Organisation of a city

It is clear amidst organization of a city that its design is like a growing organism. Why it moves towards an organic format is due to the city dwellers giving it form and shape at every node of a its existence. And hence we should not hesitate in calling the inhabitants the true designers of their own city. They give life to the formulations of a city making it a living organism.

--(after reading 'Design of Cities' by Edmund N. Bacon)

Physical Forms of a City

While reading 'The Image of the City', by Kevin Lynch. Lynch in Image of a city talks about a concept of Imageabilty of a city, of how an inhabitant would break down the image of his own city into various physical forms. A great reading for everyone i must say. Some excerpts and analysis from the book on Physical forms of a city.

A city can be divided in Paths, Edges, Districts, Nodes and Landmarks to make a physical form. A form that can be converted to images on the city by its own residents. Further on these 5:
1.) Paths: These are channels along which the observer customarily, occasionally or potentially moves. STREETS, WALKWAYS, TRANSIT LINES, CANALS, RAILROADS. For a lot of people these become the predominant elements in their image. People observe the city while moving through it, and along these paths where environmental elements are arranged and related.

a path in Ranwar, essential these are the winding lanes through which the observers(residents) of Ranwar move around their own space.

2.) Edges: These are not paths they are boundaries between two phases. Linear breaks. SHORES, WATEREDGE, RAILROAD, CUTS, EDGES OF DEVELOPMENT, WALLS. They are lateral references rather than co-prdinate axis. They may be barriers, more or less penetrable, which close one region from an other; or they may be seams, lines along which two regions are related and joined. These edges as elements, although probably not as dominant as paths, are for many people organising features, particularly in the role of holding together generalized areas, as in the outline of a city by walls or wall.

the waterfront in Bandra becomes the edge not only for the suburb, but also for all the inner districts.

3.) Districts: These are conceived as two-dimensional extents which has the notion of "inside of", and which are recognizable as having some common, identifying character. Most people structure their city to some extent in this way, with individual differences as to paths or districts are more important. In most case these kind of district are defined by the residents and not the authorities. And even if they are defined by the authorities they are always re-defined by the residents. The Hamlets of Bandra like Ranwar, Shirely, Rajan, Pali etc. become the districts of Bandra, they are combined by various other districts that are marked by the roads like the carter road, waterfield road or tuner road or bazaar road. It is very interesting to notice the transformation of districts while one is traveling through these. actually one would not notice them as they are very resident centric divisions.

4.) Nodes: These are points, the strategic spots in a city into which an observer can enter, and which are the intensive foci to and from which he is travelling. JUNCTIONS, PLACES OF BREAKS IN TRANSPORTATION, CROSSING OR CONVERGENCE OF PATHS, SHIFTS FROM ONE STRUCTURE TO ANOTHER, OR SIMPLY CONCENTRATIONS, STREET HANGOUT, ENCLOSED SQUARE. Some of them become very important to the district. They become symbols, points of interpersonal relationships, meeting points or points of convergence. They are relative to paths, edges, districts and could be these also at times. They are just an unanimously accepted  format of public hangout spots. They are always found in every image.

St. Agna square in Ranwar by the day, used for various purposes by the residents, like in this case to dry chillies which will become some tasty masala after a point. The square is an important node for the residents to meet, chat and play.

by the night sometimes it is used for community mass

5.) Landmarks: They are points of reference, but only external for the observer. They are rather simply defined physical objects, BUILDING, SIGN, JUNCTION, STORE, MOUNTAIN, ART WORK. Is known to single out one such object from a group around them. Interestingly most of the times Landmarks incorporate in public language and becomes a common point of reference. They are of a local/global nature. They are frequently used clues of identity and even structures, and seem to be increasingly relied upon, even at times when the structure ceases to stand there. Once a history, a sign, or a meaning attaches to an object, its value as a landmark rises.

the oratory at the entrance of Ranwar from the Waroda road on the Veronica street is a very used point of reference

All of these are mainly of two natures: 1. Individualistic, 2. Collective. Sometimes both work, sometimes only one does. These leads to cross-refrencing and overlapping of these forms making a very interesting city image. The image of a given physical reality may occasionally shift its type with different circumstances of viewing. Thus and express way may be a path for the driver, but will be an edge for a pedestrian. But the categories seem to have stability for a given observer when he is operating at a given level. 

