Understanding Street Edges of a Heritage Precinct: Case of Mumbai City

Abstract

treet edges have been often considered the most experiential and an important part of urban environment . This boundary on the ground floor is not just an interface, but rather an exchange zone accommodating various activities , hence analysis of any street is incomplete without having a proper study of the street edges. Every street edge is of different nature and have different approaches to be studied, they are affected by a set of factors and only upon understanding these factors can we steer the future of architecture of public life. There are several layers of memories associated to a place , how does the new layer overlap the old ones? Every city street endures a process of rise and fall , and time leaves its traces on the city and the plinths , for the old and the new, constantly changing the equation between conservation and development, considering the fact that the realm of heritage influences our visual perception and public psyche much more than we may consciously accept. The main focus of this research is to study the concept of street edge by taking a case of a commercial heritage street , here we are considering a commercial heritage street because apart from being a foci element of the city it supports a continuous and organic growth. The main agenda here is to analyze if this concept of edges would help retaining the historical importance of the street in the present urban context , before they disappear as a result of rapid development . This study can be part of the foundation to formulate better policy and design intervention for the future of retaining streets in historical context .