Transformations of Traditional Streets A Case of Thanjavur

Abstract

iv newlineABSTRACT newlineTraditional towns in cities were designed and built keeping human beings in the newlinecentre. Though the hierarchy of caste is reflected and considered in the layouts of newlinestreets at all levels, every streets is designed with a focus on human interaction and newlinetheir wellbeing. Local climate, Protection from enemies, local natural resources were newlineconsidered and exploited in the traditional street layouts. The purpose and the goals of newlinethe street determines the visual and the physical character of the streets. As each street newlinerespond to the overall aesthetics and function of the town, each house in a street newlinerespond to the overall aesthetics and function of the street itself. Hence there was a newlineharmonious flow of buildings complementing each other. These streets had a single newlinegoal, single occupation, and one community when they were built. The inclusion of newlinethe modern vehicles and building codes force the streets to lose their physical, newlinepsychological comfort and thereby losing liveability. newlineRapid urbanisation transform traditional streets to undergo many changes both newlinevisually and spatially affecting and influencing the quality of public spaces and newlineliveliness of the streets. These streets fight a battle between the nostalgia and newlinebelongingness to their past tradition and the desire for modernity and to be a part of newlinethe globalisation. This results in a hybrid character which need to be studied, newlineunderstood and regulated. Due to the coexistence of these two extreme manifestations newlinein the built forms, these historic towns suddenly appear chaotic in its physical and newlinevisual order. Any change in an individual building affects and create and difference in newlinethe overall context and fabric it stands in, particularly, in a closely knitted traditional newlinestreet. It becomes very important to understand the changes in the lights of social, newlinecultural aspects, influences of technology and their manifestations in the built forms newlineand the street. newlineChanges in the built forms affect the streets and transform the form, space and newlineorder of the streets, which in turn transform its environment. Understanding these newlinetransformations in the form, space and order of the streets through its socio-cultural newlineimpacts and responsiveness may lead to the better understanding on the causes and newlinethe patterns of changes that influence the transformations in the quality of the newlinetraditional streets. newline