Role of social spaces in Mixed use developments in optimizing Social sustainability at neighborhood level –Comparative study

The globalization has set a generic tone to neighborhood planning due to which the social sustainability of the community is adversely affected.This is one of the main reasons why neighborhoods today have lost their identity and sense of place.The need for identifying this relevance of social sustainability in making neighborhoodsvibrant with activity ,liveable and sustainable is crucial. The current research paper is a part of the larger Research enquiry of what do we mean by Social sustainability and how can social spaces for the spatially dependant user group influence the Social sustainability of a neighbourhood. The current study of Thane city,with selected neighborhoods shows how the old city area of organic neighborhood struggles to survive in the current times with the changing concepts of social helps the social spaces to regain their grounds inspite of physical planning deficiencies. The current research paper looks into the deficiencies in the physical social infrastructure which is important for further study of patterns of change occurring in the process of Smart city development under retrofitting to understand the requirement of socially sustainable mixed neighborhoods. The study of 3 different zones of Thane city gives a comparison point to measure and confirm with the status of social sustainability today.On one side Thane city has townships with a high valued physical infrastructure but lowvalue on social sustainabilitydue to disconnect and sometimes lost relative scale of social spaces.On the other hand we have the old core city with deficient physical as well as social infrastructure. Hence with ongoing Smart city Area based developments with retrofitting and redevelopment policies,its an opportune time to identify the factors for social sustainability for the old as well as the new developments to maintain the socio-cultural vibrancy with which the city of Thane has always been identified with. The aim of the research is to understand social sustainabilityand how it can be achieved through inclusivesocial spaces at neighborhood level with the spatially dependantuser group as the focus for the current research paper. The 3 models of neighborhood characterised by varying degree of social sustainability, based on locality or place based social lifestyle ofresidents manifested essentially through thetype and variety of social spaces they have an access to within their neighbourhood.These 3 mixed use studies will highlight the importance ,the availability or deficit of appropriate social spaces.It will help arrive at the need for a socially sustainable neighborhood which gives the residents /users of social space a sense of belonging and ownership of their locality or neighborhood. The study progresses with identification of social use type and pattern of common shared spaces in the selected neighborhoods and the contribution of its inclusiveness and multiplicity to the liveliness and social sustainability in urban neighborhoods with a strong dynamix displayed by social spaces, helps build social cohesion ,trust ,solidarity and sense of belonging.

Social sustainability- Polèse and Stren (2000, p. 15_16) provide a definition of social sustainability with a special focus on urban environments as

Mixed use neighbourhood- A neighbourhood with a proportionate distribution of variety of landuses and building uses layered to give a vibrant activity pattern which encourages potential and meaningful social exchanges. (source: Author) Social spaces- It includes informal recreational spaces and green spaces in and around (mixed use) neighbourhood, with a primary purpose of providing opportunities for informal activities close to home or work. Space itself does not exist but objects in space create spatial relationships amongst themselves and these interactions and exchanges further identify and help define what can be called as social spaces which should be accessible , safe and functional Spatially dependant user age group- The people belonging to age group wherein the routine social exchanges are majorly related to local social paces within then eighbour hood. Trans-spatial people- People belonging to age group of High School and work related commuters, who have opportunity and exposure to social exchanges beyond their neighbourhood social spaces. Inclusivity : the ability of the city to develop a sense of convergence between all the sections of the population, to evolve as a one community. Current research looks at Inclusivity considering ―Spatially dependant user group‖

A study conducted by Khemri, Caputo, and Melis (2020), unveiled the failures of applying a global concept of sustainable neighborhood design in developing countries. The study reveals how globalisation and determinism led to loss of locality and degradation of community, social and spatial segregation, and loss of local identity and sense of place. Jacobs (1961) argued that everyday life of residents creates lively and well-functioning neighborhoods through numerous and improvised activities, while Gehl (2010) considers social urban

