Visual Perception of the Street Facade of a Historic Town: Case Study of the Walled City of Jaipur, India

摘要

This paper aims to investigate the visual identity of street facades of historic Indian cities, according to the perception of users of the place. The major objectives of the study are to conduct user-centric evaluation of architecture of the street facade of the heritage precinct, to prioritize the architectural elements of the street facade and validate it through semiotic analysis and to establish a visual identity of the historic Indian city for the users according to their visual perception. To achieve these objectives, the study uses semiotic tools to analyze the architectural elements of the buildings in the study area. The characteristics of the architecture of the heritage area in most used market space of Jaipur are studied. The architectural characteristics of the elements, like columns, cornices, arched windows, eaves, ornamental parapets, and motifs, give identity to the image of Jaipur. These findings may support the policy framework that enhances the visual image of the city.