Design of spaces have an impact on how we are shaped

“Just a month to go! It is going to be a totally new place. What will the place be like? How will the people be? Will I be able to adapt to the new change?” These were a series of thoughts which were running in my head when I was back in India, before I moved to Newcastle to pursue my master’s in Urban Design. I think at some point, we all have these thoughts when we are about to move to a new place.

When I arrived here in Newcastle, I found the city to be very welcoming. I was indeed still overwhelmed about how will I cope up with the sudden change. But I was still looking forward to exploring the city and what it had to offer. One of the places I visited in the first week was the Tyne Bridge at the River Side. The river side is one of the most important places in Newcastle. When I went there, it gave me a sense of calm and peace. It made me felt like home. The different types of seating spaces in the entire stretch of the sidewalk are like little break out spaces, where you can sit, pause, relax or even work.

Having said that, I think the Design of any space has a lot to do with people’s experiences and has great impact on their personality, their development and wellbeing. Along with how the place looks like and what its function is, the experiences which people share, forms the identity of the place.

From all these years of studying architecture and design, I strongly believe that Urban Design plays a very important role in shaping a place, a town, a city, a community and an individual as well. A space has a lot of influence on a person’s mood and behaviour. Various urban features including green spaces, places for social connection, safety, transit and even economic considerations have an impact on a city or a particular area and the lifestyle of the people living there.

Well-designed spaces support and encourage efficiency, performance, productivity and development for that matter. A deeper sense of community is developed by well-designed spaces, which also reduces future expenses. Urban spaces with a functional and thoughtful design promotes well-being and socio-cultural interactions which is one of the important factors for the development and smooth running of a town, city or a country. Urbanization although is an on-going process, I feel it is going to be never ending because the developments and the improvements with respect to the human settlements is never going to take a back seat.

This is why I strongly believe that as designers we should always identify, learn and practice place making and designing spaces considering the human comfort and the environment with respect to the present needs without hampering the future resources, because the spaces we live in shape us, our cities as well as the community as a whole.