Thane is one of the historic and multi-layered cities, it presents an opportunity to study the liveability of neighborhoods to arrive at its value of social sustainability today in neighborhoods belonging to different parts and context of the socio-cultural timeline of Thane.Its strategic position as a crossroad of rich history and culture has granted it a diverse mix of cultures and social ideologies. We can see an adaptive concept of neighbourhood that has recreated itself in different urban forms in these 3 different localities; since it can be perceived and measured in various neighborhoods spread along different phases in the evolution timeline of Thane city.The mixed use developments of different time periods in Thane offer a varied play of dynamix of social sustainability factors with outcomes of varied degrees of placemaking, sometimes achieving and sometimes defeating the purpose of social sustainability. ―In the approach to the Smart Cities Mission, the focus is on sustainable and inclusive development and the idea is to look at compact areas, create a replicable model which will act like a light house to other aspiring cities.‖ (source: Thane Smart city report –Ford foundation sponsored research(2016-18)by TISS. This current approach uner ―Smart city –Thane‖ with focus on the factor of ―inclusivity‖ needs a check on the current status of ―social sustainability‖ at neighbourhood level through its Social spaces. The current research intents to identify role of Social Spaces in Social sustainability and to explore the parameters which impact social sustainability of neighbourhoods in Thane. settlement of Thane-Charai being under ―Retrofitting ―,the current research is most relevant to explore implications of this study for reformulation and restructuring of future residential development or redevelopment in the old (core)city of Thane; which has lost its aesthetic and locational value due to the current deficiency of amenities,limitations of the street widths and dense congested morphology offerening an extremely weak ratio of built to unbuilt(social spaces). The study areas of the chosen neighbourhoods in Thane-Charai,VasantVihar and Hiranandani estate that represent the three mixed use neighbourhood models with different social space typologies which were giving the locality not only its social sustainability quotient but also the identity or sense of place.

Masunda lake-the center of social activities of this neighborhood, knows frequent social interaction and diverse activities, The neighborhood of Charai is very densely populated, so children used to occupy residential streets to play as a result of feeling safe in their locality. With growing traffic and increased car ownership,the inner roads of this dense locality are no more safe and available for the kids.ASmall public park and couple of private corner gardens exist inside residential areas away from the hustle of public areas and they are used by children to playbut are clearly inadequate;yet these spaces contribute highly to promote social relations between children, which createssense of belonging to their own locality. The temporal pattern of activities in the neighborhood is constant throughout the day, except early morning where few activities are performed, such as cleaning and gardening. On the other hand, on the weekend, and particularly on Friday, the number of activities increases significantly to reach its peak; one can see a great number of street vendors and the overcrowded square on Masunda lake. In the evenings, khaogalli near St.John School and a part of theMasunda lake square (chintamanijwellers corner to thane market-kharkarali street corner) are most lively buzzing with commercial and recreational activity continued along the edge of the lake; thanks to the availability of lighting which sends signs of safety and security, unlike inner road spaces that are dark and empty. The Masunda lake is the epicenter of social activity of this neighbourhood ; with boating club,Nana-nani park and the Gadkarikatta give the socio-cultural gravity to this neighbourhood and hence the residents grant themselves the right to occupy streets informally for informal vending, which not

The Vasantviharneighb our hood is fuelled by strong sense of community, sense of belonging and solidarity that emerged from frequent long term enduring association and social use of space.It gets culturally ingrained and becomes the identity of the place. The post TMC corporation led development in the 90s attempts at well planned neighbourhoods along the Pokhran road 2 area which further nestles in the microclimate of the Upvan lake and Yeour hills as the backdrop, displaying great urban form features that stimulate urban life through planted avenues and boulevards and many public spaces with vegetation and outdoor gyms and libraries ,art installations,sit outs and walking/jogging/tracks encouraging fitness and health by exercising outdoor rther than a AC gym, with host of various activities, making neighbourhoodssafe,lively and inclusive for varied age groups and sometimes even sensitive to women, elders, toddlers.Theneighbourhood selected as study area under this phase of Thane‘s time line is VasantVihar. Vasantviharneighbourhood with its periphery thriving on the Pokhran road leading towards the Upvan lake, the pedestrian friendly walkways and open spaces connectivities and the popular Upvan lakeprecinct.Hence the residents of this locality feel greater sense of community ,.The scale of the urban forms provides shade and promotes walkability, which in turn, result in intense social interaction and social cohesion among community members.

