URBAN DESIGN

RE-DESIGNING VIRAR STATION AREA

1707 - SIDDHARTH BHITALE- SEM 9

ABSTRACT

THE SELECTED SITE HAS BEEN MY HOMETOWN FOR 20 YEARS. A VAST CHANGE HAS BEEN
OBSERVED IN THIS AREA AROUND STATION IN TERMS OF POORLY PLANNED VEHICULAR
CIRCULATION, INSUFFICIENT PARKING SPACES, DOMINANCE OF HAWKERS AND VENDORS OVER
VEHICULAR PATHS, UNDEFINED PEDESTRIAN PATHS, SHOPPING LANES, POOR NEIGHBOURHOOD AND
OLD BUILDINGS ON THE VERGE OF DEMOLITION. DESPITE ALL THIS, NO MAJOR EFFORT HAS BEEN
TAKEN BY THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO TACKLE ANY OF THIS ISSUE

FRAMEWORK OF UD STUDY

• SELECTION OF SITE
• BACKGROUND STUDY
• LITERATURE REVIEW
• LAYING DOWN LITERATURE FINDINGS w.r.t TO SELECTED SITE
• CIRCULATION PATTERN
• SEGRAGATING BUILT AND OPEN SPACES
• ACTIVITY PATTERN
• IDENTIFICATION OF ISSUES
• SITE ANALYSIS
• DESIGN SOLUTION
• CONCLUSION

PARAMETRS TAKEN DOWN FROM BOOKS AND RESEARCH PAPERS RELATED TO SELECTED
TOPIC/SITE

• ORDER WITHOUT DESIGN- HOW MARKET SHAPES CITIES – In this book, the author Alain
Bertaud, presents an explanation of how the economy of cities work and why city’s growth is
an outcome of its market economy. He also introduces the reader to principles of urban
economics, particularly the standard urban model of city growth and the relationship between
city size, mobility, and economic activity and applies them to understanding urban
development.
Since the selected site has a dense messy network of hawkers and shoppers lane, this books
has proven very much worthy in understanding the role of the small businesses in shaping the
urban growth. If planned carefully, these shopping lanes and hawkers spots can be a key factor
for uplifting the market aesthetic and economical growth.
 • LIFE BETWEEN BUILDINGS- USING PUBLIC SPACE – In this book, the author Jan Gehl explains
how some cities like New York have an active street life and why these public places are
inherently attractive to people and draws them to walk and linger in the space. He also shows
how mixing uses within a single space creates active, safe and interesting public spaces.
This is something that I can incorporate in the selected site as well and try to solve the
problems caused by pedestrian traffic in the shoppers lanes by designing more such public
spaces

• MAXIMUM CITY – BOMBAY LOST AND FOUND – In this book , the author Suketu Mehta show
us what makes Bombay unique and different from other big cities in India. He has given in the
detailed narrative on how the city operates, whether it be slums, small businesses, corruption,
Bollywood, police and administrations.
This book necessarily helps us understand the most important factor that shapes and uplifts
a city – ITS PEOPLE. All kinds of people who migrate to Mumbai in search of jobs or better
education or better living.

• RESEARCH PAPERS

CITY AND SUBURBS - LONDON By MATTHEW DAVIES

MIGRANTS AND THE CITY By MANISH JHA and PUSHPENDRA KUMAR
STREET VENDORS AND THE RIGHT TO THE CITY
THE URBAN POOR By SANKALP SINGH
WALKER AND HAWKERS ON FOOTPATH By FARJANA REHMAN
WALKERS AND HAWKERS- ISSUES AND PROPOSALS
DEFINING SUBUBRBS By CHRIS RICHARDSON

COMPONENTS NEEDED IN SELECTED ZONE

• FIXED WIDENED VEHICULAR PATHS

• FIXED DEFINED PEDESTRAIN PATHS
• ACCESSIBLE AND LARGE PARKING SPACES OUTSIDE RAILWAY STATION
• HEIRARCHY BETWEEN BUILT AND OPEN SPACES
• LARGE SPACES AROUND PETROL PUMP
• MIXED USE LANES FOR SHOPPING
• RESERVED AREAS FOR HAWKERS AND VENDORS
• WELL DEFINED WAYS FOR TAKING A RICKSHAW OUTSIDE STATION
• RETHINKING PUBLIC SPACES