Exploring The Influence of Various Spatial Organizations of Urban Marketplaces On Perceived Outdoor Comfort

Abstract

Public spaces refer to those social spaces that are open and accessible to all, as well as spaces where the sharing of activities takes place. They help to create and strengthen external relationships, interactions, and social activities. Public spaces include parks, plazas, squares, gardens, beaches, waterfronts, streets, markets, libraries, community centres, sports facilities, and playgrounds. The design of any public space contributes to developing a sense of pride and belonging among the residents by reflecting the ideologies of the community. Markets, regarded as public spaces, have existed since human civilization began when people used to exchange goods and services through the barter system. Since then, markets have been in a constant phase of evolution, adapting to changing consumer requirements. Given their existing condition in Indian cities and the increasing competitiveness faced by traditional brick-and-mortar stores due to the emergence of e-commerce, it is urgently needed to revitalize these marketplaces so that they attract more customers, promote community interaction, and support local businesses, thus boosting the local economy. Markets act as economic drivers in urban settings. However, it has been observed that developing countries such as India often face overcrowding, congestion, pollution, narrow lanes, poor infrastructure, and inadequate sanitation facilities in urban markets. In addition, they lack dedicated pedestrian zones, often leading to walking path modal conflict, leaving behind the user experience. Therefore, it is imperative to improve the experiential quality of urban markets by designing outdoor spaces that are functional, comfortable, attractive, and pleasurable. Comfortable marketplaces which facilitate outdoor activities can enhance both mental and physical well-being. Additionally, they can positively impact the local economy by increasing customer influx and encouraging repeat visits. Retail environments significantly impact how customers behave, how long they stay, what they decide to buy, and whether or not they intend to return. Spatial organizations, such as grid, centralized and linear, can profoundly influence the placement and combination of various natural and man-made elements in urban marketplaces. For instance, in centralized layouts, physical infrastructure and amenities can be concentrated around the central core. In a linear design, various urban utilities can be focused at the endpoints or evenly distributed along the central axis. Further, by allocating various physical infrastructure facilities along the network of perpendicular streets, grid layouts can ensure better visibility and accessibility. These spatial organizations can trigger consumers’ sensory, emotional, and cognitive responses. Sensory perception includes how consumers respond to touch, sound, smell, sight, and taste within the urban marketplace. Emotional reactions can shape the perception of comfort, leading to a longer stay duration, higher likelihood of purchase, consumer loyalty, and repeat visits. The study also looks at how different spatial layouts’ cognitive perceptions can improve legibility and facilitate wayfinding, making identification of desired goods and services easier, reducing cognitive load, and enhancing customer satisfaction. Retail spaces are important components of urban settings, and how they are spatially organized may substantially affect human behaviour and perception. Foot traffic, social interaction and economic performance are all impacted by the layout of retail stores. The physical design of urban retail environments affects how people perceive their surroundings and, ultimately, their health or well-being. By focusing on human perception in retail, the present study contributes to creating functional urban environments that improve the quality of life of residents and visitors. Urban regeneration focuses on revitalizing traditional markets, or open-air bazaars, considered urban open spaces at the neighbourhood level. The layout of retail stores affects consumer behaviour and the effectiveness of urban regeneration efforts. Well-planned urban marketplaces can provide a welcoming, functional and engaging retail environment to the sellers and customers, which is critical in revitalizing urban spaces. Public spaces are successful when they account for how people perceive and interact with them. Furthermore, by delving into how varied spatial configurations of urban marketplaces influence the users’ perceived outdoor comfort, the study provides insight into how urban design can influence social engagement, accessibility, and participation in the retail environment. This research contributes to improving the design of retail spaces as part of more significant urban regeneration efforts, focusing on how spatial organizations impact human experiences in urban marketplaces, creating a vibrant, inclusive and human-centered built environment. In other words, the study explores how various spatial organizations, such as grid, centralized and linear, influence several environmental conditions and design parameters in outdoor retail settings, consequently affecting the users’ overall perception of the urban marketplace. Understanding how different retail layouts affect user perception is key to improving the shopping experience, making it easier to navigate, strengthening the brand, and increasing sales. By examining the influence of various spatial organizations on the perception of outdoor comfort, this study highlights how the allocation and arrangement of different natural and manmade elements can influence their interactions within retail spaces, thereby influencing outdoor comfort. The findings of this study can serve as a guide for retrofitting or designing urban marketplaces, leading to a pleasant and memorable experience for both vendors and customers.