This blog is a series expressing the roles of 'urban actors' serving through their livelihoods and becoming a part of our social structure building informal and friendly relationships with the residents, children and pedestrians. As our cities are growing to cater and compete with 'world class' aspirations, we miss on enriching finer nuances that are sensorial creating positive and safe gestures. Yes I am talking of those 'urban actors' wandering on our local streets and vicinity selling daily bread, chat, sugar floss, vegetables, kulfi, dress materials, utensils, etc.
This blog series will highlight blog wise urban actors which could be explored through their cognitive, emotional and behavioral involvements through a framework to address the temporal dynamics of the cities.
It is believed that bringing local culture and local voices into the design processes could shape the future for collective, lasting change in our city.
Why do we need these Urban actors? What value do they add to our cities and living?
While being privileged to live in a residential complex, we hear constant voices of Idliwalas, bhelpuriwalas, scrap dealers and door to door vegetable and fish sellers, etc. It adds value in creating place attachment along with emotional and behavioral involvement in sharing our daily chores narrative with these actors. The relationship between such actors, us and places can be characterized by the multifaceted and complex urban phenomenon that incorporates different aspects of people-place bonding and involves the interplay of behaviors, actions, emotions, knowledge and beliefs. Hence, building a framework is a must step in addressing different aspects of people-place relationships acting as a strong existing layer beneath newer developments. While venturing through many urban theories, it gave way to inquire 'people - place - culture' urban theory by Irwin Altman, Setha M. Low in understanding human interaction and its association with different components of places - form, activity and meaning.
Here is the framework for addressing the urban actors and their cognitive, behavioral and emotional connection with the components of place. It is hypothesized that experimenting through this theory could spur the periodical celebrations, interactions or activities in creating place attachment and vibrant public spaces which are a need in today's cities.
This blog traces our 'BHELPURIWALA CHACHA' wandering from one society to another, usually a North Indian migrated fills the entire city into the sweet and sourly aroma pumping our moods. Most of our evening snacks include their chats. isn't it? Here is my small experience tracing the 'Bhelpuriwala chacha' visiting my locality which I would share how such actors contribute to the larger urban phenomena. Narratives of Behlpuriwala chacha - He starts his day at four pm filing his basket (thela) with materials needed for Bhel, Sevpuri. Most of his material is homemade and starts his journey from railway station where he makes his good sell and heads towards every residential complex mostly non gated. My hometown being a coastal small town is blessed with scenic beach where he ends his journey selling 6-7km on walk and finally makes himself stationary. His peculiar voice, ethnic dressing and recipes fill the space with positive vibe where the space becomes celebrative for daily interactions and social associations. The space where he sells in the residential complex is rest of times taken over for many other activities where people feel positive sense to a place which means that they love that place and want to be there and communicate. Due to this, people build sense of attachment within themselves based on social communication and place of events shaping their experiences.
Such mapping is known as cognitive mapping where the actor is followed and on-ground interviews are conducted by tracing their expressions in different places and how they create their owns routes in understanding and knowing the city. The analysis of such mapping can give rise to micro spaces, activities and associations we remember, experience and add to our favorite adventures giving rise to place attachment which could be reconnected while designing for newer developments.
Lastly, this blog attempts to address the finer nuances urban actors being one of them in our cities which are invisibly present manifesting great good places for associations and vibrant public spaces. Do like, share and comment your opinions.
References:
Altman. I., Low. S. (1992). Human behaviour and environments: Advances in theory and research. V. 12, Place attachment, Plenum Press, New York.
Canter, D. (1997b). The facets of place, In G. T. Moore and R. W. Marans, (Eds.), Advances in Environment, Behavior, and Design,Vol. 4: Toward the Integration of Theory, Methods, Research, and Utilization. New York: Plenum, pp. 109-147.
Jorgensen, B., & Stedman, R. (2001). Sense of place as an attachment: Lakeshore owner’s attitudes toward their properties. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 21, 233– 248 doi:10/1006/ jevp2001.0226
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