Value and Significance of Open Spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums : Dissertation

GATEWAY COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN SONIPAT 131001

DISSERTATION REPORT November, 2017

VALUE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF OPEN SPACES ATTRIBUTED BY DWELLERS IN URBAN SLUMS

SUBMITTED BY: (Shivam Parashar) (GCAD/13/332)

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

GUIDED BY: (Ar. Ashok Grover)

i

GATEWAY COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

DECLARATION

I, Shivam Parashar, GCAD/13/332 hereby declare that the dissertation titled “Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums� submitted by me, in partial fulfilment of the requirement of the curriculum of Bachelor of Architecture as per the university norms, to Gateway College of Architecture and Design, is a record of my original work with credits given for information collected from any other source.

______________________ (Shivam Parashar)

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

ii

GATEWAY COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the dissertation titled Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums, Shivam Parashar, GCAD/13/332

submitted in partial

fulfilment of the requirement of the curriculum of Bachelor of Architecture is the work of who carried out research work under our supervision in Gateway College of Architecture and Design, Sonipat, Haryana.

We recommend that the dissertation report be placed before the examiners for their consideration.

______________________________

______________________________

(Ar. Ashok Grover)

(Ar. Bikramjit Chakraborty)

Signature of the Guide

Signature of the Coordinator

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

iii

ABSTRACT As it is known that our cities are growing exponentially and at a very fast pace, the pace which lead us to ignorance towards various aspects of life. Amongst which one of the aspect is the value that the inhabitants attribute to Open Spaces. City and its dwellers have enough resources and capital which provides them almost all the basic amenities that they need to survive the struggle which comes in their life. Open Spaces is one of the least observed or cared aspects which mark their role on the livelihood of any individual. City dwellers are not the suffering ones because of their position in society but it is them who are pressurized time by time by the demands and ever-expansion of the cities. Slums are those areas which are left out in the development process because these are the areas which grew on their own by the time and through the process of encroachment and were never supported enough so that they can come out of the contaminated environment. In such scenario, government declares the upgradation project by in-situ rehabilitation or by relocating them to other part of the city. The process is carried out at height where no slum dweller can yell out his stake towards the rehabilitation which ultimately makes the project a failure. Everyone loves their creation and generates a sense of ownership towards it, because they have been a part of the process and have seen the end result evolving from the very beginning but when an alien product is served for the living through an alien process the product ultimately fails.

Therefore, the study revolves around the value that the slum dwellers attribute to the open spaces of urban slums and to study the significance of open spaces in daily of a human being irrespective of his/her economical background in order to create an image of what is essential and what is missing in such upgradation projects. The image is portrayed after understanding various situations which comes along the slum upgradation project be it in-situ or relocating slum rehabilitation. The study revolves around urban slums and open spaces, and studies both the aspects separately so that a relationship between various aspects can be built to understand the situations in a better way and judge them on the basis of parameters through which dwellers live their daily lives. The intention is to build a gap between existing process and an ideal process which is required for the upgradation of a living community.

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

iv

DEDICATION To my parents, who have always supported me in this journey of grasping the knowledge and providing me enough support so that the journey never stops and being with me through the every obstacle which came in between. I would like to thank the H.O.D of the architecture branch Ar. Anil Kumar and my dissertation guide Ar. Ashok Grover for listening all my confusions and guiding me through every one of them so that this research can be carried forward. I would also like to thank the dissertation coordinator Ar. Bikramjit Chakraborty for his intellect, which helped me in generating the path of the research.

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

v

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 1.1

The Premise ..................................................................................................... 2

1.2

The Definitions and Meaning of the important parameters ............................ 2

1.3

The Intent of the Dissertation .......................................................................... 3

1.4

The Central Claim ........................................................................................... 3

1.5

The Research Question(s) ............................................................................... 3

1.6

The Aim and Objective of the Research ......................................................... 4

1.6.1

Aim: ............................................................................................................. 4

1.6.2

Objective: ..................................................................................................... 4

1.7

The Scope and Limitations of the Research .................................................... 4

1.7.1

Scope: ........................................................................................................... 4

1.7.2

Limitation: ................................................................................................... 4

2 LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................ 5 2.1

Purpose of the Literature Review .................................................................... 6

2.2

Categorization of Literature ............................................................................ 6

2.2.1

Pre “Research-Question” Stage ................................................................... 6

2.2.2

Post “Research-Question” Stage .................................................................. 6

2.3

Selection process of the Literature and method .............................................. 7

2.4

Brief review of each referred documents (The Gap) ...................................... 7

2.4.1 Review of “Value of common open spaces for urban poor: A case of Ahmedabad” ............................................................................................................. 7 2.4.2

Review of “Urban Open Spaces” by Helen Woolley. .................................. 7

2.4.3

Review of “The role of urban green spaces in improving social inclusion” 7

2.5

Collating the Literature Review learnings: ..................................................... 8

3 METHODS AND METHODOLOGY .................................................................... 9 3.1

Method(s) opted of Data/ case Selection and its Justification: ..................... 10

3.2

Method(s) opted for Data Collection and its Justification ............................ 11 Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

vi

3.2.1

Primary Data Collection ............................................................................ 11

3.2.2

Secondary Data Collection ........................................................................ 11

3.3

Method(s) opted for Data Analysis and its Justification ............................... 11

3.3.1

Primary Data Analysis ............................................................................... 11

3.3.2

Secondary Data Analysis ........................................................................... 11

3.4

Advantages and Limitations of the method(s) adopted ................................ 11

4 DATA DEMONSTRATION .................................................................................. 14 4.1

Data collection structure/ format ................................................................... 15

4.2

Data Set: Presentation of unprocessed Data.................................................. 15

4.3

Challenges in data collection Procedure ....................................................... 18

4.4

The Nature of the Data Set : Qualitative or Quantitative or Mix .................. 19

4.4.1

Primary data set ......................................................................................... 19

4.4.2

Secondary data set ..................................................................................... 19

5 ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ........................................................................... 20 5.1

