BAGULA MUKHI COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

BHOPAL

DISSERTATION ON

STREETS

SUBMITTED BY

CHETNA VERMA
0549AR131014

IN THE PARTIAL FULLFILLMENT OF THE DEGREE OF

BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE

SESSION 2016-17

COORDINATOR GUIDE
Ar. PURNA SHEOLIKAR Ar. DEEPAK JHA

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 RAJIV GANDHI PROUDYOGIKI VISHWAVIDYALYA
(RGPV)

DECLARATION OF ORIGINAL WORK

I Chetna Verma hereby declare that the work entitled STREETS is my original
work. I have not copied from any other published or non-published work, or from
any other sources except where due reference or acknowledgement is made
explicitly in the text, nor has any part been written for me by another person.

____________________ ________________________

Date submitted Name of the student

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am using this opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone who supported me

throughout the course of this dissertation. I am thankful for their aspiring
guidance, invaluably constructive criticisms and friendly advices during the period
of this work. I am sincerely grateful to everyone for sharing their ideas, thoughts
and views related to the project, above all for their valuable time.

I would like to thank Ar. Dinesh Belgaonkar and Ar. G. Sanjiv, for their guidance.
Also, thank my mentor Ar. Deepak Jha and my coordinator Ar. Purna Sheolikar for
their patience and perpetual support. Special thanks to my sister and family for
their undying guidance.

Thanking you,

Chetna Verma

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TABLE OF CONTENT

AKNOWLEDGEMENT iii

PROLOGUE vi

SYNOPSIS vii

ABSTRACT vii
AIM vii
OBJECTIVE vii
SCOPE vii
LIMITATION vii

INTRODUCTION 1

STREET 1
DEFINITION 1

STREETS IN THE CITY 2

ROLES OF STREET 3

MORE THAN PATHS 3

SHAPES THE FORM AND COMFORT 3
TO BE OUTDOORS 3
MOVEMENT 3
PLACE TO BE IN 4
PUBLIC SHOWCASE 4
POLITICAL SPACE 4
PUBLIC REALM 4
REPRESENTATIVE SPACES 5

GREAT STREETS 6

GREAT STREETS AROUND THE WORLD 7

Saint Laurent Boulevard in Montreal, Canada 7

Camden High Street in London, England 7
Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain 8
Buchanan Street in Glasgow, Scotland 8
State Street in Madison, Wisconsin 9
Chandni Chowk in Delhi, India 10
Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich, Switzerland 10
Acland Street, Melbourne, Australia 11
Toth Arpad Setany in Budapest, Hungary 12

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ANALYSIS 13
Great Streets Characteristics 13
Functions of Streets 13
Principles of Great Streets 14
Contributing Elements of Great Streets 14

CONCLUSION 15

REFERENCES 16

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PROLOGUE

Streets are almost always public: owned by the public, and when we speak of the
public realm we are speaking in large measure of streets. What is more, streets
change. They are tinkered with constantly: curbs are changed to make sidewalks
narrower or (in fewer cases) wider, they are repaved, lights are changed, and the
streets are torn up to replace water and sewer lines or cables and again repaved.
The buildings along them change and in doing so change the streets. Every change
bring with it the opportunity for improvement. If we can develop and design streets
so that they are wonderful, fulfilling places to be, community-building places,
attractive public places for all people of cities and neighborhoods, then we will
have successfully designed about one-third of the city directly and will have had an
immense impact on the rest.

Allan Jacobs,

Great Street, MIT Press, 1995

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ABSTRACT

Streets are the connections between spaces and places, as well as being spaces themselves. They
are defined by their physical dimension and character as well as the size, scale, and character of
the buildings that line them. Streets range from grand avenues such as the Champs-Elysees in
Paris to small, intimate pedestrian streets. The pattern of the street network is part of what
defines a city and what makes each city unique.

KEY WORDS: Street, Space, Building, Public, City

AIM: To study the roles and importance of streets, also to understanding the
characteristics of great streets.

