The social significance of 'place' in urban design: a study of 'around places' in two selected urban environments

Abstract

Architecture is primarily the basic expression of humanity. Architecture creates places; because places have a great emotional bond with people. This bond can be explained by the phenomenon of place and the presence of 'significant places'. Place is a significant spatial experience with man's emotional attachments to physical environments, attachment between intimate persons, attachments with imaginary spaces etc. 'Around Place', being one of the kinds of places, which is formed by a strong central feature. However, today due to rapid urbanization and haphazard development, there is a lack of interest in these 'places' in urban design. So the main objective of this dissertation is to promote awareness of the social significance of these places to improve the quality of urban environments.