1

The commercial areas of the inner cities in most cases have

been the crux of the total commercial activity of the
metropolis. Highland values began to dictate the intensity and
nature of use thereby ushering in large-scale activity changes.
Socio-cultural changes follows. The whole cycle of change, with
conservation as a low priority, sets in with development
engulfing these areas on all sides and in response to need for
growth. Inner city stand to acquire a typical characteristic very
high residential density. Litle open space. Intense and in
overlapping activity pattern lack of services. Unhygienic
conditions. Traffic congestion in direct proportion to the
hierarchy of street pattern, and a variety of physical forms
supporting an agreeable human scale. All these are held in a
dynamic balance by a socio cultural lifestyle that has matured
over time.
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One the physical level the cross-section of the typical
gali(street), ameliorates the climatic conditions in two ways.
Firstly for most of the day it is possible to find some shade and
so escape the direct heal of the sun. Lightweight canopies and
awnings, reaching right across the narrow street provide
further shade. Secondly, the buildings enjoy a high degree of
mutual shading which reduces the incident sunshine on the
walls- confining much of its to the roofs which then reflect a
significant portion back to the sky. The large thermal mass of
the building means that their temperature rises relatively
slowly, which has the effect of attenuating the diutnal variation
in temperature both within the building and, crucially, in street.
3
her than the air temperature in open pen spaces, th w"'" in
Delhi or outside the city wall ese open spaces being in the nev,
parts of
s in Jaisalmer.
When the ambient air temperature is above 40C. a reduction
of 2C is significant its terms of comfort. It explains wh, many of
the bazaars in the traditional city remain active, if subdued,
even in the hottest part of the day, at hottest time of the year.
In short. the morphology makes it physically possible to move
above the city
Indi idual building are signaled along the street wall by
elaborate doorways, all on a similar basic pattern. often with
overhanging balconies above. The elaborateness is functional
as well as ornamental. The building gives physical shelter to the
street and provides publics places to sit. elevated above the dirt
and the hubbub. It also gives signals about the residents. A
number of architectural devices on the house front modulate
the street edge and activate the boundary hetxNeen the house
and the street.
4
e_e DIFLUZINCIS OM DISION ;;:lnd the physical form end the
outward 4pr..4/1.'' built form cat the intersection, 4/4 1, th.
social end economic factors whi.:h r.474 4 hysical, The question
wn4, t ndous impact on dexIgn, beat building design et e
ihteraisctior. f:ar.Lot he asswered with full certainty. This Is
bedew,. many .factors go into determining the final form en1
the ironment. Before discussing the evaluative pro,Ins of
design of buildings at intersections one must acknowledge
them or the study remains purely suh)t.:tive. It is possible to
isolate certain physical p-.ehhing factors that appear to
influence the design r,f the architectural built form at
intersections moat. These include: (i) Landuse. MI User density,
(iii) Context.
3.1.1. LAMM= It is obvious that the landuse pattern governs the
built fora and the amount of yinible activity. A commercial
complex like Chandni Chawk will have more number of
pedestrians, hawkers etc. than a cultural complex like Mandl
Hosue. Secondly. Landuse can determine the size of the
individual plot at the intersection. Moreover, from the landuse
and size, the desired floorapace is ascertained in a plot. This
can have tremendous effect on the outward expression of a
building.
37
5
USER DENSITY
It is avident that more activities happen at intersection when it
is convenient for large number it of people to use . Also the
expected user density determines the sizes of the roads,
footpaths etc. The design of roads are based on the carrying
capacity, expected volumes of peak hour traffic.
3.1.3 CONTEXT
The design of the intersection cannot be solely determined by
its land use and configuration even assuming safety and
adequate user density._ The success of the design depends on
the local context and the background of the people using it.
It is the designer's task to seek out the local context of the
place and show how it can be 'extended and intensified by
means of few buildings, landscape, street furniture and paving.
(1) The use and perception of an intersection by an individual
will depend on his social, cultural, economic background and
his individual preferences.
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(1) PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION
To inject life into intersections, pedestrian circulation and
movement must be given prominence. A large portion of the
intersection should be used for pedestrian circulation. A good
way to check the quality of pedestrian movement in a busy
intersection is first

7
4.1 T. JUNCTION BETWEeN chandni chowk and nai sarak
, Chandni Chawk is central spine of the walled city of
Shahjahanabad. It was originally a wide tree lined city street
running in the east west direction connecting Red Fort and
Fatehpuri Masjid.
Nai Sarak is another famous street in the walled city, which is
perpendicular to Chandni Chawk. It was originally a residential
street but later developed as a commercial one.

Pig.18 : Plan of Intersection Source : Delhi Development

Authority Zonal Plans.
8
Circulation
There is a continuous horde of slow moving traffic and
pedestrians. The carrying capacity of the streets is not enough
to carry both. In Nai Sarak, especially, pedestrians have to
continuously jostle for space with other pedestrians as well as
rickshaws.
The pedestrian movement at intersection is unorganized.
Originally there were colonnades for the pesdestrains, the one
West Side has been removed one the the east on have hawkers
spilling under.
Thus the pedestrians walk wherever they feel and cut across
diagonally from or into Nai Sarak. The massive influx of
incoming and outgoing traffic makes the road difficult to cross.
Confusion is added due to the different modes of transport.
The town hall is separated from the Chawk by a green park
which has a statue placed in it. This forms a visual axis from the
centre line of Nai Sarak. However
people hardly tend to notice the axis looking after their own
safety.
50
since they are
9
(2) Activity
The configuration of .the street has led to the emergence of a
mini chawk at the intersection (Fig 19) Regardless of the fact
that it was not designed for it many of informal activities have
cropped up in the central square. The chief reason for this is
the availability of space and customers. The authorities have
not made any effort to organize this haphazard encroachment.
Stated vendors, hawkers enliven the atmosphere although they
appear unsightly. It is also an area for storage and parking.
These cause a conflict with the movement of a pedestrians.

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(4) Visual Character
The organisation of spaces around the Chawk i.e. the shops are
influenced by configuration of the intersection and influence
the character of it in turn.Since there is a continuous
development of shops the built form defines the space on the
south side.
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4. 1.2 BUILT FORM CHARACTERISTICS
(1) THE SHOPS
The built form consists of 2 to 3 storey high structures. The
lower storey is occupied by shops predominantly. The upper
storey is used for a variety of purposes. The shops are directly
accessed from the road or from the corridor. There IS no sharp
delineation of the public and private spaces. They both merge
into one another. Moreover since the front of the shops are
voids, the spaces flows into the shops beyond the colonnade.
3. Form and Relation to Site
The Chawk has a continuous development of shops. The shops
at the corner of Nai Sarak have a open to sky terrace on the
first floor.
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(2) The TOWn HALL
The town hall which forms the back drop of the Chawk is a
colonial building. It is the municipal headquarters. Its main
access is not from the Chawk. The projecting porch with arched
openings is of handsome proportions. Continuous bands of
cornices and dentils give the building a unity and beauty. The
beauty is enhanced by the system of fenestration and railings.

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4.1.3 CONCLUSIONS
The built form confines and defines the intersection. The space
at the junction is a successful urban space since a feeling of
enclosures is present, the planes are defined and continuous
and there are signs of visible activity in it. This is because the
people responsible for its evolution understood the concept of
'sense of space'. however the volume of the space is not
enough for its present intensive land use and user density.
Moreover, many secondary activities have emerged in a
disordered manner which makes it chaotic. The initial beauty of
the setting is fast getting eroded.