OBJECTIVES

To define the term street

To understand the roles of streets
To understand what makes streets great
To study the various examples of great streets

SCOPE

The study emphasizes on fundamentals which make the streets great through
world. It inculcates streets role and importance for environment and its people
thus showing a social setting favorable to all. Not embarking to vastness of subject
it focuses on its practical employment and self-assertion.

LIMITATION

The topic Street in its own is boundless. It can be defined and perceived in
numerous ways depending on different people and their living cultures, thus the
reference has been taken from books and a few writers so that the study is focused.
The personal experience of street in not introduced in study because of
inaccessibility to global streets but knowledge is attained and represented.

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INTRODUCTION
STREET
An enclosed, three-dimensional space between two lines of adjacent buildingsin a town or
village, comparatively wide as opposed to a lane or alley.1- Cliff Moughtin

DEFINITION
The words Street, path, avenue, highway, way, route, have been used almost interchangeably. It
would be possible to extend this list to include other words such as, road, boulevard, mall and
promenade, which have similar meanings. Without going into too great a discussion of
definitions, for the purpose of this topic the main distinction to be made is between road and
street.

Road is at once an act of riding on horseback and an ordinary line of communication between
different places, used by horses, travellers on foot or vehicles. Or it is any path, way or course to
some end or journey. The emphasis is on movement between places, the principle lines of
communication between places-a two-dimensional ribbon, running on the surface of the
landscape, carried over it by bridge or beneath by tunnel. A Street may have these attributes, but
its more common meaning is a road in a town or village, comparatively wide as opposed to a
lane or alley. More importantly it is a road, that is the linear surface along which movement
occurs between the adjacent houses it runs between two lines of houses or shops, says a
dictionary definition. (Moughtin, 2003) For the purpose of this analysis the street will be taken
as an enclosed, three-dimensional space between two lines of adjacent buildings.

The word comes to us from the Latin strata, or strata via, meaning paved way, Streets were and
are designed and constructed with specific intentions. (Online Etymology Dictionary, n.d.)
Streets are not accidental. Baron Haussmann made his boulevards broad to facilitate military
manoeuvres and the control of Parisian mobs. Mesopotamian cities kept streets narrow to
maximize shade from the relentless sun and often set dead end streets against gusts of desert
wind.

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STREETS IN THE CITY

The design of cities begins with the design of streets. To make a good city, you need good streets,
streets where people want to be. Streets need to be safe and comfortable, be interesting, and
beautiful. They need to be places. We often think of building when we think of urban design as
we should. Great streets require great buildings. Good streets can get by with merely good
buildings; great or merely good, the art of architecture is clearly indispensable. But streets are the
spaces between buildings, and those spaces need the art of place making. Place making makes
the street spaces into settings where people want to be. A place is not a place until there are
people in it. (Dover and Massengale, 2013)

When Alberti turns to discuss streets within the town or city, he recommends that if the city is
noble and powerful, streets should be straight and broad, which carries the air of greatness and
majesty.
Though if the town is small, it will be better and safe to have them wind about and, in the heart
of the town, it will be handsomer not to have them straight, but to have them winding about
several ways . . . by appearing longer they will add to the idea of the greatness of the town.
(Moughtin, 2003)

Jane Jacobs is an important critic of the urban forms resulting from the application of design
principles developed by CIAM and other like-minded groups of urban theorists. She is a great
apologist for the street: Streets and their sidewalks, the main public places of a city, are its most
vital organs. Think of a city and what comes to mind? Its streets. If a citys streets look
interesting, the city looks interesting; if they look dull, the city looks dull. (Jacobs, 1961)

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ROLES OF STREET

MORE THAN PATHS

Streets are more than public utilities, more than mere traffic conduits, more than equivalent of
water lines and sewers and electric cables, more than linear physical spaces that permit people
and goods to get from here to there. To be sure, communication remains a major purpose, along
with unfettered public access to property. These roles have received abundant attention,
particularly in the latter half of the twentieth century. Other roles have not.