None of the above mentioned forms exist in isolation in a real case. The city shall cease to exist if they do. Districts are structured with nodes, defined by edges, penetrated by paths and sprinkled with a landmark. Elements regularly overlap and pierce each other.

Also important to understand is that these might change with time or wear a different character. eg: nodes become landmarks, become edges, or become districts with the expansion of limits of a city, but once you break them down to core elements the image of a city becomes clearer.

Element Interrelations:
These elements are simply the raw materials of the environmental image at the city scale. They must be patterned to provide a satisfying form. At this point it gets imperative to understand that these elements which are being studied here with parts rather than wholes are a necessary feature of investigation at the primary stage. After a successful differentiation and understanding of parts, a study can move on to consideration of a total design. And hence again i mention that we cannot look at these in isolation, to the effect that if one element is disturbed in one way or another, the ripples are seen through all the elements.

A large street, with its ambiguous character of both edge and path, may penetrate and thus expose a region to view, while at the same time disrupting it. A landmark feature may be so alien to the character of a district as to dissolve the regional continuity, or it may, on the other hand stand in just the contrast that intensifies that continuity. Districts in particular, which tend to be of a larger format are thus related to various paths, nodes, and landmarks. These other elements not only structure the region internally, they also intensify the identity of the whole by enriching and deepening its character.

The identity of a window may be structured into a pattern of windows, which is the cue for the identification of a building. The buildings themselves are interrelated so as to form an identifiable space, and so on.

All these elements operate together in a context, In the context of the systems, sub-systems of a city which is inhabited by its several inhabitants who have created their own style and image of their own city.

reference: 'The Image of the City', by Kevin Lynch

Through a lens, STARKLY -the projects first feature

The article got published in the Times of India, Mumbai on the 16th, May, 2010, Sunday, and in Ahmedabad on the 17th May,2010, Monday.
Its about an initiative by a group of Photographers called blindboys.org. The exhibition will be held on the 22nd May, 2010, Saturday.
I will be showcasing a series of 24 photographs that are running as a slideshow on the side bar of the blog at present.
About the series:

The set of 24 photographs are from Ranwar, Shirely, Rajan villages in Bandra and Khotachiwadi in Girgaum. I have tried to capture the various architectural nuances which give a character to  this place. Its with its spatial narratives makes it more intriguing to wander around and this is exactly what i am trying to understand as well capture of what i see. I call it 'A Village Story' in a series of images, where they reveal a little about the place and leave the rest for you to go and check out. 

Photographs by Vivek Sheth, for THE BUSRIDE DESIGN STUDIO (http://jointhebusride.com/)

photographs of the show soon.

Shirely, Rajan (Bandra) and Khotachwadi (Girgaum)

An other visit, to these amazing villages around Bandra and in Girgaum. It was a good visit, as i got to know about Parallels to Ranwar. This was not an exercise to study the differences and alikeness between these hamlets, but to study them as a whole, keeping Ranwar out of my mind.

But as we are humans and we tend to compare, it thus happened.

The first visit happened to Rajan, and the next neighborhood, Shirely in Bandra, Mumbai. It was Raghav Sethi, Neehar Desai and me looking at an other settlement in the same suburb with a similar layout, community and format. While wandering around the streets of Shirely Rajan (will use the names together henceforth, its also worth noticing the fact that the names of these two villages/hamlets were always taken in one breath, i wonder why?) we found we landed in another part of Ranwar, which we might have missed to explore. There was similarity in house layouts, the local style, the zig zag wandering streets, the grills, windows, doors. everything! But there had to be something different and that could have been in the lifestyle. If one looks at the photographs in isolation without attaching the name Shirely Rajan to it, it would just look like an other part of Ranwar. Why i contextualize everything to Ranwar is simply due to the fact that i am studying it in detail.
Lets look at some photographs from Shirely Rajan;

the Greens:

In these two hamlets a lot of importance was was given to the green around the house. almost every house we crossed gave beautiful variations of greens against the nice colors of the house. More interesting were the ways in which these greens were incorporated around their houses and the efforts placed in it. These spots serve as great nodes of communication amongst the residents. Also watering and maintenance of the green seems to a common interest and is nurtured very well.

the old scale ground floor houses, with a standard attic at the rooftop, mainly to store

the paddy harvest

this place is converted to a nice school for creative arts for the kids, moving around this house

we could hear interesting music, once we went on the other side, they had a beautiful front space for the kids to play. A very interesting mix use for the house and nurture young minds around these winding lanes.

one of my favorites and very natural, the photographs speaks for itself and speaks a lot

Open spaces, common nodes of interaction, greens, colors and a happy community is what we got to see at Shirely Rajan, a very interesting hamlet the proximity of these two hamlets for sure have induced a lot of interactions and a lot of stories pertaining to these two places might be enough for a thick publication.

