WEIGHTED MATRIX INDEX: A TOOL TO DECODE THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF SOCIO-CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS, URBAN CONTEXT AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Shanu Raina; Bhagyalaxmi Subhas Madapur Madapur

doi:10.29121/shodhkosh.v4.i2ECVPAMIAP.2023.702

Authors

Shanu Raina Associate Professor, BMS School of Architecture, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Bhagyalaxmi Subhas Madapur Co-Founder, 369 Ochre Studio, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v4.i2ECVPAMIAP.2023.702

Keywords:

Urban Context, Built Environment, Socio-Cultural Expressions, Continuity, Weighted Matrix Index

Abstract [English]

The ever-changing nature of our urban fabric reflects the complex cultural and socio – economic environment we live in. Globalization has brought with it a shift in the way we view our cities, from traditional urban forms that consider the wisdom and skills of our ancestors to analytical diagrams largely used to facilitate urban development. While this has resulted in a more efficient and convenient urban environment, it has also led to an insensitive and unresponsive urban fabric. Fortunately, there are examples of urban forms that have managed to preserve their significance over a long period of time, while still being adapted to the changing cultural and socio – economic contexts. These examples prove that it is possible to create places that are both timeless and responsive to the needs of the present and serve as inspirations for cities of the future. The purpose of this research study is to examine the role of design in shaping the continuity and change of urban fabric. Specifically, this paper investigates the relationship between contextual factors and design decisions that contribute to the evolution of the built environment in urban areas set in unique contexts. Within this framework, this paper aims to intricately compare and contrast Rome and Bhutan as distinctive urban environments, each situated within its own unique settings. This research study has used an approach that combines analysis of development processes, observation notes, documentary reports, published literature, and studies of case examples to investigate the relationship between design decisions and the continual change in the urban fabric. This factor, in particular underpins the relationship between the built environment and socio-cultural expressions that inform contextually appropriate design. A tool (weighted index matrix) for deciphering the interconnectedness between socio-cultural expressions, urban settings, and built environments was developed as a result of the research study. Further, the matrix index has been applied for the two select case examples and the results have been evaluated and analyzed.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bertaud, A., & Malpezzi, S. (2003). The Spatial Distribution of Population in 48 World Cities: Implications for Economies in Transition. Housing Policy Debate, 14(1-2), 99-142.

Cuthbert, A. R. (2006). The Form of Cities: Political Economy and Urban Design. Blackwell Publishing. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470774915

Eldemery, I. M. (2009). Globalization Challenges in Architecture. Journal of Architecture and Planning Research, 26(4), 343-353.

Glaeser, E. L. (2011). Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier. Penguin.

Granham, T. &. Thomas, R. (2007). The Environments of Architecture: Environmental Design in Context. New Edition ed. London: Taylor & Franscis.

Jacobs, J. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Vintage Books.

Lynch, K. (1960). The Image of the City. Cambridge: The M.I.T. Press.

Masoud, N., & Guan, H. (2015). The Cultural Significance of Urban Form: An Analytical Study af Five Traditional Neighbourhoods in Cairo. Cities, 43, 16-30.

McGranahan, G., & Satterthwaite, D. (2014). Urbanization Concepts and Trends. In Planning Sustainable Cities: Global Report on Human Settlements 2009. Routledge. 3-18.

Naghizadeh, M. (2000). The Relationship (Traditional Iranian Architecture) Between Identity and Modernism and Modernity. Journal of Fine Arts, 7.

Niebuhr, G. (1851). The History of Rome. Vol. 1 ed. Philadelphia: Jmes Kay, Jun. & Brothers.

Pacione, M. (2005). Urban Environmental Quality and Human Wellbeing—A Review of Recent Developments. Geography Compass, 1(4), 717-735.

Parvizi, E. (2009). National Architecture from the Perspective of Cultural Identity. Journal of National Studies, 3.

Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of the American Community. Simon and Schuster. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/358916.361990

Radstrom, S. (2011). A Place - Sustaining Framework for Local Urban Identity: An Introduction and History of Cittaslow. Journal of Planning Practice, I (1-2011), 90-113.

Robinson, B. R. (2017). www.current affairs.org. [Online].

Rossi, A. (1982). The Architecture of the City. Revised Edition ed. Cambridge: The MIT Press.

Sandercock, L. (1998). Towards Cosmopolis: Planning for Multicultural Cities. John Wiley & Sons.

Soja, E. (2010). Seeking Spatial Justice (Vol. 1). University of Minnesota Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5749/minnesota/9780816666676.003.0001

Throsby, D. (2001). Economics and Culture. Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107590106

Zhang, J., & Huang, Y. (2014). Assessing Cultural Vitality in Rural China: A Case Study of Ya’an City, Sichuan Province. Sustainability, 6(10), 7329-7349. https://doi.org/10.3390/land9110467. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su6106509

Ziolkowski, A. (2013). Civic Rituals and Political Spaces in Republican and Imperial Rome. In P. Erdkamp (Ed.), The Cambridge to Ancient Rome(Cambridge Companions to the Ancient World, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 389 – 409. https://doi.org/10.1017/CCO9781139025973.028. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CCO9781139025973.028