IMPROVEMENT OF URBAN BUILT ENVIRONMENT OF GORAKHPUR CITY

Abstract

The city is dynamic and complex. It builds the hope for a life better than countryside. The quality of life is determined by the quality of built environment of city; services and attributes and their choices that the city offers. Often these choices are concentrated in its core giving variety in centrality and thus determining the "cityness". It is distinctive from other places as the quality of its built environment makes it the place where one 'wants to be' rather than 'need to be'. But the current scenario of Indian cities, especially typical medium sized, does not seem so. The rapid population growth and urbanization is leading to serious decline in the quality of built environment in almost all cities of India; the amelioration of which is the urgent need. A preliminary observational analysis and random sample survey has helped in determining the issues and factors responsible for the degradation. The concepts, theories, and methods given by a handful of key thinkers, in respect to the identified issues, forms the base of relationship between the quality of built environment and people oriented space designs. They have shown that city core is the most influential part of the city and comprehends the entire city image; thus bringing a positive change in quality of public realm of the city core would upgrade the quality of city built environment. Several case studies have helped in analysing the approach towards solution to the problems. A set of parameters has been extracted from these theories and case studies and the study context is examined in its respect. This thesis is an attempt to contribute towards addressing the problems related to quality of built environment of a typical medium sized Indian city. The main field of study is on quality of public realm within a rapidly urbanising city context. Gorakhpur is selected as the study area suffering from low urban vitality. The study provides an analysis of movement patterns, spaces and its uses and visual qualities through surveys, observations and interviews and shows that population growth and urbanisation, traffic congestions, lack of open spaces, aesthetic disorders and ineffective planning responses are contributing factors to deteriorating spatial qualities and sprawling character of the city. Hence, the development of appropriate measures for the improvement of its built environment for a typical medium-sized Indian city is an essential element of this thesis. The approach has been resolved after analysing the areas in city that hold potential while others that are to be retained. The study area selected is the city of Gorakhpur in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India and the applicability of measures is confined to the city's most affected area i.e. the city core. An integrated approach has been used with redevelopment of some pocket areas, main Street and its traffic replanning, connectivity between open spaces and public places, hierarchy of open spaces and improvement of pedestrian facilities. The solutions are offered in form of design proposals for identified areas of interventions serving as long term strategy and also guidelines and recommendations for the identified issues as short term starategy.