A Reading of South Asian Streetscapes Compared to the West

Streets form a significant part of open public space in cities and are known as important representatives of urban public spaces. The street has been one of the most important public spaces in the history of Eastern and Western culture. However, there is currently a relatively deep gap between the meaning and function of the street between East and West. The difference in function and meaning has led to distinctive urban landscapes between East and West. This study examines the differences in the streetscape in terms of semantic-perceptual and functional-activity and aesthetic aspects (non-physical elements of architecture including semi-fixed and moving elements) in the street in the East (Southeast Asia) and West (North America, Europe and Oceania). The research method is qualitative (based on reviewing the literature and the author’s observations). Findings show that although streetscape is known both as an objective and subjective phenomenon, streetscape in the East and West are different in terms of how they are perceived and their objective and subjective aspects. It can be concluded that the biggest difference between the street in the West and the East lies in the social structure of the space and the use and subjective meaning of the street, which is created by the adaptive nature of the street. The extent of adaptation is defined by the type of power shaping the street (whether the government and municipalities or the community), street management and how laws are implemented. There are obvious differences between streetscape in the East and West in terms of semantic, functional, and aesthetic aspects. They differ from each other in features such as the variety of activities, order, boundary between public and private space, time patterns of activities, the use of different human senses, and how the space is adaptable and flexible to those mentioned features.