JOURNALISM TROPHY 54TH ANNUAL NASA CONVENTION

If the user cant nd it, it doesnt exist Would you promote dowry, honor killing, child marriage and other practices, which might have had relevance in past but today, are declared as anti-social? And be so rigid in taking pride in your culture and heritage that you overlook what is right and what is wrong? The answer can be inferred from the fact that culture and heritage through these practices try to keep the knowledge, gathered over the ages, intact for later generations for their own benet. Therefore, these should not be misinterpreted and should be discarded over time keeping in mind the need of the user. Moreover, technologies develop which nishes the relevance of a tradition, ex, a chimney or a replace even after loosing their functionality due to availability of articial heating system, are incorporated in house designs because it is still symbolic of an ideal cozy home. These traditions are not easily let go due to emotional attachment but then eventually diminish over generations due to lack of functionality. New materials posses great potential for innovative method of construction and creating new kinds of spaces, which cannot be tapped if we stick to tradition and culture. This is perfectly exhibited by Le Corbusier in Chandigarh, where he had extensively used cement concrete instead of local materials in construction of Capitol Complex in order to send Nehrus message of new, powerful and democratic India across the globe. Colonists to spread dominance in their colonies used architecture as a medium of expression. This proved to be benecial for colonial people. French people imposed their style of Architecture onto the Ottoman tribe of Algeria. Although it was initially opposed by the local but it helped in social upliftment and economic development. The problem of social inequality, male dominance, congested living areas and lack of privacy was catered by the French architecture. This indicates that instead of adapting whole of French culture, a need-based approach was followed where only the benecial points were picked which solved their present problems. We perceive the world around us through lenses painted by our own ideologies, which are dominated by tradition and culture. Language of a space is dominated by culture and tradition but it hampers innovative solutions. In Brazil, initially the development was majorly concentrated in two south-eastern cities- Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, which was triggered by Portuguese when Brazil was made their administrative area as Brazil didnt had any prominent architecture prevalent before, whereas tribal people were concentrated along the north coast. The ongoing development was based on the modernist architecture. On the whole the country had culture, which circumscribed around coast settlements but a huge land resource at the center was still un-utilized.
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JOURNALISM TROPHY 54TH ANNUAL NASA CONVENTION

Therefore, with the aim of opening up the interior of the country for development a new land locked modernist Capital city, Brasilia, was brought up at the center. Therefore, if traditional approach had followed, an innovative solution to a problem, like in the above example, would not have been possible. Man uses his sense of vision, hearing, smell and touch to perceive a space. In addition to this man psychologically judges a space on basis of sense of comfort, sense of security, sense of belonging, aesthetics, etc. which in turn make space humane, lively and contended. If he is offered a new and better space or object, he would still be more comfortable with the old, example, a person from the rural background might not feel comfortable in vertical city, which provides better facilities, but they are the need of the present and future. Built spaces are designed keeping in mind the need of the user, example, and a residence whereas the tradition and culture of the place denes the inbuilt spaces of the society. Also economic, social and political factors play an important role. In Harappan Civilization, which is one of the earliest civilizations, the city was divided into three segments on the basis of their social and economic status. In more recent context colonial architecture in India is also another example of politics. In Brazil, modernism was polyvalent and highly
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JOURNALISM TROPHY 54TH ANNUAL NASA CONVENTION

politicalized. In America, the concept of edge cities was politicalized as the leaders controlled the oil and land surrounding the major cities. So in order to increase the demand for both the resources radial development plans were promoted in which center served as the business districts (CBD) and residential areas were situated radially offcentered. This led to white flight, where all the white people moved out from the center. In the present context, Chandigarh is best example of economic and political interference. If we move from northern to southern sectors, the texture of the city keeps on getting dense. The least dense areas are for people with high economic status and the densest areas are the colonies for EWS and slums. And the capital complex plaza is a classic example of political interference. A plaza is a social space for the public and the reason a plaza was placed next to political building was to bring people closer to the bureaucracy unlike the past, in which internal machinery was always hidden from public. But it the approach didnt proved to be fruitful. Ultimately, public is not allowed in plaza due to security reasons. The politics of the past is predominant in the present, which is holding the society back. These Political and economic factors have had a negative affect on society and architecture Therefore, we require new revolutionary thinking, leaving behind old ideologies and social differences in the past. We for survival need healthy environment around us apart
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JOURNALISM TROPHY 54TH ANNUAL NASA CONVENTION

from the basic needs. A healthy environment would be that where one feels comfortable, secure and can interact with a society or a neighborhood for his inner satisfaction. He connects to the society through social spaces like parks, plazas, markets, religious centers, etc. Often this argument is raised that in the rush towards urbanization and vertical cities, the social places are lost and which have bad effect on our psychology. The way in which this issue is to be answered depends upon us. How well can we plan the spaces? How do we cater the needs of the user? One such example of good futuristic concept is of vertical farming. It solves the problem of open green spaces in high rise buildings. Another major problem today faced by our cities is the development of grey areas. These are the ill dened, or uncertain areas have no proper functionality or a dened character. These can be any wasteland or undeveloped part in the city. These usually are occupied by EWS and also sometimes become hub for shady activities. The question arises how will these areas develop? These areas are the result of our pasts ignorant planning of spaces on the bases of social and economic factors. The weaker section of the society is always neglected. Every man has right to grow and fulll his dreams. Rather than sticking to old ideas we should strive for utopian ideas, for the best interest of the user. If we still employ old methodologies then same kind of problems will re-submerge which are prevalent today in the society. Today, the scenario is tight and competition cut throat. Globalisation has catapulted nations to run towards a better future. Technology is developing at a mad pace with growth rates soaring exponentially. Therefore we have to leave the past and follow a futuristic approach towards its growth. If we keep intact the traditional practices then how are we going to develop our cities? Develop our grey areas? And most importantly develop for the benet of people, which traditions and culture had intended to do at the rst place? India needs to wake up from its skepticism and walk shoulder to shoulder with other developed nations, leaving behind its cultural vodoo behind to be someday called a superpower.

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JOURNALISM TROPHY 54TH ANNUAL NASA CONVENTION

Bibliography 1. 2. 3. 4. Brazil: Modern architectures in history by Richard J. Williams Language of space by Bryan Lawson Internet Interaction with Seniors

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