Activating city through kinetic spaces: a case of Aluva Manappuram

Abstract

Incredible urban communities over the world have truly been characterized by the nature of their open spaces more than the design magnificence of individual buildings. The activities taking place in such spaces influence the character of the city. One such activity which highlights that the place is not static is Festival events. It is a city in constant motion, where the very physical fabric is characterized by the kinetic. Such non-static cities encourage urban transformations over economy, politics and culture over the static city. Aluva, a town in Kerala, India, derives its unique identity from once-in-a-year activity of ‘Shivarathri’ festival which specifically happens at the ‘Manappuram’ (sandbanks) of Periyar River. However, this space is left underutilized for the rest of the year leading to several undesirable activities resulting in safety concerns, crimes, waste dumping etc. This paper evaluates how the festival affects the town and neighborhood and how the non-static nature of space, during the rest of the year, can be harnessed for its benefit, thus making it into an asset for the town. Participant observation during the festival and over the course of the year is carried out to analyze the spatial quality. Accessibility, safety, nature of enclosure in relation to kinetic spaces are analyzed in this paper. The study concludes on how the kinetic spaces can be designed and managed as an asset for the cities.