The observations carried out in Hiranandaniestate , Ghodbunder road around the turn of the century entering Y2K showed low number of active zones inspite of planned amenities provided in a township setting. The landuse distribution and the zoning strategy defeats the purpose of spontaneous organic social spaces causing spaces to be lifeless and empty. This is due to lack of appropriate placement of spaces and their transitions for social interaction and forming social relations, which are the strengths of organic neighbourhoods. The gated community with podiums disconnected with Mother earth and hence the inactive edges of built form can be held responsible for causing place lessness. The zoning of Hiranandani township takes a heavy toll on place making by creating independent silos of built forms which stand tall over individual podium gardens with complete disconnect to each other and hence render the place lifeless. of the Township(cultural events like Durga puja, NavratriGarbadandia nights etc)

The historic 19th century organic neighborhoods of Thane although devoid of spacious parks and gardens, yet the scale of the smaller pocket spaces bind the dense low rise morphology of the place to impart the value of placemaking due to its organically established human scale and the humane interactions that it is capable to initiate and maintain social connect and rule out social isolation than the modern urban high rise forms which in the bargain to reach the skies get completely disconnected with the interactive ground where the spatial narratives and social give and take thrives the most. Findings indicate that residents are grouped by local culture, common identity and shared values and rely on the quality of social exchanges that happen in a given typology of space.The typology of space is in turn further dependant on how the urban built form is allowing this exchange to happen and has major influence on social use of space, quality of social life and thus is the main driver for the sustainability of urban neighbourhoods. This research helps conclude that cities live in their neighborhoods since it is at the scale of the neighborhood that the actual dynamix of social use, interaction and exchanges are executed in urban space. The built form decides the left over-the figure ground ratio defines the usability of the unbuilt .The unbuilt left overs either are capable of taking the onus of building social sustainability within the neighbourhood depending on the scale that has been established by the built form.

The landuse and building use also plays a crucial role in either building or breaking the synergy of the front open spaces or the spaces between two building blocks or between the street and the building line.

break the narrative creating a complete disconnect between the people and the so called potential social space comes in the making which plays the most crucial role in defining the social sustainability of the community and hence the city.

LIKERT SCALE: Absent=0 ;present but inadequate=1; present and adequate =2;present,adequate and safe=3;Present,adequate,safe and functional=4;Present ,adequate ,safe,functional and equipped with universal design=5 (Likert, 1932) Inferences: The Social sustainability score for Study area type 1: Charai is 4;Study area type2: VasantVihar is 20;Study area type 3 :Hiranandani Estate is 14 The spatially dependant user category score being Charai-0;Vasant Vihar-12;Hiranandani estate-2 Thus,VasantVihar mixed use Neighbourhood performs the best as Social Sustainability overall score as well as score specific to the Spatially dependant user groups and Charai performs most poor and lacks the aspect of minimum standards of social spaces to achieve Social sustainability. Similarly Hiranandaniestate,inspite of the amenities and recreational facilities and 25percent RG (inclusive of ground layout RGs,podiums and public spaces)it lacks the Social inclusiveness in terms of quantity and hence is on low to moderate scale of sustainability.

This paper helps understand the current status of social spacesin the shortlisted Neighbourhood case studies of Thane city ,such that the relationship dynamix within the social typology of people as well as spaces is visible and creates total disconnect betweenthe user and the social spaces.Such social spaces further get identified as deficit, defunct, non-eligible , unutilized spaces which lack the capacity to build meaningful social interaction and hence low on performance as a social space. Further research will investigate how the present social spaces (VasantViharneighbourhood)which are performing better than others can be a learning model to propose the retrofitting in the Area based developments of old core city and also inspire planning strategies for upcoming new townships along Ghodbunder road in Thane such as to keep the social sustainability maintained. The study and comparative analysis of these neighborhoods in different zones of the city has helped understand whether the social use of space by spatially dependant user group promotes solidarity, trust, social cohesion and sense of belonging which are fundamental drivers for social sustainability.Thus, the current study analysis concludes thatalongwith built form attributes of scale,relativeplacement of the social space with corresponding social infrastructure ; and establishment of inclusivity in socialspace will play a crucial role in building well connected and seamless networks of social exchanges through well placed social spaces and hence this will lead to a high value of placemaking.The local inhabitants need to have a decent lifestyle and have adequate and safe access to resources and opportunities to social spaces or social infrastructure.The need to develop self-sufficient and walkable mixed-use neighborhoods, revival of the core area -retrofitting with planned social spaces and upgradation of public places to overcome the deficit as well as address social exclusion is needed. The integration or social inclusivity of the spatially dependant user group of the neighbourhood for positive social relationships is identified and further research can look at factors which will help maintain the social sustaianability by bridging this gap through policis of retrofitting in core area addressing this concern.

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M. Arch -Urban Design , Research Scholar PhD in Architecture-Urban Design ,Ajeenkya DY Patil University,Pune