Strength and limitations of the collected Data .............................................. 21

5.1.1

Strength ...................................................................................................... 21

5.1.2

Limitations ................................................................................................. 21

5.2

Visual Representation of the Data................................................................. 21

5.2.1 21

Value of common open spaces for urban poor: A case of Ahmedabad:

5.2.2

Karimodam slum upgradation, Trivandrum, Kerela. ................................ 29

5.3

Cause and Effect relationship........................................................................ 33

5.4

The Final Comment....................................................................................... 35

6 CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................................... 37 6.1

Recapitulation of Research Question & its Significance .............................. 38

6.2

Research Inference and its Significance ....................................................... 38

6.3

Revisiting the Central Claim ......................................................................... 38

6.4

The future Research possibilities .................................................................. 39 Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

vii

LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Structure showing the processes through which research went and generated the need of the collection of data. .................................................................................. 15 Figure 2 showing the comparative analysis of the case study on 2 relocated sites ....... 16 Figure 3 showing the comparative analysis of the case study on 2 relocated sites ....... 17 Figure 4 showing the comparative analysis of the case study on 2 existing sites ......... 18 Figure 5 Showing the existing site and the surrounding ................................................ 22 Figure 6 Showing the relocated site and the surrounding .............................................. 22 Figure 7 Previous site location of the slum dwellers and the new site location after the relocation process ........................................................................................................... 23 Figure 8 Shankar bhawan, Shahpur

Sadhbhavna nagar,

Ahmedabad. ................................................................................................................... 24 Figure 9 Activity pattern in Shankar bhawan at daytime............................................... 25 Figure 10 Activity pattern in Sadhbhanvna nagar at daytime ........................................ 25 Figure 11 Activity pattern in Shankar bhawan at night time ......................................... 26 Figure 12 Activity pattern in Sadhbhavna nagar at night time ...................................... 26 Figure 13 The age group in both the sites ...................................................................... 27 Figure 14 Gender division in both the sites ................................................................... 27 Figure 15 Total Percentage of usage of open spaces in both the sites ........................... 27 Figure 16 Number of dwellers participating in different activities................................ 28 Figure 17 Reasons for non-usage of open spaces by the respective number of dwellers ........................................................................................................................................ 28 Figure 18 Panoramic view of Karimodam (2006) ......................................................... 29 Figure 19 Non-hygienic open spaces in before upgradation ......................................... 29 Figure 20 Flow diagram representing the design process of the slum upgradation....... 30 Figure 21 Site plan of the final design achieved after discussions and survey with dwellers .......................................................................................................................... 30 Figure 22 The basic concept behind providing open spaces and conserving the land simultaneously................................................................................................................ 31 Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

viii

Figure 24 First floor plan of the dwelling unit ............................................................... 31 Figure 25 Second floor plan of the dwelling unit ......................................................... 32 Figure 26 Third floor plan of the dwelling unit ............................................................ 32 Figure 27 Sketches of the architect showing the iso-metric and section of the built proposed ......................................................................................................................... 32 Figure 28 Open terraces and street view of the designed housing ................................. 32 Figure 29 The –ve and +ve aspects of research parameters which directly/indirectly mark their role on the life of dwellers ............................................................................ 33 Figure 30 Illustration representing the struggle through which slum dwellers go in their daily life for Basic Necessities ....................................................................................... 35

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

ix

PREFACE The research started by the proposal of vertical farm for the betterment of open spaces in urban slums, after discussions and reading the topic was altered but the context was maintained because the dissertation went as a design proposal rather the study and also after reading documents it was realized that every slum community has its own culture and the dwellers have their own different perception towards the open spaces and no one rigid product can fulfill the needs of the community. Therefore, the study of the dwellers perception and the value which they attribute to the open spaces took place and lead to this dissertation. In order to provide a product, a study of the mindset of the user is necessary and their spatial needs.

Therefore, this dissertation provides designers, architects and planners the way through which the slum upgradation can take place and to take care of several mentioned aspects which are necessary for such upgradation programs.

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

x

1

INTRODUCTION

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

1

1.1

The Premise

The present situation of rapid urbanization, and the fast pace of horizontal expanding cities makes the sub-urban areas and the areas adjacent to the city pressurized. Such pace provides quantity but leave quality behind in this race of development. The scenario provides needs but will never be able to provide functions. Here we are talking about ever expanding cities and the left out suburban areas which are left dominated from the needs of cities, which are never ending. Areas like squatters/slums are those unplanned realms where human seeks for necessities like shelter but in the quarrel of this search he feels left out in the terms of open areas which are equally important as shelter.

The balance of nature provides an individual the mind, body and soul to continue with his daily hectic schedule. City and its people receive such preferences because society is all about who has the bigger pocket but squatters/slums are the areas which supports the growth of city evolution but on the same hand are left out when it comes to their development. The relationship of man to nature is that bond which makes humans what they are at the present. But man in the race of making money forgets where he comes from or where does he belong to. We don’t belong to the realms of glazing and artificial cool air but to the realms of scenic plains/mountains/coastal areas with river to provide us water and trees to provide us fresh air to breathe and various other necessities. The right of balance in open and built is the basic necessity of all human beings, irrespective of their economical background. Therefore, there is a need of breaking the mindset that there are only three basic necessities including (1)food, (2)clothes, (3)shelter and providing another and the most important aspect if we talk of human as a social animal i.e. (4)open spaces and understanding that it is not luxury but necessity.

1.2

The Definitions and Meaning of the important parameters o Open spaces: A variety of different authors and thinkers have used a range of definitions relating to open space. Open space can be defined as land and water in an urban area that is not covered by cars or buildings, or as any undeveloped land in an urban area (Gold, 1980). On the other hand Tankel (1963) has suggested that open space is not only the land, or the water on the land in and around urban areas, which is not covered by buildings, but is also the space and the light above the land.

o Urban slums: UN-HABITAT (2007) defines a slum household as a group of individuals living under the same roof in an urban area who lack one or more of the following: 1.Durable housing of a permanent nature that protects against extreme climate conditions.

