Conference Proceedings: Planning Africa 2014 Making Great Places,

Historic public spaces are one of the most defining elements of vibrant communities and matured urban landscapes. Cities of past and today have laid great emphasis on provision of public spaces and have defined the idea of livability through them. But, in the context of increased urbanisation, excessive pressure on urban land is resulting shrinking of historic spaces and vanishing of old legacies from traditional core cities. Asian cities are blessed with some of the greatest wealth in terms of Natural and built spaces, cultural heritage and vibrant communities. Nevertheless they are also one of the poorest users of these assets for managing invaluable urban resources and creating community ownership. In this context, this paper tends to instigate the urban structure of Kathmandu city, the world heritage site within it, its space hierarchy and organization of active public realm. Urban grain analysis, space order assessments and public space management framework in core city areas of Kathmandu have been compared with other similar nature Asian cities. Attempt has been made to analyze the nature of transformation of spaces from public to private and attached community activities with each type of spaces. Special emphasis has been laid on urbanisation resulted changing demand pattern in the city and threat to core heritage and space elements and emerging contestation in urban fabric. Philosophies of contestation in urban landscape of Kathmandu is been explored by comparing the old city fabric, building culture and community interactions with contemporary emerging city structures and space elements. Vision has been laid out to find ways to ensure co-sharedness and harmonious community living through bridging the old legacies and modern outfits in the historic city of Kathmandu