Front Porch As An Intentional Gathering Place
“Our architecture and spaces tell a lot about our lifestyle and how we engage with our community. In Lahore, we see different types of front porches and thus different ways of connection and interaction within community. These modes of interaction together form the street life.” Peacemakers Pakistani examine a crucial element in the placemaking of Lahore and beyond.
Photo: Raad Bhatti/Unsplash
Front porch is a place to greet a neighbour, share bottle of water or a meal, encourage conversations (and yes those long goodbye conversations of desi aunties too) a place to sit in the shade of tree or a pergola, a place to celebrate and gather and have fun and also to be civically engaged as it connects our private spaces to public spaces. It is a frontier between our private homes and public spaces of neighbourhood. It reminds us of being a part of human community.
Our architecture and spaces tell a lot about our lifestyle and how we engage with our community. In Lahore, we see different type of front porches and thus different ways of connection and interaction within community. These modes of interaction together form the street life.
Let’s look at the famous street life of Walled City. The narrow roads and on street doors with no defined porches but a ‘thara’ (slab) connected to buildings base for sitting and interaction is provided. The ‘thara’ is the most used place for gathering and conversations among men living in the Walled City. And as streets are narrow and houses fronts are up close women are often seen or heard as communicating with each other behind their windows from houses across the street (what an interesting sight especially for the people used to living with a lawn buffer or 30 ft wide road as separation between houses).
This form of architectural or functional addition to a building is a welcoming opportunity for people to relax and have conversation with their neighbours and also strangers and also vendors. One of the reasons why Walled City environment feels safe regardless of uneducated or uncivilised boys and due to some good old men and natural surveillance (eyes on the street), their presence adds vibrancy to the street life. It’s these different forms of interaction that attracts the humans with social nature to spend time and appreciate the urban fabric of the Walled City.
Moving on and let’s talk about societies with small porches and front lawns (as by-laws requirement) with 30 ft wide road separating houses. The thara culture is not seen in other parts of the city but sometimes a bench in the front lawn is seen and utilised by people passing by to rest. It is also used by home owners to spend time and have conversation with friends. Sharing food items among neighbours is a common culture here because sharing is caring.
It is also common for a beggar to ask for help and that kind of compassionate exchange also happens through front porches. Buying items from vendors, meanwhile meeting a neighbour and having conversation on street is not something rare, it happens very often. The thing that keep these kind of streets alive are people walking to nearby grocery stores, finding public transport, beggars, vendors or friends that comes up to visit (conversations happening sometimes at gate or even from road to balcony)
There is another angle to the bigger societies with even larger roads approximately 60 ft to 80 ft width, with inner lawns as well and bigger homes. The social exchange happens but on a rare level. It is also about mindset and how people choose to live and interact with others. Vendors and beggars are also not allowed in such societies. The social exchange happens on front gate or in lawns, hardly seen on road or goes unnoticed due to wide roads and open space. Again, it depends upon how people choose to interact, but the streets and neighbourhoods like these are mainly silent and not very lively. The houses inside maybe loud and lively but streets are quiet.
The social exchange during current COVID19 was suspected to be different or not very likely to happen but it certainly happened as many livelihoods depended on them. People might have taken precautionary measures like masks and sanitisers and kept physical distance but social distance and daily practice of meeting and having conversations and seeking emotional support couldn’t be stopped here (the thara culture kept on).
People also shared food with their neighbours, yet again, because sharing is caring and delivery boys also delivered food to houses and families. Beggars also asked for help because that’s how they fed their families.
Photo: Raad Bhatti/Unsplash
And here to mention an amazing practice done by Ms. Rukhsana Izhar, Founder of Rukh Foundation for providing cooked meals to needy people from her front porch. She had been doing it before COVID19 and she kept doing it during the crises. She practices SOP’s and educate people along the way as well (as you can see in the video below). A great example of how a woman leads. We must learn from her as Eid-ul-Adha is also coming and we might need to create such systems of interaction in order to provide meat to needy ones safely.
It’s just an example of how people can keep up their work and help others at any time just by adopting to current situations. I am truly proud to be a part of such community where an exchange of kindness, compassion and care is so common. Therefore, a porch is an intentional place for interaction.
One such success story by another lady, I would like to add here is by Ms. Robina Shakeel, Founder of Aabroo Educational Welfare Organization, who started teaching children of her maid in her car porch. And this passion and demand turned into one and then multiple schools and many children of uneducated parents. She is now running incredible systems to provide honour and healthy education to children. And remember it all started from a porch.
There might be multiple stories of inspiration and motivation from a small element of Architecture i.e. front porch. So pay attention and find out and discover more stories around you or create your own and acknowledge being a part of human community. And take care of your neighbours as it’s sunnah and they have rights over you. Adding vibrancy to your streets and neighbourhood through the process – that’s what placemaking is all about. You have the opportunity to interact and socialise, avail it whole-heartedly.