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

2

2. Sufficient living space which means not more than three people sharing the same room.

3. Easy access to safe water in sufficient amounts at an affordable price. 4. Access to adequate sanitation in the form of a private or public toilet shared by a reasonable number of people. 5. Security of tenure that prevents forced evictions.

1.3 The Intent of the Dissertation “Open spaces in neighborhoods are defined as any unbuilt land within the boundary or designated envelope of a neighborhood which provides, or has the potential to provide, environmental, social and economic benefits to communities, whether direct or indirect” 1 Several slum upgradation programs have been and are being conducting, but there are several aspects that control the quality of such programs. Existing housing policies and guidelines for urban poor in India have much of their priorities on housing, improvement of basic services like water supply, sewerage, community toilets and baths, improvement of civic amenities like community halls, educational and social security schemes, but development of open spaces as an urban amenity and generating their policies or guidelines has been noticeably neglected. There is a need of balancing built to the open and study the role and effects of such spaces on slum dwellers in both existing and relocated sites so as to draw a comparison between both processes and design a better neighborhood.

1.4 The Central Claim “Open spaces in urban slums will be used efficiently by dwellers in designed rehabilitated slum sites” The proportion of open spaces in urban slums in respect to built has always been imbalanced, as the ratio is never maintained as the dwellers focus more on shelters to attain safety rather leaving open space for breathing. While its ironical how the hands behind the city growth are left behind when it comes to their development. The balance between open and built is and should be a major agenda towards any development as it is necessary for all human beings irrespective of their economical background. Therefore, the intent is to provide slum dwellers their basic right so that they can develop their mind, body and soul just like the residents in cities.

1.5

The Research Question(s) o What value and significance does open spaces have in the daily life of slum residents? o What are the factors on which open spaces directly/indirectly mark its role?

1

Campbell, K. Rethink Open Space. London, 2001.

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

3

o What are the activities that take place in common open spaces and what are the elements which lead to such occurrence? o What are the factors which makes common open spaces in slums be used, abused or unused?

1.6

The Aim and Objective of the Research

1.6.1 Aim: The aim of the research is to study the role and significance of open spaces for the dwellers in urban slums and what value do they attribute to the space.

1.6.2 Objective: o To study the perception and the value that dwellers have regarding open spaces in existing slum sites. o To study the factors on which open spaces directly/indirectly mark their role. o To observe different activity pattern and how do they change during day time, and the elements responsible for its occurrence.

1.7

The Scope and Limitations of the Research

1.7.1 Scope: o To study the role of open spaces on social, economical and environmental pattern of an area. o To study the inter-relationship of the above mentioned factors. o To create various situations by the inter-relationship of the factors in order to clear the thought behind the factors and their significance. o To derive a comparison between existing and relocated sites by the help of the above mentioned factors

1.7.2 Limitation: o The research will be limited only to the study of social, economical and environmental factors. o The research will be limited only to the deriving of comparison between existing and relocated slum sites. o The research will be limited only to the study of percentage of open and built space in existing/relocated slum sites

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

4

2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

5

2.1

Purpose of the Literature Review

In order to study the already known facts and proved statements about the usage, benefits and role of open spaces in human life there is a need of referring an external sourced document which can help in providing evidences to prove the thought process right. To know the open spaces and their typology and further to collect the secondary data sourced from different fields to draw a conclusion by the help of comparison of different perspectives there is a need of studying and reviewing the documents.

2.2

Categorization of Literature

2.2.1 Pre “Research-Question” Stage o What value does open spaces have in the daily life of slum dwellers? o What are the activities and functions that open spaces provide? o Should there be hierarchy in open spaces or just an open land for every function?

Research started as a proposal for the efficient use of open spaces in slums by going vertical instead of developing horizontal, but after reviewing documents like “Value of common open spaces for urban poor: A case of Ahembdabad” by Devashree Roychowdhury the realization of studying the perception of the slum dwellers towards their habitat and their open spaces occurred rather providing a rigid product through the previous discussed mindset towards the research.

2.2.2 Post “Research-Question” Stage After studying the in-depth research made by Devashree Roychowdhury the urge to study the perception about the open spaces through the eyes of different mindsets lead to the study of Urban open spaces by Helen Woolley and The role of urban green spaces in improving social inclusion

by A.E. Kazmierczak, P. James. The study further lead to the following questions: o What are the factors which can lead to the efficient usage of open spaces by different communities at same time? o What are the factors which can help in maintaining the social fabric? o How can we make open spaces active in the terms of its usage in relocated sites as they were in existing ones? o How can we maintain the sense of ownership and belongingness to the space provided to slum dwellers?

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

6

2.3

Selection process of the Literature and method

The aim of the dissertation is to study the role and significance of open spaces for the dwellers in urban slums and what value do they attribute to the space? Therefore, various parameters like 1) Urban Open spaces, 2) Slum and its Dwellers, 3) Social, Economical and Ecological factors affecting or affected by the open spaces were marked so as to select the literature on the basis of the same. Literature was mainly sourced from the dissertations, books and articles found on the internet and the documents had the keywords related to the parameters that were set.

2.4

Brief review of each referred documents (The Gap)

2.4.1 Review of “Value of common open spaces for urban poor: A case of Ahmedabad” The dissertation focused on studying the use of common open spaces by urban poor, conflict over common property resources, their perception and preferences of common open spaces at both existing and relocated sites. The research also intended to analyze the existing housing schemes, policies and designs with relation to designing common open spaces and stakeholder participation in the planning of the same.

2.4.2 Review of “Urban Open Spaces” by Helen Woolley.

This book focuses on the importance and relevance of open spaces to peoples’ everyday urban lives, whether this is on an individual basis or as a member of a community in the developed Western countries. The book also provides a brief guide to the kind of evidence which might back up assertions about the benefits and opportunities that urban open spaces can provide to the inhabitants. There are many varieties of open spaces in the urban context; therefore different open spaces are also discussed from the view of the user.

