Urban isolation-A state of the art report on addressing complexities in urban communities

Abstract

The rise of Industrialization from the 18th century has led to the migration of people from rural settlements to urban areas. Higher economic activities have attracted a large in-flow of job seekers, migrant laborers, and foreign investors to urban centers, furthering the complexity. This has led to densification and the creation of vertical settlements and crowded urban boundaries. However, this concentration of people has not brought people together; instead, it has created a new issue, Urban Isolation. People have been living in close proximity to each other in high rises yet hardly know who lives next door, leading to various social impacts. This affects them economically, culturally, physically, and mentally. The paper tries to explain issues related to Urban Isolation from examples of cities experiencing it. Solutions to counter the adverse effects of Urban Isolation and planning related suggestions are developed. The paper also suggests measures based on 3 P's, namely, 'Proximity,' 'Penetration' and 'Punctuation' to create unique and practical solutions to address urban isolation