IMAP Lecture 2 by Bharat Sharma - 9 December, 2011 Roles of
Urban Spaces and Their Present Status in Kathmandu Kathmandu was
a collective of towns whose urban plan was mainly based on
agriculture, socio-religion, culture and trade. From a historic
context, open space was integral to the culture of the valley
and there were plenty of spaces available, within and outside of
the townships, owned by state, privately and guthis. It was very
much a pedestrian collective, accessible to all. Each open space
had a certain function and utility intricately linked to
tradition and culture. With the advent of the 20th century came
a more complex form of urban planning which had to adhere to
factors of economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography,
law, politics and culture to parameter a proper growth and
expansion of settlements and communities. Yet, the actual
expansion in the past 50 years has not fully followed and
understood such concepts of elements nor considered the factual
needs. The introduction of western co