Fieldy study report: Buddhanagar neighbourhood structure

A report -Study of Neighborhood Structure
Buddhanagar
Statuary Publication
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This document is the sole publication of the Author. Any misuse
and the mis-interpretation of this document by anyone, author does
not take the responsibility for the same.
Er. Amit Pokhrel
M.Sc. Urban Design and Conservation, 3rd semester student
Khwopa Engineering College
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CHAPTER 1:
BACKGROUND
Neighbourhood is the place where people like to to stay. Although these places are
routinely defined according to administrative boundaries on the basis of statistical criteria,
it is important to carefully consider the way they are circumscribed as they can create
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spatial analysis problems and produce misleading information. A new approach to
defining Neighbourhood units which is based on the integration of elements stemming
from the socioeconomic situation of the area, its history, and how it is perceived by local
key actors.
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In 1915, Park described these groupings as the results of the competition for land use
between various businesses and groups of populations existing without formal
organization.
A Neighbourhood is often considered to be a living area as well as a place of work and a
family environment. One will find people interacting for utility (grocery stores, medical
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clinics, schools, recreational parks, etc.), support or mutual aid (exchanges of services), or
for -pure socialization (the need to create bonds between individuals).
It is a space we learn to recognize by moving throughout it while carrying social and
economic activities such as visiting friends and shopping. The built environment and its
social organization can become familiar and could contribute to one's identity.
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A Neighbourhood can thus become a reflection of oneself, one's values, aspirations and
socioeconomic conditions. It can also be freely selected or determined by these same
socioeconomic conditions. In short, a Neighbourhood is a place characterized by a
specific collection of spatially based features that can be found at a specific geographic
scale.
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The three spatial levels of the concept of Neighbourhood which are intrinsically
connected inside the same area: the home area, the locality and the urban district. The
home area refers to belonging and family, where the psycho-social purposes of
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Neighbourhood tend to be strongest and it is typically defined by the area within a 5–10
minute walk around someone's residence.
The locality refers to the wider area where residential activities are still highly
predictable, familiar, and is visited frequently. The urban district refers to an even larger
landscape of social and economic opportunities which might vary considerably from one
individual to another. In this way, Neighbourhoods can be seen as overlapping areas in
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relation to one's needs, the whole being centered on the residence. Moreover, the scale of
a Neighbourhood shall be very different between urban and rural areas, where notions
like distance or local are different.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
 To identify the walkability and school services.
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 To identify the services to make a safe neighborhood.
 To identify the problems of dwelling units.
 To identify the clusters of housing with community facilities.
 To explore several relevant methodological issues related to the definition of
Neighbourhood units.
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 To find the three spatial levels of the concept of Neighbourhood which are
intrinsically connected inside the same area: the home area, the locality and the
urban district.
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CHAPTER 2:
LITERATURE REVIEW
Elements of a Great Neighborhood
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Certainly, there are other more particular day-to-day concerns facing the neighborhood,
and they need to be addressed. Before we address these concerns, however, it will be
most helpful if we begin first to think broadly about--to imagine--what qualities good
urban neighborhoods should have, what a neighborhood
might be and should be, and how it can be the best possible
neighborhood for those who live in it.
1. Walk to Shop
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A great neighborhood has everyday stores and services within an easy walk from home. It
has stores and shops that satisfy everyday needs within an easy walk from home.
Everyday shops and services include corner groceries, day
care, cafes and restaurants, banks, dry cleaners, bakeries and
the like. An easy walk is about five to ten minutes.
2. Safe Streets
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A great neighborhood has safe and friendly streets. It has safe and friendly streets. In a
great neighborhood people can walk without fear of crime, being threatened by traffic, or
being disturbed by excessive noise. People feel like they
"belong" on neighborhood streets. Residential streets feel
public, and more like open space than traffic ways. Streets are
a pleasant part of the neighborhood.
3. Get Around Easily
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A great neighborhood has many ways to get around. It has many choices for moving to,
from, and within it. Great neighborhoods make it easy to move about on foot, by bicycle,
transit, and auto. They accommodate the car, but allow people to live easily without one.
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4. Housing Choices
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A great neighborhood has a variety of housing types. It has a variety of housing types. A
variety of houses; flats and apartments of various size to meet different needs and
preferences.
5. Gathering Places
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A great neighborhood has places for people to meet and talk. It has places for people to
meet, talk and be neighborly. Public gathering places include parks, plazas, sidewalks,
and shops.
6. City Services
A great neighborhood has a full range of public services for residents. It has a full range
of public services for residents. Public services include parks, schools, police and fire
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7. Special Character
A great neighborhood has its own special character. They are shaped by their physical
setting, streets, buildings, open spaces, history, culture
and the people who live in them. In great neighborhoods
these attributes combine in unique and memorable ways.
Great neighborhoods make great cities.
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Great neighborhoods make great Cities. Great neighborhoods stand out on their own, yet
are connected to the City. They can be a refuge for their residents, but also a part of the
city's wider community.
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NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTERISTICS
• Utilities and Servicing
• Major public service uses
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• Land use ratios: Industrial/Residential & Commercial
• Servicing and Transportation
• Water supply, Sewage disposal and Drainage System
• Emergency services: Police/Hospitals/Fire brigade
• Land use demands: Residential/Commercial/Industrial
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• Open space/Natural areas
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Figure1: General components of Neighborhood

