new_neigh
borhoods_the_privatization_of_public_space__2004.pdf
14.https://www.academia.edu/7294286/Thresholds_in_architecture
15. The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs