HOMELESS AND THEIR IMPACT ON PUBLIC SPACE

Abstract

The people lacking an address are homeless and are considered ‘unmapped’. They have no records in the National Census or the City’s demographics and hence there is a critical need to map their existence. This paper attempts to record their pattern of movement and map out the experiences and issues faced by them. India accounts for 0.13% (1.77 million) of houseless population to the total population. It means that all the open spaces left out on the built spaces are homes to these people. Mapping their movement means understanding their experiences and on studying public spaces; being the only left out space for these people, will tell us a lot about the kind of relationship they share. Homelessness in people is the resultant of the economic and social process; they are not detached with the system yet are treated as one. They are a part of the society and can be seen in areas of accessibility. Homeless people use spaces to inhabit but not as occupier (Parker, 2019). They can be static or mobile, depending on their fulfillment of requirement. Homeless people select places to sit, relax, eat, beg, search for food and sleep. On designing any space, few audiences are always kept in mind; meaning, a design is always based on the type of people it will cater. Similarly, during such designs for a public space, few audiences are often ignored. These can be the street vendors, unauthorized parking, people of the neighborhood or the homeless. And the results are generally seen in the hindsight. Because of the negligence to such audience, they tend to face socio-spatial exclusion, and exclusion in mobility and resulting in erosion of those public spaces. It is hence a study to understand the ways to make better livable public spaces for those excluded, by using urban design strategies.