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NEIGHBORHOOD MODULE
Traditional neighborhood module
Nani is one of the clan settlement units. It is formed by the combination of dwelling
cluster types. Orientation of each Nani is toward the center or court.
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32Figure2: Nani structure in Traditional Settlement
Nani & the Town
The Hierarchical Relationship
Nani A + Nani B + … Tole A
Nani A + Nani B + … Mandalika A
Mandalika A + Mandalika B
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Modern Neighbourhood module
 A sound area for living
 Adequate school and parks within a 5min/10 min walk.
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 Major street around rather than through the neighbourhood
 Separate residential and non residential districts or commercial centres
 Population large enough to support an elementary school, usually 2,000 to 8,000
people
 Some neighbours stores and services
 Facilities of water supply, drainage, utilities, minimum a hospital, with safety
security and minimum a green environment
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Hierarchy neighborhood in a residential town settlement
Residential Cluster + Residential Cluster = Neighbourhood Quarter
Neighbourhood Quarter + Neighbourhood Quarter = Residential District
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Residential District + Residential District = Town Settlement
(Settlement cluster with respect to the house forms within nani clusters, nani as the unit of
analysis for development)
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CHAPTER 3:
CASE STUDY OF
BUDDHANAGAR
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Buddhanagar is located to the north-east of the main road to the way of New Baneswor
from Babarmahal. Previously, it was name as chuchol galli but known as Buddhanagar
due to presence of statue of Buddha and Buddhist community.
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Buddhanagar is one of the blooming areas for the residential neighborhood plan that has
40Figure4: Map of Buddhanagar, highlighted study Area

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Figure3: Google map of Buddhanagar,
New Baneshwor

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these quarters, various features are analyzed to observe the various socio-cultural
activities at different times.
Quarter A belongs to bungalow type and rest of quarters is flat system houses (mixed
uses).
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Figure 5: General information of the study area

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HIERARCHY DIVISION OF SPACE
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The study area consists of the different hierarchal distribution of area like the area which
is near by the road side is captured by commercial use also and the area that is little inner
side from the road is purely residential area. Mainly the primary streets are used as a
missed used purpose that is containing shops on the ground floor.
Residences inside this area are in different variation in height like one storey to 5th
storey
also and are bungalow type as well as flat system on rent etc.
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Housing type
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Figure7: commercial area on the road
side
Figure6: Residential area inside the study area

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BASIC NEIGHBORHOOD ELEMENTS INSIDE THE STUDY AREA
Walk to shop
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This neighborhood has easy access to satisfy everyday needs within the accepted walking
distance (5-10 minutes).
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Fig.8: walk able distance

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Safe streets:
Since the streets have mixed use, street seems lively and safer. People can walk without
any fear of crime. Streets feel like public and more open space than traffic ways. Footpath
is lacking.
The road network divides:
• Primary road
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• Secondary road
• Tertiary road
• Cul de sac
The road is nearly designed for the concept of pedestrian friendly since there is only flow
of public vehicles.
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Get around easily:
It has many choices for moving to, from and within it. But some of the streets end with
the building where people have to walk a lot more to reach the destination. In this case
permeability factor is low. It consumes more time and less efficiency.
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Fig.9: Street Networking

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Housing choices: the study area of
this neighborhood consists of
mainly two types of hosing choices
i.e. bungalow type and flat system
rented building in which mostly
60Fig.10: House Ownership Chart

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the ground floor used as the commercial purpose. The houses which are near by the road
are mainly mixed type (Commercial Residential). And the houses found on the inner area
are mainly bungalow type.
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Gathering places:
The people can gather in banquet hall, school’s playground to meet, talk and be
neighborly. They also form their own organization known as "Buddhanagar development
62Fig.11: Columbus School

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committee" which performs their different public activity in the open spaces of the
school.
The study area also consists of the one newly made banquet hall in which people gather to
perform their parties and other activities.
City services:
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It has full range of public services for residents. These include school, police post,
hospitals, commercial, road networking, etc. small shops used for the daily purpose are
also found in the community.
1. Police post
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The police post is situated on the west peripheral site. This police post serves 24 hours
services for the safety and security inside the community, which can be also consider as
the integral part of the complete neighborhood.
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2. Elementary school
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The study areas contain elementary school: Columbus School, Kavya School, South point
school under which 40-55% of the student belongs to the Buddhanagar community.
Schools/College in Buddhanagar
1. Columbus School (inside the study area)
2. Kavya School (Primary+ Secondary) (inside the study area)
3. Northpoint School (Primary School)
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4. Southpoint School (Primary School) (inside the study area)
5. National Academy (Primary School)
6. Buddha public School (inside the study area)
7. KITS Nursing College
8. Alfa-beta Institute (inside the study area)
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South point school contains 40% students from the Buddhanagar among them around
27% of the students come from our study area and remaining 13% comes outward from
the study area but they belongs from the Buddhanagar. Similarly another school contains
53% of the students from the Buddhanagar among which 28.5% from the study area and
remaining from the outside of study area but from Buddhanagar. And the remaining 47%
from the other parts like Bhaktapur, Shankhamul, Old Baneswor, Babarmahal etc
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• Class: play group to V class
• Number of student around the territory=56
• Walking student=55
• From van A , the student comes from: Pulchowk-Imadol-Kharibot-Koteswor-
Shankhamul-Buddhanagar=12 students
• From van A again-Newroad-Mahankal-Bir hospital side=4 student
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• From van B, the student comes from: Maitidevi-Shantinagar-Mid Baneswor-
Guheswor-Babarmahal-Thapagaun-Buddhanagar= 15 student
• From van B again: Koteswoe-Jadibuti-Gathaghar-Balkot-Nyatapole-
Suryabinayak-Baneswor-Buddhanagar=20 students
• From different pockets of Buddhanagar, Swet binayak marga= 7/8 students
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Fig.12: Distribution of students in South Point School

