An unexplored solution for sustainable Urban Planning- Study of traditional rural settlement patterns

By- Anoop Jha

Traditionally rural settlements have a very distinct informal character which is always fresh and delightful which is somehow missing in our contemporary cities no matter how well it is plan. That human aspect and scale that we find in rural settlements is increasingly being lost in the rigidity and functionality of new urban planning.

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Villages and rural communities are there since time immemorial. They have evolved and learned there planning lessons from their own experience. Every Village appears to be uniquely adapted to region, its local micro ecology and culture, it has evolves in a course of time accommodating changing requirements and absorbing the growth.

Study of rural morphology can be a source of inspiration for the Urban Planners. It can throw a light on sustainability principals which can be further replicated in urban setting with required modifications. There is a serious need to understand the logic behind the specific spatial form and variety of existing rural settlements and what makes it more human, and whether we can learn something from these and use it in next generation of urban Planning.

Some of the satellite images taken from different parts of India showing rural morphology-