Robust Street edges as an Extension of Shop Fronts; a study with special reference to area of Negombo

Abstract

Streets are providing a media for the moving elements such as pedestrians and vehicles, but it serves a place for myriad purposes and forming a major part of the cities. While streets offering multiple activities for multiple purposes of different type of people, this quality called robustness. According to Lynch, the contribution of elements on either side of the path, are highly Impact on the human behavioral pattern. Buildings where on eitherside of the streets effect on the robustness of the street edges. Some activities within the building used to extend towards outside and making connections with outdoor activities. As a result of this street edges being taken place for spectrum of activities and functions. To determine that how extended shop fonts contribute to street edges to become robust and As result of that, Robust street edges become not only limited to single fixed use, but taking place for multiple uses and activities. Market Street, Main Street and the Station road are the three streets selected from Negombo for the study where one of commercial city since the past. All three streets are Commercial corridors in three different locations of the city and each has unique characters. An attempt to figure out from Plan view, elevations along the street and sections through the site revels how shop used to articulate their fronts with the help of other six factors such as; Legibility, Permeability,Variety,VisualAppropriateness,Pe rsonalization and Richness and how effects on outdoor activities on the street edge.