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Fig.13: Distribution of students in Columbus School

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3. Open space
The study area consists of the private open space as a vacant land rather than a public
open space. One triangular public open space is situated on the east side of the study area
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which function as children’s playing as well as the parking space in the present time.
Furthermore the other open or vacant open land use as vegetation. And some of the
vacant lands are used by the children as a playground.
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Fig.14: open spaces (private and public)

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Fig.16: Public open space used for Parking
and Playing
Fig.15: private vacant land used as a
basketball court at present
Fig.1: Typical section of building

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4. Services and facilities:
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They start their day by going temples (Ganesh
temple, Durga temple) indicated by triangular
shape. Elementary schools are indicated as circular
shape. Dhobi khola and Bagmati River are also
shown connected with Shankhamul road. Hams
hospital is also distinctly shown in the plan for
emergency health services.
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5. Transportation and parking
Vehicular access is limited in Buddhanagar. Public vehicles are available only to the
border of Shankhamul and from Araniko highway. Inside this area, it is served by the
street loop road system.
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Figure17: Dhurga Temple

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The southern part of Buddhanagar has good access from all directions, Street providing
direct east-west connections to buddhanagar and Krishna tower and north-south
connection to babarmahal-koteswor road network.
Since the area was planned and developed as an auto-oriented, low density commercial-
industrial area, there is adequate parking in the area.
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Figure19: Parking near by the House
Figure 18: Public Transportation Area

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6. Utilities
The area is well serviced by
utilities, like water, sewer,
drainage and electricity
services. Drinking water is
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available through government line and through boring, well etc. solid waste disposal is
carried out through the government and through club. There is a major overhead electrical
power transmission line passing through the western edge of the area. From a
redevelopment and aesthetics perspective, this transmission line is a major constraint for
the development opportunities in this area. Existing overhead secondary distribution
power lines through Buddhanagar will need to be shifted where they are impacted by the
new public roadway construction.
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Figure20: Overhead Electrical Line

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Figure21: Utility Chart

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7. Small shops
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• Groceries 46 • Jwellary shop 4
• Stationery 11 • Fruit shop 4
• Cafe & Tea shop 15 • Pharmacy 2
• Tailoring 13 • Tv repairing 3
• Cosmetic & beauty parlor 14 • Hardware 3
• Fast food 11 • Gas depo 6
• Clothing store 9 • Garage 4
• Barber shop 6 • Office including NGO’S 6
• Dairy product=3 3 • Finance 2
• Electric appliances=6 6 • Cyber 3
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The study area contains the small shops for the daily needs. The ground floors of the
buildings near by the road contains different type of shops like groceries, barber shop,
jeweler shops, café, restaurants etc. these shops make the street alive by the flow of
people for the search of their needs.
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Figure22: Shops Chart

