Ephemeral built interventions for shaping the robustness of urban spaces: case of Thotalanga market street in Colombo

Abstract

Most certainly, architectural objects are the basis of the physical assembly of a city and they result in urban spaces with incomparable values and features. The Built environment of South Asian contemporary cities including the Capital city of Sri Lanka, Colombo, encompasses both permanency and impermanency which can be observed with an irregular spread. Ephemeral Architecture queries the idea of permanence in the way we produce architecture. As a feature, more impermanent, ephemeral built interventions assembled by people are concerted in residual city edges, commercial streets, along water bodies, and in-between solid blocks as more informal built settings. Facing numerous uncertainties due to natural disasters, lack of development attempts by the government, and clear negligence, still these urban spaces operate as more vigorous nodes within cities. Ephemeral built interventions generated by people act as the main facilitator of these spaces and street markets in Colombo are significant in this scheme. Considering the connection in-between the operational strength of urban spaces and its built interventions, the key aim of this study is to determine the role of ephemeral built interventions in operating market streets enhancing with the robustness in cities. Multifunctionality, loose fit and social interaction are considered determinants that ensure the robustness in market streets. The study is reinforced with systematic observations, photographic studies, and maps. Questionnaire survey conducted within the case study context support the study of user’ perception on robustness, examining the case of Thotalanga Market Street in Colombo. Being an exploration of the operating status of ephemeral built interventions in contemporary urban spaces, this research would be an initial step to facilitate “ephemeral urbanism” as an urban design strategy to deliver robust cites for the future.