ROLE OF PUBLIC PLACES IN BUILDING COMMUNITY

Wajiha Siddiqui
(University of Karachi)

Abstract
Public spaces should be built to fulfill the requirements of the people. Normally, it is not taken into consideration at all when designing for our city, lacking its full meaning to lift up the spirits, energy, and positive sensations. Each public space should be built uniquely, and have its own individuality keeping in mind the social context. From narrow streets to our city, is losing its sanctity, source of desirability, and sense of place. The reason is we don’t own our place, places. This research will not only inquire about our role as designers but also as a person who live in that place to design a place to create attachment and ownership.

The first place is defined as our place of dwelling, where we live, the second place is where we work, and the third place is where we relax and interact, a place for everyday social interaction. It is a different
paradigm, a social context, outside the realms of home and work where we spend our private and productive time. A third place is defined as the great variety of social spaces that hold the much anticipated informal social gatherings of people voluntarily on regular basis. Place-making is a collaborative process through which we can reinvent and reimagine public spaces to strengthen the community. More than just promoting build design; to be conscious of the everyday living patterns of physical, cultural, and social identities that delineate a place and build ongoing evolution.
Architecture has such a vital role in shaping our surroundings. It affects people and places, the intimate relationship of people with place, and the sense of ownership. Replacing building consciousness to place consciousness allows architecture to transcend the constraints of finite
plot boundaries and limited economic criteria, encouraging a sense of ownership, which makes the spirit of community and ascertains the spirit of the place.

Keywords: Space, Place, Place-making, Sense of Ownership, Social Sustainability