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Socio-economic aspect:
The town form, street patterns and open space hierarchy including building components
have different layers of socio-religious meanings, developed in different time period,
which forms the collective memory and shared values of communities.
According to a socioeconomic perspective, economic is mainly associated with education,
employment and income whereas society refers primarily to parenting, marital status, age
and living alone.
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The result of this approach offers a portrait of the population's material and social
conditions' internal diversity. It allows locating places with similar levels of deprivation
into five groups, from most privileged to most deprived, and the evaluation of the level of
adjacency for each of the five groups which was in site of Buddhanagar.
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Gradual development phase of Buddhanagar
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The timeline of Buddhanagar shows the gradual development of infrastructure and the
population size. These pictures show the improvement of services with the compactness
of living due to opportunity in the capital city Kathmandu valley. In the same way, there
is gradual decrement of quality of services due to rapid increment of population.
The Aerial map of 2003 show that there are many land still not used for developments
and it clearly defines that there is a natural environment within the built environment.
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The overall map indicates that in the core and outer area, there are still many unused or
green or open land to be there with no change in it. The figure directly explains that there
is many vacant land within Buddhanagar which representing its natural aspects within the
area.
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Similary the Aerial map of 2007 indicates that the earlier open lands or vacant space was
filled up by built environment in many places within Buddhanagar. As we see in this map
that the core and outer area was filled up by built environment and very few land was left
to change in built environment; which directly shows that the rise in population density is
the main reason to occupy by built environment.
Similary the map of 2010 clearly shows now that there is a limited land within the area
and most part are used by built for development of commercialized and for private
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residences, due to increase number of population, which supports for a Neighbourhood
point of view too. and the latest data available from 2013 Aerial map shows that, there is
few countable land only and whole area was covered by concrete jungles leaving no
spaces for greenary and natural environment which is the biggest threat for cultivating the
grains to live a life in sustainable manner.
Timeline Situation of Buddhanagar
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• Aerial map of 2003
 Greenary or open or vacant land are mostly presence in this map, which
shows that the open or vacant land are used for grainary means or for
agriculture means to sustain life and the other parts are surrounded by
built environment
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 The situation comes to be changed while travelling time from 2003 to
2007. The spaces which was mostly vacant is now filled up by many built
concrete and fewer lands are yet to be filled due to rise in population due
to opportunity in capital as well as due to country under threat due to
maoist revolution from the past year.
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 Within the 3 years time from 2007 to 2010, the left portion of vacant land
was occupied by houses and many built structures within this area. Now
only few land were left there and we can count it, this situation was due
to increase in population from around the country to stay in capital city as
welll as due to centralization.
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 The passage of time shows that the place like Buddhanagar was to be
empty during ealier years but now a days it seems that the most part of
this area is covered by concrete jungles and this situation is due to the
countries internal problem including maoist revolution which disturbed
much to the citizens of Nepal, which created population density to be
increased in capital city as well as due to centralization, the opportunity is
higher in capital than in the regional area, which within the 15 years,
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people flew in capital for business, quality education, employment, to go
abroad and due to perspective to be in one way for living in the cities
which is rich in cultural and easy to access for what the people needs in
their life.
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Fig23: Buddhanagar in 2003 Fig24: Buddhanagar in 2007
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Fig25: Buddhanagar in 2010 Fig26: Buddhanagar in 2013
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Chapter:4
Neighbourhood Structure as an Analysis Tool
Field study emphasize the importance of the method used to define Neighbourhood
structure. This is of the utmost concern given the effect this definition can have on the
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study. The use of borders established more or less arbitrarily can generate serious
information biases and reduce the validity of analyses.
As the Neighbourhood integrates place as well as people, its conceptualization must
consider characteristics of both place and people, and the interaction between them. It
must also consider that a neighbourhood is always a part of a larger whole.
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METHODS
Studied Area
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We conducted this study in five places (Marga) of the Buddhanagar. They were selected
for their comparability on certain aspects and contrasts on others. Furthermore, they
represent three basic types of milieus, namely a local area, a suburban and a business area
(a source for income housing).
In order to produce a set of neighbourhood units as close as possible to the way the
territories are built, lived, and perceived, meaning where the neighborhood’s idiosyncrasy
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is best represented, a three-prong approach was developed combining and integrating
historical, socioeconomic and perceptual viewpoints.
 The Historical Perspective
Buddhanagar is located to the north-east of the main road to the way of New Baneswor
from Babarmahal. Previously, it was name as chuchol galli but known as Buddhanagar
due to presence of statue of Buddha and Buddhist community. Buddhanagar is one of the
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blooming areas for the residential neighborhood plan that has grown and changed over
time. The total area of Buddhanagar covers around 982 ropanies (49 hectare). The study
area covers about 25% (12.25 hectare) of total area which are divided into five quarters.
In these quarters, various features are analyzed to observe the various socio-culture
activities at different times.
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This perspective is based on locating all institutional, private or public demarcations used
during the past years before the beginning of Neighbourhood concept started in Nepal.
The period was considered since it is about the average duration of an adult's active life.
The collected limits could be, for instance, from primary schools' catchment area,
Regional planning units, fire or police security dispatch zones, municipalities or parishes'
boundaries.
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Different maps have been collected for each studied territory. Every single limit of each
map was weighted according to four criteria: the length of utilization, the decade of use,
the relevance of a limit according to the research theme and the collected information's
accuracy.
A topological structure was made using street network for Buddhanagar. Every segment
of the topological structure was given a weight according to the four criteria. Natural
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breaks in the distribution of those weights served as class thresholds for defining the
frequency of the limits use: very often, often, sometimes and never.
 The Socioeconomic Perspective
For the definition of Neighbourhood structure according to a socioeconomic perspective,
Material deprivation is mainly associated with education, employment and income,
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whereas social deprivation refers primarily to parenting, marital status, age and living.
Both dimensions of deprivation are in fact the two main components of a principal
component analysis carried out on the above socioeconomic indicators.
In order to provide a unique statistical representation of deprivation for each territory, we
carried out a cluster analysis by dissemination area for each aspect. We used the cluster
analysis since the results generated are more compact than those obtained by the
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hierarchical method, exclude any possibility of overmatching and maximize the internal
groupings' homogeneity. Following preliminary analyses, we determined that five groups
were adequate to spatially reveal the main deprivation differences. Each group brings
together data with similar factor scores on both deprivation aspects.
The result of this approach is mainly cartographic, offering a portrait of the population's
material and social conditions' internal diversity. It allows locating places with similar
