PLACE MAKING: RETAIL SPAES

Abstract

What's a market place? A market place is a place where "buying" and "selling" occurs. A buying & selling of ideas. A buying and selling of goods. It has been defined as a "regular gathering of people for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other commodities." (Wikipedia) A 'street', has been defined as "a thoroughfare especially in a city, town or village that is wider than an alley or lane and that usually includes sidewalks". Gatherings at the school gate, activities in community facilities, shopping malls and cafes are all arenas where people meet and create places of interest. To members of the public, it is not the ownership of places or their appearance that makes them 'public', but their shared use for a diverse range of activities by a diverse set of people that makes them public. (2) Contemporary town planning and architecture have disrupted the way in which we perceive and use our 'streets'. Our urban centers lack a strong local identity. This identity is embedded within our local streets, and the activities, both social and economic, that take place on that 'street' and are allowed by that street. Eastern 'streets' are the civic and cultural centers of cities where people gather to see, learn and participate in a vibrant city life. They should be properly utilized within our retail centers in order to be friendlier to the user. In the decades since the advent of the shopping mall, shopping has become synonymous with entertainment & the retail store has become a key player in establishing brand identity. (3) Market places and streets have now acquired a different meaning than just being 'commercial' or economic exchange areas. They have become the identities of a town or a city; they have become the hub of all types of exchanges; be it 'commercial', 'social', 'cultural' or 'economic'. New types of spaces are being generated through them, and they are giving· them a much broader meaning than being just 'retail or exchange' spaces. In today's successful retail spaces, 'retail' activity and 'public activities' complement each other. They provide a breather to the general user. People are not just there to 'buy' certain things or products, but they visit such spaces to refresh, both physically and mentally. And hence, nowadays, today's successful retail centers, or even retail stores, and cafes, also keep into consideration this aspect of human psychology. The idea is to develop a commercial hub in a specific area, and incorporate and explore these notions of streets, passage ways, left over spaces, negative spaces along with the retail activity that is going on beside. It would be a little bit different from what presently is in our local commercial centers. Presently the physical dynamics in our main commercial areas creates a lot of mental uneasement due to the traffic issues and doesn't provide a relaxing atmosphere. It is a source of mental disturbance rather than mental relaxation. That will be the main aim in the exploration & evolution of this thesis.