SHAPES THE FORM AND COMFORT

Streets shape the form and comfort of urban communities. Their sizes and arrangements give or
deny light and shade. They may focus attention and activities on one or many centers, at the
edges, along a line, or they may simple direct ones attention to nothing in particular, the three
streets that lead from Piazza del Popola in Rome, Via del Corso in the center, give focus to that
city as does nothing else. So does market Street in San Francisco and a hundred Main Streets in
small cities across the United States. (Jacobs, 1993)

TO BE OUTDOORS
Streets allow people to be outdoors. Except for private gardens, which many urban people do not
have or want, or immediate access to countryside or parks, streets constitute the out-of-doors for
many urbanities. Streets are also places of social and commercial encounter and exchange. They
are where people meet-which is basic reason we have cities in any case. People who really do not
like other people, not even to see them in numbers, have good reason not to live in cities or to
live isolated from city streets.

MOVEMENT

The street-is movement-to watch, to pass-especially movement of people:pf fleeting faces

and forms, changing postures and dress. You see people ahead of you or over your shoulder or
not at all. Absorbed in whatever has taken hold of you for the moment, but aware and comforted
by the presence of others all the same. You can stand in one place or sit and watch the show. The
show is not always pleasant, not always smiles or greetings or lovers hand-in-hand. There are
cripples and beggars and people with abnormalities, and like the lovers, they can give pause;
they are cause for reflection and thought everyone can use the street. Bring on the street and
seeing people, it is possible to meet them, once you know or new ones. Knowing the rhythm of a

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street is to know who may be on it or at a certain place along it during a given period; knowing
who can be seen there or avoided.

PLACE TO BE IN
As well as to see, the street is a place to be seen. Sociability is a large reason cities exist, and
streets are major if not the only public place for that sociability to develop. At the same time, the
street is a place to be alone, to be private. Its a place where the mind can wander, triggered by
something there on the street, or by something internal, more personal. Its a place to walk while
whatever is inside unfolds.

PUBLIC SHOWCASE
Some streets are for exchange of services or goods: places to do business. They are public
showcases, meant to exhibit what a society has offer the goods, displays them, on the street if
allowed, with wares to seen. The lookers sees, compares, fingers, discusses with a companion,
and ultimately decides whether to enter the selling environment or not, whether to leave the
anonymity and protection of the public realm and enter into private exchange.

POLITICAL SPACE

The street is a political space. Its on the Elm Street that neighbours discuss zoning or
impending notational initiatives and on Main Street, at the Fourth of July parade as well as the
anti-nuclear march, that political celebrations take place. Its not ways to distribute non-
mainstream ideas in a shopping mall, much less to have a demonstration in one. Those are
private places. Lest we discount the importance of Public Street as a political place in factor of
modern electronic media of communication, recall where the demonstrations and actions and
marches of the late 1980stok place in Eastern Europe: in public places and most especially in
streets. (Jacobs, 1993)

PUBLIC REALM
It is not surprising that, given their multiple roles in urban life, streets require and use vast
amounts of land. In the United States, from 25 to 35 percent of a citys developed land is likely
to be in public right-of-way, mostly in streets. When we speak of public realm, we are speaking
in large measure of streets. What is more, streets change. They are tinkered with constantly.
Every change opens and opportunity for improvement, of we can develop and design streets so
that are wonderful, fulfilling places to be-community-building places, attractive public places for
all people-then we will have successfully designed about one-third of the city directly and will
have had an immense impact on the rest.

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REPRESENTATIVE SPACES
Streets are also representative spaces. Notions of cosmic order were reflected in the layout of
streets in early Chinese cities, while the harmony of abstract geometry guided the platting of
many baroque European towns. The ubiquitous bicycle lanes of Copenhagen and the small
sidewalks and expansive boulevards of Los Angeles are testaments to local priorities and politics.
In India too streets having temples along-side show the religious importance and cultural activity.
(GRIGSB, n.d.)

However, that many of our streets no longer work, as places or as spaces. Architecture
designed to be seen from a speeding automobile fails to inspire the pedestrian, who avoids
the street anyhow because the sidewalks have been reduced or removed to make way for
more cars, which in turn are mired in traffic and crawl along, ironically, at the same speed
as those who once walked there, though with far less joy.