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levels of deprivation into five groups, from most privileged to most deprived, and the
evaluation of the level of adjacency for each of the five groups. The five groups or
quarters or area represent the area taken within the Buddhanagar area or teritory.
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 The Perception Perspective
For this perspective, a focus-group type work was carried out with local respondents who
have had knowledge of our five study areas. We chose to intereact with locals because
they bring a valuable and coherent point of view of the territory since they can both look
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at it as a whole and give advice about its interactions with the region, and discuss specific
details within it.
In each territory, we held an interview of three hours for locals coming from activity
sectors such as community groups, school board, and community health and social
services. Twenty people per territory took part in this interview. The goal was to collect
their overall perception of the territory, to understand what a neighbourhood structure
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meant to them, to insure the integration of the three perspectives, and to circumscribe a
set of neighbourhood units.
Before the Questionnaire, all the local respondents were informed of the objectives and
the context of the study as well as the interview already carried out on their territory for
the definition of neighbourhood structure, e.g. the result of the historical and statistical
perspectives.
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It was essential to provide this information at the beginning of the Interview in order to
give a basis on which to work and on which respondents could reach a consensus. We
then asked the respondents or participants to map out, according to them, what would be
their personal proposal of neighbourhood structure on their territory by leaving them
completely free to use any criteria they considered most significant.
They could select or discard layouts suggested by the historical and statistical perspective
and/or modify them according to other criteria they considered relevant.
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Only two constraints of a statistical nature were established. The first constraint was that
units must gather an integer number of dissemination areas; this criterion allowing units
to be perfectly compatible with Statistics available census data and other databases. The
second constraint was that the units should contain approximately 5,000 inhabitants (+/-
3,000) to carry out analyses about rare events with the minimum level needed for
statistical significance, and to keep a local perspective. There is no gold standard number
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for neighbourhood structure analysis and the selected values are always more or less
arbitrary.
The historical perspective identified the most frequently used limits generated by public
services, local policy or by urban infrastructures for its recent history.
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The socioeconomic perspective offered a picture of the current deprivation status while
locating some spatial clusters. The perception perspective not only provided useful
information on social interactions, sense of belonging, accessibility to various services,
and on local characteristics, but also made it possible to integrate the whole procedure. It
is with this procedure that we obtained a final set of neighbourhood structure among
which we investigated Neighbourhood characteristics at the local scale.
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Neighbourhood Structure Analysis:
Based on inner characteristics and the geographic scale there are two main categories of
elements that need to be considered when identifying a neighbourhood structure: the inner
characteristics and the geographic scale.
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 The inner characteristics refer to everything that could be considered an
important element to characterize a neighbourhood. A neighbourhood concept has
provided the most complete listing of those elements, grouping them in ten
groups: structural, infrastructural, demographic, class status, public services,
environmental, proximity, political, social-interactive and sentimental
characteristics.
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We agree with this general and integrative definition of a neighbourhood, which is
"a bundle of spatially based attributes associated with a cluster of residences,
sometime in conjunction with other land uses. However, obviously no
neighbourhood can be homogeneous with regard to all these elements. Instead, it
is characterized by a specific combination of homogeneity and/or heterogeneity of
a few or many elements that make a neighbourhood different from its
surrounding. This is known as the neighborhood’s idiosyncrasy. All these refer to
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some specific aspect of a territory's reality. We believe that this reality shall be
best represented if they are all taken into account when one tries to define
neighbourhood structure.
 The geographic scale: It is also an important aspect to consider when defining
neighbourhoods structure. Indeed, their relation to the territory and their principal
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characteristics might change with the scale. It can be determined by the dominant
function of each of three spatial levels of the concept of Neighbourhood which are
intrinsically connected inside the same area: the home area, the locality and the
urban district. The home area refers to belonging and family, where the psycho-
social purposes of neighbourhood tend to be strongest and it is typically defined
by the area within a 5–10 minute walk around someone's residence. The locality
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Buddhanagar
refers to the wider area where residential activities are still highly predictable,
familiar, and is visited frequently.
The urban district refers to an even larger landscape of social and economic
opportunities which might vary considerably from one individual to another. In
this way, Neighbourhoods can be seen as overlapping areas in relation to one's
needs, the whole being centered on the residence. Moreover, the scale of a
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Buddhanagar
neighbourhood shall be very different between urban and rural areas, where
notions like distance or local are different. Therefore, the concept of
neighbourhood is not necessarily confined to urban milieus; it could simply be
another way to express the idiosyncrasy at a proper geographic scale.
Unfortunately, there is no magic formula that could bring together all relevant
elements of a neighbourhood to create an all-purpose spatial grid. However, we
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Buddhanagar
believe that the two categories of elements described earlier, e.g. the inner
characteristics and the scale, are particularly relevant for defining spatial units
related to environment, and that choices are to be made regarding those elements
before defining neighbourhood structure. What follows are the choices we made
that led to the creation of geographical units that could be used to manage the
multidimensional concept of neighbourhood.
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Chapter: 5
Discussion
This study is an implementation of a multi-perspective for defining Neighbourhood
structure in five quarters (or territories or pockets or groups) located in the Buddhanagar.
Our purpose was two-fold. First, we wanted to show how it is possible to integrate
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different ways of defining neighbourhood structure and produce significant information
on necessary information variations at a local scale.
Second, we sought to incorporate the point of view of local respondents in defining such
structure in order to facilitate the exchange of knowledge between researchers and local
Stakeholders. Results show that this survey was feasible and successful. Three
methodological approaches were integrated to delineate neighbourhood structure in the
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Buddhanagar
selected territories or pockets. Socioeconomic and structural variations were found
between neighbourhood structure and within territories, and these variations raised much
interest among local stakeholders. We have seen that in defining neighbourhood structure,
each perspective had its role or input in the process.
The historical approach reveals boundaries usually inherited from the institutional
framework which significantly cut out the territory, and to evaluate the presence, the
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Buddhanagar
strength, or the coherence of the spatial frame of reference. The socioeconomic approach
rather highlights the actual homogeneity or heterogeneity of a territory's deprivation and
its spatial distribution. Provided with these two geographical representations, local
respondents can determine which elements of these perspectives, or other elements drawn
from their own experience, are most significant in defining neighbourhood structure.
We consider this whole process fundamental to render the concept of Neighbourhood
operational, since it uses an objective methodology that integrates elements of
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Buddhanagar
subjectivity and reflects the singularity of the territory. Indeed, inner characteristics
identified by respondents were aspects which could only be pointed out by people having
an intimate experience of the territory. What distinguishes one Neighbourhood from
another is the way various specific elements combine among themselves, thereby
