Abstract: A dwelling unit or a house and its relation to the built environment is a research area that has not seen a clear translation into an implementable level policy in India or elsewhere. The reason behind these gaps could be also the lack of a study focus area or a unique name that could link these researches to become an impactful study that policy makers and development agencies could refer to. On the other hand, the term sustainability is widely known; however, the term is more often used and understood in the context of protection of the environment. In the recent past, the definition of sustainability is being examined to include and represent various complexities of human society and its environment. The fundamental concept of sustainability revolves around preserving our resources for the benefit of future generations. This pertains not only to the environment, economy, and urban areas but also places significant emphasis on the culture and community living, which is increasingly being acknowledged as a crucial component in sustainable development too. Vernacular settlements also referred to as traditional settlements, are renowned for their intricate symbiotic and interdependent dynamics. These settlements are not just environmentally sustainable but economically, socially, and culturally sustainable too. The paper attempts to bring forth the core idea of vernacular settlement which still exhibits a strong sense of community living and the need for it to be addressed in social housing policies in rural areas which still showcases these characteristics. The methodology of the study includes a keyword co-occurrence analysis to highlight the concerned research area coming into focus, a study of traditional settlement of Northeast India to understand the linkages of social values, community living and sustainability and concluding it with social housing schemes need for a more holistic approach to preserve these systems.

Keywords: Traditional settlement, Community living, Built environment, social values, Sustainable development

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1. Akbar, J. (1988). Crisis in the Built Environment. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004660601
2. Amos Rapoport, Theory, Culture and Housing, The School of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA, Taylor & Francis, 2001
3. Asquith, L., & Vellinga, M. (Eds.). (2005). Vernacular Architecture in the 21st Century: Theory, Education and Practice (1st ed.). Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203003862
4. McClure, W. R., & Bartuska, T. J. (2011). The built environment: A collaborative inquiry into design and planning. Wiley.
5. Davis, S.H. 1993. Introduction. In Davis, S.H., ed. Indigenous View of Land and the Environment. Washington, DC: World Bansk
6. Dayaratne Ranjith., 2018 Towards Sustainable Development: Lessons from Vernacular Settlements of Sri Lanka, Frontiers of Architecture Research, Vol.7, pg. 334-346.
7. Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
8. Gauvain, M., & Altman, I.M. (1982). A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Homes, Archit. & Behav., Georgi Publication Company, 2 (1982). Pg. 27-47.
9. Hawkes, John. 2001. The Fourth Pillar of Sustainability: Culture’s essential role in Public Planning. Cultural Development Network (Vic.), Australia.
10. J. Habraken and J. Teicher, editors. 2010. The Structure of the Ordinary: Form and Control in the Built Environment, MIT Press.
11. Tulistyantovo, L., 2010. Exploring Local Wisdom in Approaching the Nature and Environment of Space according to the Local Order and Image, Proceedings of ISVS 5, Colombo. 110-118.
12. Sachs, I., 1999. Social sustainability and whole development. In: Becker, E., Jahn, T. (Eds.), Sustainability and the Social Sciences. Zed Books and UNESCO, New York, pp. 25–36.
13. Smith E. Michael. 2007. Form and Meaning in the Earliest Cities: A New Approach to Ancient Urban Planning, Journal of Planning History, Vol.6, No.1. pg. 3-47.

Abstract: A dwelling unit or a house and its relation to the built environment is a research area that has not seen a clear translation into an implementable level policy in India or elsewhere. The reason behind these gaps could be also the lack of a study focus area or a unique name that could link these researches to become an impactful study that policy makers and development agencies could refer to. On the other hand, the term sustainability is widely known; however, the term is more often used and understood in the context of protection of the environment. In the recent past, the definition of sustainability is being examined to include and represent various complexities of human society and its environment. The fundamental concept of sustainability revolves around preserving our resources for the benefit of future generations. This pertains not only to the environment, economy, and urban areas but also places significant emphasis on the culture and community living, which is increasingly being acknowledged as a crucial component in sustainable development too. Vernacular settlements also referred to as traditional settlements, are renowned for their intricate symbiotic and interdependent dynamics. These settlements are not just environmentally sustainable but economically, socially, and culturally sustainable too. The paper attempts to bring forth the core idea of vernacular settlement which still exhibits a strong sense of community living and the need for it to be addressed in social housing policies in rural areas which still showcases these characteristics. The methodology of the study includes a keyword co-occurrence analysis to highlight the concerned research area coming into focus, a study of traditional settlement of Northeast India to understand the linkages of social values, community living and sustainability and concluding it with social housing schemes need for a more holistic approach to preserve these systems.

Keywords: Traditional settlement, Community living, Built environment, social values, Sustainable development

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

1. Akbar, J. (1988). Crisis in the Built Environment. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004660601
2. Amos Rapoport, Theory, Culture and Housing, The School of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA, Taylor & Francis, 2001
3. Asquith, L., & Vellinga, M. (Eds.). (2005). Vernacular Architecture in the 21st Century: Theory, Education and Practice (1st ed.). Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203003862
4. McClure, W. R., & Bartuska, T. J. (2011). The built environment: A collaborative inquiry into design and planning. Wiley.
5. Davis, S.H. 1993. Introduction. In Davis, S.H., ed. Indigenous View of Land and the Environment. Washington, DC: World Bansk
6. Dayaratne Ranjith., 2018 Towards Sustainable Development: Lessons from Vernacular Settlements of Sri Lanka, Frontiers of Architecture Research, Vol.7, pg. 334-346.
7. Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
8. Gauvain, M., & Altman, I.M. (1982). A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Homes, Archit. & Behav., Georgi Publication Company, 2 (1982). Pg. 27-47.
9. Hawkes, John. 2001. The Fourth Pillar of Sustainability: Culture’s essential role in Public Planning. Cultural Development Network (Vic.), Australia.
10. J. Habraken and J. Teicher, editors. 2010. The Structure of the Ordinary: Form and Control in the Built Environment, MIT Press.
11. Tulistyantovo, L., 2010. Exploring Local Wisdom in Approaching the Nature and Environment of Space according to the Local Order and Image, Proceedings of ISVS 5, Colombo. 110-118.
12. Sachs, I., 1999. Social sustainability and whole development. In: Becker, E., Jahn, T. (Eds.), Sustainability and the Social Sciences. Zed Books and UNESCO, New York, pp. 25–36.
13. Smith E. Michael. 2007. Form and Meaning in the Earliest Cities: A New Approach to Ancient Urban Planning, Journal of Planning History, Vol.6, No.1. pg. 3-47.