VIRTUAL Lisbon Livable Cities

Abstract

Neighbourhood streets in Chennai contribute to a sense of identity and singularity that differentiate areas and promote diversity in the city. The street takes on many roles depending on its context. The aim of this paper is to explore the role of the street in its contribution to placemaking and establishing this diversity. It addresses issues of safety and security, inclusivity and a sense of community , the role of culture and existing systems which need to be preserved . It will illustrate different perceptions and functions of the street in different socio-economic contexts. Six streets will be studied in an area of Chennai in close proximity, of a middle -class neighbourhood of varying impacts of urbanization and change and will be compared to two streets of an elite neighbourhood. The paper examines the way in which space in the street and its definition are negotiated to construct a sense of livability which answers to the resident’s desires and needs. Within the theoretical concept of aspects of place making and through the lens of Amos Rappoport’s , Meaning in the built Environment, Jane Jacobs and and the concept of territoriality ,the paper uses a case study qualitative approach to exhibit the varying perceptions of the street in the context of its varying soci-economic environments. The paper will show that the street is appropriated by the residents in different ways and answers to different definitions from play space to market street, to room, to park.