conferring its idiosyncrasy to the Neighbourhood.
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Buddhanagar
The scale at which Neighbourhood structure were constructed was mainly determined by
two features: the historical boundaries that qualify the general spatial frame of reference,
especially in local environments, and the statistical constraint that keeps Neighbourhood
populations in the range of 2,000 to 8,000.
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Buddhanagar
Even though the spatial frame of reference was very different for the urban boroughs of
pockets A to Pockets E, it is interesting to note that criteria evoked by local key
respondents during the Questionnaire were often the same for surveyed places.
Indeed, main roads or inner roads, housing types, the general level of deprivation, the
presence of social contacts and historical aspects were all important elements used as
guideposts by the respondents from Buddhanagar (The surveyed locations).
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Buddhanagar
Thus, it was possible to integrate the historical and socioeconomic perspectives by having
resorted to the local respondents' personal knowledge.
Indeed, results showed an efficient way to present general outcomes at the local scale that
could be easily understood by local stakeholders. Each one of these structure had its own
characteristics; however, it should be known that no characteristic was used as a global
beacon for a unit's definition. Consequently, local respondents individually bounded each
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one of these structure according to one or several of these indicators that specifically
characterized them.
Nevertheless, our work was not carried out without difficulty. Moreover, keeping a
structure's population within an interval of 2,000 to 8,000 individuals was sometimes
awkward for questionnaire respondents.
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Buddhanagar
However, in the context of Neighbourhood structure studies carried out at a local level
and for reasons of statistical precision, it was not possible to reduce the size of
neighbourhood units. When very small populations are involved, perhaps other types of
analyses, more qualitative in nature, would be more appropriate.
In an area like Buddhanagar, the same kind of problems arose but with greater impact on
the significance of the final set of structure or units, and for several reasons first, it was
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harder to find homogeneity or some socioeconomic similarity in this area because of the
large expanse of the area and the low population density.
We also noted from local respondents' comments that the Buddhanagar area, at the local
scale, was perceived to have a level of heterogeneity that is seldom observed in an urban
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Buddhanagar
area, second, indicators mentioned by Buddhanagar questionnaire respondents differed in
nature from those mentioned for the urban boroughs.
Those indicators reflected indeed a very different social reality and were adapted
according to the scale at which space is used by the inhabitants. Consequently, the
neighbourhood concept took a new dimension here and often extended to bordering
municipalities with which social or administrative contacts were more frequent and
common.
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Buddhanagar
In this field study, the concept of neighbourhood is rarely used in relation to the
countryside and defining neighbourhood structure in urban and sub-urban areas now
represents an important methodological challenge. Based on our study, we can suggest
that neighbourhood structures are entities which share many institutions and public
services and are often linked by an economic pole. It is mainly through these elements
that our neighbourhood structures were created.
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Buddhanagar
The quality of our final set of neighbourhood structure, in Buddhanagar, can be closely
related to the quality and diversity of the local key respondents who took part in
questionnaire and an interview. However, the results' significant value comes precisely
from the fact that, in spite of their various expertises, they succeeded in reaching
a consensus on the neighborhoods’ representations.
This procedure strengthened the final divisions, which we believe would not have been
significantly different had we interviewed with other local key respondents, especially in
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Buddhanagar
different pockets of Buddhanagar areas. In fact, boundaries were selected without much
discussion as they were already known by respondents.
The method presented in this field study provides a set of geographical units based on a
consensus made by local respondents. With this consensus, we believe their spatial
distribution can be used to qualify their idiosyncrasy relating the Neighbourhood
structures.
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Buddhanagar
Also, as our final set of Neighbourhood structure was not compared with more
conventional ones, based exclusively on socioeconomic indicators, for instance, we do
not know if this set brings greater geographical disparities and provides more useful
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Buddhanagar
Insights into the determinants of necessary required informations of Buddhanagar
surveyed pockets.
In our opinion, the present study makes an original and important contribution to the field
of research on Neighbourhood. Fist, it gives substance to an ambiguous and vague
concept. Second, it exemplifies a three-fold approach for defining Neighbourhood
structure that goes beyond the usual socioeconomic criteria and administrative statistical
units. Third, it considers not only cities but also rural areas, which are usually ignored in
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Buddhanagar
such study. Fourth, it shows how fruitful links can be created with local stakeholders and
knowledge exchange facilitated. Finally, it proposes an approach which is reproducible
elsewhere, in under-developed and developing countries, despite differences in local
information systems and local decision makers.
CONCLUSION
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Buddhanagar
The concept of the neighbourhood is well established as a basic unit for planning our
cities. Further, it is a popular and accepted (though often vague) element of social and
physical organization in the minds of the engineers, architects and city designers. The
neighbourhood has become the symbols , through conscious designs of a means to
preserve the real or imagined values of an earlier, semi-rural way of life in our increasing
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Buddhanagar
complex and fast moving urban centers. unqualified criticsm of it would be unair and un
warranted .
The modern concept of the neighbourhood and for that matter , many of the more recent
version of the neighbourhood unit or structure derive from the notion that the
neighbourhoods will be composed of aggregations of “average” families and may be a
miscellaneous relative like containing both the social and physical attributes within
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Buddhanagar
neighbourhood stability. Actually families of this sort comprise less than half of the
families occupying dwelling units in our cities.
Even for those families that conform to the average , the planned neighbourhood does not
necessarily provide the ideal living environment. This is not to say that many of the
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Buddhanagar
elements that are being incorporated into contemporary neighbourhoods are not sound,
i.e. who can argue against the advisability of diverting speed and volume traffic away
from living areas, especially when children are walking to the school or playing in the
nearby open playground.
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Buddhanagar
While this report has been devoted primarily to the discussion of techniques for
delimiting the neighbourhoods, it unavoidably has dealt with certain subjective
evaluations of the neighbourhood theory. Drawing the boundaries of a neighbourhood , if
these boundaries are to serve as a frame of reference for actual physical change , will
affect significantly the kinds of neighbourhoods that results.
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Buddhanagar
There seems to be a great need for integration in neighbourhoods- integration of different
kinds of people, different kinds of dwellings, and different kinds of ideas. utilization of as
many criteria of neighbourhood identification as are available may provide the tools to
build better new neighbourhoods and to recognize the strenght and weakness of existing
ones.
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Buddhanagar
The neighborhood unit concept provides a theoretical basis for the planning of residential
areas. It should be borne in mind that in practice the various elements in the concept are
given different emphasis according to the approaches made by different engineers,
architects and planners.
A willingness to go further than adopting a neat set of standards based upon a 10 year old
concept as the guide for all residential development in the city is necessary (incase of
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Buddhanagar
Nepal), if we are to provide the variety of living areas suited to the variety of people who
live in the city like Kathmandu and the place like Buddhanagar which has its own
historical, sociological, economical and perception value from the earlier years.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2012/02/25/the-importance-of-strong-
neighborhoods/
171