2.4.3 Review of “The role of urban green spaces in improving social inclusion” This literature review-based paper argues that urban green spaces in socially excluded areas can increase community cohesion and inclusion of individuals into society in four ways: 1) they are free and accessible to all, 2) they provide space for human interactions, 3) they relieve stress and restore mental fatigue, thus reducing aggression, and 4) they offer opportunities for urban residents to participate in voluntary work. The authors call for green space creation and improvement in

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

7

socially excluded areas to improve the quality of life of their residents and to create cohesive and inclusive communities.

2.5

Collating the Literature Review learnings:

The literature being referred revolves around the parameters that were selected in the chapter 2.3.3 and provides various viewpoints by Sociologists, Researchers, Economists, Ecologists, Government bodies and the perception of dwellers. The dissertation “Value of common open spaces for urban poor: A case of Ahmedabad” draws the comparison how existing slum sites gets ruined when they are been relocated and how the social fabric is disturbed in the process. In order to draw the comparison the researcher compares the open spaces through various aspects that lead to the definition of a space and further judge them on the basis of different stakeholder’s opinion.

Whereas the book “Urban Open Spaces” gives the affect and role of open spaces on various factors like Social, Health related, Environmental, Economical parameters.

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

8

3

METHODS AND METHODOLOGY

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

9

3.1

Method(s) opted of Data/ case Selection and its Justification:

By keeping in mind the various parameters for the research the Data and Cases were selected on the basis of it. Secondary data and its review has been marked in the chapter 2.4 while the methods for the collection of the same are Library studies, reviewing dissertations, thesis and books by internet studies. There are various data and cases which were selected, such as:

a) Value of common open spaces for Urban poor: a case of Ahmedabad; The data was selected on the basis of its in-depth research catering the comparison between existing and relocated sites on the basis of parameters which were directly related to the topic. The research further, covers two cases one relocated and another existing one which helps in clearing the image about the situation.

b) Urban Open Spaces; The data was selected as it deals with various other fields of knowledge and judges open spaces from the viewpoints from different fields. The data provides proving points for various researches from various fields regarding open spaces.

c) The role of urban green spaces in improving social inclusion; The data was collected as it revolves around the social aspects related to the social inclusion of different communities and provides factual data regarding the social parameter in open spaces.

d) Case of Karimodam Slum Upgradation Project, Kerela; The project comes out to be an ideal project as it focuses on the evolution of slums rather than creating another slum by relocating them, instead the ideology of principal architect suggested to go for In-situ development as relocation ruins many aspects which effects the dwellers and their living. Karimodam consisted of population 2341 dwellers approx. 632 families in the area of 9.73 acres amongst which only 72 families were provided roof by the govt. 20 years before the project started. The ideology behind the designed slum was to provide adequate open spaces for slum dwellers by respecting the value of land and the perception of dwellers towards high-storey structures simultaneously

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

10

3.2

Method(s) opted for Data Collection and its Justification

3.2.1 Primary Data Collection Primary data is collected by semi-structured interviews and surveys carried in both existing and relocated sites, in order to know the perception and preferences of dwellers for their open spaces.

3.2.2 Secondary Data Collection Methods opted for secondary data collection includes literature studies of books, dissertations, thesis and articles. College library and internet helped in accessing the secondary data.

3.3

Method(s) opted for Data Analysis and its Justification

3.3.1 Primary Data Analysis Primary data was analyzed by Pie-charts, Bar graphs in order to represent the quantitative data while semi-structure/open ended interviews helped in analyzing the qualitative data.

3.3.2 Secondary Data Analysis Secondary data was judged on the basis of various parameters which were set in earlier chapters and by deriving the inter-relationship between the controlling points of the research the information was narrowed down so that it can help in becoming useful data which is directly related to the research topic.

3.4 1.

Advantages and Limitations of the method(s) adopted Semi-structured interviews: Advantages o Respondents can be questioned as much detail as the researcher wants. o More valid information about respondent’s attitudes, values and opinions can be obtained. o An informal atmosphere can encourage the respondent to be open and honest o The researcher has the freedom to change the path of questions whenever he/she observes the need.

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

11

Limitations o Only a small number of such interviews can take place because each one can last for long time. o It gets difficult to compare the results in-depth interviews because each interview is unique in its own way. o It is time consuming in both data collection and data analysis.

2.

Surveys: Advantages o Large amounts of information can be collected from a large number of people in a short period of time. o Can be analyzed more 'scientifically' and objectively than other forms of research. o When data has been quantified, it can be used to compare and contrast other research and may be used to measure change.

Limitations o There is no way to tell how truthful a respondent is being while answering. o There is no way of telling how much thought a respondent has put in. o The respondent may be forgetful or not thinking within the full context of the situation. o People may read differently into each question and therefore reply based on their own interpretation of the question.

3.

Likert Scale: Advantages o This is the most universal method for survey collection, therefore they are easily understood. o The responses are easily quantifiable and subjective to computation of some mathematical analysis. o It does not force the participant to take a stand on a particular topic, but allows them to respond in a degree of agreement; this makes question answering easier on the respondent. o These responses are very easy to code when accumulating data since a single number represents the participant’s response.

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

12

Limitations o The Likert Scale is uni-dimensional and only gives 5-7 options of choice, and the space between each choice cannot possibly be equidistant. o It fails to measure the true attitudes of respondents o It is likely that peoples’ answers will be influences by previous questions, or will heavily concentrate on one response side (agree/disagree) o People avoid choosing the “extremes” options on the scale, because of the negative implications involved with “extremists”, even if an extreme choice would be the most accurate.

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

13

4

DATA DEMONSTRATION

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

14

4.1

Data collection structure/ format Value and significance of open spaces in urban slums

Studying urban slums and dwellers

Perception of dwellers.

Semi-structured interviews,Focus group discussions

Studying open spaces

Current situation of different cases

Studying the parameters of open spaces which affects human life

Surveys, Mapping

Literature study

Inter-relationship of parameters

Analysing the interrelationship of the factors

Figure 1 Structure showing the processes through which research went and generated the need of the collection of data.