So, in our pursuit of good and fulfilling urban places, it is important to study the physical,
designable, buildable qualities of the best streets-the great streets.

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GREAT STREETS

Great streets, after Jacobs, transcend functionality and become destinations. They are the streets
we choose to be on without need. We develop emotional, even psychic, connections to them.
They are the places we meet friends and bring visitors to. Nearly every town and city has at least
one great street, and many have numerous great streets, depending on how rigorous ones criteria
for measurement are. (GRIGSB, n.d.)

Allan Jacobs begins his seminal Great Streets with the simple statement, Some streets are better
than others; to be on, to do what you came to do. His book is ostensibly an exploration of the
designable qualities of great streets, with great in this sense referring not to size or grandeur but
superior quality, but his consideration of streets far exceeds dimensions and materiality, facades
and functions. Jacobs brings humanity to his study of streets. How does it feel to be there.

So, what qualities elevate a great street above other streets? What is it that a great street should
do? - Alan Jacobs describes a Great Street that is markedly superior in character or quality
and people visit frequently.

Contributes to community

Comfortable and safe

Encourages participation

Remembered

Representative of a community

Among these he counts the Via dei Giubbonari in Rome, the Cours Mirabeau in Aix-en-
Provence, and Barcelonas Las Ramblas. But are these criteria sufficient? Not entirely. There is
yet one more quality, a quality that is virtually impossible to measure and difficult, at best, to
design for: magic.

There is magic to great streets. We are attracted to the best of them not because we
have to go there but because we want to be there. The best are as joyful as they are
utilitarian. They are entertaining and they are open to all. They permit anonymity
at the same time as individual recognition. They are symbols of a community and
of its history; they represent a public memory. They are places for escape and for
romance, places to act and to dream. On a great street we are allowed to dream; to
remember things that may never have happened and to look forward to things that,
maybe, never will. (Jacobs, 1993)

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 - Allan Jacobs

Great Streets around the World

Saint Laurent Boulevard in Montreal, Canada

Affectionately known as The Main, it bisects Montreal down the middle, linking affluent
residential neighborhoods to the north with the garment district, Little Italy, the Plateau district,
Chinatown, Vieus (Old) Montreal, and the seaport.There are people walking about 24 hours a
day, and enjoying the sights and smells of the various cultures that call this street home. It is
trendy, eclectic, nostalgic and packed during summer festivals. Summertime is when The Main is
closed to traffic in the Plateau neighborhood as festivals take over the street.

Camden High Street in London, England

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Camden Town throngs with locals, shoppers and tourists, no matter what the time or day of the
week. Full of independent shops and markets, the streets are intertwined and pedestrian friendly,
lined with old unique buildings, each one different from the next. Each street fosters new and
unique experiences. Dozens of train and transit lines come here, with the main underground tube
station right in the center of things. There is no dominating age group, race or gender, and if you
wanted to meet people from every corner of the world in one day, Camden Town would be the
place to do so.

Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain

A tremendous variety of eateries, shops, markets, and cultural institutions can be found here,
along with a huge number of pedestrians and people-watchers. About 1.5 kilometers long, Las
Ramblas is really a sequence of three pedestrian-oriented street/boulevards. Its central pedestrian
promenade is unique in many respects, not the least being a clear aesthetic quality created by its
pleasant proportions, relative to adjacent development. Landscaping and ample seating are two
other big strengths. A mix of activities promotes diverse image and flexible character; Las
Ramblas is universally seen as Barcelonas most characteristic, most important, and best street. A
huge number of different enterprises are in operation here traditional retail specialized
vending, kiosk sales, markets and exchanges, fairs and exhibitions, shoe-shining, eateries and
pubs, music and much more. There are also a number of museums and cultural institutions.