Buddhanagar
http://www.nij.gov/topics/technology/maps/gps-bulletin-v2i2.pdf
http://www.sf-planning.org/index.aspx?page=1704
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socioeconomic_status
A study on Buddhanagar- Book named as “Buddhanagar Darpan”; Published by
Buddhanagar Development Committee(2061 B.S).
Urban and Environmental planning in Nepal by Ambika Prasad Adhikari
http://www.worldbank.org/
172

Buddhanagar
www.cityplanning.org/europe
Babbit, Bruce.2005.’How to Rebuild New City’, Newyork Times,
Alonso, William.1971. “A theory of the urban land market in the subtopic Internal
structure of the city, edited by Larry.S. Bourne. Newyork: Oxford University Press.
www.cwac.net/landuse/index on july 21,2008
www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/09/eco.cities/index.html on july 28,2008
www.urbanandregionalplanning/london
173

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www.gos.gov.uk/gol/Culture_leisure/Tourism/?a=42496
GUEST, AVERY M., JANE K. COVER, ROSS L. MATESEUDA, AND CHARISE E.
KUBRIN.2006. “Neighbourhood Context and Neighbouring Ties.” City & Community
www.elibrary.au/
Planned development and Residential segregation- Gordon, Tracy
www.knowledgegain.com/Urbanism
Berkeley publication Journal: University of California press
174

