Temporary urban interventions for effective place-making in shopping streets: special reference to pettah, colombo

Abstract

Asian cities contain a unique heterogeneity of social cultural backgrounds, which has a significant existence of bazaar type or informal sector with open type temporary and mobile activities that are more flexible, quick, light and low-cost. Today, the mobile, temporary and bazaar type informal activities have an increasing demand for its potential in resisting the high urban rental of land and goods.The study explores the temporary urban interventions such as activity based intentions, structural interventions and sensory interventions in urban shopping streets as place making elements. This stimulates the city to be a unique place for people and transforms it into a place of enjoyment. It can be remarkably effective in remaking an urban public place such as Pettah in Colombo city which is studied here as a case. But permanent physical components are committed resources to improve shopping streets rather than temporary components. That is because city development processes assume that improvements in temporary urban interventions cause uncertain risks in the city. Therefore, temporary components in streetscapes are provided less attention and care. Resources are committed for permanent physical improvements of shopping streets by replacing or removing the temporary installations, which are being eroded This is despite the great interest people show for these places and the benefits gained from them over the permanent components in shopping streets. The research confirms that the temporary urban interventions in shopping streets are the key aspects of making the urban shopping places active. The hierarchy and continuity in the arrangement of layers creates a kind of urban order, which may not be understood by an outsider of that spatial culture. Using unique patterns to enhance city identity and image is also a strategy of economic and community development in the city. Implementing place-making brings positive results in empowering community capacity. It also reveals elements for the affordable places given by community.