SOURCE: Author

The structure decides the hierarchy of information and data collection procedure, the title revolves around urban slums and open spaces. Therefore, the study of urban slums and open spaces have been done separately in order to analyze the collected data after the data collection of both the topics.

4.2

Data Set: Presentation of unprocessed Data

As the study revolves around various aspects of open spaces which directly or indirectly mark their role on human being many of the data was to be majorly focused on human beings of urban slums. The researcher wanted to extract the perception of dwellers in urban slums. The gap is drawn when we talk about the drastic change in the usage and the value attributed by dwellers to the open spaces, in the process of relocation of their residence to a relocated site. As discussed earlier in 4.1 the study has two contexts with, i.e. Urban slums and dwellers and Open spaces, Therefore in the case of urban slums and dwellers mainly secondary data was collected which was processed directly in order to be used as data which is directly linked to the topic. Whereas, to narrow down the data collected from the secondary sources, it was necessary to judge the collected data on the basis of the scope marked already. Scope here depicts the percentage of the information which is directly usable. Therefore, many of the information were not processed to be used as data as it was out of scope. Such unprocessed data includes articles/dissertation/thesis/research paper and books named:

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

15

1. Urban green space, public health, and environmental justice: The challenge of making cities ‘just green enough’ The above mentioned data helped in collecting the various proving facts for the research but could not be used directly as the context in the open spaces is at city level which helped in providing an image about the various situations but those situations were not directly linked with the topic.

While judging the research paper through the already marked parameters it was found that it contained much of the information out of the scope and only a limited amount can be used directly.

2. Primary Case study by Devashree Roychowdhry in her research, “Value of common open

spaces for urban poor: A case of Ahmedabad” on 2 existing slum sites and 2 relocating ones out of which further 2 cases were selected for the analysis ;

Figure 2 showing the comparative analysis of the case study on 2 relocated sites SOURCE: https://www.itc.nl/library/papers_2014/msc/upm/roychowdhury.pdf

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

16

Figure 3 showing the comparative analysis of the case study on 2 relocated sites SOURCE: https://www.itc.nl/library/papers_2014/msc/upm/roychowdhury.pdf

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

17

Fig.3 showing the comparative analysis of the case study on 2 existing sites

Figure 4 showing the comparative analysis of the case study on 2 existing sites SOURCE: https://www.itc.nl/library/papers_2014/msc/upm/roychowdhury.pdf

4.3

Challenges in data collection Procedure 

To collect the secondary data it was difficult to extract the information which was directly related to the topic and its scope.

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

18



To identify a place where a group discussion can held while keeping in mind the numbers involved in the discussion can ultimately ruin the process by deviating the discussion to their topics which are out of the scope.



Semi-structured interviews take time to extract the important data as it takes time to understand the participant and his conditions.



While observing the activity pattern many sensitive activities got altered due the researcher’s presence in dwellers realm.



Many of the books were not available in the library as well as on the internet so as to access the information residing in it.

4.4

The Nature of the Data Set : Qualitative or Quantitative or Mix

4.4.1 Primary data set 

Semi-structured interviews provided the perception of the dwellers towards the open spaces and their new relocated sites. Therefore, it helped in accessing the qualitative set of the collected data.



Whereas, surveys provided both the qualitative and quantitative data set where they help in generating the perception of dwellers towards open spaces.



Activity mapping served the quantitative aspect of the open spaces by depicting the transition in the usage on a daily basis.

4.4.2 Secondary data set 

Secondary case studies helped in generating both the qualitative and quantitative data set by the help of referring in-depth researches.



CENSUS (2011) provided quantitative data set regarding the selected cases.



Literature study helped in generating qualitative data set by introducing to the different parameters which affects the life of slum dwellers.



Google earth helped in collecting the quantitative aspect by generating maps.

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

19

5

ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

20

5.1

Strength and limitations of the collected Data

5.1.1 Strength 

Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires for survey have generated various viewpoints of dwellers towards their existing livelihood.



As the process of the data collection was flexible it was easy to go in-depth of the problems and collect the data which was directly related to the scope of the topic.



Questionnaires helped in collecting the viewpoints from a large number of people ultimately, generating more precise data.

5.1.2 Limitations 

Though, semi-structured interview were in-depth and helped in extracting various viewpoints but on the same hand only few of such interview could have been done as they are time taking to extract the information out from the participants mind.



While using Likert scale for the surveys, it was noticed that no participant chooses the “extremes” options on the scale, because of the negative implications involved with “extremists”, even if an extreme choice would be the most accurate.

5.2

Visual Representation of the Data

5.2.1 Value of common open spaces for urban poor: A case of Ahmedabad: The research paper by Devashree Roychowdhury helped in accessing the various case studies and the analyzed data processed through it. The following collected data including case studies and bar-graphs are sourced from a secondary source. The research studies the gap which come out while in the process of relocation of dwellers and the poor connection between stakeholders ultimately resulting in non-efficient housing for the dwellers.

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

21

5.2.1.1 Site introduction: 1.

Shankar bhawan, Ahembdabad (Existing site)

Figure 5 Showing the existing site and the surrounding SOURCE: https://www.itc.nl/library/papers_2014/msc/upm/roychowdhury.pdf

As it was an existing site, it was situated in the city center and was well connected by all primary and secondary roads. The railway and bus stations were also situated in close proximity. The site valued the situation of being located at the riverfront with ample amount of open spaces around wherein a lot of informal activities took place.

2.

Sadhbhavna nagar, Ahmebdabad (Relocated site)

Figure 6 Showing the relocated site and the surrounding SOURCE: https://www.itc.nl/library/papers_2014/msc/upm/roychowdhury.pdf

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

22

The site currently lacked the potential to get developed as a platform for hawkers and vendors as it was predominantly occupied by low income dwellers that belong to the same category. The site was located near to vatwa railway station but was not used as an option for commuting by the residents. Also the relocated site is far from the city centre and leads to the problem of commuting to the centre for occupational purposes.