Moving to Khotachiwadi (Girgaum), a lot of similarity was seen again. Went there on a sunny saturday morning and the place was full of vibrant colors and beautiful lanes again. This village/wadi has been in a lot of limelight lately. one of the last few remaining ones in South Mumbai, there is a lot of history to this place. Of the 60 (approx) cottages/bungalows in Khotachiwadi only 26 are remaining, and thanks to the resident awareness they are in a good shape. more about Khotachiwadi from the residents and URBZ  will be found here: http://khotachiwadi.urbz.net/ , this webpage is a very interesting effort and a good start at a resident involvement in preservation of their own culture.

some of my favorite picks from the hamlet:

The analysis and comparison of efforts and conservation in Khotachwadi Preceinct, with Ranwar is something that i would like to do in detail, which shall happen in the next post.

doors and windows and colors

somethings that have been really catching my eye in Bandra are the doors, window styles, facades and colors. while i do my analysis on a collection of these and figure what is a Bandra style, here are some illustrations (hand drawn and illustrated too!) generally though!

Line Illustrations:

some keeda on these with illustrator:

Why Mumbai's Slums are Villages

While browsing through the web and the URBZ webpages : http://urbz.net/ , i came across this really interesting article on Mumbai's development on the Village and the Slum front. The essay in the article very interestingly points out the growth of these urban formats through the times of the Portuguese and then the British. The Author takes the example of Khotachiwadi as a village that was termed as a slum, by the British Authorities so that it can fulfill its dream of larger urban development in the ares. Khotachiwadi and such other Hamlets in Bandra like Ranwar (the one i am studying), Vasai, Thane etc., speak of a distinct history and is a subject of study for a lot of Urban Planners, Designers etc. These Hamlets constituted a format of living and have a very distinct texture to themselves.
read on for more on the article


Why Mumbai's Slums are Villages:
Mumbai’s history reflects two distinct phases. One is the south-oriented story that starts with the development of the docks by the British in the seventeenth century. The other is an older, northern-bound story that starts with the Portuguese conquest and domination of the regions around Vasai village in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The essay argues that the point of intersection of these histories is one that can potentially explain the overwhelming presence of poor, infrastructure deprived habitats – often referred to as slums – that dominate the landscape of the city.
more on : http://www.airoots.org/why-mumbai’s-slums-are-villages/comment-page-1/#comment-3921

At the oratory Junction in Ranwar

this is the synth at the oratory in Ranwar. The Oratory is over 100 years old and it just celebrated its centenary in February 2010. more stories on the same soon.
for now enjoy the view!

What is an Oratory?:

In Christianity, an oratory is a room for prayer, from the Latin orare, to pray. In the Roman Catholic Church, an oratory is for all intents and purposes another word for what is commonly called a chapel. Oratory today means a private place of worship for a group or community which could be opened to the public at the discretion of the group's superior.

(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oratory_(worship) )

This Oratory is now maintained by the residents, it used to be a very common place of gathering. Only recently in february when it celebrated its centenary all the residents gathered around fro a good celebration. All the old residents started speaking and it went back in the passage of time to remember old times (as told to me by Mr. Damascene D'sylva). These kind of spaces have served as nodes of great nostalgia and reflects the living culture of the place.

More in view is the 170 year old house, The Trellis which is still maintained beautifully to its old glory. also in view is the AB estate, which once used to be the house of the Xavier'. The Xavier house was built in 1841 and used to be one of the most common ground for all the kids to play and loiter around. The Xavier's who were spinsters were very open to the kids and other people walking and walking out at any time. They lived for the community and contributed a lot. Now it is occupied by the AB estate a G+3/4 structure which has taken over the entire land and covered all the open area too. Also the AB estate has the biggest amount of land in Ranwar.