Buchanan Street in Glasgow, Scotland

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With richly ornamented Victorian and Edwardian commercial buildings as a backdrop, Buchanan
Street is Glasgows grandest promenade and the true heart of the city. Along its length youll find
numerous small shops, two shopping arcades, two major shopping centers, a museum and
library, and a design centre. There are regular displays of street theatre and a monthly farmers
market. In 2003 it was voted Scotlands favorite street in a BBC/CABE poll. In summer 2004 it
was awarded a Congress for New Urbanism award for excellence. Glaswegians are renowned for
their friendliness and sense of humor. Buchanan Street epitomizes this and is a very convivial
place. It is the citys main promenade where people meet up to shop or socialize. The ratio of
locals to tourists is well balanced.

State Street in Madison, Wisconsin

This main street is the meeting place and social center of Madison, connecting the University of
Wisconsin campus and the Madison Capitol. It is vibrant and busy at all time of the day, week
and year. The street is designed to be comfortable and accessible for all modes of transportation:
pedestrian and bikes, trolley, bus and auto traffic. It is closed down for street fairs and other
events, welcoming all ages and ethnic groups. It is an example of a wonderful college town

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main street that connects to the larger community and invites the community into the colleges
public life. The shops and restaurants transition from student-oriented to more community-
oriented as one approaches the Capitol. A farmers market surrounds the Capitol at the end of the
street.

Chandni Chowk in Delhi, India

The Chandni Chowk is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Delhi. Its the hordes of people
that youre battling against to get to the prize at the end: the Jama Masjid mosque. The mosque
sits majestically at the eastern end providing a superb vista through the crowds and clusters of
pop-up market stalls selling everything from street food to saris. (Great Streets Around The
World | Rough Guides, n.d.)

Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich, Switzerland

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Bahnhofstrasse, which connects the main train station with the lakefront, is Zurichs most
famous and exclusive retail district. Individual retailers and high-end department stores sit side
by side with art galleries, hotels, restaurants, renowned confectioners and Swiss bank
headquarters, all of which draw a diverse crowd of locals and tourists alike. The real secret
behind Bahnhofstrasses commercial success, and enduring appeal for the pedestrian. However,
is likely its seamless integration of different transit modes, and the streets hyper accessibility.
Numerous tram lines service the Bahnhofstrasse, most of which interface at either end with rail,
ferry, or bus. Private vehicles are prohibited for most of its length, while signaling and careful
paving treatment ease their integration with bicyclists and pedestrians where permitted. Because
of this restricted automobile access, the many pedestrian-only, cobblestone alleyways that lead
onto the street, and the leisurely pace of window shoppers that stroll its sidewalks,
Bahnhofstrasse feels largely like a comfortable, pedestrian boulevard.

Acland Street, Melbourne, Australia

Acland Street has an intimate scale that brings pedestrians into close contact with its many cafes
and street musicians, giving it the air of a bustling, linear party. Outdoor tables are prominent,

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and are often situated at the edge of the sidewalk, channeling passers by through cafes rather
than around them; in this way pedestrians are integrated into the cafe scene, and are allowed a
closer look at the wares displayed in the numerous bakery windows. Festive touches include a
bold, checkerboard patterned sidewalk with decorative tile insets. Acland Street is a place of
leisure. People go there to relax, socialize, and enjoy good food and music.

Toth Arpad Setany in Budapest, Hungary

This wonderful spot for a promenade acts as a gathering place for locals and visitors who
appreciate the beautiful architecture, trees, benches, fountains, and an incredible vista. The street
as a whole is greater than the sum of its parts but its parts are impressive: the architecture is
historic and harmonious; mature trees make a shady canopy; a wide walkway follows along a
spectacular view; old-fashioned street lights and benches line the street. At one end of the street
is Budapests palace, which is a major destination for visitors. Go up any side street and there is a
quiet restaurant, cafe, or shop. The street is a favorite place to walk or jog on a sunny day to
enjoy a breath-taking looking out at the hills behind Budapest.

