CRITICAL PLACE MAKING

Every community needs well-functioning public spaces. A public space becomes a successful
place when it is spatial identity and user connected with context and culture. If place has
several amenities and activities which are well connected to one another, it becomes a vibrant
destination where visitors alike gather and linger. The cumulative result is that everyone has
access not only to outstanding public spaces but also to community life. Public spaces are
literally and figuratively the glue that binds together the various communities of neighborhood.
Place making is the making of a place that defines a community. The people who live and work
in a given area are left without a place to interact in a casual, comfortable environment, and the
people who visit or pass through miss out on the opportunity to experience the unique sense of
place that would come to the fore had the community been more involved. Each lifeless,
underutilized place is a missed opportunity to challenge and delight, and more importantly, to
inspire people with a passion for place that they might carry back to their own neighborhoods.
Place making is both an overarching idea and a hands-on tool for improving a neighborhood,
city or region. It has the potential to be one of the most transformative ideas of this century.
The place making approach is based on a belief of public interest to develop design ideas and
elements to revitalize a public space. A public involvement process that defines and responds to a
space is one of the most critical factors in designing a successful public space. Place making is
how people collectively shape their public realm to maximize shared value. Critical place
making involve respect to culture context and people and combine these make a good urban
space. It make Public spaces that define a communitys identity and can make it a unique place
of fun entertainment and recreation. Public spaces, define a strong sense of community;
conversely, when they are lacking, they may feel less connected to each other. Place making is
the process and philosophy that allows to make a vibrant space. It engages stakeholders in
creating a public space framework for a particular space, a neighborhood, or an entire city. When
a place making process is successfully implemented, people have a stronger sense of ownership
of that place and begin to genuinely enjoy it for both its special social and physical attributes
Place making Principles:
There are following principal which gives life to a space

1. Provide high-quality attractions and destinations

Having something to do gives people a reason to come to a placeand to return again and
again. When there is nothing to do, a space will remain empty, which can lead to other
problems. In planning attractions and destinations, it is important to consider a wide range of
activities for: men and women, people of different ages and cultures, different times of day,
week and year, and for people alone and in groups. Some of the best community gathering
places have numerous small attractions such as sports outdoor cafs, fountains, sculpture, or
a small gazebo or bandstand for performances or even a vendor cart. When combined, they
create a critical mass of activity greater than if each were isolated on its own.

2. Convey a positive identity and image A spaces image and identity are key to its success.
Creating a positive image requires keeping a place clean and well-maintained, but it also
entails fostering a sense of iconic identity. This identity can originate from the spaces design
and the activities that take place there, both of which should showcase unique local assets..
Historically, public spaces were the center of communities, and they helped shape the
identity of entire cities. Sometimes a key element, such as a fountain, was used to give a
space a strong image: the majestic Trevi Fountain in Rome or the Swann Fountain in
Philadelphias Logan Circle. The image of many historic squares was also closely tied to the
great civic buildings located nearby, such as cathedrals, city halls, or libraries. Collectively
or individually, gathering spaces, streets and boulevards can provide a strong identity for a
community.
3. Incorporate seasonal strategies and build in flexibility If places do not have a strong
management presence or variety of activities, it is often difficult to attract people year-round.
In fact, a space cannot flourish unless there is a plan for how it will be used and managed in
different seasons. By utilizing seasonal strategies, like holiday markets, parades, skating
rinks, outdoor cafs, markets, horticulture displays, art and sculpture and other recreational
activities, gathering space can be activated during all times of the year. Where there is a
unique and attractive experience, weather is often less of a factor than people initially
assume.
4. Provide a variety of amenities Every successful public space should have amenities that
make it comfortable for people to use. Amenities should be clustered to support their use.
Whether temporary or permanent, a good amenity will help establish a convivial setting for
social interaction. A bench or waste receptacle in just the right location can make a big
difference in how people choose to use a place. Lighting can strengthen a square or streets
identity while highlighting specific activities, entrances, or pathways. Public art can be a
great magnet for children of all ages to come together. Bicycle racks and both private and
public seating options are also essential amenities. Giving people the choice to sit where
they want is generally underestimated.
5. Balance the needs of traffic, transit, bicycles and pedestrians The best community
gathering spaces are easy to get to, particularly on foot. Streets surrounding these spaces
should be narrow, accommodate pedestrians of varying physical abilities, control traffic
speeds, and provide convenient access to transit. Great streets fit into and enhance the
context around them.
6. Space and Place. Spatial arrangements of architecture and how these relate to their wider
context. Architecture cannot be considered in isolation, it must be considered equally with
culture, ideology, character and social structure. The relations of life, interaction and
community with formal spatial arrangements where architecture cannot be limited by
physical space, and identity of place cannot be contained by an independent building.
Subsequently boundaries, whether real or perceived, become important to critical
regionalism and must ensure the interrelation of formalism, theory and culture.
7. Typology and Topography. Typology, a classification of type, relates to culture and
function. It reflects cultural progression and vernacular ideologies. Topography relates
specifically to the site in question, the natural environment and becomes the physically

defining characteristics of place. These ideals involve new objectives and the integration of
such with established ecology. Both typology and topography contribute to form and
function, enhancing cultural ideologies and both are important factors necessary for creating
architecture that interacts with indigenous culture, while responding adequately to the
demands of the physical landscape. This relationship is dynamic and involves the intentional
loss of the contemporary consequences of placelessness.
8. Architectonic and Scenographic. This is the process of the coming together of the overall
technological form the individual members, including cultural and environmental
elements. This process should be honest and transparent in the way it relates and interacts
with its ecology and immediate environment. Scenographic refers to the capturing of
atmosphere and mood through representations in nature. The suppression of construction
through the elimination of framework or the masking of the joints deprives architecture of its
expressiveness, so that the architectonic significance of the work becomes obfuscated and
mute.
9. Artificial and Natural. Architecture, the artificial, has a close relationship with natural and
environmental form. Specifically, the artificial and technological interact dynamically and
widely with ecological foundations. It must be sympathetic and interactive with the cyclical
nature of climate. Thus, exploration was undertaken to determine which aspects of the
artificial and the natural are vital in the creation of a critical regionalist terminal and how
these facets are used to improve the formal and functional qualities of the building.
Frampton further discusses the reliance on technological advances so as to explore and retain
a suitable environment (be it artificial or natural), whilst retaining the effects of globalisation
through technologies such as air conditioning which eliminates the diversity of the
environment.
10. Visual and Tactile. This is an exploration of the senses where visual is equal to all others
and where architecture can be experienced holistically by those who utilize it, creating depth
within architecture. These senses go far in how we experience the hierarchy of spatial
arrangement. As Frampton suggests, a critique of the visual should be able to be undertaken
in a tactile manner, and where touch is experienced visually, the implication here is that the
being as a whole has a greater capacity to resist than the short circuit, so to speak,
connecting visual stimuli to information rather than experience.
Critical place making acknowledges and embraces the multi-sensory concept; it promotes the use
of materials that have certain local affinities, structures that provide certain bodily responses, and
the regional seasonal changes that permit diverse emotional reactions. Assorted sensory
experiences presented in the context of modern buildings may create new, unique and local
experiences of place. Frampton's theory creates the opportunity for reflecting culture in an
adequate, contemporary way, being seen and respected at an international level, without the loss
of identity and cultural heritage. Further, it is symptomatic of the priority given to sight that we
find it necessary to remind ourselves that the tactile is an important dimension in the perception
of built form.