Buddhanagar
HEVESI, DENNIS.2001. “East New york: A Neighbourhood Reborn.” Newyork Times,
June 10, pp. RE1,10
http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2012/02/25/the-importance-of-strong-
neighborhoods/
http://www.nij.gov/topics/technology/maps/gps-bulletin-v2i2.pdf
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http://www.sf-planning.org/index.aspx?page=1704
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socioeconomic_status
APPENDIX
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Buddhanagar Neighbourhood Survey
(By using these question pattern for questionnaire, respondents helped us to know their
view and from all that relevant data, the data are taken and using all that ,Charts and bar
diagram is taken under following basis: Respondents are 50 to 70 from all pockets and
estimating the population chart as 10 person each from each pocket and assuming 10 as
100%, the charts and bar diagrams are prepared.)
Questionnaire
1. What are the top three concerns about your neighbourhood?
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a. People Issue
b. Crime & Safety
c. Traffic speeding & Parking
d. School & green space
e. Facilities: Watersupply, drainage and solid waste disposal
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f. Upkeep of Neighbourhood
Neighbourhood concerns People’s view in %
People issue 19
Crime & safety 22
Traffic speeding & parking 19
School & green space 11
facilities: w/s, drainage, road, disposal 16
Upkeep of neighbourhood 14
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2. What are the four things you like best about living in your Neighbourhood?
a) Living close to park space
b) Neighbours
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c) Living close to shopping
d) Quiet & secluded
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Population in percentage Best neighbourhood factors
quiet and secluded 40
living close to shopping 30
Neighbours 35
Living close to park space 50
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3. What are the four things you like best about living in your Neighbourhood?
a. Minimal traffic
b. Living close to work
c. Living close to major link roads
d. Sense of belonging
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e. Housing design & value
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Population in number Best neighbourhood factors
5 Housing design and value
7 Sense of belonging
20
living close to major link
roads
15 living close to work
20 Minimal traffic
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Buddhanagar
4. In your opinion, what is the most important factor that makes a neighbourhood
safe?
a) Cleanliness
b) Lighting
c) Healthy environment
d) Clean air, water & soil
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e) Housing & street design
f) Knowing your neighbours
g) Police
h) School
i) Traffic speed
Population in percentage Neighbourhood safety factors
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Buddhanagar
Cleanliness 20
Lighting 25
Healthy environment 15
Clean air, water & soil 10
Housing & street design 5
Knowing your neighbours 17
Police 13
School 21
Traffic speed 19
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5. In your opinion, what are the top 3 things Neighbourhood should focus on?
a. Being a voice for community planning
b. Community safety
c. Support those in needs
d. Community intereact with newcomers
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Population in percentage Focus on Neighbourhood
Being a voice for community
planning 5
Community safety 25
Support those in needs 10
Community interact with
newcomers 15
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Buddhanagar
6. What are the top 3 qualities that make a great Neighbourhood?
a. Clean & green
b. Knowing your neighbours
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c. Helping your neighbours
d. Participating in community activities
e. Well planned & designed
Response percent Great Neighbourhood
Clean and green 75
Knowing your neighbours 60
Helping your neighbours 25
Participate in community 15
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activities
Well planned and designed 85
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Buddhanagar
7. If you know people in your neighbourhood, how did you get to know them
(Neighbourhood activity)?
a) Walking in neighbourhood
b) Through mutual friends
c) Through neighbourhood associations like social clubs,
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d) Through common interest or issue of concern
e) Through children & school
People and activity in percent Neighbourhood activity
Through children, school 35
Through common interest or issue of
concern 30
Through neighbourhood association 25
Through mutual friends 20
Walking in Neighbourhood 15
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8. How can you indicate the Housing style in your Neighbourhood?
a. Multiplex
b. Duplex
c. Single family home with rent
d. Single family home
e. Apartment
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Housing use in percent Housing style
Apartment 0
Single family home 65
Single family home with rent 80
Duplex 5
Multiplex 25
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Buddhanagar
(Note: Duplex means-A duplex house is a dwelling having apartments with separate
entrances for two households. and Butwal powe company limited building is duplex and
Multiplex means-A building, especially a movie theater or dwelling, with multiple
Separate units. and in buddhanagar there is a multiplex which has a theatre and qfx with
small department centre)
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9. How can you indicating the ownership of your home in Neighbourhood?
a. Own
b. Rent
c. Not applicable
Response in percent Ownership of your home
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Buddhanagar
Own 75
Rent 35
Not applicable 0
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Buddhanagar
10. What are the Facilities in Buddhanagar, surveyed at different pockets?
a) Solid waste disposal
b) Watersupply
c) Drainage
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Water supply Drainage Solid waste disposal
Category
1
30% 80% 70%
Category
2
50% 80% 70%
Category
3
20% 70% 90%
Category
4
10% 70% 90%
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Buddhanagar
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Category 1
Category 2
Category 3
Category 4
Solid waste disposal
Drainage
Watersupply
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(In different pockets we see some difference regarding facilities and services. Somewhere
we see presence of watersupply is more but at other pocket there is less service in
comparison to other pockets, were we surveyed it while studying Neighbourhood
structure in Buddhanagar. Due to increase in population in Kathmandu valley, the
demand is high in comparison to supply. and due to increase in demand, the supply is
poor for some area. and some where ground water by pump are pumped out. Due to
population, the watersupply corporation provide watersupply within the given time when
they say; that’s the main reason, we see some where water and in some where no
watersupply.)
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11. Mode of Transportation
a) From krishna tower
b) Baneswor
c) Shankhamul
d) Bijuli bazaar
Transportation
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Buddhanagar
From krishna tower 70%
Baneswor 20%
Shankhamul 15%
Bijulibazaar 5%
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5.3 Respondents Name
The respondents name of the surveyed area were the questionnaire (both in english
and nepali language) was taken are listed under in tabular form containing the
following:
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Surveyed
Pockets
Respondent’
s name
No. of
families
Age group( m/f)
yrs/month
Male Female Building
period
started(B.S)
swetbinayak
marga
Krishna
kumari
shrestha
6 62/15m
60/35/11f
2male 3female 2046
bhawana
marga
Sukra
acharya
8 59/24/22/19m
57/23/19/3month f
4male 4female 2056
Lumbini
galli
Jagat maan
shrestha
3 35/7 m
32 f
2male 1female 2055
bhawana
marga
sundar
dhakal
3 44/35/23 m 3male 0 2052
shram
marga
Alok dhakal 5 50m
45/30/24/22f
1male 4female 2050
shram
marga
sriram
dhundel
3 60/22m
30f
2male 1female 2050
shram
marga
santosh
maharjan
6 70/50m
65/49/26/28f
2male 4female 2065
bhawana
marga
lalaita
maharjan
2 45m
40f
1male 1female 2050
lumbini
galli
sita
chaudhary
5 45m
44/27/25/22f
1male 4female 2051
gangadevi
marga
jait bdr
maharjan
7 62/63/40m
60/61/35/29f
3male 4female 2025
nemuni
marga
mira banyal 3 75m
70/39f
1male 2female 2051
nemuni bishal rawal 4 30/7m
29/5f
2male 2female 2050
swetbinayak gita acharya 3 45m
40/22f
1male 2female 2067
bhawana
marga
maheshlal
karmacharya
6 50/40/35m
45/37/29f
3male 3female renovated
new at
2051
swetbinayak
marga
sulochana
pradhan
6 55/30/19month-m
50/29/19month f
3male 3female 2053
swetbinayak
marga
surya prasad
neupane
5 80/65/60/30m
62f
4male 1female 2055
swetbinayak
marga
sudan
shrestha
4 84/44m
39/17f
2male 2female 2051
swetbinayak
marga
haribhakta
maharjan
6 77/55/42/35/
29m
24f
5male 1female 2058
nemuni
marga
mayyadevi
manandhar
5 70/45/16m
44/12f
3male 2female 2043
bhawana
marga
sudhir bista 5 49/31/17m
45/14f
3male 2female 2041
durga
marga
mohan
acharya
5 84/55/29m
47/27f
3mlae 2female 2052
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Buddhanagar Neighbourhood Survey: Respondents details of surveyed area
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Fieldy study report: Buddhanagar neighbourhood structure

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Fieldy study report: Buddhanagar neighbourhood structure