Other is the view of the streets and the main street that bring one person inside the village.

Have fun navigating.

At the junction after the Grotto

well heres the synth of the junction after the grotto..
In view will be the houses belonging to the Rodrigues, Mrs. Flananingan, and the Pareiras.

This junction is very interesting because it gives a great view of these houses, with a sneak preview of the Ranwar Square over the grotto.

These houses if maintained would look just stunning. Its going to be one way in which the old glory of a place like Ranwar can be brought back.

If we look at other villages like Shirely Rajan (Bandra) and Khotachiwadi (Girgaum), these houses have been reinterpreted to todays times and have been given a new look with something as simple as exterior facade paints. nothing more but just limestone mixed with color will not only give these walls a new life but also lets them breathe, specially in a whether like Mumbai.

But anyways coming back to these patterns in grills, these window styles, the verandah styles, the colors, they are similar all across these kind of villages everywhere in Mumbai. They are said to be Portuguese in style, but they are not..well maybe they have an influence, but they are very Indian in style and make and is a typical style of paddy cultivating villages around the Konkan line and the rest of Mumbai, wherever they are located.  It is popularly know as Vernacular Architecture style, but its a good example of Local style. These are ofcourse going in a time warp due their appearance today, but a little modification and these will look absolutely stunning.

Towards the Grotto in Ranwar

This is the synth of the grotto next to Mr. Herman Rodrigues house in Ranwar, from the Ranwar Square. It allows you to explore the approach path and then move around the grotto to have a view in detail.
What is a Grotto?
A grotto (Italian grotta) is any type of natural or artificial cave that is associated with modern, historic or prehistoric use by humans. When it is not an artificialgarden feature, a grotto is often a small cave near water and often flooded or liable to flood at high tide. The picturesque Grotta Azzura at Capri and the grotto of the villa of Tiberius in the Bay of Naples are outstanding natural seashore grottoes. Whether in tidal water or high up in hills, they are very often in limestonegeology where the acidity dissolved in percolating water has dissolved the carbonates of the rock matrix as it has passed through what were originally small fissures. 
The outside of such grottoes might be architectural or designed like an enormous rock or a rustic porch or rocky overhang; inside one found a temple or fountains, stalactites and even imitation gems and shells (sometimes made in ceramic); herms and mermaids, mythological subjects suited to the space: naiads, or river gods whose urns spilled water into pools. Damp grottoes were cool places to retreat from the Italian sun.
( source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grotto)


In Bandra a lot of these grottos are found, at various corners of houses big or small, they are normally installed by a family and is maintained by the family lineage. They serve as common nodes of interpersonal communication due to prayer or rosary meets. They are very well decorated in local style using local material and supported by a lot of greenery around.

Ranwar Square in Detail

This is the Ranwar Square in Detail, an amazing space with an age old cross in the centre and some amazing cottages in the periphery. What is to note is the details of the grill patters, balustrades, staircases, facades details and door and window patters. This is something very common as a visual language amongst the houses that belonged to the paddy cultivators even before the British stepped in India. Its a very common feature all along the Konkan line and even the other suburbs in Mumbai like Vasai, Malad, Andheri along with a few others left in Bandra. The space formation and the urban texture is found to be similar, this was a conclusion after visiting several other villages in Bandra, one set being the Shierly Rajan village near Carter road. 

All the visual elements along with the Architecture style is noted to be on a similar patterns.

now can we visualize ugly high rise constructions instead of these quaint cottages? 

These squares in olden times used to be used largely as community spaces for weddings and other religious ceremonies. It was also a hangout spot for the old and young to just sit around play street games and chit and chat. The extensions vertically were made later with additions in the family, it used to be a loft earlier to store paddy harvests. The square was also used to store the harvest. 

These cottages which age 100 years approx. are now in quite a dilapidated state, maybe waiting for its current owner to pass away and make way for a builder to tap and construct a building. Well, i am not against this, but the issues remains the style in which these builds are constructed. They steal away the pedestrian experience of scale and peace. The vehicular circulation has already done that to a great extent. 

As a solution what is thought is to have basic guidelines for the builders/architects to build on, that would maintain the scale, proportion and style of the place. Also it is for the residents as a tool to maintain their own residences. Recreating the space for the same community activities is also something that is to be looked at.

more street views coming soon!