5.2.1.2 Site comparison: Existing v/s Relocated sites

Figure 7 Previous site location of the slum dwellers and the new site location after the relocation process SOURCE: https://www.itc.nl/library/papers_2014/msc/upm/roychowdhury.pdf

The previous location wherein the people were living since many years was situated in the city center with ample opportunities by having potential commercial, institutional and residential areas around. The new site was situated at the periphery of the city with limited benefits.

The situation left many of the dwellers either jobless or involved in criminal activities such as drug trafficking and theft.

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

23

5.2.1.3 Built vs. Open

Figure 8 Shankar bhawan, Shahpur

Sadhbhavna nagar, Ahmedabad.

SOURCE: https://www.itc.nl/library/papers_2014/msc/upm/roychowdhury.pdf

After comparing, it was realized that open spaces developed in the former were concentrated on one side because of the riverfront development, and subsequent slum relocation that took place toward the end of 2011. But the open spaces formed in patches inside the slum settlement were not enough to cater to the population residing within the area. It highlighted towards the fact that dwellers with a specific purpose and who were living at the riverfront side had more probability of using the large space formed, and had an edge over the others.

The common open spaces were comprised parking spaces, social amenities like primary health centers and religious structures, solid waste management site, water tank and circulation spaces like roads and margins.

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

24

5.2.1.4 Activity pattern Daytime, Existing site: Shankar bhawan, Ahembdabad

Figure 9 Activity pattern in Shankar bhawan at daytime SOURCE: https://www.itc.nl/library/papers_2014/msc/upm/roychowdhury.pdf

Daytime, Relocated site: Sadhbhavna nagar, Ahembdabad

Figure 10 Activity pattern in Sadhbhanvna nagar at daytime SOURCE: https://www.itc.nl/library/papers_2014/msc/upm/roychowdhury.pdf

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

25

Night time, Existing site: Shankar bhawan, Ahembdabad

Figure 11 Activity pattern in Shankar bhawan at night time SOURCE: https://www.itc.nl/library/papers_2014/msc/upm/roychowdhury.pdf

Night time, Relocated site: Sadhbhavna nagar, Ahembdabad

Figure 12 Activity pattern in Sadhbhavna nagar at night time SOURCE: https://www.itc.nl/library/papers_2014/msc/upm/roychowdhury.pdf

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

26

It is observed that there are more activities occurring at the existing site compared to the relocated site. The relocated site demanded different kinds of spaces for different users such as the teenage females looked for backyard and introvert areas, teenage males looked for open extrovert areas.

5.2.1.5 Statistical Data a) Age group and Gender division

Figure 13 The age group in both the sites SOURCE: https://www.itc.nl/library/papers_2014/msc/upm/roychowdhury.pdf

Figure 14 Gender division in both the sites SOURCE: https://www.itc.nl/library/papers_2014/msc/upm/roychowdhury.pdf

To extract the perception of dwellers about usage and non-usage of common open spaces in the relocated and existing slum sites people from all age groups and genders were selected by the author Devashree Roychowdhry in order to invite different viewpoints.

b) Usage of open spaces

Figure 15 Total Percentage of usage of open spaces in both the sites SOURCE: https://www.itc.nl/library/papers_2014/msc/upm/roychowdhury.pdf

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

27

Figure 16 Number of dwellers participating in different activities SOURCE: https://www.itc.nl/library/papers_2014/msc/upm/roychowdhury.pdf

From the above figure it can be inferred that many different types of activities were taking place in the existing slum site and the number of people involved in undertaking these activities were also more in the existing slum site. Whereas in the relocated site both activity type and people involved in the activity type were found to be limited in number. The above figure represents the number of dwellers involved in the activities taking place in open spaces.

c) Reason for non-usage of open spaces

Figure 17 Reasons for non-usage of open spaces by the respective number of dwellers SOURCE: https://www.itc.nl/library/papers_2014/msc/upm/roychowdhury.pdf

The above figure represents the reasons behind the non-usage of common open spaces in both sites stated by the dwellers by selecting the reasons they felt applied for them in the questionnaire (carried out by Devashree Roychowdhry) and by adding the new ones they thought were necessary. The most prominent reason for non-usage emerged out to be the lack of space and work load in existing and relocated sites respectively. Many of them found the issue of ‘distance to their workplace’ being very far also one of the reasons for non-usage, as they did not get enough time to use the open spaces.

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

28

5.2.2 Karimodam slum upgradation, Trivandrum, Kerela.

Figure 18 Panoramic view of Karimodam (2006) SOURCE: http://municipalika.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/Presentations/CS08-P-B-Sajan-Presentation.pdf

Karimodam slum upgradation project was proposed in the year 2006 and was divided into two phases, phase one has ended while phase two is still being carried out by the architectural firm Costford, Trivandrum which is famous for its late principal architect, Laurie Baker. The project comes out to be an ideal project as it focuses on the evolution of slums rather than creating another slum by relocating them, instead the ideology of principal architect suggested to go for In-situ development as relocation ruins many aspects which effects the dwellers and their living.

Karimodam consisted of population 2341 dwellers approx. 632 families in the area of 9.73 acres amongst which only 72 families were provided roof by the govt. 20 years before the project started.

Figure 19 Non-hygienic open spaces in before upgradation SOURCE: http://municipalika.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/Presentations/CS08-P-B-Sajan-Presentation.pdf

500+ families were living in congested and kutcha shelters in a highly non-hygienic environment.

The major issue was the monsoon and storms which come with it as the water enters the city

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

29

sewage system and reaches the sewage collection pond which is situated in the site. Which further leads to decaying and spreading of diseases.

5.2.2.1 Design Process The ideology behind the designed slum was to provide adequate open spaces for slum dwellers by respecting the value of land and the perception of dwellers towards high-storey structures simultaneously.

Site Visits

Preliminary survey

Preliminary design

Discussion on design with dwellers

Further alterations according to the dwellers need

Figure 20 Flow diagram representing the design process of the slum upgradation SOURCE: Author

Focus group discussions and Surveys were held by the design team where women and children were considered primary stakeholders in the context of evolving through their design upgradation process which was divided into two phases.

