Interpreting a contemporary urban vernacular for cities : --the case of Delhi

Abstract

The broad aim of this thesis is to investigate whether the regulatory environment in an urban setting can be utilized to nurture appropriate urban forms. The word 'form' here includes both physical characteristics, and the use of the resultant urban artifacts and spaces by people. The thesis argues that appropriateness and 'good fit' in urban form can be best addressed through an understanding of the common denominator which organizes urban life, i.e. urban meaning perceived as a shared sensibility. In search of this elusive and somewhat nebulous sensibility, a redefinition of the word 'vernacular' has been broached and developed as the pivotal theoretical construct. Consequently, the conception of a contemporary urban vernacular has formed a daunting preoccupation, and this has been further expanded to include the delineation of urban 'types' which evolve, mature, and differentiate, influenced greatly by the processes of control and change. As Nelson Goodman notes,' ... knowing cannot be exclusively or even primarily a matter of determining what is true. Discovery often amounts to finding a fit.' He goes on to add that this fit is a result not of belief but of the advancement of understanding. This thesis will attempt to develop an understanding of peoples' relationship with their city environment, with the eventual object of enhancing the fit between urban vernacular 'types' and control mechanisms which regulate them. In almost any city, especially those of the third world, urban form is an outcome of processes, both within and outside of institutionalized regulatory mechanisms. This is, in turn, a result of the complex interplay of social, economic and political forces. It is beyond the scope of this thesis to address these issues comprehensively. Therefore the focus will be on developing an approach which relates urban vernacular types, to the issues of attitude and lifestyle, the mechanics of control, the articulation of roles and tasks within society, as they are expressed through the built form. I have tried to illustrate some of the arguments developed in the first part of this thesis through a case analysis of an urban vernacular type in Delhi, the capital of India. An initial foray has also been made to develop a method for field research in urban vernaculars. The hypothesis forwarded is that by understanding the nature of socio-politico-administrative control. i.e. - the formal regulatory framework, the informal processes and tacit conventions - and vernacular types (people and places), as well as the relationship between the two, it is possible to arrive at an effective orientation for regulation which could nurture appropriate urban forms that would be supportive crucibles for living.