Role of Spatial Elements of an Urban Street that Makes It Vital

The characteristic of meaningful interactive spaces in the city transforms with change of lifestyle. Certain streets in the urban fabric offer a conducive environment for gathering, and with this attribute, these streets remain lively and vibrant in nature. With time, the buildings get dilapidated, few of them get renovated, and in this process, the architectural character also gets changed. Although the aesthetic character of streets changes, with the developments in the architectural design, the value of urban streets still remains the same in terms of social interaction spaces. Chandni Chowk, Delhi, Mohammad Ali Street and Colaba causeways of Mumbai, Manek Chowk of Ahmedabad, Sarafa Bazaar of Indore and many such streets in the older cities are the spaces that have been attracting people with their traditional food joints and the street elements since many years. The researchers have identified Fergusson College Road of Pune with an objective of studying the spatial aspects of streets and urban vitality that draw people toward them. The study comprises two stages. The first stage includes an interview-based survey of 45 individuals. These visits to a particular street that is covered by eateries and shopping alleys. The second stage includes study of the spatial character of the street under defined parameters with semi-structured interviews and documentation. Remarkably, the documentation covers the nature of the space over the time which have influenced people of three generations.