Figure 21 Site plan of the final design achieved after discussions and survey with dwellers SOURCE: http://municipalika.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/Presentations/CS08-P-B-Sajan-Presentation.pdf

The architect took the stake of the dwellers and gave them the importance of the space which was going to be transferred to them from the government. He also appriciated the role of the Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

30

Communist Political Party in Kerela as the project was being funded through them and also creating a transparent design process where all the stakeholders know the design stage and the process through which is being conducted.

Figure 22 The basic concept behind providing open spaces and conserving the land simultaneously SOURCE: http://municipalika.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/Presentations/CS08-P-B-Sajan-Presentation.pdf

5.2.2.2 Design drawings Following are the design drawings which are shown to present the open space typology that has been provided by the architect Laurie Baker.

Figure 23 Ground floor plan of the dwelling unit SOURCE: http://municipalika.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/Presentations/CS08-P-B-Sajan-Presentation.pdf

Figure 24 First floor plan of the dwelling unit SOURCE: http://municipalika.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/Presentations/CS08-P-B-Sajan-Presentation.pdf

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

31

Figure 25 Second floor plan of the dwelling unit SOURCE: http://municipalika.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/Presentations/CS08-P-B-Sajan-Presentation.pdf

Figure 26 Third floor plan of the dwelling unit SOURCE: http://municipalika.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/Presentations/CS08-P-B-Sajan-Presentation.pdf

Figure 27 Sketches of the architect showing the iso-metric and section of the built proposed SOURCE: http://municipalika.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/Presentations/CS08-P-B-Sajan-Presentation.pdf

Figure 28 Open terraces and street view of the designed housing SOURCE: http://municipalika.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/Presentations/CS08-P-B-Sajan-Presentation.pdf

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

32

The architect on one hand made the dwellers live vertically and give them a new typology which is private to their usage on the other hand in order to comfort the dwellers provided a proportionate design which has adequate open spaces for the dwellers and community to dwell in harmony.

The usage in this project was observed efficient, as the community was old as compared to others and majority of them used to live with different communities. Therefore, the role of crowd’s mindset played a vital role in maintaining the social harmony and peace in a designed housing.

5.3

Cause and Effect relationship

There are several aspects which play an important role in the running of slums and there was a need to study the causes of those aspects and there effects on the dwellers. Following are some factors which directly or indirectly marks its role on dwellers,

Figure 29 The –ve and +ve aspects of research parameters which directly/indirectly mark their role on the life of dwellers SOURCE: Author

1. Abuse: The abuse and the non-usage occurs in the relocated slum sites as the social fabric was not maintained properly and no two different communities wanted to use the space simultaneously.

The non-usage can also be explained by mentioning that due to the resettlement of the slum the occupational city center went far from the dwellers therefore, it started taking them more time and Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

33

money and hence they were unable to socialize or use open spaces. The effect of the factor is been reflected on the social aspect of the community where no two houses interact or supports the one in need.

2. Maintenance: It was seen that the maintenance of open spaces in relocated sites were drastically different from that in existing slum sites, because of the sense of ownership was present in the existing ones as the dwellers were only ones responsible for their own shelter and how it will rest on earth. Therefore, they developed sense of ownership towards the shelter and open areas.

Whereas in the scenario of relocated sites, the users had the mindset that government was responsible for the maintenance as they were not involved in the design process by the government. Therefore, this factor leads to the non-usage of open spaces too.

3. Safety: Safety in an area is maintained when there is less negative spaces and more of recreational and interactive spaces where the elders and children can socialize. The activities help in keeping an area active in the terms of usage. But, in the case of relocated sites the spaces were left un-used, leading to the inactive zones which help in criminal activities.

4. Social Gatherings: It was observed that social gatherings usually takes place near native trees or efficient landscaping providing adequate sitting provisions. Therefore, the presence of native trees and efficient landscaping led to social gatherings.

5. Celebrating festivals: “Open spaces do have the potential to be used as a cultural focus, although this potential is currently not fully understood or realized. This cultural focus will also relate to other social and environmental benefits.” 2 Unlike city dwellers, slum inhabitants are more close to their culture and its dependency on nature directly. Therefore, many of their celebration is directly or indirectly related to the usage of open spaces be it around a tree or in an open ground for the feast. Also, the efficient usage of open spaces in festival time helps in generating economy for the local dwellers by selling items related to the seasonal festival. Celebration being a ‘Social’ aspect is dependent on Trees which is ‘Environmental’ and also serves in generating revenue which is ‘Economical’.

2

Wolley, Hellen . Urban Open Spaces. London: Spon press, 2003.

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

34

5.4

The Final Comment

Figure 30 Illustration representing the struggle through which slum dwellers go in their daily life for Basic Necessities SOURCE: Vamakshi Pant (Art Student working on illustrations describing the theme ‘slum and streets of India’)

Ideal design process for slum upgradation The process through which these upgradation projects are carried out needs to be rectified as they lack involvement of dwellers in the upgradation of their shelter and community by taking their stake at the situation. Following the semi-structured conversation with Ar. P.B. Sajan (Costford, Trivandrum) the upgradation should start by understanding the spaces and their usage by the dwellers. Every community has its own culture and with culture comes their own spatial needs, for example the architect recalled a situation where people wanted space for paan spiting in their locality in order to keep their locality clean and hygienic in one of his slum upgradation project. But, yet the statement is contextual in the terms of crowd’s mindset.

The talk further lead to the importance of political parties and organizations which need to be informed on a daily basis about the process so that the communication between the dwellers and the government can turn out to be efficient enough to generate a better design for the dwellers.

