Re-establishing the relationship between urban structure & humanizing aspects of Indian cities after covid-19 pandemic: the case of Delhi, India

Abstract

Cities are dynamic and liveable places where people experience the phenomenon of life. The essence of Indian cities lies in the interrelationship of its urban structure and human aspirations. Urban structure is not just the sum of development block, built entity, open space, street, landscape, etc. It is a set of socio- cultural integration that their inhabitant develops. COVID-19 capriciously affected urban structures by eliminating humanizing aspects to sustain life. The fundamentals of social integration, place making, flexibility and character, which together shapes up the city are under dilemma. The traces of pandemic have emphasized and questioned the roots of humanizing aspects in shaping the urban structure as the key urban form determinant. Perhaps, depending upon urban ways of life, during the pandemic people have carved their own ways to sustain life. It has sparked a concern about how urban structure will remain humanized by tackling the contradicting values like social disconnection, community disintegration to enrich and enliven the new normal? The paper has address a case of capitol of India, Delhi which has undergone a major shift during pandemic. It intends to decipher the consequences of covid-19 pandemic on humanizing aspects of Delhi by doing comparative analysis between the compact and standard prototype of urban structure. First the study adopts an investigative approach to record, document and analysis the impact on existing urban structure by examining their prototype. Then through physical observations, photographs and documentary evidences it focuses on providing a toolkit useful for re-establishing and shaping the urban structures as humanized urban structure in making of resilient future.