Page 51 - JCAU-6-1

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism A study on the spatial characteristics of gara

trade and economic model diversified the composition of
artisans engaged in handicrafts, fostering a heterogeneous
environment and strengthening neighborhood relationships,
thus diminishing differences based on religion or caste. Outer city Grid-texture North and south Regular rectangle Regular
Hindu is located in the inner city, which emerged in Med Harpura
the first stage of urban development and was primarily
inhabited by Hindus such as Brahmins and Jains. Hindus
constituted a significant commercial group, making Hindu
the main commercial center. The neighborhood underwent
many political and social changes over the centuries, leading
to chaos and instability in urban planning and architectural
development. New buildings and streets were added to the Haripura Outer city Grid-texture North and south Regular rectangle Regular
existing urban structure, resulting in a complex and chaotic
non-network block structure in the region.
Parsi, situated in the inner city and one of the earliest
settlements in Surat, emerged in the first stage of urban
development, displaying a non-grid-like structure due to
slow growth. This block resisted foreign infiltration, even
on main streets, remaining utterly residential without Nanavat Inner city Non-grid-texture North, south, east, and west Irregular shape Irregular
commercialization. The community has not developed
around religious or institutional centers.
Bohra, located in the outer city and formed in the late
th
17 century during the second stage of urban development,
was mainly inhabited by Bohra merchants (Desai, 1985).
This block exhibited a neat grid-like form, reflecting the
impact of colonization on urban structure (Mathew, 1993). Bohra Outer city Grid-texture North and south Regular rectangle Regular

4.3. Distribution of gara within the block
As shown in Table 1, the inner-city wall serves as the
boundary, forming a sharp contrast in the spatial pattern
of buildings and blocks inside and outside the city wall.
Inner-city blocks exhibit an irregular and non-reticular
texture, with buildings facing north and south and mixed
east-west orientations. The rapid development and irregular Parsi Inner city Non-grid-texture North, south, east, and west Irregular shape Irregular
homesteads within the inner city contribute to the irregular
architectural form and arrangement, corresponding to
the irregular structure of the block. In contrast, the outer
city showed a regular and networked texture, with the
buildings facing north and south. The architectural form
and arrangement in the outer city are uniform, aligning with
the regular structure of the block. In summary, the design of
traditional dwellings in Surat is strongly influenced by factors Hindu Inner city Non-grid-texture North, south, east, and west Irregular shape Irregular
such as climate, planning regulations, trade, colonization,
and the distribution of groups of different castes. Table 1. Analysis of block and architectural form
5. Multicultural residential areas and
traditional residential types

5.1. Gara plan types Characteristics Inner/Outer City Gara orientation Gara morphology Gara arrangement
Three distinct types, A, B, and C, were extracted from the Locations Block texture
existing building materials (Figure 9): form

Volume 6 Issue 1 (2024) 7 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.1979