Local Cultures – Global Spaces
Abstract
Indian cities are multilayered entities that have been growing organically, devoid of any catastrophic events that were sort of witnessed in Europe during the World Wars. Hence to understand Indian cities, it is crucial to understand the growth of the city right from its roots. Various aspects influence the growth of the city, and its expansion creates various vacuums at the intersection of urban and suburban regions and neighbourhoods affecting their interaction. The differences in these interactions, along with the ideological or functional vacuums present in the city lead to the creation of urban voids. The voids exist as large vacant plots among large commercial developments or as smaller multipurpose residual spaces scattered in the dense morphology of the city. Starting with a basic definition of the term ‘Void’, we aim to redefine this term for Indian context by considering Pune as the case study for this research. The research attempts to understand this phenomenon which we call “voids”, by deriving a taxonomy that classifies the voids according to various growth patterns. The research considers influences of various local and global influences while deriving the taxonomy of voids as they affect the city’s growth and morphology. The research also aims to present a critical analysis of the value of these voids with the taxonomy being used as a reference to understand the voids in other Indian cities.
Keywords – actors, influence, growth, suburban, voids, taxonomy.
Indrajeet Sunil Ghule is an Architect and Urban Designer. He completed M.Sc in Architecture and Urban Design with honours from Politecnico di Milano. His research thesis titled ‘The Unanswered Paradigm: The Study of Voids in Pune.’ focuses on understanding the value of the urban voids in the city. Indrajeet completed his Bachelor of Architecture at S.P.Pune University with a gold medal. After his studies, he worked at VastuShilpa Consultants: Sangath, studio of Pritzker Laureate Balakrishna Doshi. Currently, he is working as an Assistant professor at MIT School of Architecture, Pune
Kedar Sharma, an architect based in Milan, holds a master’s degree in architecture and urban design from Politecnico di Milano. Apart from academic excellence, Kedar actively participated in design competitions and workshops throughout his professional and student experiences. He garnered valuable insights working on significant urban design projects during his tenure with the Singapore-based firm DP Architects in Mumbai. Currently associated with A4Adesign in Milan. Kedar specializes in ephemeral structures and product designs for exhibitions and events.