Study of social and spatial characteristics of urban public space : case study : Rome and Colombo

Abstract

Present day cities and their public spaces are not provided with the proper ways. It mainly causes to remain the urban spaces isolated without people and activities. Although the designers created visually pleasing beautiful places less consideration was given on its social and spatial characteristics in the proper way to create rich socio spatial urban environment full of people with different activities. Most of the modern cities that designed recently paid little attention to their socio cultural values and their urban public spaces become lost as, and they have finally created unused dead spaces. The liveliness of the urban spaces is increasingly diminishing due to various negative effects. This has caused very badly for developing countries. Rome had been a city of urbanized and developed but with magnificent urban spaces at history and so far. Studies of them will create to unearth the elements of the past, which are applicable in the present urban context. In Rome the most live urban spaces are urban squares, which emphasizes and doubled the activities and movement comparing to other urban spaces. Therefore some urban squares in Rome have been examined. For Sri Lanka the Independent Square is a especially designed urban public square. It is characteristics have been studied as the squares in Rome. Mainly the social and spatial attributes are studied which make strengthen the urban activities or how the social and spatial attributes intertwined our urban space, in response to its physical context too. And how the society of Rome has attached to the urban square, where it remains their quality as monumental or multipurpose or etc. These places accommodate the urban man fulfilling various requirements and needs of the ancient Romans. And how the urban square intertwined socially and spatially to suit the present situation for the population. Hence study of how the urban square has to be created or make intertwined in urban space is essential to make public space.