Placemaking in informal settlements: The case of France Colony, Islamabad, Pakistan

This paper provides an alternative perspective on urban informal settlements by analysing them as places of rural remnants, reservoirs of regional cultural heritage, and spaces entailing traditional sustainable elements that are brought to the urban realm by rural migrants. These socio-cultural and...

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Main Authors: Shafqat, Ramisa, Marinova, Dora, Khan, Shahed
Format: Journal Article
Published: MDPI 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/84105
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author Shafqat, Ramisa
Marinova, Dora
Khan, Shahed
author_facet Shafqat, Ramisa
Marinova, Dora
Khan, Shahed
author_sort Shafqat, Ramisa
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description This paper provides an alternative perspective on urban informal settlements by analysing them as places of rural remnants, reservoirs of regional cultural heritage, and spaces entailing traditional sustainable elements that are brought to the urban realm by rural migrants. These socio-cultural and spatial attributes of a settlement converge under the notion of a “place.” Placemaking analysis is thus contended to be appropriate for comprehensive understanding of an informal settlement. The selected case study of France Colony, Islamabad, employs the placemaking methodology framework to investigate sustainability values and practices from the day-to-day living of its inhabitants. Data collected through on-site interviews during transect walks in France Colony are then translated into four maps as a spatio-cultural documentation of the sustainable elements found in the informal settlement. The four maps relate to form and users, activities and amenities, image and characteristics, and access and linkages. This systematic analysis assisted in categorising the sustainability characteristics of the informal settlements according to the three pillars (social, economic, and environmental) of sustainability. The findings show that the organic placemaking, originating from everyday life, values, behaviour, and lifestyle of the informal dwellers, allows for a strong and vibrant resilient community to emerge.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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publishDate 2021
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-841052021-06-28T07:19:34Z Placemaking in informal settlements: The case of France Colony, Islamabad, Pakistan Shafqat, Ramisa Marinova, Dora Khan, Shahed 1205 - Urban and Regional Planning This paper provides an alternative perspective on urban informal settlements by analysing them as places of rural remnants, reservoirs of regional cultural heritage, and spaces entailing traditional sustainable elements that are brought to the urban realm by rural migrants. These socio-cultural and spatial attributes of a settlement converge under the notion of a “place.” Placemaking analysis is thus contended to be appropriate for comprehensive understanding of an informal settlement. The selected case study of France Colony, Islamabad, employs the placemaking methodology framework to investigate sustainability values and practices from the day-to-day living of its inhabitants. Data collected through on-site interviews during transect walks in France Colony are then translated into four maps as a spatio-cultural documentation of the sustainable elements found in the informal settlement. The four maps relate to form and users, activities and amenities, image and characteristics, and access and linkages. This systematic analysis assisted in categorising the sustainability characteristics of the informal settlements according to the three pillars (social, economic, and environmental) of sustainability. The findings show that the organic placemaking, originating from everyday life, values, behaviour, and lifestyle of the informal dwellers, allows for a strong and vibrant resilient community to emerge. 2021 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/84105 10.3390/urbansci5020049 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ MDPI fulltext
spellingShingle 1205 - Urban and Regional Planning
Shafqat, Ramisa
Marinova, Dora
Khan, Shahed
Placemaking in informal settlements: The case of France Colony, Islamabad, Pakistan
title Placemaking in informal settlements: The case of France Colony, Islamabad, Pakistan
title_full Placemaking in informal settlements: The case of France Colony, Islamabad, Pakistan
title_fullStr Placemaking in informal settlements: The case of France Colony, Islamabad, Pakistan
title_full_unstemmed Placemaking in informal settlements: The case of France Colony, Islamabad, Pakistan
title_short Placemaking in informal settlements: The case of France Colony, Islamabad, Pakistan
title_sort placemaking in informal settlements: the case of france colony, islamabad, pakistan
topic 1205 - Urban and Regional Planning
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/84105