Edge morphological characteristics of designed urban public spaces: study of selected public spaces in Colombo

Abstract

Public spaces are vital for a vibrant and healthy urban society. It is pertinent to design such public spaces with very specific and clear intentions. Sri Lankan cities do not have many designed public spaces. When they have, they are either from colonial time or the very recent past without any continuity in between. Parks and squares that are recognized as public spaces in the local context, sometimes are not purposefully designed or developed as spaces with appropriate morphological elements. The effectiveness of public places will be greatly increased if appropriate morphological characteristics are taken into account at the design stage. Some of these characteristics are Edge Character, Visual Profile of the Top Edge and Edge set back of the surrounding built fabric. These characteristics can be collectively labelled as ‘Edge Responsiveness’. Therefore, the aim of this study is to have an analysis of the characteristics at the edge of such designed public spaces in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This will help in creating more socially responsive urban spaces and will be useful as a design guideline for such work. The research focuses on four selected designed public space: two parks and two squares and their ability to satisfy the typologically appropriate design attributes. It is evident from the results of the analysis that the ‘Edge’ is generally neglected or ignored when designing these spaces leading to less responsive public spaces.