Present design process for slum upgradation But, by observing other slum upgradation projects in country the design went out just as another failure in slum upgradation process as it lacked the communication between the Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

35

stakeholders and resulted in poor design product for the people to dwell and evolve. The social disarticulated communities found it difficult to socialize in order to serve society in a better way. Other than social issues, economical and environmental also mark their role on the dwellers. Open spaces and its design must be done in such a way that it helps in solving the above mentioned issues, as these were the issues and the role that they mark their impact in the life of any habitant. In order to solve the social issues hierarchy in open spaces must be taken care as it includes various elements differing from size, terrain, landscape and accessibility which serve many events and activities which are necessary for maintaining social harmony.

Whereas, to serve economical aspects the source for generating revenue must be near to the relocated sites, or the provision of such open spaces which can help in economical exchange must be done for the dwellers which previously had cattle, farms and other self-relying occupation. While talking about environmental aspects there’s a need of planting several native species as they are a part of their culture and plays an important role towards their meaning of nature, which is there to heal them in every form be it physical or spiritual.

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

36

6

CONCLUSIONS

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

37

6.1

Recapitulation of Research Question & its Significance

As mentioned earlier in the chapter 1, research questions marked the trajectory of the research And helped in defining the scope and limitation of the research. Discussing further the questions and their significance that they made in the research, To understand the value of open spaces it was needed to observe the activity pattern and understand the spatial needs of the dwellers. Further, to learn how the open spaces play a significant role in the human life and then comparing both the aspects to clear the image in mind.

The factors provided the parameters after referring the information in dissertation and the books related to the topic in order to mark the limitation of the research.

6.2

Research Inference and its Significance

Inferred documents changed the ideology towards the open spaces by providing different important parameters which directly mark their role on slum dwellers and further to their usage of open spaces. The documents played a vital role in generating the questions and observing how they answer in real situations occurred in urban slums, while after reading various viewpoints it helped in relating one aspect to another to finally generate clear and more transparent image about the situation. By inferring already existing slum projects and their drawbacks and then relating it to the literature which was inferred it was easier to converse with an architect who has already done an slum upgradation project. By inferring the conversation the idea about the design process led to the understanding of the need of the dwellers involvement in the evolution of design.

The methodology as discussed in chapter 4, helped in collecting the information and further guided how they need to be analyzed for the extraction of transparent data. The methodology divided the process in understanding the open spaces and the dwellers both in a balanced manner and then helping to generate the answers which has many sub-layers inter-related to it and which needs to be taken care of, in order to provide dwellers a better community to dwell in.

6.3

Revisiting the Central Claim

The claim mentioned the efficient usage of open spaces by slum dwellers in relocated slum sites.

By inferring different documents and conversing with people responsible for such upgradation programs it was analyzed that many aspects come in between the functioning of open spaces. For example, in North India the community differences and the conflict between them is one of the

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

38

most crucial aspect in the abuse of the space provided, but after observing the scenario in South India (Kerela) there were no such community differences and people from the very beginning of the existing slum sites used to live together in great harmony. This among various aspects makes such upgradation programs contextual and made researcher realize that no one designed product can come out to be efficient one as the users and the context along with them changes drastically.

But, one thing which should be constant in all the relocation programs is the involvement of dwellers and knowing their perception towards the open spaces. Open spaces, their typology and their usage by the dwellers changes from place to place therefore, one rigid product cannot serve the different contexts. Therefore, the stake of dwellers in the process of evolution is the most prior step towards the design as it is them who will make the relocation successful or an another failure like various other existing relocation projects. Open spaces provide ample of benefits and opportunities for social inclusion and economic activities but their importance is yet to be realized in the developing countries as they have yet not met the shelter and perceive the open as luxury instead of necessity.

6.4

The future Research possibilities

The research revolves around the slum dwellers and their perception towards the open spaces and studying the different parameters marking their role on the livelihood. The research went by comparing three different case studies and were judged only on the parameters like social, economical and environmental. 

It’ll be interesting to see other parameters and their role on dweller’s usage of open spaces.



Three cases can be selected, differing from its location chosen on the basis of Gross State Income made by the different states and then picking slum sites in it. In order to select cases three situations must be selected, i) Lowest GDP ii) Adequate GDP iii) Highest GDP in order to understand the context which comes with higher GDP



Amalgamation of two parameters in order to provide a new and efficient situation can be another approach. For example, provision of farming lands will acts as Environmental and Economical situation. Study of such parameters and their product will be interesting.



In-situ rehabilitation v/s Relocation can mark out various pros and cons of both the aspects.

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

39

LIST OF REFERNCES Helen , Wolley. Urban Open Spaces. London, 2003. http://www.cmecc.com/uploads/%E8%AF%BE%E6%9C%AC%E5%92%8C%E8%AE%BA%E6 %96%87/[81][%E8%A7%84%E5%88%92%E8%AE%BE%E8%AE%A1]Helen.Woolley(2004)U RBAN.OPEN.SPACES.pdf Devashree, Roychowdhry. Value of common open spaces for urban poor: A case of Ahmedabad.

PhD diss., University of Twente, Netherlands, 2014. https://www.itc.nl/library/papers_2014/msc/upm/roychowdhury.pdf

A.E. , Kazmierczak, and P., James. The role of urban green spaces in improving social inclusion .

PhD diss., University of Salford, UK, 2015. www.irbnet.de/daten/iconda/CIB16580.pdf

Karin Kragsig, Peschardt. Health Promoting Pocket Parks in a Landscape Architectural Perspective. PhD diss., University of Copenhagen, 2014. University of Copenhagen: Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management . https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Karin_Peschardt/publication/268814072_Health_Promoting_ Pocket_Parks_in_a_Landscape_Architectural_Perspective/links/547846220cf2a961e484e082/Heal th-Promoting-Pocket-Parks-in-a-Landscape-Architectural-Perspective.pdf

P.B. Sajan, Laurie Baker Design and Influences, November 2014 http://municipalika.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/Presentations/CS08-P-B-Sajan-Presentation.pdf

Cecil C., Konijnendijk , and Matilda, Annerstedt. Benefits of Urban Parks . PhD diss., University of Copenhagen, 2013. worldurbanparks.org/images/Newsletters/IfpraBenefitsOfUrbanParks.pdf

Value and significance of open spaces attributed by dwellers in urban slums

40