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This study and the listing of 9 Great Streets around the World, features the
recommendations of people from around the world. These streets are successful for a host
of reasons, among them automobile, pedestrian and bike accessibility; a variety of activities
and land uses; comfortable places to sit and gather; and creation of a positive and unique
image for the city or neighborhood. (Spaces, 2010)

ANALYSIS

Great Streets Characteristics

Unique Sense of Place

Balance among various transportation modes
Safe, attractive and economically vibrant streets and public places

Functions of Streets

Community Functions
Transportation Functions

Community Functions
- A Great Street is memorable as a symbolic or ceremonial place in the city and a venue
for events, parades, fairs and other civic events.
-
- As Great Street has social spaces; they provide plazas, parks, trees, benches and public
art. Where people can gather, watch other people, or meet friends.
-
- A Great Street supports economic development because it is a place of commerce -
where people go to shop, eat or conduct business.

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-
- A Great Street creates an outdoor room - a place where buildings and vegetation define
the limits of the public realm.

Transportation Functions

- A Great Street functions for public transit bus, streetcars, LRT, and BRT by providing
space stops, station and shelters.
- A Great Street functions for various forms of vehicular movement including
automobiles, trucks and public transit.
- A Great Street functions for parking, allowing for on-street parking.
- A Great Street functions for bicycles, when practical, providing lanes and storage
facilities.

- A Great Street functions for pedestrians, allowing them to walk in a pleasant and safe
environment.

Principles of Great Streets

- Balanced Activities
- Social Interaction
- Place of Pride
- Sense of Safety
- Visually Attractive
- Responsive to Climate

Contributing Elements of Great Streets

- Trees
- Diversity: Many buildings rather than few
- Details: Special design features
- Places: Wide sidewalks, plazas
- Density of People
- Diversity of Land Use
- Parking on the Street

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These ingredients combines in well proportion to create a good street which further can
be define as Great Street.

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CONCLUSION

The street is the river of life of the city, the place where we come together, the pathway to the
centre. William H. Whyte

Nowhere was this made clearer to me than during my time spent living in Pondicherry. There,
the street formed a physical manifestation of city and its people, constantly re-asserting itself
under the immense pressures of everyday life. In a state of constant flux and apparent chaos, the
street was ceaselessly transformed by its inhabitants into a multitude of unanticipated forms and
uses. Not only a place of transit, the street provided a heaven for vendor of all types to sell their
wares, for kids to play, and for self-proclaimed artists to exhibit and sells their latest works. At
another time the street was converted into an unofficial stage for vintage car rallies, an outdoor
gallery for various art and photography installations even fairs describing the city in best way.

#streets of Pondicherry

Moreover, the great streets are having specified features. They are having quality of itself which
creates the identity.

If visual design is naked semiotics, then architecture and urban design comprise the signs of a
city and reveal its ethics & ideals, its notions of beauty, and thus its notions of happiness. By
reading the built environment of a place we learn much about the people who live there. Streets
are especially charged with semiotic value. They are political, economic, and cultural symbols
reaffirming place identity. They manifest the qualities that differentiate this place from that,
reminding residents who they are and where they come from while introducing their city to
visitors. The beauty of the street must be steeped in place. Its brand must be honest (GRIGSB,
n.d.).

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 REFERENCES

Dover, V., Massengale, J., 2013. Street Design: The Secret to Great Cities and Towns. John Wiley &
Sons.

Great Streets Around The World | Rough Guides [WWW Document], n.d. URL
https://www.roughguides.com/gallery/20-great-streets-to-wander/ (accessed 2.7.17).

GRIGSB, J., n.d. The Architecture (+art) of Signature Streets [WWW Document]. issuu. URL
https://issuu.com/4citiesheysel/docs/the_architecture___art__of_signature_streets?reader3=1
(accessed 2.7.17).

Jacobs, A.B., 1993. Great Streets. Mit Press.

Jacobs, J., 1961. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Vintage Books.

Moughtin, C., 2003. Urban Design: Street and Square. Architectural Press.

Online Etymology Dictionary [WWW Document], n.d. URL http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?

term=street (accessed 2.7.17).

Spaces, P. for P., 2010. 9 Great Streets Around the World. Project for Public Spaces.

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